Bobby Black (footballer)

Bobby Black (c.1927 – 4 June 2012) was a Scottish footballer from Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway who played for East Fife and Queen of the South and was also capped by the Scottish League. Black later was an all England bowls champion.^[1]

East Fife

Having played at East Fife during undoubtedly the best period in the club's history Black won a League Cup medal with them in 1949–50. The Methil side made the Scottish Cup final that season and finished fourth in Scotland's top division. Two seasons later (Bobby Black's last at the club) they would surpass this league position and finish third – an achievement unsurpassed by the club and equalled only once.^[1][2]

Other players at the club in this era included 1938 Scottish Cup winners with East Fife Tommy Adams and Willie Laird and players who played for Scotland while with the club, Allan Brown, Henry Morris, George Aitken, Davie Duncan, Charlie Fleming and Andy Matthew. Jimmy Philp was another like Black who enjoyed Scottish League Cup success with the Methil club.^[1][3][4]

From his first season on the books at East Fife (1946–47) until his departure in 1952 Black scored 23 goals in his 78 league games for East Fife.^[1][5]

Queen of the South

In 1952 he signed for his local senior side Queen of the South from Dumfries. Black left Queens in 1961 having made 346 appearances scoring 120 times to make the outside right the club's second highest scorer of all time.^[1]

Under the management of Jimmy McKinnell Junior at Queens, a large part of Black's time at Queens included a large part of the most successful period in the club's history. Also at Queens at this time were goalkeeper Roy Henderson, full backs Dougie Sharpe and Jimmy Binning and the club's record scorer (251 strikes makes Jim Patterson the goals king of Queens). Consistent mid table finishes in the top division in the early and mid 1950s peaked with a sixth-place finish in 1956 – a finish surpassed only once in the club's history. Queen's were subsequently relegated to the Scottish Second Division in 1959.^[1]

Bobby Black's displays at outside right were recognised at international level when he was capped for the Scottish League XI against the League of Ireland XI in Dublin in 1954 and notched two goals in a 3–1 victory.^[1][6] Bobby's son Russel was also a footballer, playing with shffield united, halifax town and weder breman. in his time at sheffield he scored 17 goals in 32 appearances. His older son also had trials with chelsea and finally settling with rangers, scoring the winner against Celtic in a dazzling performance. His grandson Jamie paterson was one of the best players ever for halifax town. His brother Toby paterson played for Celtic and Scotland, and in his debut for Scotland he scored 3 goals in a 5–1 win.

Bobby Black played his entire career wearing the same pair of football boots. Black's preference was to have the boots repaired when required rather than to replace them. The boots are on display now in the Queen of the South museum at Palmerston Park.^[1]

Later years

After leaving Queen of the South Bobby, Black played non-league football for Bath City and Bridgwater Town in England.^[7] In his later years he lived in Somerset, until he died on 4 June 2012.^[1][7]

Black was the great-grandfather of current Celtic forward Denny Johnstone.^[8]

External links

• Bobby Black football and bowls career profile on the Queen of the South official website

References