Paddy Crossan

Patrick James "Paddy" Crossan (1894 – 5 May 1933) was a Scottish professional football defender who played in the Scottish League for Heart of Midlothian.[1][3]

Paddy Crossan
Personal information
Full name Patrick James Crossan[1]
Date of birth 1894
Place of birth Addiewell, Scotland
Date of death 5 May 1933 (aged 39)[2]
Place of death Edinburgh, Scotland
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Addiewell Celtic
Seafield Athletic
1911 Arniston Rangers
1911–1925 Heart of Midlothian 283 (11)
National team
1914 Scottish League XI 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Personal life

Crossan joined Hearts from Arniston Rangers on 8 Nov 1911,[4] aged 17, alongside Willie Wilson.[5] He lodged at Wilson's family home which was very close to the Tynecastle ground. He was powerful and an extremely fast runner, and supplemented his income occasionally by racing under pseudonyms.[6] Crossan was considered by many to be very good looking and it was said that although he could pass a ball, he could not pass a mirror![7]

After the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Crossan enlisted in McCrae's Battalion of the Royal Scots.[2] Around the same time he was selected for the Scottish League XI with teammates Peter Nellies, James Low and Harry Graham.[8]

Once on active service, he was hit in the leg by shrapnel near Bazentin, France on 9 August 1916, during the Battle of the Somme.[2] The leg was marked for amputation but was saved after being operated on by a German POW surgeon.[2] After recovering back in Britain, Crossan was posted to the 4th Battalion to serve in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and he was present during the Battle of Jerusalem.[2] He was posted back to the Western Front in 1918 and was gassed in April that year.[2]

He returned to Hearts after the war and featured in another six full seasons, receiving two benefit games and bringing his total number of competitive appearances to over 300[3] before being release on a free transfer in 1925, aged 31.

Paddy signed for Leith Athletic in August 1925. He scored against his old club in a 7–1 defeat on 19 August 1925.[9]

Paddy married the sister of Harry Wattie on 30 July 1926.[10]

After his retirement from football, he opened Paddy's Bar on Rose Street in Edinburgh.[11] Crossan died of tuberculosis in 1933 and was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery.[12]

References
  1. "The Heart of Midlothian FC Players' Roll of Honour" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  2. "Hearts of courage - The legendary McCrae's Own". Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. "Patrick Crossan - Hearts Career - from 02 Jan 1912 to 07 Feb 1925". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. "Report from Dundee Courier - Friday 10 November 1911". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  5. "Players: Willie Wilson 1916". Mighty Leeds. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  6. Alexander, Jack (2004). McCrae's Battalion: The Story of the 16th Royal Scots. Mainstream Publishing/Random House. ISBN 9781845968212.
  7. Rees, Mike. Men Who Played The Game : Sportsmen who gave their life in the Great War. Bridgend. ISBN 9781781722862. OCLC 935458537.
  8. "Scottish League player Paddy Crossan". www.londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  9. "Wed 19 Aug 1925 Leith Athletic 1 Hearts 7 EoSS SF". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  10. "Report from Arbroath Herald and Advertiser for the Montrose Burghs - Friday 06 August 1926". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  11. "Friends mourn pub landlord". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  12. "Midlothian Advertiser". 5 May 1933. p. 4.


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