Peter McKennan

Peter Stewart McKennan (16 July 1918 – 28 September 1991), was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward in the Scottish and English leagues, most notably for Partick Thistle, for whom he scored 113 goals in 198 appearances in all competitions. McKennan represented the Scottish and Irish League representative teams and is a member of the Partick Thistle Hall of Fame. He was nicknamed "Ma Ba" ("my ball"), due to his desire to receive the ball into feet and dictate play.[3]

Peter McKennan
Personal information
Full name Peter Stewart McKennan[1]
Date of birth (1918-07-16)16 July 1918
Place of birth Airdrie, Scotland
Date of death 28 September 1991(1991-09-28) (aged 73)[1]
Place of death Dundonald, Scotland[1]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)[2]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1934 Whitburn
1934–1947 Partick Thistle 131 (76)
1936 → Raith Rovers (loan) 1 (1)
1939 → Linfield (guest)
1940 → Glentoran (guest)
1941–1942 → West Bromwich Albion (guest)
1942–1943 → Chelsea (guest)
1943–1944 → Brentford (guest)
1947–1948 West Bromwich Albion 11 (4)
1948 Leicester City 18 (7)
1948–1949 Brentford 24 (6)
1949–1951 Middlesbrough 40 (18)
1951–1954 Oldham Athletic 78 (28)
1954–1956 Coleraine 62 (29)
Total 365 (169)
National team
1937–1938 Scottish League XI 2 (1)
Irish League XI 2
1940 Scotland (wartime) 1 (1)
Teams managed
1954–1956 Coleraine (player-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

An inside forward, McKennan began his senior career with Scottish League First Division club Partick Thistle in 1934 and though his career was interrupted by Second World War,[4] he remained with the club through the war.[5][6] He made nearly 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 113 goals and was posthumously inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.[5][7] McKennan moved south of the border to join Second Division club West Bromwich Albion (for whom he had guested during the war) for a £10,650 fee in October 1947.[8][9]

McKennan went on to play for Football League clubs Leicester City, Brentford, Middlesbrough and Oldham Athletic and scored 63 goals in 171 appearances,[1] before moving to Northern Ireland in 1954, where he played out two injury-ravaged seasons as player-manager of Coleraine.[3][8][10] As of December 2018, McKennan is the third of three Brentford players to register five goals in a single league match.[8]

International career

After making appearances for the Scottish and Irish League representative teams,[11] McKennan scored on his solitary appearance for Scotland in a 3–2 win over an Irish XI on 28 April 1940.[12]

Personal life

McKennan served in the British Army during the Second World War and saw action as a Command Sergeant-Major on D-Day.[13]

Honours

As a player

Oldham Athletic

As a manager

Coleraine

As an individual

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Partick Thistle 1935–36[14] Scottish First Division 19 6 1 0 20 6
1936–37[14] 33 20 4 1 37 21
1937–38[14] 35 20 4 4 39 24
1938–39[14] 34 24 2 1 36 25
Total 121 70 11 6 131 76
Raith Rovers (loan) 1936–37[14] Scottish Second Division 1 1 — 1 1
West Bromwich Albion 1947–48[15] Second Division 11 4 1 0 12 4
Leicester City 1947–48[16] Second Division 11 4 — 11 4
1948–49[16] 7 3 — 7 3
Total 18 7 — 18 7
Brentford 1948–49[17] Second Division 24 6 4 3 28 9
Middlesbrough 1949–50[18] First Division 33 15 3 1 36 16
1950–51[18] 7 3 0 0 7 3
Total 40 18 3 1 43 19
Career total 215 106 19 10 234 116

References
  1. "Peter McKennan". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. "Peter McKennan – The Thistle Archive". www.thethistlearchive.net. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  3. Martyn, Williams; Williams, Orig (3 September 2013). El Bandito – The Autobiography of Orig Williams. Y Lolfa. ISBN 978-1-84771-778-8.
  4. Peter McKennan, Partick Thistle match programme, 8 October 1991 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
  5. "Peter McKennan". Partick Thistle FC. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  6. "McKennan Peter Partick Thistle 1938". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  7. "Players Mac / Mc". partickthistleahistory.wikifoundry.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  8. Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (18 November 2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 (First ed.). Yore Publications. p. 106. ISBN 9780955294914.
  9. "Albion Till We Die - An Independent West Bromwich Albion Website". www.albiontillwedie.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  10. "After World War Two | Coleraine FC". Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  11. "Peter S McKennan – Scotland Football League Record from 22 Sep 1937 to 07 Sep 1938 clubs – Partick Thistle". www.londonhearts.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  12. "Peter S McKennan". 11v11.com. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  13. Philip, Robert (30 November 2007). "Enduring legend of Peter 'Ma Ba' McKennan". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  14. Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  15. "Albion Till We Die – An Independent West Bromwich Albion Website". www.albiontillwedie.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  16. "Peter McKennan | Leicester City career stats". FoxesTalk. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  17. White, Eric, ed. (1989). 100 Years Of Brentford. Brentford FC. p. 380. ISBN 0951526200.
  18. "Peter McKennan". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.


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