John “Jock” Britton

Jock signed for Dundee in August 1924, from Albion Rovers, who were in the Second Division, for a fairly large fee. He had previously played at Junior level with Duntocher Hibs.

Born in Lennoxtown, he was 5ft 11in.

Jock made his debut on the opening day of the 1924-25 season against Celtic in a 0-0 draw. Apart from one match that season he was an ever present in the line-up.

Dundee played Celtic in the final of the Scottish Cup on the 11th April 1925, Celtic won 2-1.  Dundee scored first. Jock had a good game thwarting the Celtic forwards, and it wasn’t until the eighty first minute that they equalised. Every Dundee player instantly became a defender, and Britton was accused of time wasting with his goal kicks. Celtic scored the winning goal in the eighty sixth minute from a free kick.

Jock was popular with the Dens support. It was reported that he was “one of the most brilliant and daring goalkeepers that ever served the club.”

In January 1926 the officials at Dens denied that there was any truth in the ru mour that Tottenham were interested in Britton, they saying they hadn’t been approached. Jock signed for Tottenham Hotspur on the 12th March 1926, for a fee of £1,300. He made his last appearance for the Dark Blues against Falkirk, which they lost 1-0.

A keen golfer, he was back in St Andrews during the close season.

He made 40 appearances for Spurs. After an injury at the end of his first season, a compound fracture of the middle finger, he couldn’t regain his position, and was put on the transfer list in 1928. Talk of moves to Manchester City or Huddersfield didn’t transpire. By October he was living in Kirkintiloch, still without a club, and trained with Campsie Rechabites to keep up his fitness.

When Celtic’s goalkeeper John Thomson was injured in 1930, Jock assisted the club for a short spell.

He was to find  his name in the news for a non-sporting incidents when when he was fined £5, in 1928,  for reckless driving of a motorcycle in Stirlingshire, both he and his pillion passenger were injured. He was also fined an extra £2 for not having a motorcycle licence. The following year he was fined £2 for salmon poaching on the River Endrick.

Kirkintiloch Rob Roy were his final club, he had an opportunity to join Derry City but decided to stay closer to home. His debut was memorable, as he dislocated his shoulder. He was part of the team that won the Scottish Junior Cup for the first time in 1932.  Whilst with the club he again found himself in court, this time for an on field incident. He lost his temper with an opponent and “hit him without provocation”. He pleaded guilty but said that “he had been kicked”, a fine of £1 or 10 days in prison was given.

Although no longer playing competitive football, Jock would make appearances for charity matches in the 1940’s. His last appearance was in an “Old Crocks” match in 1950.

Jock died aged 53 of a heart attack at home in Lennoxtsone on 8th October 1953.