Bobby Finan
Encyclopedia
Robert Joseph "Bobby" Finan (1 March 1912 — 1983) was a Scottish
professional football player. He played as a forward
.
in West Dunbartonshire
. He started his career at Scottish junior
club Yoker Athletic
before signing for Blackpool
, managed by fellow Scot Sandy MacFarlane, in 1933. He made his debut for the club in the penultimate league game of the 1933–34
season, a 7–0 defeat at Grimsby Town
on 28 April 1934. He went on to score three more goals during that league campaign.
Finan scored his first professional goal in the opening game of the following 1934–35
campaign, a 5–1 victory at Bury
on 25 August 1934.
In 1935–36
, with Jimmy Hampson
injured, Finan deputised at centre-forward and ended the season as the Second Division's joint-top scorer with 34 goals. He scored two hat-tricks: the first in a 6–2 win against Charlton Athletic
at Bloomfield Road
on 22 February 1936, and the second in a 6–0 whitewash of Newcastle United
at home on 22 April.
The following campaign, 1936–37
, Finan (28) and Hampson (16) scored 44 league goals between them, as Blackpool finished the season as runners-up in the Football League Second Division
and were promoted to the Football League First Division
. As he grew older, his speed began to wane, and he was moved to outside-left, where he laid on goals for Willie Buchan
and, later, Jock Dodds
.
Finan scored 85 league goals for Blackpool before finally leaving the club in 1947, when he signed for Crewe Alexandra
, scoring 14 goals in 59 games. In 1949 he moved to non-League football
with Wigan Athletic
, with whom he finished his career in 1950 having scored 14 goals in 31 games.
After his playing career ended, Finan returned to Blackpool as chief scout.
in a wartime international, during the early stages of World War II
. As the conflict progressed, he went on to serve in the Middle East
and was a regular in the RAF
(Egypt
) side, once severely injuring his knee in a Cairo Canal-area match at El Alamein
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional football player. He played as a forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
.
Club career
Finan was born in Old KilpatrickOld Kilpatrick
Old Kilpatrick is a village in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland.The village is on the north bank of the River Clyde immediately to the north of the Forth and Clyde Canal, three miles from Clydebank on the road to Dumbarton. The Great Western Road runs through Old Kilpatrick, and the next village to...
in West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. Bordering onto the west of the City of Glasgow, containing many of Glasgow's commuter towns and villages as well as the city's suburbs, West Dunbartonshire also borders onto Argyll and Bute, Stirling, East...
. He started his career at Scottish junior
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
club Yoker Athletic
Yoker Athletic F.C.
Yoker Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Clydebank near Glasgow. Yoker is an area of Glasgow adjacent to Clydebank, however Yoker's stadium lies just outside the Glasgow boundary. Nicknamed the Whe Ho, they were formed in 1886 and are based at Holm Park...
before signing for Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, managed by fellow Scot Sandy MacFarlane, in 1933. He made his debut for the club in the penultimate league game of the 1933–34
Blackpool F.C. season 1933-34
The 1933-34 season was Blackpool F.C.s 33rd season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing eleventh....
season, a 7–0 defeat at Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
on 28 April 1934. He went on to score three more goals during that league campaign.
Finan scored his first professional goal in the opening game of the following 1934–35
Blackpool F.C. season 1934-35
The 1934-35 season was Blackpool F.C.s 34th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing fourth....
campaign, a 5–1 victory at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
on 25 August 1934.
In 1935–36
Blackpool F.C. season 1935-36
The 1935-36 season was Blackpool F.C.s 35th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing tenth....
, with Jimmy Hampson
Jimmy Hampson
James "Jimmy" Hampson was an English professional footballer. He spent eleven seasons at Blackpool, where he remains record goalscorer with 252 goals in 373 games, and is still regarded as one of the best centre forwards to play for the club.-Club career:Born in Little Hulton, Lancashire, Hampson...
injured, Finan deputised at centre-forward and ended the season as the Second Division's joint-top scorer with 34 goals. He scored two hat-tricks: the first in a 6–2 win against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
on 22 February 1936, and the second in a 6–0 whitewash of Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
at home on 22 April.
The following campaign, 1936–37
Blackpool F.C. season 1936-37
The 1936-37 season was Blackpool F.C.s 36th season in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing second...
, Finan (28) and Hampson (16) scored 44 league goals between them, as Blackpool finished the season as runners-up in the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
and were promoted to the Football League First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
. As he grew older, his speed began to wane, and he was moved to outside-left, where he laid on goals for Willie Buchan
Willie Buchan
William Ralston Murray "Willie" Buchan was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He played for Celtic, Blackpool, Hull City, Gateshead, Coleraine and East Stirlingshire....
and, later, Jock Dodds
Jock Dodds
Ephraim "Jock" Dodds was a Scottish professional football player. He played in the 1936 FA Cup Final, and, at the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium....
.
Finan scored 85 league goals for Blackpool before finally leaving the club in 1947, when he signed for Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
, scoring 14 goals in 59 games. In 1949 he moved to non-League football
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
with Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, with whom he finished his career in 1950 having scored 14 goals in 31 games.
After his playing career ended, Finan returned to Blackpool as chief scout.
International career
Finan won one cap for ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in a wartime international, during the early stages of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As the conflict progressed, he went on to serve in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and was a regular in the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
) side, once severely injuring his knee in a Cairo Canal-area match at El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
.
Further reading
- Calley, Roy (1992-10-20). Blackpool: A Complete Record, 1887-1992, Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd, ISBN 978-1-873626-07-8