Dave Halliday
Encyclopedia
David "Dave" Halliday was a Scottish
football
ing prolific goalscorer and trophy winning manager. His 38 goals in 1923-24 made him top scorer in Scotland's top flight that season and 43 goals in 1928–29 gave him the same distinction in England's top flight that season. He scored 376 senior goals as well as scoring at two then non-league clubs. As a manager only Halliday and Alex Ferguson
have guided Aberdeen
to be Scottish champions.
and started in local schools football where he featured on the left wing. He attended Noblehill primary being going to Dumfries Academy
. Halliday then trained as a motor mechanic
with car manufacturer Arrol-Johnston
and played for the works team, one of three clubs who merged to form Queen of the South
in 1919. However despite having played in the trial matches arranged in the formation of the new club Halliday did not join Queens until 17 January 1920. Between playing for Arrol-Johnston and Queens, Halliday had a brief spell with Tayleurians. After joining Queens until the end of the season in May 1920 Halliday played 19 games.
With this being Queens first season after formation, their fixtures consist of challenge games and local cup competitions. This included the Dumfries Charity Cup played over three weekends in May. On 8 May Queens thrashed Dumfries F.C. 7-1. A week later Queens seen off Solway Star 4-0 in the semi final before facing Dalbeattie Star in the final.
A then record crowd of 4500 (many watching from the grandstand roof and other such points of elevation) watched the game. An early Halliday shot went wide following good lead up work involving Ian Dickson
(Dickson also left Queens to score goals in England's top flight). However it was Dalbeattie and their physical style of play who took the lead. Queens equalised through Willie McCall (later of Blackburn Rovers) before Halliday's efforts bore fruit. One Halliday shot hit the post, another went inches wide before he put Queens ahead five minutes before half time. Connell hit Queens' third a minute into the second half before Halliday beat Borthwick to cross for McCall to bring up a 4-1 final score.
Halliday scored 13 goals in his 19 games at outside left for the Doonhamers in 1920. Unsurprisingly he attracted the attention of other clubs. He was offered terms by St Mirren after the cup final win over Dalbeattie. Halliday asked for time to think the matter over before the Thursday after he agreed to sign on one condition - that he would be allowed to retain his employment with Arrol-Johnston and travel to Paisley
on match days.
Along with Halliday and Dickson two others who played in the earliest years for fledgling Queens were Hughie Gallacher
and Willie Ferguson
. All four would enjoy successful careers in England's top division.
Later in 1924 Halliday's 16 year old brother Billy Halliday
joined Queen of the South.
position.
in 1921 where the celebrated Alec Troup played on the left wing. Dundee moved Halliday to centre forward; and so a goal scoring phenomenon was unleashed.
Finding goal scoring second nature he became one of the most prolific centre forwards in the game, finishing as Scottish top scorer in 1923-24
with 38 goals from 36 appearances - an excellent return in the era of the 3 man off side rule. He played for Dundee in the 1924–25 Scottish Cup final, although they lost the match 2–1 to Celtic
. Halliday in total scored 90 goals in just 126 appearances league appearances for the Dees.
While he was with the Dens Park club he was capped for the Scottish League in the 1-1 draw against the English League at Ibrox Park in March 1924.
paid £4,000 for his services. Replacing Charlie Buchan
in the team, Halliday soon became equally prolific South of the border as North, scoring at least 35 league goals in each of the four full seasons spent at Sunderland. His 43 goals in 1928-29
made him top scorer in England's top division that season. This remains Sunderland's highest number of league goals scored by one player in a season in the club's history. Halliday hit his first 100 goals for Sunderland in just 101 games.
Dave Halliday has the best strike rate (goals to games ratio) of any Sunderland striker in that club’s history: 165 goals in 175 games (156 league goals from 166 games, and nine in nine FA Cup outings) for an average of 0.943 goals per game. Only Charlie Buchan and all-time Sunderland top scorer Bobby Gurney
have scored more goals for the club than Halliday. Halliday has scored more hat-tricks (12) than any other Sunderland player, and he hit four on three occasions.
Despite Halliday's goals trophies proved elusive with Sunderland, and he managed no better than third place with the club, which was achieved in 1925-26 and 1926-27.
While at Sunderland in November 1927 Dave's brother Billy joined nearby rivals Newcastle United.
as an intended replacement for Jack Lambert
, making his debut against Birmingham City
on 9 November 1929. Halliday scored a comparatively modest number of goals in 1929-30
with 8 goals in 15 games (including four in a 6-6 draw with Leicester City
). However, he was dropped towards the end of the season in favour of Lambert, and missed out on the 1930 FA Cup Final
, which saw Arsenal claim their first major trophy.
only a year after joining Arsenal, for a fee of £5,700. At City Halliday regained his scoring form, hitting 47 goals in 76 league games as well as four goals from six cup appearances. At Man City he scored a hat-trick against former club Sunderland in just ten minutes in January 1932. Halliday missed the 1933 Cup Final, which City lost to Everton
.
between 1933 and 1935, where he was still a regular goalscorer, with 33 strikes in 53 matches.
. He also scored a further three goals in the FA Cup proper for Yeovil & Petters United before taking over as Aberdeen manager in 1937.
He was never once picked for the Scottish national side
, being consistently overlooked in favour of another player who started at Queen of the South, Hughie Gallacher
.
Dave Halliday goals at senior clubs:-
Dave Halliday goals at then non senior teams:-
on 22 December 1937. In 1945-46 he led the Dons to victory against Rangers
in the Scottish League Cup
, prior to the event being regarded as a fully official competition. The following season Halliday guided Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Cup
success. In the 1950s he lost two further Scottish Cup Finals, before leading Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Football League
title in 1954-55.
, guiding them to a Second Division
title and promotion in 1956-57
. Although Halliday left the Leicester job in 1958 the 1957 promotion proved to be the start of the club's longest ever top division run ending in 1969.
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...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
ing prolific goalscorer and trophy winning manager. His 38 goals in 1923-24 made him top scorer in Scotland's top flight that season and 43 goals in 1928–29 gave him the same distinction in England's top flight that season. He scored 376 senior goals as well as scoring at two then non-league clubs. As a manager only Halliday and Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
have guided Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
to be Scottish champions.
Early years and Queen of the South
Dave Halliday was born in DumfriesDumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
and started in local schools football where he featured on the left wing. He attended Noblehill primary being going to Dumfries Academy
Dumfries Academy
Dumfries Academy is one of four secondary schools in the town of Dumfries in South West Scotland.-History:Dumfries Academy has existed in its present form, though not in the buildings it currently occupies, since 1804...
. Halliday then trained as a motor mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
with car manufacturer Arrol-Johnston
Arrol-Johnston
Arrol-Johnston was an early Scottish manufacturer of automobiles, which operated from 1896 to 1931 and produced the first automobile manufactured in Britain...
and played for the works team, one of three clubs who merged to form Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
in 1919. However despite having played in the trial matches arranged in the formation of the new club Halliday did not join Queens until 17 January 1920. Between playing for Arrol-Johnston and Queens, Halliday had a brief spell with Tayleurians. After joining Queens until the end of the season in May 1920 Halliday played 19 games.
With this being Queens first season after formation, their fixtures consist of challenge games and local cup competitions. This included the Dumfries Charity Cup played over three weekends in May. On 8 May Queens thrashed Dumfries F.C. 7-1. A week later Queens seen off Solway Star 4-0 in the semi final before facing Dalbeattie Star in the final.
A then record crowd of 4500 (many watching from the grandstand roof and other such points of elevation) watched the game. An early Halliday shot went wide following good lead up work involving Ian Dickson
Ian Dickson (footballer)
Ian William Dickson was a Scottish professional footballer whose played as a forward. He played for Queen of the South, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough...
(Dickson also left Queens to score goals in England's top flight). However it was Dalbeattie and their physical style of play who took the lead. Queens equalised through Willie McCall (later of Blackburn Rovers) before Halliday's efforts bore fruit. One Halliday shot hit the post, another went inches wide before he put Queens ahead five minutes before half time. Connell hit Queens' third a minute into the second half before Halliday beat Borthwick to cross for McCall to bring up a 4-1 final score.
Halliday scored 13 goals in his 19 games at outside left for the Doonhamers in 1920. Unsurprisingly he attracted the attention of other clubs. He was offered terms by St Mirren after the cup final win over Dalbeattie. Halliday asked for time to think the matter over before the Thursday after he agreed to sign on one condition - that he would be allowed to retain his employment with Arrol-Johnston and travel to Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
on match days.
Along with Halliday and Dickson two others who played in the earliest years for fledgling Queens were Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
and Willie Ferguson
Willie Ferguson
William Copeland Ferguson was a Scottish footballer and manager best known for his time at Chelsea and Dumfries side Queen of the South. His position was usually as a left winger.-Early years:...
. All four would enjoy successful careers in England's top division.
Later in 1924 Halliday's 16 year old brother Billy Halliday
Billy Halliday
Billy Halliday was a Scottish footballer. He played for home town club Queen of the South, Newcastle United, Third Lanark, Exeter City, Stockport County and St. Cuthbert Wanderers F.C. Born in Dumfries, his position was inside left....
joined Queen of the South.
St Mirren
During a short spell with St Mirren Halliday was largely a reserve playing in the inside leftInside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
position.
Dundee
Dave Halliday went then to DundeeDundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
in 1921 where the celebrated Alec Troup played on the left wing. Dundee moved Halliday to centre forward; and so a goal scoring phenomenon was unleashed.
Finding goal scoring second nature he became one of the most prolific centre forwards in the game, finishing as Scottish top scorer in 1923-24
1923-24 in Scottish football
The 1923–24 season was the 34th season of competitive football in Scotland. A Third Division was introduced adding to Division One and Division Two.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: RangersRelegated: Clyde, Clydebank...
with 38 goals from 36 appearances - an excellent return in the era of the 3 man off side rule. He played for Dundee in the 1924–25 Scottish Cup final, although they lost the match 2–1 to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
. Halliday in total scored 90 goals in just 126 appearances league appearances for the Dees.
While he was with the Dens Park club he was capped for the Scottish League in the 1-1 draw against the English League at Ibrox Park in March 1924.
Sunderland
In 1925 SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
paid £4,000 for his services. Replacing Charlie Buchan
Charlie Buchan
Charles Murray Buchan was an English football player and writer.-Early career:Born in Plumstead, London, Buchan first played as an amateur for local club Woolwich Arsenal, joining the club in December 1909...
in the team, Halliday soon became equally prolific South of the border as North, scoring at least 35 league goals in each of the four full seasons spent at Sunderland. His 43 goals in 1928-29
1928-29 in English football
The 1928–29 season was the 54th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
made him top scorer in England's top division that season. This remains Sunderland's highest number of league goals scored by one player in a season in the club's history. Halliday hit his first 100 goals for Sunderland in just 101 games.
Dave Halliday has the best strike rate (goals to games ratio) of any Sunderland striker in that club’s history: 165 goals in 175 games (156 league goals from 166 games, and nine in nine FA Cup outings) for an average of 0.943 goals per game. Only Charlie Buchan and all-time Sunderland top scorer Bobby Gurney
Bobby Gurney
Bobby Gurney was a football forward who is the highest goal scorer in the history of his only senior club as a player, Sunderland.-Early years:...
have scored more goals for the club than Halliday. Halliday has scored more hat-tricks (12) than any other Sunderland player, and he hit four on three occasions.
Despite Halliday's goals trophies proved elusive with Sunderland, and he managed no better than third place with the club, which was achieved in 1925-26 and 1926-27.
While at Sunderland in November 1927 Dave's brother Billy joined nearby rivals Newcastle United.
Arsenal
In 1929 he was signed by ArsenalArsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
as an intended replacement for Jack Lambert
Jack Lambert (association footballer)
John "Jack" Lambert was an English footballer.A large and robust centre forward from Greasbrough near Rotherham, Yorkshire, Lambert was turned down by Sheffield Wednesday after a trial, so started his career playing for Rotherham County in 1922. He soon made a move to Leeds United, but spent three...
, making his debut against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 9 November 1929. Halliday scored a comparatively modest number of goals in 1929-30
1929-30 in English football
The 1929–30 season was the 55th season of competitive football in England.-Events:The Wednesday officially changed their name to Sheffield Wednesday prior to the start of this season....
with 8 goals in 15 games (including four in a 6-6 draw with Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
). However, he was dropped towards the end of the season in favour of Lambert, and missed out on the 1930 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
, which saw Arsenal claim their first major trophy.
Manchester City
Dave Halliday signed for Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
only a year after joining Arsenal, for a fee of £5,700. At City Halliday regained his scoring form, hitting 47 goals in 76 league games as well as four goals from six cup appearances. At Man City he scored a hat-trick against former club Sunderland in just ten minutes in January 1932. Halliday missed the 1933 Cup Final, which City lost to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.
Clapton Orient
He saw out his senior playing career with Clapton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
between 1933 and 1935, where he was still a regular goalscorer, with 33 strikes in 53 matches.
Yeovil & Petters United
After leaving Orient, Dave Halliday became player-manager of non-league Yeovil & Petters UnitedYeovil Town F.C.
Yeovil Town F.C. are an English association football team based in Yeovil, Somerset. The club play in League One after having won the League Two championship in 2004–05...
. He also scored a further three goals in the FA Cup proper for Yeovil & Petters United before taking over as Aberdeen manager in 1937.
Playing summary
Excluding Queen of the South figures as they were non league until 1923/24 Dave Halliday scored 92 league goals in Scotland in 139 appearances and a further 13 in 21 Scottish Cup appearances. In England he scored 244 league goals in 310 appearances and a further 19 FA Cup goals in an unknown number of appearances (16 while with league clubs) for a total of 376 first class goals. It is worth noting that a large chunk of his career was spent playing under the old offside rule and that all his league goals bar those two seasons with Clapton Orient in the Third South were scored in the top flight in both Scotland and England.He was never once picked for the Scottish national side
Scotland 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...
, being consistently overlooked in favour of another player who started at Queen of the South, Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
.
Dave Halliday goals at senior clubs:-
| Season | Club | League appearances | League goals | Cup appearances | Cup goals | Total appearances | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920/21 | St Mirren | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
| 1921/22 | Dundee | 28 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 25 |
| 1922/23 | Dundee | 26 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 34 | 13 |
| 1923/24 | Dundee | 36 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 39 |
| 1924/25 | Dundee | 36 | 19 | 7 | 5 | 43 | 24 |
| 1925/26 | Sunderland | 42 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 42 |
| 1926/27 | Sunderland | 33 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 37 |
| 1927/28 | Sunderland | 38 | 35 | 3 | 4 | 41 | 39 |
| 1928/29 | Sunderland | 42 | 43 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 43 |
| 1929/30 | Sunderland | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
| 1929/30 | Arsenal | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 |
| 1930/31 | Man City | 24 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 14 |
| 1931/32 | Man City | 40 | 28 | 5 | 4 | 45 | 42 |
| 1932/33 | Man City | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 |
| 1933/34 | Man City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1933/34 | Clapton Orient | 21 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 19 |
| 1934/35 | Clapton Orient | 32 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 34 | 17 |
| (1921–36) | (Totals) | (449) | (336) | (39) | (29) | (488) | (373) |
Dave Halliday goals at then non senior teams:-
| Season(s) | Club | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919/20 | Queen of the South | 19 | 13 |
| 1936–1938 | Yeovil and Petters United | ? | ? |
Aberdeen
Halliday was appointed manager of AberdeenAberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
on 22 December 1937. In 1945-46 he led the Dons to victory against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
in the Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
, prior to the event being regarded as a fully official competition. The following season Halliday guided Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
success. In the 1950s he lost two further Scottish Cup Finals, before leading Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Football League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
title in 1954-55.
Leicester City
After leaving Aberdeen he spent three years at the helm of Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, guiding them to a 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...
title and promotion in 1956-57
1956-57 in English football
The 1956–57 season was the 77th season of competitive football in England.Manchester United won the First Division to become English football champions for the fifth time. Tottenham Hotspur were runners-up. In the Second Division it was Leicester City who finished in top spot, ahead of East...
. Although Halliday left the Leicester job in 1958 the 1957 promotion proved to be the start of the club's longest ever top division run ending in 1969.