Description
Airdrie, Lanarkshire born inside right John Murphy played for Scottish junior clubs Airdrie Shamrock, Glasgow Ashfield and Croy Celtic prior to the First World War before joining Scottish League club Hamilton Academical in 1916, moving to hometown club Aidrieonians in 1918. A return to Hamilton Accies a year later, with whom he won The Lanarkshire Cup in 1920, preceded a move to England where he joined Second Division club Bury in May 1920, making his Football League debut at Leicester City that September.
A single season at Gigg Lane saw him score 5 times in 22 appearances for The Shakers, which included a New Year’s Day brace in a win over Cardiff City, before he joined Rotherham County in June 1921, however his playing time at Millmoor was limited to two appearances in the first two matches of the new season that August for County before he lost his place due to ill health and very sadly he died from tuberculosis in November that year aged only 27.
NB the image is taken from a team photograph ahead of the match at St Andrews, Birmingham on 5th March 1921, which Birmingham went on to win 4-0 en route to their winning the Second Division Championship.