Johnny Ballantyne

Johnny Ballantyne
Ballantyne in 1935 on LCC trading card
Personal information
Date of birth (1899-10-27)27 October 1899
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 1977 (aged 77–78)
Place of death Glasgow, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Ashfield
1921–1924 Partick Thistle 72 (13)
1924–1928 Boston Soccer Club 146 (50)
1929–1935 Partick Thistle 199 (52)
1935Falkirk (loan) 4 (0)
1935–1937 Queens Park Rangers 25 (3)
International career
1930[2] Scottish League XI 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Ballantyne (27 October 1899 – 1977) was a Scottish footballer who played professionally as an inside forward in Scotland, England and the United States.

Born in Glasgow, Ballantyne began his senior career with Partick Thistle in 1921 after time in the junior leagues with Ashfield.[3] In 1924, after signing a new one-season contract with Thistle including a signing bonus, he moved to the United States where he signed with the Boston Soccer Club of the American Soccer League.[4][5] This nearly led to the suspension of the United States Football Association, an action prevented by stronger agreements between FIFA member associations on player transfer rules.

Ballantyne spent four seasons with Boston before returning to Thistle in 1929.[6] He stayed with the Jags (featuring on the losing side in the replayed 1930 Scottish Cup Final) until 1935 at which point he was briefly loaned to Falkirk, before moving to Queens Park Rangers. He finished his career with the West London club in 1937.[7]

His younger brothers Willie aka 'Red' and Bobby were also footballers who featured for clubs in Scotland and the United States.[8]

  1. ^ "Queen's Park Rangers. Relying on old team". Sunday Dispatch Football Guide. London. 23 August 1936. p. xii – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ (SFL player) John Ballantyne, London Hearts Supporters Club
  3. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian Magazine.
  4. ^ "Vespers Upset Scullin Regime In Local Soccer". (April 9, 1923). St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p.20 col.5
  5. ^ "Live Tips And Topics". (July 25, 1924). Boston Globe, p.5 col.8
  6. ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931 (Hardback). The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3429-4. ().
  7. ^ Seasonal Stats | Files, QPRnet
  8. ^ Ballantyne, Johnny 1920-21 & 1928-29, Partick Thistle History Archive. Retrieved 12 April 2022