Grant: Cpl Walter A.

1917-1918 (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Winger

Born: Aberdeen, Scotland: 02-08-1893

Debut: v Grimsby Town (h): 07-10-1917

5' 8" 11st 7lb: (1918)

Walter A. Grant was born in Aberdeen and started his football career with local clubs Balnagask and Banks O'Dee before turning professional with Aberdeen on 4th July 1914. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two, on 21st August 1915 at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock in front of a crowd of 1,500, but unfortunately the home side scored five without replay in the First Division fixture. He went on to score once in fifteen appearances in the 1915-16 season. His first goal came on 4th March 1916 in the second half of a 2-3 defeat by Clyde at Shawfield Stadium, Glasgow in front of 4,000. A newspaper report of the game thought that Aberdeen deserved a draw. Watson and Thomson gave Clyde a 2-0 lead at the break. Aberdeen to their credit , fought back very well and Grant scored the Don's first goal and, with fifteen minutes left on the clock, the visitors drew level as Main made a fine individual run to score. However just before the final whistle the Clyde centre-forward scored the winner with his second goal of the game. He became a corporal in the Gordon Highlanders after the outbreak of war and was training in a camp in Yorkshire when he was given an opportunity by Leeds City. However, prior to that he had guested with Scottish Eastern Division, West Lothian side, Armadale on 9th November 1915, and Greenock side Morton on 20th January 1916. after 1915 he was listed in his team line-ups as "Private Grant" (although it seems he had later been promoted to Corporal) until he re-signed permanently with Aberdeen upon his release from the Army on 16th June 1920. His appearances for Leeds City were four games in the Principal Tournament of the 1917-18 season, making his debut against Grimsby Town at Elland Road on 27th October 1917, as an Outside Right. After a poor first half, Grant came good in the second half, making both of the goals scored by Jack Peart in a 2-2 draw, one from a corner and the other by way of a fine pass. His remaining three games were all at Outside Left. He scored the opening goal in his second game against Notts County at Elland Road on 24th November 1917. It came when he sent over a long centre which should have been taken by the keeper, but the wind diverted it into the net. The County keeper denied Grant on two other occasions as he played his finest game in City colours. His other games were against Barnsley on 15th December 1917, at Elland Road, and against Hull City, at Anlaby Road, on 5th January 1918. The winger returned to Aberdeen after the war playing six League games and one in the Scottish Cup as his team finished seventeenth in the League and made the Quarter Finals in the Scottish Cup in the 1919-20 season. He scored once in two League games in the 1920-21 season as the Dons moved to eleventh on the table but were eliminated in Round Three in the Cup. He scored once in five League appearances in 1921-22 as Aberdeen slipped further down the table to finish fifteenth and reached the Semi-Finals of the Scottish Cup. He also made a loan appearance for Inverness Caledonian, on Loan on 10th December 1921. He became more of a regular in 1922-23, scoring once in nineteen appearances in the League and scored four in his one Scottish Cup game. The four goals came on 10th February 1923 in a 13-0 routing of Peterhead, after the original fixture was home advantage to Peterhead, but £200 paid by Aberdeen to gain the home advantage backfired when the game was played in torrential rain and the total gate only amounted to £181. Grant led the slaughter with the opening goal and added three more in the second half, when he scored the seventh, ninth and twelfth as his team went on to reach the Quarter-Finals and finished fifth in the League. 1923-24 saw Grant score three goals in thirty-seven League appearances and score one in seven appearances in the Scottish Cup as Aberdeen finished thirteenth in the league and reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup. He played for the Dons until 1925 when he signed for Raith Rovers on 1st August 1925 after making just seven league appearances in 1924-25 which saw Aberdeen finish fifteenth in the League and make the Quarter-Finals in the Scottish Cup. In his time at Pittodrie he scored seven goals in ninety-one League games and five goals in nine Scottish Cup ties, a total of twelve goals in one hundred games. He also scored four goals in eleven other matches. He was only with Raith Rovers for the 1925-26 season in which he scored twice in twenty League appearances. He moved south of the border when he joined Crystal Palace on 19th June 1926. There he scored five goals in seventeen League games in the 1926-27 season, but only made four appearances in 1927-28 and none in 1928-29 as his spell with them ened with a move to Bedford Town before the start to the 1929-30 season. He played sixteen games without scoring and left by mutual consent in October 1929. He later played for Walthamstow Grange from 1930 to 1931, then Bexleyheath and Welling from 1931 to1934 before ending his career at Swanley. He died in Swanley in 1940.