McCa11: Andrew (Andy)

1952-1955 (Player Details)

Inside Forward

Born: Hamilton, Lanarkshire: 15-03-1925

Debut: v Huddersfield Town (a): 23-08-1952

5’6” 9st 6lb (1954)

A pupil of Woodside School Hamilton, McCall played for Bent Royal Oak PSA in the Hamilton and District League, before joining the Royal Navy as a seventeen-year-old. He enlisted with the Army at twenty and served with the Kings Own Scottish Borderers. On return to civilian life, he joined Blantyre Celtic and won a Scottish Junior cap against Ireland. Blackpool signed him in April 1947 and he played at inside forward between Matthews and Mortensen or sometimes in the famous five M’s forward line of Matthews-Mortensen-McIntosh-McCall-Munro. He scored fifteen goals in eighty-seven League appearances at Bloomfield Road before an £8,500 transfer took him to West Bromwich Albion in January 1951. He scored three goals and made thirty-one League appearances at the Hawthorns before he joined Leeds in August 1952 for £2,000. His first League game for Leeds was at inside left, but he and Ray Iggleden swapped positions. However, Don Mills was then restored to the team and, although Mills left United that Christmas, McCall had to give way to the newly signed Albert Nightingale. McCall regained a spot in the United line-up at outside-right as George Meek moved to the left wing. 1953-54 saw McCall start once more on the sidelines as Harold Williams came back from injury to reclaim his right-wing spot, but he was drafted in at inside left for five games in place of the injured Ray Iggleden. For the last dozen matches he was preferred to left-winger Arthur Tyrer and took the right wing spot with Harold Williams reverting to the left. In 1954-55 he was on the left-wing for all but one of his thirty games in that season as United came fourth and narrowly missed promotion, in what was probably McCall’s best season. Unfortunately, he lost his position to the returning George Meek in March 1955 and that was the end of his first team involvement at Leeds. He left Leeds for Lovell’s Athletic at the end of that season before returning to Yorkshire in July 1956 to finish his career with Halifax Town. He spent four years before retiring, making one hundred and thirty-nine League appearances and scoring fifteen goals. His son Stuart, even though born in Leeds, played for Scotland, Bradford City, Rangers, Everton and Sheffield United before going into coaching and football management. It was while watching his son that he was amongst those who received treatment for burns as a result of the Valley Parade fire disaster in May 1986.