Hughie Gallacher

1903 – 1957

Football Player; A ‘Wembley Wizard’ in 1928 Hughie was regarded by many of his contemporaries as being the best centre forward of all time. Born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Hughie first played at senior level with Queen of the South but he quickly moved on to Airdrieonians where he won the Scottish Cup in 1924 and scored 91 goals in 111 games. Newcastle United soon came calling and Gallacher moved to Tyneside for £6,500 in 1925 where his vital goals quickly made him the idol of the fans.

Hughie captained Newcastle to their League Championship title in 1927 scoring an impressive 39 goals in 41 games for the season. At only 5 ft 5 ins Gallacher was small in stature but he was quick and elusive with an explosive shot. A master at taking chances Gallacher was also good at shielding the ball in order to bring other players into the game. After five years with Newcastle and a formidable 143 goals in 174 games Gallacher moved to Chelsea in 1930 for £10,000 and quickly established himself as a cult figure amongst the Stamford Bridge fans. At international level Gallacher was also prolific scoring 23 goals in 20 internationals, including a Scottish record of five goals in one game against Northern Ireland. His tragic demise at the age of 54 was a sad ending to one of Scottish football’s greatest forwards. Hughie’s career total in senior football is 463 goals from 624 matches.