South Africa is hosting the FIFA 2010 World Soccer Cup. The country is in the grips of soccer fever, enamoured by "the Beautiful Game". This affords me, as a Garvie family historian, to pay tribute to one of the legendary greats, Johnny Garvie (http://www.redimps.co.uk/page/LeagueLegends/0,,10440~971184,00.html).Johnny played in both the Scottish and English Leagues from 1946 to 1959. He played as an inside right or centre forward. Wikipedia summarises his career (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Garvie)...
Garvie was born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. He began his football career with Hibernian after the Second World War. Though he played on loan for Hamilton Academical and Stenhousemuir in the Scottish League, he never appeared for Hibs' first team. Garvie moved to England to join Second Division club Preston North End in 1949, but made only five first-team appearances for Preston before dropping a division to sign for Lincoln City a year later.
In his first season, Garvie was the club's leading scorer with 21 goals in all competitions, only one more than Andy Graver, with whom he formed a fine goalscoring partnership. He scored another 21 the following season "rather fewer than Graver's 39" and was ever-present as Lincoln won the Third Division North title in 1951- 52. After three seasons of Graver top-scoring for Lincoln, Garvie was leading scorer for the second time in 1954 - 55, though with only 13 goals as they struggled in the bottom half of the Second Division. In six years with Lincoln, Garvie scored a total of 80 goals from 192 appearances in League and FA Cup. He spent the 1956 - 57 season with Carlisle United in the Third Division before moving into non-League football.
Garvie joined Boston United, playing in the Midland League, in 1957, resuming his partnership with Graver.[4] In two seasons, he scored 31 goals from 95 games in all competitions, including goals in Boston's first four games in their first season in the Southern League. He then played for Corby Town, Stamford Town, and Ilkeston Town, where he was again reunited with Graver. However, the pair were prevented from renewing their prolific partnership once more by a foot injury which restricted Garvie to just five appearances.
What is interesting and fascinating for the historian is that Johnny was born in Bellshill, Scotland. Bellshill was renowned for its football greats. In 1996, a television programme was made about the three world famous football managers who were born in Bellshill - Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein. Hughie Gallacher, Peter Grant, Hugh Murray, and Sir Matt Busby of Manchester United were all Bellshill boys. Bellshill is testimony to how a community can influence and direct the destiny of its children for good.
South Africans trust that the 2010 World Cup will similarly bind and inspire its citizens to all that is best in "the Beautiful Game".
Joga Bonito!
©Colin G Garvie HomePage: http://www.garvies.co.za
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