The Thistle Archive

This Dundee-born left-sided forward began his football career in the juniors with hometown club Parkmore, and had a trial spell with Dundee in early 1896. He made the big-time switch to Glasgow in the autumn of 1897. Partick Thistle, in their brand-new Meadowside ground, were all set for their inaugural season in the Scottish top-flight. Fred and Thistle survived that season, but were relegated next time around. Fred's competitive appearances halved from 17 to 9 in those 2 seasons, although his goals tally doubled from 3 to 6 in all competitions, go figure! He was back in his hometown of Dundee for season 1899-00 and this time signed properly to the main club in the city.

On August 19 1899, the Dark Blues unveiled their new stadium on Dens Road, just 12 months after the club’s near-liquidation the previous year. St Bernard's of Edinburgh were the visitors, and it was President Robertson who kicked off ceremoniously for the away team. Fred made history by scoring Dundee’s first-ever goal at Dens Park, the match finishing all-square, one goal apiece. Fred made his league debut for Dundee against St Mirren in October 1899, scoring in a 5-2 victory. Fred was well known for his speed and enjoyed the 100 yard dash as an amateur. He became a regular fixture in Dundee’s first eleven, scoring 24 goals in 160 matches for The Dark Blues, a decent ratio considering he also operated as a half-back. In February 1902, some international recognition came his way when he turned out at outside left for the Scottish League against their Irish counterparts. 12,000 were at Dens Park on 15th February 1902 to see the Scots home by 3 goals to nil.

In the summer of 1906, Fred transferred to Tottenham Hotspur of the Southern League. A fringe player during his two seasons at White Hart Lane, he played 11 matches for Spurs before moving on to Northampton Town in 1908. He was part of Northampton’s FA Charity Shield team beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United in April 1909 after they were crowned Southern League Champions in 1908-09, and scored 17 goals in 77 matches for The Cobblers. In the summer of 1911 Fred made the switch to the Irish game, landing in Belfast with Distillery. This would be the place he'd call home and, after retiring from the game, Fred worked as a marine engineer. His wife, Catherine, passed away in late 1934. Just short of his 72nd birthday, Fred himself passed away at his home in Belfast - 23 Sydenham Avenue - in April, 1949. Both he and Catherine lie together at Dundonald Cemetery in Belfast (see 'Gallery' tab).