Sloan Don Image 1 Belfast Distillery 1905

Description

Rankinston, Ayrshire born goalkeeper Don Sloan began his senior football career across the Irish Sea with Distillery in the Irish League, joining them in 1903. In October 1905 he won representative honours playing for The Irish League in a 4-0 defeat to The Football League at Hyde Road, Manchester, before being signed by First Division Everton in 1906, where he was understudy to Billy Scott for two seasons. He made his Football League debut at Blackburn Rovers in April 1907, playing twice in three days, and the following season made a further four appearances for Everton in Scott’s absence.

In May 1908 he moved across Stanley Park to join Liverpool for £300 as understudy to Sam Hardy. Making his debut at Leicester Fosse in October, Sloan stepped in for the six fixtures that Hardy missed that year. Sloan didn’t keep a clean sheet in any of those games and conceded 13 goals, finishing on the winning side twice. He left Anfield in the summer of 1909 to become player-manager at his former club, Distillery. He later joined Scottish League club Bathgate in 1910.

During the First World War Sloan served with The Black Watch, an infantry battalion of the Royal Highlanders of Scotland. He was killed on New Year’s Day 1917 near Arras in France and is buried at the Faubourg D‘Amiens cemetery at Arras. Three of his brothers were also killed in the War.