McPhee Tony Image 1 Reading 1949

Description

Edinburgh born centre forward Magnus “Tony: McPhee began his football career with Wellington Rangers from where he was signed by hometown Scottish League club Heart of Midlothian in 1932, but he didn’t get into the Hearts first eleven except for two minor matches, and had loan spells while with The Jambos at Edina Hearts in 1932 and Leith Athletic in 1933 before signing for Dunfermline Athletic in 1934. He then crossed the Irish Sea and had spells in Irish League football, first with Bangor and then Belfast Celtic in 1935, before joining North Eastern League club Workington in 1936.

He was then signed by Second Division club Bradford Park Avenue in October 1936, scoring twice on his Football League debut in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest at the end of the same month, finishing the season as the club’s top goalscorer with 18 goals in 31 matches for The Avenue. McPhee was a “tall, commanding player” who had “deft footwork and could unleash a thunderous shot”. He transferred to Coventry City in June 1937 and scored a hat-trick at Fulham that December, but seemingly got injured in January, and moved on again to Reading in May 1938.

Scoring on his debut against Queens Park Rangers, McPhee was an ever present and Reading’s top scorer in his first season, scoring 33 goals in The Royals’ final campaign before the outbreak of the Second World War forced the abandonment of peacetime football. This haul included 4 goals against Bristol City in September 1938, but his career was then halted by the War and he arguably lost his best years to the conflict, albeit he returned to Elm Park after its conclusion, first playing for Reading in peacetime football in their FA Cup ties in November 1945. Finished, however, he was not. In 1946-47, already well into his thirties, he scored 34 goals for Reading including 4 goals against Crystal Palace and a hat-trick against Southend United in the first week of September, with a further treble against Norwich City in December. He then scored the best part of 20 goals a season in less than 30 games each campaign in his final two seasons before retiring in May 1949 after receiving a benefit match against Aston Villa, his total of peacetime matches showing 109 goals in 156 matches.

He spent the next two years as manager Ted Drake’s assistant. He was appointed manager of Walsall in July 1951. The Saddlers form dipped following a good start to 1951-52, and McPhee resigned, lamenting the lack of money available for new players and citing “problems finding a house in the area”. He retired from professional football.

NB in the photograph, McPhee (right) shakes hands with Aston Villa captain George Cummings ahead of McPhee’s benefit match at Elm Park.