McAvoy Doug Image 2 Liverpool 1948

Description

Kilmarnock, Ayrshire born inside left Doug McAvoy was a Scotland schoolboy international and began his football career with Kilmarnock Academicals in 1934, playing for Cumnock Juniors in 1935 before joining Scottish League club Kilmarnock in 1936, making his Scottish League debut against Heart of Midlothian that October. In 1939 he was sent along with a group of his compatriots by the Scottish F.A. to tour USA. They were promoted in the U.S. as “The Scottish Internationals” even though only seven of the 17 in the squad had ever played for Scotland.

McAvoy played for Kilmarnock either side of the Second World War, scoring 30 goals in 107 matches for Killy before he  signed for reigning League Champions Liverpool from his hometown club in December 1947 for £7,000, when he was described as “a class footballer all his life”. He was 29-years-old at the time and struggled to earn a place in the defending champions’ team and made only a single appearance for the club in the rest of the season, his Football League debut coming when Stoke City visited Anfield on 3rd January 1948, replacing Cyril Done. The same thing happened the following season too; just a solitary appearance against Chelsea in October 1948. He joined Queen of the South in September 1949 where he finished his career in 1951 having scored 3 goals in 26 appearances for The Doonhamers.