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Fullname: John Wotherspoon Gilchrist
aka: Jock Gilchrist, John Gilchrist
Born: 15 April 1900
Died: 27 January 1950
Birthplace: Glasgow
Signed: 20 May 1919
Left: 26 Jan 1923 (to Preston NE)
Position: Right-Half
Debut: Celtic 3-1 Dumbarton, League, 18 Aug 1919
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 1
Biog
‘Jock‘ Gilchrist was a talented but controversial figure, whose attitude led to his own self-implosion in the game. Signed from St Anthony’s in May 1919 the right-half made his debut for the Bhoys on 18th August 1919 in a 3-1 league victory over Dumbarton at Parkhead.
On the pitch Gilchrist was an assured ball player and a precision passer. An excellent reader of the game he had the ball skills to complement his vision and this was recognised by his call up to the Scotland team in 1922.
He was a near ever present in the league title winning season of 1921-22, the only game he missed was one league game late on in the season. Showed that he was a very valued player in Celtic’s side on the pitch. It was a tough campaign with Celtic winning the title on the last day by just 1pt ahead of Rangers in what will have been an exhausting campaign.
He did score six goals in his time at Celtic, but all were against poorer sides. In any case, it was good to have that tally under his belt.
However, Jock Gilchrist frequently had run ins with Celtic manager/secretary Willie Maley about the player’s attitude and temperament. Gilchrist was not adverse to challenging the authoritarian Maley and on numerous occasions the half-back further antagonised his boss by failing to turn up for training. As one childish retort shows between the two of them, Gilchrist needed to learn some restraint and respect:
Willie Maley (in short sleeves): “Gilchrist, I’d like to speak to you.”
Jock Gilchrist: “I’ll let you speak to me when you’re better dressed!”.
It is fair to argue that Gilchrist likely had a conceit of his own self, as reflected in that he thought himself far too important to listen to those in authority, or to bother with regular training. He was young, so youth can be the primary cause of this attitudinal problem, but it was to be wholly destructive to his career in the game. It had all gone to his head.
Ultimately the relationship deteriorated to such an extent that the manager and player were no longer on speaking terms. Didn’t help that Gilchrist was suspended at one point for “wilful inattention to training“. Celtic, not prepared to put up with this attitude, decided to sell Gilchrist and in January 1923 – to the delight of the player – Preston North End paid the then very handsome fee of £4,500 to take him south. He was said to have celebrated his move with champagne.
Despite his obvious ability on the ball Gilchrist lacked pace and his overall fitness was not helped by his poor approach to training. At Preston, this weakness was exposed on a regular basis and Gilchrist’s dream move quickly descended into a nightmare. By early 1924 the Deepdale club had released Gilchrist and with his reputation in tatters there were few willing takers for a player who less than two years previously was a highly rated international.
Gilchrist signed for Third Lanark in July 1924 but he again failed to impress, and the football career of a potentially great player was to peter out in the then relative football backwater of the US football leagues. He was moving fast between clubs, unable to temper his behaviour and mouth. In many ways, his career mirrors that of so many even now where some, despite their talent, are often their own worst enemy.
Possibly if properly handled and if he was able to control his behaviour he might have given further good service to Celtic, but wasn’t to be. However, despite how difficult he was meant to be, he still managed to be a regular and play in the bulk of the games during his time at Celtic, 134 league and cup matches.
By the age of 25, it is fair to say his time at any of the top tier sides in football was over, and it has been a sadly oft-repeated tale over the years for many others across all major clubs.
In any case, Gilchrist’s departure ended up allowing in Peter Wilson who became a valued Celt.
Jock Gilchrist came home in 1931 after six years in America, remarried and lived on Merseyside, although he returned to Glasgow during World War Two to serve as a Royal Navy stoker. After the War he worked in construction in Birkenhead.
Jock Gilchrist passed away from pancreatic cancer on 27 January 1950, aged just 49.
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1919-23 | 127 | 7 | N/A | N/A | 134 |
| Goals: | 6 | 0 | – | – | 6 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish League
Pictures
Notes
- Full name from: DT92 ~ Jock Gilchrist (doingthe92.co.uk)
- Jock Gilchrist passed away from pancreatic cancer on 27 January 1950 (confirmed by a relative (see link)).
Articles
Whatever happened to Johnny Gilchrist?
16/4/2015
The story of Scottish football is littered with tales of wasted talent and falls from grace. Yet few can match the slide experienced by Celtic’s John Gilchrist who, within a year of helping Scotland to a victory over England, found himself banished from Parkhead, and was effectively out of the game before his 25th birthday.
Gilchrist apparently had a mighty conceit of himself, and thought himself far too important to listen to those in authority, or to bother with regular training. He came to Celtic in 1919 from junior side St Anthony’s, and had the skill and build to be a really impressive half-back. He went straight into the first team, won his Scotland cap at right half in a 1-0 win over England at Villa Park in 1922, and was an ever-present the following season until January. Then, after several warnings, Celtic lost patience with his ‘wilful inattention to training’ and lost no time in selling him to Preston North End.
It was the start of a long and slippery slope. Despite a big transfer fee, reported as £4,500, he was a disaster at Preston and almost exactly a year later the club cut their losses and terminated his contract. His next stop was Carlisle United, then in the North-Eastern League, where he was player-coach till the end of the season. In the summer of 1924 he returned to Glasgow with Third Lanark, who soon regretted the move and sold him on to Dunfermline after only three league games; and although this was initially seen as a good bit of business he lasted less than a month in Fife.
He was clearly finished in Scotland, and salvation (of sorts) came from across the Atlantic in the summer of 1925, when he sailed to New York. He joined Brooklyn Wanderers but made just six appearances, then had a year at Pawtucket Rangers, with only three games. That was that, as far as his football career was concerned.
But while John Gilchrist’s football talent was thrown away, there is an even bigger mystery as to what happened to the man himself.
Reference books, including the excellent Alphabet of the Celts, all say that he was John Wotherspoon Gilchrist, born 30 March 1899. This is not correct. By studying SFA player registers, I found his address while at Celtic was 4 Balmoral Terrace, in Tollcross. He and his family were at the same address in the 1901 and 1911 censuses, and that was also the address he gave when he married in 1922 (stating ‘professional footballer’ as his profession). John Gilchrist was, in fact, born in Kirkintilloch on 15 April 1900, with no middle name.
What happened to him later in life is less clear. He was divorced by his wife (she remarried in 1934) and settled in the USA. A newspaper mentioned him making a visit home in 1931 after six years in America, and then in 1940 a reporter wrote that he had bumped into Gilchrist in Glasgow; he had come back to sign up for the Royal Navy as a stoker when war broke out.
After that, nothing. There are football books which suggest he died in Birkenhead early in 1950, but having ordered the death certificate for that man, although the age is correct and he can’t be ruled out entirely, there is nothing to link him to the footballer – this was a married construction engineer who died of pancreatic cancer.
I suspect he may have embarked on a maritime career, working on ships from New York, which would explain his absence from US census records; there are some possible links on shipping manifests. However, until proof can be found, the fate of John Gilchrist remains a mystery. Josh Gilchrist
Hi, not sure if this will ever be seen but I am his great grandson, the death certificate is correct (confirmed after a conversation with my Nan) and he had remarried at that point also