Alec McClure
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alec McClure
| image =
| caption = McClure in Birmingham colours
| fullname = Alexander McClure{{cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |publisher=SoccerData |location=Nottingham |page=164 |date=2004 |isbn=978-1-899468-67-6}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1892|4|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Workington, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1971|10|2|1892|4|3|df=y}}
| death_place = Birmingham, England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=11+1/2}}{{cite book |title=Official Football Programme |url=http://www.evertoncollection.org.uk/object?id=796%20EFC/6/37/6&p=7 |page=12 |date=23 December 1922 |publisher=Programme Syndicate for Everton F.C. and Liverpool F.C}}
| position = Centre half
| youthyears1 = – | youthclubs1 = Grangetown Juniors
| years1 = 1912–1923 | clubs1 = Birmingham | caps1 = 192 | goals1 = 4
| years2 = 1923–1924 | clubs2 = Aston Villa | caps2 = 7 | goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1924–1926 | clubs3 = Stoke | caps3 = 28 | goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1926–1928 | clubs4 = Coventry City | caps4 = 49 | goals4 = 7
| years5 = 1928 | clubs5 = Walsall | caps5 = 11 | goals5 = 0
| totalcaps = 287 | totalgoals = 11
}}
Alexander McClure (3 April 1892 – 2 October 1971) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half. He played for Birmingham both before and after the First World War, making 198 appearances in all competitions, and helped them win the championship of the Second Division in 1920–21. He also played in the Football League for Aston Villa, Stoke, Coventry City and Walsall.{{cite book |last=Matthews |first=Tony |title=Birmingham City: A Complete Record |date=1995 |publisher=Breedon Books |location=Derby |page=108 |isbn=1-85983-010-2}}
Career
McClure was born in Workington, Cumberland, on 3 April 1892. He was a powerful player with good positional ability, who captained Birmingham's reserve team before establishing himself as club captain and linchpin of the first team's defence. He played for the Football League XI in 1921–22 against the Irish Football League. After leaving Birmingham he went on to play for four other Midlands teams, Aston Villa, Stoke, Coventry City and Walsall. On retiring from playing he worked for short periods as trainer at various clubs, including as trainer of Birmingham's juniors, and in 1932 he was appointed assistant manager of the club under Leslie Knighton and later under George Liddell.{{cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Birmingham City Football Club 1875–2000 |last=Matthews |first=Tony |date=2000 |publisher=Britespot |location=Cradley Heath |page=145 |isbn=0-9539288-0-2}}
During the First World War McClure served in the Royal Navy and was involved in the Zeebrugge Raid. After leaving football he worked for Rudge motorcycles and went on to run a successful haulage business in Small Heath, Birmingham. The 1939 Register finds him living with his wife, Amy, in Kenelm Road, Small Heath, and engaged in war work, collecting scrap metal from factories.{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61596/images/tna_r39_5565_5565g_008?pId=34128739 |title=1939 England and Wales Register for Alexander McClure |at=RG 101/5565G Birmingham QBHL 384/8 |via=Ancestry.com |url-access=subscription}} He was still resident at that address at the time of his death in Birmingham on 2 October 1971 at the age of 79.{{cite web |url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=Ms3CavNLiySUlftXHn4tiA&scan=1 |title=Index entry |website=FreeBMD |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=25 August 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=McClure&yearOfDeath=1971&page=1#calendar |title=Find a will: Wills and probate 1858–1996: McClure 1971 |publisher=UK Probate Service |access-date=25 August 2021}} A nephew, Joe McClure, also became a professional footballer.{{cite web | url=http://www.fromtowntotown.org.uk/assets/approved_nuneaton-town-1919-1937_part2.pdf | title=Nuneaton Town 1919–1937 Part 2 | accessdate=10 October 2016}}
Career statistics
Source:{{ENFA}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" | ||||||
| rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| rowspan=10|Birmingham
|7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1912–13
|Second Division |19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 1913–14
|Second Division |16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 1914–15
|Second Division |4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1919–20
|Second Division |24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 1920–21
|Second Division |40 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 1921–22
|35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 1922–23
|First Division |38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 1923–24
|First Division |9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!192 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 198 | 4 | |
| rowspan=3|Aston Villa
|First Division |5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1924–25
|First Division |2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| rowspan=3|Stoke
|Second Division |24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 1925–26
|Second Division |4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |
| rowspan=3|Coventry City
|35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 6 | |
| 1927–28
|Third Division South |14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!49 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 7 | |
| Walsall
|Third Division South |11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| colspan="3"|Career total
!287 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 298 | 11 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McClure, Alec}}
Category:Footballers from Workington
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:Birmingham City F.C. players
Category:Aston Villa F.C. players
Category:Stoke City F.C. players
Category:Coventry City F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:English Football League representative players
Category:Royal Navy personnel of World War I