James Laing (footballer)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = James Laing

| fullname = James Higgins Laing{{Cite web |title=Falkirk Players Who Fell |url=http://www.scotlandswar.co.uk/pdf_Falkirk_Players_Who_Fell.pdf |access-date=24 August 2020 |page=3 |archive-date=8 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108150708/http://www.scotlandswar.co.uk/pdf_Falkirk_Players_Who_Fell.pdf |url-status=dead }}

| birth_date = 1897

| birth_place = Kilsyth, Scotland

| death_date = 23 April 1917 (aged 19){{CWGC|id=533547|accessdate=24 August 2020}}

| death_place = near Rœux, France

| position = Inside right

| years1 =

| clubs1 = East Stirlingshire

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1916–1917

| clubs2 = Falkirk

| caps2 = 1

| goals2 = 0

}}

James Higgins Laing (1897 – 23 April 1917) was a Scottish footballer who made one appearance in the Scottish League for Falkirk as an inside right.{{Cite book |last=Litster |first=John |title=Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players |publisher=PM Publications |location=Norwich}}

Personal life

Prior to his service in the First World War, Laing worked as an engineer for Carron Company.{{Cite web |last=MacGillivray |first=Russell |title=Larbert's War Memorial – Falkirk Local History Society |url=https://falkirklocalhistorysociety.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/larbert-and-the-great-war-master-pdf.pdf |access-date=24 August 2020 |page=106}} He attested in the Army on 8 December 1915 and was called up to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in September 1916. Serving as a private, Laing was posted to the Western Front in January 1917 and was hospitalised the following month, suffering from frostbite. He returned to his battalion in April and ten days later, on 23 April 1917, he was killed in an attack on Rœux during the Battle of the Scarpe. Laing was buried in Rœux British Cemetery.

Career statistics

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|Scottish Cup ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
Falkirk \|1916–17 \|Scottish First Division \|1 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|― \|1 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !1 !0 !0 !0 !1 !0

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |Scottish Cup

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals