Andrew Thomas Ralston

Andrew Thomas Ralston (1880-1950) was a Scottish amateur footballer and football administrator in England.

Playing career

Ralston was born on the 26th March, 1880 into a farming family at Machrihanish, Argyllshire and was educated in England at Bedford Modern School.^[1] He pursued a career in insurance in London and joined the London Caledonians FC, a team for Scottish exiles based in the capital.^[2] Ralston was a long serving player and continued to represent the club in his forties. He also played as an amateur for various professional clubs including Watford, Southend United and Tottenham Hotspur for whom he made over 100 appearances between 1915-1919.^[3][4] As a youngster he had also joined Aston Villa but does not appear to have made any appearances in the first team.^[5]

Administrator

Ralston served as Honorary Secretary of London Caledonians and the Isthmian Football League. He also served on the Council of the Football Association where he represented the interests of the amateur game.^[6]

Death

Andrew Ralston died at a nursing home in Ealing, Middlesex on the 29th January, 1950. He had attended the draw of the FA Amateur Cup and had gone on to pay a visit to Vivian Woodward, a famous former player for Spurs, Chelsea and England who had become bedridden. Ralston unfortunately fell ill and died at his bedside.^[7]

References

1. The Eagle Volume 27, no. 5 (1950), p. 391
2. The Eagle
3. "Watford FC player archive (Q-R), retrieved April 2015" (PDF).
4. "Tottenham Hotspur player database, retrieved April 2015".
5. "Aston Villa player database, retrieved April 2015".
6. The Eagle
7. The Eagle