Moses McNeil

Moses McNeil

Personal information
Full name	Moses McNeil
Date of birth	29 October 1855(1855-10-29)
Place of birth	Rhu, Scotland
Date of death	9 April 1938(1938-04-09) (aged 82)
Place of death	Dumbarton, Scotland
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1872-1882	Rangers
National team
1873-1880	Scotland	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Moses McNeil (29 October 1855 – 9 April 1938) was a Scottish professional footballer who was one of the founding members of Rangers Football Club. He played as a winger.

Club career

McNeil, along with fellow founding members Peter McNeil (his brother) and friends William McBeath and Peter Campbell, adopted the name Rangers, reportedly from an English rugby annual. Rangers played their first ever match against Callander F.C. at Glasgow Green's Flesher's Haugh in May 1872, which resulted in a 0-0 draw. Rangers played one more match in 1872, an 11-0 win against Clyde - not the present Clyde F.C..

In 1874 Rangers played their first ever Scottish Cup match, and McNeil scored in a 2-0 win over Oxford, but Rangers lost to Dumbarton in the second round. Rangers reached their first Scottish Cup final in 1877 but lost to Vale of Leven after two replays.

McNeil's Rangers reached the Scottish Cup final again in 1878 but, after Rangers refused to play in the replay following a 1-1 draw at Hampden, the trophy was awarded to Vale of Leven. Rangers won their first trophy in 1879, the "Glasgow Merchants' Charity Cup" after beating Vale of Leven 2-1 in front of 11,000 spectators at Hampden.

McNeil's last recorded appearance for Rangers was on 30 September 1882 in a Scottish Cup replay defeat to Queen's Park at Hampden Park. He made 34 Scottish Cup appearances and scord ten goals during his Rangers career.

International career

McNeil won two caps for Scotland, the first on 25 March 1876 in a 4-0 win over Wales (the first international between the two countries) and the second on 13 March 1880 in a 5-4 win over England, in which he played alongside his brother, Henry. McNeil was the first Rangers player to receive an international cap.

Later life

After playing football, McNeil focused on his occupation as a commercial traveller. He died of heart disease on 9 April 1938 in Dumbarton, aged 82.

External links

• Moses McNeil at scottishfa.co.uk
• Moses McNeil biog + image at Helensburgh Heroes

Persondata
Name	Macneil, Moses
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 October 1855
Place of birth	Rhu, Scotland
Date of death	9 April 1938
Place of death	Dumbarton, Scotland