Johnny Hubbard

Football player infobox
playername = Ralph Brand
fullname = Ralph Laidlaw Brand, MBE
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1930|12|16
cityofbirth =
countryofbirth = South Africa
position = Left winger
years = 1949-1959
1959-1962
1962-1964
clubs = Rangers
Bury
Ayr United
caps(goals) = 176 (77)
109 (29)
052 0(5)
nationalyears =
nationalteam = South Africa
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)

Johnny Hubbard MBE (born 16 December, 1930) is a retired South African footballer who spent the majority of his career at Rangers, and latterly played for Bury and Ayr United.

Hubbard arrived at Ibrox in 1949, signing for Rangers despite being offered a larger signing on fee by Clyde. He made his debut on 10 September in a league match against Partick Thistle. This was the first of only two appearances he would make for Rangers that season, the other came against Falkirk. His first goal was scored in a 5-0 home win verses East Fife during a league on 23 December 1950.

Among his notable achievements at Rangers, he became one of few players to score a hat-trick in an Old Firm match, and the only foreign player in history to do so.cite news|url=http://www.scottishleague.net/archive/archive113.htm|title=Old Firm hat-tricks|publisher=scottishleague.net] Hubbard was nicknamed the "Penalty King" by Rangers fans, due to his exceptional record of 54 goals scored from 57 penalty kicks. He won three league titles, and the 1953 Scottish Cup while at Rangers, and finished top scorer in 1955 with 27 goals.

He left Rangers in 1959 with 238 appearances and 106 goals for the club, moving to Bury for £6000. After three years at Bury he returned to Scotland, spending two years with Ayr United before retiring from football to work as a PE teacher and a community sports development officer. In 2007 he was named an honorary member of the Rangers Supporters Trust, along with Mark Walters and Billy Simpson.cite news|url=http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=113&Itemid=43|title=Trust announces two new honorary members|publisher=Rangers Supporters Trust website]

References

External links

* [http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/johnnyhubbard.htm Career history]