- Alex McCrae
Football player infobox
playername= Alex McCrae
fullname = Alexander McCrae
dateofbirth = birth date|1920|1|2
cityofbirth =Stoneburn
countryofbirth =Scotland
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
position = Forward, Inside Left
years = 1941–xx
19xx–48
1948–53
1953–xx
clubs= Hearts
Charlton Athletic
Middlesbrough
Falkirk
caps(goals) =
122 (47)Alex McCrae (born
2 January 1920 ,Stoneburn ,Scotland ) was an English football player who played for Hearts, Charlton Athletic, Middlesbrough and Falkirk during his career.Playing career
McCrae began his career at Hearts in 1941. He later moved to
London to play for Charlton Athletic but was unable to settle and was snapped up by Middlesbrough for £10,000 in October 1948.The versatile frontman could play in any forward position but favoured the inside left role. He began his career with the club in the 1948–49 season in the absence of
Wilf Mannion , but his form was poor and soon he was dropped from the side. Eventually, he was recalled alongside Mannion, where he showed his pace, accurate passing and sublime ball skills.After scoring 16 goals in the 1949–50, including the winner in a home 1–0 victory over Newcastle United on
Boxing Day , he became a fans favourite. He topped the scoring charts the next season, scoring threehat-tricks beforeChristmas , but injury robbed him from helping the side finish higher than sixth in the table that season.He left the club for Falkirk in 1953, and followed this with a spell in
Ireland .After football
After retiring from playing, he became Middlesbrough's scout in Scotland, where he recommended future legend
Jim Platt to the club.References
*cite web|url=http://www.mfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HeroesDetail/0,,1~209,00.html |title=Heroes: Alex McCrae 1948–53 |accessdate=2007-09-19 |publisher=mfc.co.uk
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
