Johnny Downie

John Dennis Downie Date of Birth: Jul 19, 1925

John was snapped up by Bradford Park Avenue during the war becoming a goalscorer of renown and after a particularly good performance against Manchester United in the F.A.Cup the Reds paid £18,000, a record, for his services.

At Old Trafford he won a League championship medal in 1952 and it came as a surprise when he was allowed to move to Luton for £10,000 a year later.

Scoring a hat-trick on his Hatters debut, his future at Kenilworth Road seemed secure but a major row involving the provision of a club house meant that he stayed only twelve months before transferring to Hull at a loss.

John was still playing football until his forties and lived in retirement in Bradford before passing away in Tynemouth in 2013.