Benjamin Collard Yorston (14 October 1905 – 1977) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Montrose, Aberdeen, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Benjamin Collard Yorston | ||
Date of birth | (1905-10-14)14 October 1905 | ||
Place of birth | Nigg, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 1977 (aged 71–72) | ||
Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1927 | Montrose | ||
1927–1931 | Aberdeen | 143 | (101) |
1932–1934 | Sunderland | 49 | (25) |
1934–1939 | Middlesbrough | 152 | (54) |
1941 | Hibernian (guest) | 0 | (0) |
1945 | Dundee United | 1 | (0) |
Total | 345 | (180) | |
National team | |||
1930 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Born in Nigg, Kincardineshire, the diminutive (5 ft 5in) forward played for Aberdeen juvenile sides Kittybrewster and Mugiemoss before joining Montrose in 1927.[1] He spent only 3 months with the Gable Endies before returning north to sign for Aberdeen F.C.. Yorston stayed with the Dons for five seasons and remains the club's record goal-scorer for a single season, having notched 38 goals in 1929–30. He won his only cap for Scotland against Ireland in 1931.
Yorston was one of five Aberdeen players dropped after a 1–1 draw with Kilmarnock later that year. At the time, the reasons were not clear, but the club's official history claims that several players had been involved in a betting scandal. No players were ever charged with any offence, but none of them ever played for Aberdeen again.[2]
Yorston joined Sunderland for £2,000 in January 1932 then moved to their North-East rivals Middlesbrough for £1,250 in 1934. He stayed with Middlesbrough until the outbreak of the Second World War, during which he "guested" for Hibernian,[3] Aldershot, Reading, West Ham United[4] and Lincoln City,[1] featuring once for Dundee United shortly after the war ended.[5] He retired before the cessation of global hostilities.
Yorston's nephew Harry was also a professional footballer who, like his uncle, played for Aberdeen and the Scottish national side.
Scottish league football top division top scorers | |
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League | |
Division One |
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Division A | |
Division One | |
Premier Division |
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SPL | |
Premiership |
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