Francis Archer Branscombe (6 May 1889 – 14 April 1942) was a Scottish footballer who played mainly as an outside left.[3] The majority of his career was spent at Partick Thistle where he played from 1908 to 1917, making 214 appearances in all competitions and scoring 50 goals;[4] he appeared in the finals of the Glasgow Cup in 1914[5] and the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup in 1916,[6] but finished on the losing side in both. He had loan spells with Vale of Leven and Rangers during World War I – in the period of around six weeks he spent at Ibrox, he managed to score in five different Scottish Football League fixtures out of the seven he played in.[7] In 1917 he left Scotland to work in the wartime munitions industry in Woolwich.[2] He later played for amateur side Dunkeld and Birnham, facing Partick Thistle in the 1923–24 Scottish Cup; the Jags won the tie 11–0.[8]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Francis Archer Branscombe | ||
| Date of birth | 6 May 1889 | ||
| Place of birth | Dennistoun, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 14 April 1942 (aged 52)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Maryhill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Outside left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| – | Clydebank Juniors[2] | ||
| 1908–1917 | Partick Thistle | 182 | (37) |
| 1915–1916 | Vale of Leven (loan) | ||
| 1916 | Rangers (loan) | 7 | (5) |
| – | Dunkeld and Birnham | ||
| Total | 189 | (42) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He had a trial for the Scottish League XI in 1910[3] and played in the Glasgow FA's annual challenge match against Sheffield in 1914.[9]
Branscombe was involved in a fatal accident during a match on Christmas Day 1909 when he slipped on an icy surface in a challenge for the ball with James Main of Hibernian, striking the Scotland defender in the stomach with his boot with some force. Main died from his injuries the following day.[10][11] The incident affected the form of 20-year-old Branscombe for some time.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b Frank Branscombe, The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 25 December 2022
- ^ a b Branscombe, Frank 1908-15 & 1916-17, Partick Thistle History Archive
- ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Players B, Partick Thistle History Archive
- ^ Football: Glasgow Cup–Replayed Final, The Glasgow Herald, 14 October 1914
- ^ Football | Glasgow Charity Cup Final, Glasgow Herald, 15 May 1916
- ^ (Rangers player) Branscombe, Frank, FitbaStats
- ^ Dunkeld Outclassed at Firhill, The Dundee Courier, 14 January 1924 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
- ^ Football. Sheffield, 2; Glasgow, 1., The Glasgow Herald, 27 October 1914 (via Partick Thistle History Archive)
- ^ "Tragic tale of Hibs' James Main, who died of Christmas Day injury". The Scotsman. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ "James Main 1886 - 1909". Hibernian Historical Trust. 24 December 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
- ^ 1910 – Maryhill or Partick Thistle?, Maryhill Burgh Hall, 4 May 2020
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