Christy Martin

Name: Christopher D. Martin
Born: Athlone*
Died: 30 August 1958, Glasgow (age 56)
Height: 5.06 ft
Weight: 10.06 st
Position: Outside-Right

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1925); Irish Free State: 1 Full Cap (1927).
Club Honours: (with Bo'ness) Scottish League Division Two Champion 1926/27.

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Renfrew Juniors	-	-	-	-	-	-
St Anthony's	-	-22	-	-	(Glasgow Junior League)
Bo'ness	24/25-28/29	-24	-	* 37/7	-	-
Falkirk	28/29	-	-	2/0	-	-
Brooklyn Wanderers	29/30-30/31	-29	-	1/0	(American Soccer League)
Bo'ness	31/32	-	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£-		40/7	-	-

* Division One appearances (1927/28) only.

Biography:
A then record 41,000 turned up at Windsor Park to witness the international debut of Christy Martin - most of them were to go home disappointed. The match, played in heavy conditions, was comfortably won by a dominant Scotland, and the scoreline could have been much more convincing than the 3-0 eventual result had the Scots turned the screw in the second half.

At the time Martin was playing with Bo'ness in the Scottish Second Division, scaring the life out of defences from anywhere on the forward line. His goal tally for 1924/25 was 34 and in 1927 he finished with 29 as Bo'ness claimed the title, and with it promotion to the Scottish topflight for the only time in their history. Bo'ness had plucked Martin from the Glasgow Junior League, one of their regular hunting grounds for new talent, where he had starred with St. Anthony's.

1927 also brought Martin a second international cap, this time as centre-forward for the Irish Free State, in their first ever home match (excluding games played by their Olympic side). The "Free State" had made their international debut a month earlier against Italy's "Full" eleven, a 3-0 defeat in Turin. The Italian FA deemed that a 'B' side would be equal to the occasion, their first eleven facing France in Paris the day before - the visitors accordingly recorded a 2-1 win at Lansdowne Road. It was a shot by Martin that led to the Irish goal - their first on the international stage - with Bob Fullam slamming home a parry by the 'keeper.

Bo'ness lasted a single season in the Scottish First Division. With star-man Martin limited to just seven goals from 37 games, they finished 19th and suffered relegation back to Division Two. He briefly played with Falkirk before joining the exodus from the British game to the American Soccer league. Martin returned to Bo'ness in 1931 for what proved to be their swansong as a Scottish League club.

Martin's career was brought to a premature halt by a non-footballing injury, a fractured skull sustained while working in the shipyard. Already pre-deceased by his wife Mary, Martin died when knocked down by a bus as he walked to church in the Kelvin area of Glasgow.

Martin's Free State shirt and cap courtesy of his great-grandson, James Lalley

Ireland Cap Details:
28-02-1925 Scotland H L 0-3 BC

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Irish Free State Cap Details:
23-04-1927 Italy 'B' H L 1-2 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

A Christopher Ambrose Martin was born in Athlone in 1901 to Patrick Martin and Kate Murtagh, it is unconfirmed if this is Christy.

With thanks to John Meffen (Falkirk FC Historian)