Sam Irving

Samuel Johnstone Irving (28 August 1893 – 12 December 1968) was an Irish professional footballer and manager. Born In Ireland, he was raised in Scotland before playing football in the North of England. He turned professional in 1913 and played in the Football League for Bristol City before World War I. After the war he returned to non-league in England.

In 1920, Irving joined Scottish Football League side Dundee where he quickly established himself in the first team. He spent six years with the club, making over 150 appearances in all competitions, despite suffering persistent knee injuries for several years. He helped the club to two top four finishes and reach the 1925 Scottish Cup Final where they were defeated by Celtic. He joined Football League First Division side Cardiff City in 1926 in a swap deal with Joe Cassidy. In his first year with the club, he helped them win both the FA Cup, becoming the only team from outside England to win the competition, and the Welsh Cup. He also won the 1927 FA Charity Shield the following year, but fell out of favour midway through the 1927–28 season.

He was sold to Second Division side Chelsea where he gained promotion to the First Division in 1930. He signed for Bristol Rovers in 1932 and spent one season with the side before retiring from playing. At international level, Irving made 18 appearances for Ireland between 1923 and 1931, captaining the side on several occasions. After retiring as a player, he was co-manager of Dundee United for the 1938–39 season.

Irving was born in Belfast on 28 August 1893 to Henry and Isabella Irving, both of whom were Scottish. The family later moved to Glasgow where Irving was raised. His father worked as a blacksmith. Irving served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the First World War.

Irving began his playing career in the North-East of England, appearing for non-League clubs Shildon Athletic, Galashiels United and Esh Winning. In 1911, he had an unsuccessful trial with Football League First Division side Newcastle United before eventually being signed to a Football League side with Bristol City in November 1913. After the First World War, Irving had spells playing for Blyth Spartans and with his first club Shildon Athletic before signing for Dundee in 1920.

Irving quickly impressed during the club's pre-season and debuted for the first team on the opening day of the 1920–21 season in a 2–2 draw away at Falkirk on 16 August. He immediately established himself in the first team and scored his first goal for the side on 4 September in a victory over Falkirk. After receiving the ball, he advanced to the penalty area before shooting past the opposition goalkeeper, with the Dundee Evening Telegraph describing it as a "great goal". With the club struggling to fulfill their forward line, Irving moved from his traditional half back role to play as an outside right in November, although it was deemed unsuccessful by the Dundee Courier who noted that his presence was also missed from the half back line. His early season was later disrupted after missing several weeks of the season during the later months of 1920 after sustaining an injury against Airdrieonians. He made his return in December against Hamilton Academical. Irving helped the club to a fourth-placed finish in the 1920–21 Scottish Football League.

At the end of his debut season with Dundee, Irving was appointed captain of the first team. After failing to win their opening two games of the 1921–22 campaign, Irving led his side to victory over Third Lanark after which the Dundee Courier remarked that there was "probably no more popular player" at the club than Irving. These early performances led to him being considered for his first selection for the Ireland national football team, but he was denied a call up due to injury. These persistent problems would disrupt most of the remaining season as he missed several months at the start of 1922 with injuries, before returning in April. Dundee achieved another fourth-place finish during the season.

The following year, Dundee were unable to repeat their top four finishes and fell to seventh place before undertaking a tour of Spain at the end of the campaign. Irving missed the opening of the 1923–24 season due to injury. He returned to the first team in September but suffered further injury problems after playing for Ireland against England in October that saw him rarely feature in the following months. He returned to the first team in late February 1924 against Third Lanark. However, Irving continued to be plagued by knee problems; he was stretchered off in matches against both St Mirren on 30 March and Clydebank on 19 April. Representatives from Burnley had travelled to watch Irving play in the latter match, the final game of the season, and were informed that the recurring problem would require surgery to remove a piece of loose cartilage from the knee to rectify the problem.