Pompey's great Scots

It was a great weekend for the Scottish contingent at Fratton Park.
Jimmy ScoularJimmy Scoular
Jimmy Scoular

Marc McNulty’s goal at Stevenage saw him move to the top of the goalscoring charts.

And there was a maiden Pompey strike for Kal Naismith, with the former Rangers trainee sealing the win.

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On top of that, Scottish under-21 international Ryan Fulton celebrated his first clean sheet since arriving on loan from Liverpool.

Jimmy StephenJimmy Stephen
Jimmy Stephen

To mark the success of the trio we look at some of the other Scotsman who have worn Pompey’s royal blue.

There are plenty of others not mentioned, too, so feel free to add your great Scots to the list.

Jimmy Easson - Born: Brechin 3/1/1903 Position: Inside-left

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Jimmy Easson was originally signed on a trial basis from Dundee in 1928, but one month before his trial was expected to expire, manager Jack Tinn gave him a professional contract. What a player he would turn out to be.

Nigel QuashieNigel Quashie
Nigel Quashie

In his 10 seasons at the club he scored 103 league goals. He is one of only eight players to score over 100 league goals for Pompey.

His record of 29 goals in one season is only matched by Duggie Reed and his partnership with Jimmy Weddle was one of the most fearsome in the country.

Easson also played in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the 1934 FA Cup final, but joined Fulham in 1938.

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He returned to Fratton Park after the war as an assistant trainer and helped the club win back-to-back league championships in 1949 and 1950.

Duggie Reid - Born: Mauchline 3/10/1917 Position: Forward/centre-half

John Douglas Jamieson ‘Duggie’ Reid was an integral part of Pompey’s championship-winning teams, scoring an impressive 129 league goals in just 309 games.

He was signed from Stockport County in March 1946 for £7,000 despite initial concerns from the fans. However, he repaid the transfer fee over and over again during his time on the south coast with his goals.

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He was nicknamed ‘Thunderboots’ due to the power in his shots, on one occasion, against Manchester City, he put the ball through the net and into the crowd while taking a penalty.

In 1959, after announcing his retirement, he was appointed head groundsman at Fratton Park, making it one of the best playing surfaces in the country. Bobby Moore once said about Reid’s pitch: ‘If you can’t play on Fratton Park, you can’t play anywhere.’

Jimmy Scoular - Born: Livingston 11/1/1925 Position: Right-half

Jimmy Scoular was brought from Gosport Borough after the War and forged a wonderful wing-half partnership with Jimmy Dickinson, arguably the best the club has ever seen.

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He was renowned for his tough tackling, which led Duncan Edwards to state Scoular was ‘the finest tackler of the ball I ever saw.

He was part of Pompey’s championship-winning teams of 1949 and 1950 and during his spell on the South Coast, made 247 league appearances, scoring eight goals.

Alex Wilson - Born: Buckie 29/10/1933 Position: Left-back

Alex Wilson was signed from Buckie Rovers on a free transfer in 1949, but his first appearance for the club came in a 5-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion in 1951.

He wasn’t a regular in the side until 1961 when Pompey were relegated to Division Three. Wilson made 39 appearances that season as they sealed an immediate return to Division Two. He was known for his quiet and calm persona, but scored one of the most dramatic goals in the club’s history in 1965.

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With Pompey facing relegation to Division Three, and losing 1-0 with just four minutes remaining, Wilson thumped the ball into the net to secure the draw and keep them up. It was one of four league goals scored by the defender during his 350 appearances.

Jimmy Stephen - Born: Fettercairn 23/8/1922 Position: Full-back

If it wasn’t for World War Two and his years of national service, Jimmy Stephen would have been one of the greatest full-backs of his generation.

Signed from Bradford Park Avenue in 1949 for £15,000 - a record fee for a full-back - he played just one game of Pompey’s 1949-1950 title win as he was restricted by his national service.

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He struggled to get back into first team contention following a succession of injuries, which saw him make just five league appearances in his last two seasons at the club before his release in 1955.

Richard Hughes - Born: Glasgow 25/6/1979 Position: Central Midfielder

Richard Hughes was signed in 2002 for £50,000 from Bournemouth and went on to become a loyal servant during his nine-year spell at the club.

He only scored one league goal for the club - on his last appearance against Leeds - during his 131 appearances.

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But Pompey fans will remember his FA Cup winner against Liverpool in 2004.

Hughes played in two matches of Pompey’s 2008 FA Cup win, but was dropped from the squad to face Cardiff at Wembley. He still went on to receive a winner’s medal. In 2010, he was an unused substitute during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.

Nigel Quashie - Born London 20/7/1978 Position: Central Midfielder

Nigel Quashie joined Pompey from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £600,000 in 2000. He was made vice-captain before the 2002-03 season and made 44 appearances as they were promoted to the Premier League.

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Injuries restricted Quashie to just 25 appearances the following season as Pompey secured 13th place. He started the season as captain of the side, before linking up with former manager Harry Redknapp at Southampton, where the two of them were relegated that season.

He made a total of 148 league appearances for Pompey over a five-year period and still has a chant in his honour at Fratton Park - even if it is fans shouting ‘Quashie, Quashie’ every time an opposition player shoots over or wide.

Matt Ritchie - Born: Gosport 10/9/1989 Position: Right-Midfield

The phrase ‘The one that got away’ is applicable for Pompey fans’ feelings towards Matt Ritchie. He spent six years in their youth set-up, but once he graduated in 2011 he only made a total of seven league appearances among loan spells at Dagenham & Redbridge, Notts County and Swindon Town.

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He was eventually sold to Swindon in 2011 by Steve Cotterill, a bone of contention among many Pompey fans to this day.

His performances for Bournemouth have seen him gain international recognition from Scotland, and last season he was voted the Football League’s best player in a poll ran by FourFourTwo. Ritchie has three Premier League goals to his name this season.