Footy medal up for sale
A MEDAL presented to former Sunderland player Jock McDougall is set to go under the hammer.
The Scottish FA Cup winner’s medal, which was presented to the Scotland international, is expected to fetch up to £ 1,500.
McDougall, who captained the Black Cats in the early 1930s, was awarded the nine- carat gold and enamel medal after he helped Airdrieonians win the Scottish Cup in 1923- 1924 for the first and only time in the club’s history.
The centre- half’s impressive performances in Scotland alerted Sunderland AFC, and they bought him from Airdrie in May 1929 for £ 4,500.
This was a huge sum of money at the time, when an average house in the city cost less than £ 600.
McDougall spent five full seasons at Roker Park, from 1929 to 1934, during which time he made 167 league appearances for the Black Cats.
He was described in his day as “one of the strongest and most reliable pivots in football” and “a glutton for work and generally does enough for two”, coming to Wearside with 262 Scottish League appearances under his belt.
He continued to impress after arriving at Roker Park, retaining all his consistency. He came tantalisingly close to completing a rare Scottish Cup and English FA Cup double while with Sunderland when he helped the team reach the semi- finals of the FA Cup. Unfortunately, they were beaten by 2- 0 by Birmingham.
McDougall later played for Leeds United before returning to Scotland, where he became a greenkeeper at Port Glasgow golf club.
Coincidentally, he died in 1973, the year Sunderland won the FA Cup.
The Scottish FA Cup winner’s medal belonging to McDougall, whose younger brother, James McDougall, also played for Scotland, will come up for sale at Graham Budd Auctions, at Sotheby’s in London on Tuesday, November 5.