John Bain (footballer, born 1923)

John Bain BEM (1923 – 2019) was a Scottish football player, manager and chairman for Ferranti Thistle and Meadowbank Thistle (the predecessor clubs of Livingston).

John Bain
Personal information
Date of birth 1923
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 2019(2019-00-00) (aged 95–96)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Portsmouth
Reading
1952–1963 Ferranti Thistle
Teams managed
1959 Ferranti Thistle
1974–1976 Meadowbank Thistle
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Bain left the Royal Navy in 1952 to become a planning engineer with high-tech firm Ferranti in his home city of Edinburgh.[1]

He joined the company’s football team Ferranti Thistle and starred as a left-back. He played until he was 40, and was convinced to take over as manager.[2]

He then became chairman for 15 years before being convinced to step back in as manager when the club was renamed Meadowbank Thistle and joined the Scottish Football League in 1974.

Bain remained involved with the team, which changed its name in 1995 to accompany a relocation to Almondvale Stadium in Livingston, West Lothian, as the team’s honorary vice-president.

Personal life

After retirement in 1980, Bain was awarded a British Empire Medal for his involvement in Scottish football. He died in 2019.[3]

Honours

Ferranti Thistle

References
  1. "A Tale of Two Thistles". Tell Him He's Pele. 29 July 2013.
  2. "STILL ALIVI Livingston footie legend John Bain, 95, insists he would be long dead without beautiful game". The Scottish Sun. 2 August 2018.
  3. "Tributes to factory works team manager who built club now known as Livingston FC". Edinburgh Evening News. 8 February 2019.
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