Andy Swallow

For the Australian footballer, see Andrew Swallow.

Andrew Swallow (11 August 1904 – 15 June 1969) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre half or left half.^[4]

Andy Swallow

Personal information
Full name	Andrew Swallow
Birth name	Andrew Kregsdis^[1]^[2]
Date of birth	11 August 1904
Place of birth	Bellshill, Scotland
Date of death	15 June 1969(1969-06-15) (aged 64)^[2]
Place of death	Perth, Scotland
Height	5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)^[3]
Position(s)	Centre half Left half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
–	Shettleston
1924–1930	St Johnstone	179	(6)
1930–1935	Millwall	40	(3)
1935–1936	Morton	31	(0)
Total		250	(9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

A member of North Lanarkshire's Lithuanian immigrant community^[5] and registered at birth with the surname Kregždė (anglicised to Kregsdis, this translates to swallow which was subsequently adopted by the family) he began his senior career with St Johnstone, newly promoted to Scottish Division One in November 1924. From then he was a regular presence in the Saints defence alongside the likes of Hugh Lafferty and Willie Imrie,^[6] making nearly 200 appearances in the league and Scottish Cup as the Perth club maintained their top-level status until the end of the 1929–30 season when they were relegated, at which point Swallow departed, moving on to English football with Millwall. He played less regularly for the Lions than he had in Scotland, making 40 appearances across five years (four in the Football League Second Division and the last in the Third Division South). In 1935 he returned north of the border and spent one season with Morton.^[4] He spent his later life working as a bookmaker's clerk in Perth, his wife's hometown.^[2]

Swallow was a member of a Scottish Football Association party which toured North America in 1927,^[1][7][8] but never received a full cap for Scotland.^[2]

References

1. Douglas Gorman and Gabriele Tossani (2 February 2021). "Scotland Unofficial Matches 1927". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
2. Statutory registers - Deaths - Search results, ScotlandsPeople (subscription required)
3. Season preview 1927/28: St. Johnstone F.C., Athletic News, 1 August 1927, via Play Up Liverpool
4. John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. "Lithuanians in Lanarkshire". Legacies: UK history local to you. BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
6. Significant Saints | Willie Imrie, St Johnstone FC
7. Neil Morrison (4 January 2018). "British "FA XI" Tours: 1927 Tour of Canada by the Scottish FA". RSSSF. from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
8. "Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927". Canadian Soccer History. Retrieved 6 July 2020.