Player Profile: Elias Macdonald

Mac’ was the youngest of 5 or 6 children of parents who were both deaf and dumb. Though brought up in Manchester, he went to live with his sister in Derby where he played his early football whilst apprenticed to Rolls Royce. He served in Ireland in WW1 and played football in Wales on his return. He then represented Burton All Saints in the Birmingham League with some success before joining Southampton, where he appeared in 18 consecutive Division 2 games between January and May 1924. Southport sought this fast, clever winger in that summer but were just pipped by Southend United. At Haig Avenue in 1925—26 he was ever-present, an achievement he repeated at Barrow in 1927—28; he joined them from Doncaster Rovers (against whom he had scored in both games for Southport) where he formed a left-wing pairing with Paddy McConnell (q.v.). At Barrow he went on to make 108 appearances. After retiring from professional football he became a permit player for Rolls Royce, where he continued to work until 1945. He also went into hotel management — having started while at Barrow — and had a succession of hostelries in Burton and round about. When his wife died in 1972 he moved to the Gordon Hotel in Rochester, where he died 3 days short of his 80th birthday.