Peter Stewart McKennan (16 July 1918 – 28 September 1991) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward in the Scottish and English leagues, most notably for Partick Thistle, for whom he scored 113 goals in 198 appearances in all competitions. McKennan represented the Scottish and Irish League representative teams and is a member of the Partick Thistle Hall of Fame. He was nicknamed "Ma Ba" ("my ball"), due to his desire to receive the ball into feet and dictate play.

Club career

An inside forward, McKennan began his senior career with Scottish League First Division club Partick Thistle in 1934 and though his career was interrupted by Second World War, he remained with the club through the war. He made nearly 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 113 goals and was posthumously inducted into the club's Hall of Fame. McKennan moved south of the border to join Second Division club West Bromwich Albion (for whom he had guested during the war) for a £10,650 fee in October 1947.

Peter McKennan

McKennan went on to play for Football League clubs Leicester City, Brentford, Middlesbrough and Oldham Athletic and scored 63 goals in 171 appearances, before moving to Northern Ireland in 1954, where he played out two injury-ravaged seasons as player-manager of Coleraine. As of December 2018, McKennan is the third of three Brentford players to register five goals in a single league match.

Peter McKennan

International career

After making appearances for the Scottish and Irish League representative teams, McKennan scored on his solitary appearance for Scotland in a 3–2 win over an Irish XI on 28 April 1940.

Peter McKennan

Personal life

McKennan served in the British Army during the Second World War and saw action as a Command Sergeant-Major on D-Day.

Honours

As a player

Oldham Athletic

Football League Third Division North: 1952–53

As a manager

Coleraine

North West Senior Cup: 1954–55, 1955–56

As an individual

Partick Thistle Hall of Fame

Career statistics

References

External links

Peter McKennan at ptfc.co.uk

1918 births

1991 deaths

Scottish men's footballers

Partick Thistle F.C. players

West Bromwich Albion F.C. players

Leicester City F.C. players

Brentford F.C. players

Middlesbrough F.C. players

Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players

English Football League players

Scottish Football League players

Scottish Football League representative players

Men's association football inside forwards

Men's association football player-managers

Footballers from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Whitburn F.C. players

Brentford F.C. wartime guest players

Chelsea F.C. wartime guest players

Raith Rovers F.C. players

West Bromwich Albion F.C. wartime guest players

Coleraine F.C. players

Coleraine F.C. managers

NIFL Premiership managers

Scottish Junior Football Association players

Scottish football managers

Scotland men's wartime international footballers

British Army personnel of World War II

Linfield F.C. wartime guest players

Glentoran F.C. wartime guest players

British Army soldiers