Hughie Gallacher was one of the most prominent Scottish football players during the 1920's and 1930's era. In a career that spanned for over 18 years, the former centre forward scored an astounding 405 goals in over 554 appearances. He played for various Scottish and English clubs during his illustrious career, with the most notable one's being Newcastle and Chelsea.
The Scotsman was equally sensational for his nation as well, recording an impressive 24 goals in just 20 appearances for the Scotland national side.
We will be primarily covering his time with Newcastle in this article, as he established himself as a club legend during his 5 year stint with the Magpies.
From Scotland to England
Gallacher's early years in football were spent in Scotland, as he played for the likes of Queen of the South and Airdrieonians. He was simply sensational during his time with those clubs, scoring a combined 119 goals in just 138 appearances. The Scotsman managed to win the Southern Counties Cup with Queen of the South, while his time at Airdrieonians saw a Scottish Cup and two Scottish 2nd XI Cups being added to his silverware collection.
It was in the year of 1925 that Newcastle were desperately searching for a centre forward, and their search ended with Gallacher. The Magpies paid a £6,500 transfer fee to get their man from Airdrieonians.
He made an instant impact in his debut, scoring a brace in Newcastle's 3-3 draw vs Everton. This was the beginning of an impressive run, as the Scotsman went on to score 15 goals in his first nine games. Despite being signed halfway through the season, Gallacher ended the campaign with 23 goals to finish as his club's top scorer.
Due to his excellence as a player, Gallacher was intensively marked by defenders. This often resulted in the player getting fouled constantly during games.
The 1926–27 season saw Newcastle handle their captaincy to a 23-year-old Gallacher, and the decision turned out to be a masterstroke. He led them to the League Championship for the first time since 1909, scoring several crucial goals to help them achieve the historical feat. Gallacher finished that season with 36 league goals in 38 appearances, which is still the highest number of league goals in one season by a Newcastle player.
He continued to score at an impressive rate in the next 3 seasons, scoring 20+ goals in each of those campaigns. With 143 league and cup goals in 174 appearances, Gallacher has a club record 82% strike rate that stands as a testament to his goalscoring excellence.
Newcastle's legendary Scotsman left the club in 1930, after a memorable 5 years with the Magpies.
The aftermath
The next chapter of his career took him to Chelsea, as he was yet another exciting addition to Chelsea's then £25,000 spending spree. Fellow Scottish forwards Alex Jackson and Alec Cheyne were other additions that joined the Blues.
Gallacher continued his outstanding goalscoring form with Chelsea as well, finishing as the club's top scorer in each of his four seasons in West London.
Despite his individual heroics, he was unable to lift any silverware with the Blues. His time at the club was also slightly overshadowed due to certain disciplinary issues both on and off the pitch. He eventually departed Chelsea after 4 years in 1934.
Final years
The rest of his career saw him play for the likes of Derby County, Notts County, Grimsby Town, and finally Gateshead. Newcastle's legendary centre forward retired from football in 1939. He departed with a commendable record of 405 in 554 games, thus cementing himself as one of the finest forwards in football history.
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