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Sam McAlpine

Name: Samuel McAlpine
Born: 7 December 1878, Belfast
Died:
Height:
Weight:
Position: Goalkeeper

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1901); Irish League: 3 Caps (1900-1901).
Club Honours: (with Cliftonville) Irish Cup Winner 1899/00, 1900/01.

Club Career: 
Teams
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Signed
Fee
League
FA Cup
Other
Cliftonville
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Amateur
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TOTALS
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Biography:
Twice an Irish Cup winner with Cliftonville (in 1900, 2-1 over Bohemians and 1901, 1-0 over (Dublin) Freebooters), Sam McAlpine can still lay claim to the inglorious title, “Worst Ever Irish Goalkeeper”.

The title belongs to him by virtue of the eleven goals he conceded on his Ireland debut against Scotland in 1901 (the 11-0 victory is still Scotland’s record ever win). The fact he was never called on for international duty again leaves McAlpine with an average of eleven goals conceded per game. For a time this was also a world record until surpassed by Frenchman AndrĂ© Renaux of Racing Club de Roubaix in March 1908.

McAlpine also represented the Irish League on three occasions where his record was only marginally better - he suffered 4-2 and 9-0 defeats by the Football League and a 2-1 reverse by the Scottish League.

Ireland Cap Details:
23-02-1901 Scotland A L 0-11 BC

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

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