Gerry McAloon

Gerald Padua McAloon (13 September 1916 – 13 April 1987) was a Scottish professional football inside forward who played in the Football League for Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He later played for Celtic and in Northern Ireland.

Early years

An inside forward, McAloon began his career with his hometown Glasgow junior club St Francis in 1933. He departed the following year.

Brentford

McAloon moved to England to sign for Second Division club Brentford in June 1934. Well down the forward line pecking order, he played exclusively for the reserve team between 1934 and 1938. McAloon's prolific goalscoring form in the first half of the 1937–38 season, with 18 goals, led manager Harry Curtis to give him his senior debut in a First Division match versus Middlesbrough on 26 March 1938, which resulted in a 1–0 win for Brentford. McAloon scored his first goal for the club in the following game (a 6–1 win over Grimsby Town) and he made a significant impact in the Bees' end-of-season run in, scoring five goals in six games to help the club to a second successive sixth-place finish. Brentford's league form was poor during the 1938–39 season and McAloon made 16 appearances, scoring four goals, before departing the club in March 1939. In a year as a first team player at Griffin Park, McAloon made 24 appearances and scored 9 goals.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In March 1939, McAloon joined First Division high-flyers Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £5,000 fee. He made just two appearances (scoring one goal) before competitive football was suspended due to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. McAloon departed Molineux in December 1945, after the cessation of hostilities.

Wartime guest appearances

During the Second World War, McAloon guested for Hamilton Academical, Airdrieonians, Albion Rovers, Dumbarton, Dunfermline Athletic, Celtic and Morton. He won the Lanarkshire Cup with Hamilton Academical in 1939, scoring in a 5–1 victory over future club Airdrieonians in the final.

Return to Brentford

McAloon returned to Brentford in December 1945 and scored 23 goals in 27 Football League South and FA Cup appearances. After four goals and seven appearances early in the 1946–47 First Division season, McAloon departed Brentford once again. Across his two spells at Griffin Park, McAloon scored 18 goals in 37 appearances.

Return to Celtic

On 4 October 1946, McAloon transferred Scottish League First Division club Celtic, in exchange for George Paterson. He had previously guested for the club during the Second World War. Commuting from London to Glasgow for matches, McAloon failed to fully settle at the struggling club, but he finished the 1946–47 season as top scorer, with 15 goals in 24 appearances. He made just two appearances in the 1947–48 season, before departing Parkhead in August 1948. Across his two spells with the Bhoys, McAloon scored 32 goals in 55 games.

Belfast Celtic

McAloon signed for high-flying Irish League club Belfast Celtic in August 1948. Commuting to Northern Ireland from London was again problematical for McAloon, though he managed 10 goals during the 1948–49 season, at the end of which the club withdrew from the Irish League.

After retiring as a footballer, McAloon worked as a janitor at Bridgeton School in Calton. On 13 April 1987, he died of hypothermia in Glasgow, at the age of 70.

Hamilton Academical

• Lanarkshire Cup: 1939–40