Quick Facts
Biography
John Anderson "Johnny" Crosbie was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish Football League for Ayr United and made more than 400 appearances in the Football League for Birmingham. He was capped twice for the Scotland national football team. He played as an inside forward.
Career
Crosbie was born on 3 June 1896 in the Gorbals district of Glasgow. As a youth he played for several clubs in his local Ayrshire area, including the Glenbuck Cherrypickers club which produced many Scottish footballers.
In July 1913, Crosbie signed for Ayr United. When the First World War put a temporary halt to his football career, he volunteered for the Lanarkshire Yeomanry. Ayr's board of directors agreed to keep him on half pay for the duration of his military service. After the war Crosbie returned to play for Ayr. He won his first full cap for Scotland in 1920 against Wales at Ninian Park, Cardiff. In May of that year he signed for Birmingham for a club record fee of £3,700.
Crosbie played a great part in Birmingham's winning the Second Division championship in the 1920–21 season, playing in every game and creating numerous goals. The following season he won his second and last cap for Scotland, in a 1–0 win against England at Villa Park, Birmingham. He formed an excellent understanding with Joe Bradford, Birmingham's leading scorer throughout the 1920s. He set up Bradford's goal in the 1931 FA Cup Final, but this was not enough to give his side victory.
After finishing with football, he returned to Scotland and settled in Ayr, where he died in February 1982 aged 85.
Honours
Birmingham
- Football League Second Division champions: 1920–21
- FA Cup runners-up: 1931