Sandy Keillor Player Profile

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Personal

  • Full Name: Alexander Lowson Keillor
  • Born: November 20th, 1867 (Montrose)
  • Died: June 16th, 1960 (Montrose)

Career

  • Signed: August 11th, 1893
  • Date Left Club: June 1st, 1902
  • Dundee Career Totals:
    160 first team competitive appearances
    16 first team competitive goals
  • Also Played For: Montrose


Dundee Career Summary

Competitive Friendlies Other (War)
1893-94 18 6 20 13 - -
1894-95 24 2 17- - -
1895-96 18 4 24 7 - -
1896-97 20-15- - -
1897-98 18 2 18 2 - -
1898-99 18-3- - -
1899-00 19 2 - - - -
1900-01 23- - - - -
1901-02 2- - - - -
TOTAL 160 16 97 22 - -

NOTES:
Other Cups may include: Anglo-Scottish Cup, Challenge Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, Drybrough Cup, International Soccer League, League Cup, Summer Cup, Texaco Cup.


Biography

Sandy Keillor holds a special place in the annals of Dundee Football Club as a player who recorded a number of firsts in the history of the Club including being a member of the first ever Dundee FC team to take the field against Rangers in 1893, one of three Dundee players to be first capped for Scotland and was the first Dundee player to score for Scotland.

Alexander Lowson Keillor was born in Dundee on October 20th 1869 but was brought up and educated in Montrose. His earliest footballing connections are recorded as playing for Montrose Academy in 1881 and three years later he joined his local senior side Montrose.

Despite playing for a small town team Sandy came to the attention of the Scotland selectors and made his debut for the national side in a 4-3 win at Acton Park Wrexham in a British International Championship match on March 21st 1891. Whilst playing for the Links Park side Sandy won two caps, scoring on his second against Ireland and was one of only two players in the history of Montrose to play for Scotland and also represented Angus in county matches of the era.

It was perhaps inevitable that he would become professional and in 1893 joined the newly formed Dundee Football and Athletic Club. Dundee FC had been formed on May 20th 1893 when two local clubs Our Boys and East End merged at a meeting in the Mathers Hotel in Whitehall Place and made a formal application for membership of the Scottish Football League.

That application was successful and when the newly formed Dundee FC first took to the field against Rangers at West Craigie Park on August 12th, the majority of the team were drawn from the two amalgamated clubs apart from goalkeeper Bill McKie and outside-left Sandy Keillor from Montrose.

The signing of McKie and Keillor was an indication that Dundee were determined to sign the best players from the local area and become the top side in the region and they got off to a decent start with a 3-3 draw against last season’s runners-up with Sandy getting on the score sheet on his Dundee debut.

Keillor was described in the press as the “complete footballer” and after the inaugural match against Rangers, The Courier wrote that “he had a knack of rising to the big occasion.”

By the end of Dundee’s first ever season, Sandy was the only player to play in all 18 league matches and finished as second top goal scorer with 9 goals. Dundee also won the Forfarshire Cup in their first year with Keillor grabbing a double in the 7-3 semi-final win over Arbroath and the second in a 4-0 victory over Dundee Harp in the final at Carolina Port in January – the ground that would become Dundee’s second home in March.

At the end of the season three Dundee players were called up to the Scotland team to play Ireland at Cliftonville’s ground Solitude. Goalkeeper Francis Barrett, captain William Longair and Sandy Keillor became Dundee’s first internationalists when they played in Scotland’s 2-1 win in Belfast on March 31st 1894.

Keillor, described by one critic as “the best-known player north of the Forth”, was a versatile player and won his first cap on the left wing but when he donned a Scotland jersey for the second time as a Dundee player a year later it was at left-half in a 2-2 draw with Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham. Once again there were three Dundee players in the Scotland side with Francis Barrett in the goal alongside Bill Sawyers and Sandy Keillor and only once more in Dundee’s history did this happen when Alex Hamilton, Ian Ure and Hugh Robertson lined up against Czechoslovakia in a World Cup play-off in 1961.

His third cap as a Dee however was much closer to home when he was selected for the first international to be played in the city of Dundee. Carolina Port was the venue for the visit of Wales and Sandy added another ‘first’ to his CV when he became the first Dundee player to score for Scotland in the 4-0 win on March 21st 1896.

Keillor won his sixth and final cap a year later in a 2-2 with Wales in Wrexham and also won a Scottish League cap the same year in a 3-0 win against the English League at Ibrox.

In 1898 Keillor was rewarded for his services to the Club with a benefit match against Celtic and became the first Dundee player to be awarded a testimonial. The match took place on October 10th in front of 5000 appreciative fans who witnessed Celtic win by two goals to nil and contribute £143 to Sandy’s benefit fund.

Later that season Dundee ran into financial troubles and went into liquidation on December 14th but a new committee was quickly established to reform a new Dundee Football Club and fulfil their fixture against Rangers three days later. The Scottish League allowed the new club to continue as the same Dundee FC in order to keep their most northerly side and although several players had already departed, Keillor was not one of them and remained loyal to The Dee and play in all but one of the remaining fixtures of the season.

In total Keillor would spend nine years with Dundee making 159 appearances, scoring 20 times and made the most appearances in four of those nine seasons. On August 19th 1899 Sandy played in the first match at Dundee’s new ground at Dens Park when they took on St Bernard’s in front of 10,000. Alongside ‘Plum’ Longair, Keillor therefore played in the first matches at all three of Dundee’s home grounds to add to his impressive lists of ‘firsts’ for The Dee.

In 1902 at the age of 32 Sandy returned to his first club Montrose with whom he spent the remaining years of his career before eventually hanging up his boots in 1906.

Keillor was clearly a very talented sportsman as he also played golf professionally and he was also a master slater by trade.

He died June 16th 1960 and was celebrated in The Courier as a hero of Dundee FC in its earliest days that did his city and surrounding area proud as the first Dundonian to play for and score for Scotland.

Debut

August 12th, 1893
Dundee 3 - 3 Rangers

League (Division One)


Playing Statistics - First Team Competitive matches (All Seasons)


Competition NPS Win % Draw % Loss %
League 14013- --
Scottish Cup 203- --
Totals: 16016- --

 Recent Starting Appearances (First Team Competitive matches)
 09/11/01 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (A) 0 - 4
 02/11/01 Division One vs. Morton (H) 0 - 0
 30/03/01 Division One vs. St Mirren (A) 3 - 3
 16/02/01 3rd Round vs. Celtic (H) 0 - 1
 09/02/01 2nd Round vs. Clyde (A) 5 - 3

 Recent Goals Scored (First Team Competitive matches)
 13/01/00 1st Round vs. Douglas Wands (H) 8 - 0
 23/09/99 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H) 3 - 0
 23/10/97 Division One vs. Partick (H) 5 - 0
 04/09/97 Division One vs. Clyde (H) 6 - 0
 29/02/96 Division One vs. Rangers (A) 1 - 3

 List of First Team Competitive matches played (click to expand)
 09/11/01 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (A)  0 - 4
 02/11/01 Division One vs. Morton (H)  0 - 0
 30/03/01 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  3 - 3
 16/02/01 3rd Round vs. Celtic (H)  0 - 1
 09/02/01 2nd Round vs. Clyde (A)  5 - 3
 19/01/01 Division One vs. Morton (A)  1 - 5
 12/01/01 1st Round vs. Arthurlie (H)  3 - 1
 06/01/01 Division One vs. Queen's Park (A)  0 - 1
 29/12/00 Division One vs. Partick (H)  4 - 0
 22/12/00 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  2 - 1
 15/12/00 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  1 - 5
 01/12/00 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  1 - 3
 24/11/00 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  0 - 0
 17/11/00 Division One vs. Partick (A)  1 - 1
 10/11/00 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 1
 03/11/00 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  1 - 1
 27/10/00 Division One vs. Hibernian (A)  1 - 2
 20/10/00 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  2 - 4
 13/10/00 Division One vs. Morton (H)  5 - 2
 06/10/00 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  1 - 2
 29/09/00 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  1 - 2
 15/09/00 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (H)  3 - 0
 08/09/00 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  4 - 0
 01/09/00 Division One vs. Queen's Park (H)  4 - 0
 25/08/00 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (A)  0 - 2
 24/02/00 3rd Round vs. Queen's Park (A)  0 - 1
 17/02/00 2nd Round Replay vs. Clyde (A)  3 - 0
 27/01/00 2nd Round vs. Clyde (H)  3 - 3
 20/01/00 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  2 - 3
 13/01/00 1st Round vs. Douglas Wands (H)  8 - 0
 06/01/00 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (H)  3 - 3
 30/12/99 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  3 - 3
 23/12/99 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  1 - 1
 16/12/99 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  1 - 1
 02/12/99 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  7 - 0
 25/11/99 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 2
 18/11/99 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  3 - 3
 11/11/99 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  1 - 4
 28/10/99 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  0 - 0
 21/10/99 Division One vs. Kilmarnock (A)  1 - 2
 14/10/99 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  5 - 2
 07/10/99 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  0 - 2
 23/09/99 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  3 - 0
 02/09/99 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  3 - 1
 14/01/99 1st Round vs. Ayr Parkhouse (A)  1 - 3
 31/12/98 Division One vs. Partick (A)  0 - 2
 24/12/98 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  2 - 2
 17/12/98 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  0 - 7
 02/12/98 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  2 - 5
 26/11/98 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  3 - 6
 19/11/98 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 4
 12/11/98 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  1 - 3
 05/11/98 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  1 - 7
 29/10/98 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  1 - 5
 22/10/98 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  1 - 3
 15/10/98 Division One vs. Hibernian (A)  0 - 5
 08/10/98 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  1 - 2
 01/10/98 Division One vs. Partick (H)  5 - 1
 24/09/98 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  1 - 3
 17/09/98 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  2 - 4
 10/09/98 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  0 - 1
 03/09/98 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  1 - 1
 26/03/98 Division One Play-Off vs. Partick (N)  2 - 0
 29/01/98 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  0 - 3
 08/01/98 1st Round vs. Partick (H)  2 - 1
 25/12/97 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  0 - 5
 11/12/97 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  1 - 4
 04/12/97 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  1 - 1
 27/11/97 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  5 - 1
 20/11/97 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  0 - 0
 13/11/97 Division One vs. Hibernian (A)  0 - 2
 06/11/97 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 2
 30/10/97 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  0 - 2
 23/10/97 Division One vs. Partick (H)  5 - 0
 16/10/97 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  1 - 6
 09/10/97 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  1 - 2
 02/10/97 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  4 - 2
 25/09/97 Division One vs. Partick (A)  1 - 3
 11/09/97 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  0 - 0
 04/09/97 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  6 - 0
 20/02/97 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  1 - 0
 13/02/97 3rd Round vs. Rangers (H)  0 - 4
 30/01/97 2nd Round vs. King's Park (H)  5 - 0
 16/01/97 Division One vs. Abercorn (A)  7 - 1
 09/01/97 1st Round vs. Inverness Thistle (H)  7 - 1
 12/12/96 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  3 - 2
 28/11/96 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  3 - 2
 14/11/96 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  1 - 2
 07/11/96 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  1 - 0
 31/10/96 Division One vs. Hibernian (A)  1 - 3
 24/10/96 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  2 - 0
 17/10/96 Division One vs. Abercorn (H)  3 - 0
 03/10/96 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  2 - 2
 26/09/96 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  4 - 1
 19/09/96 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  2 - 2
 12/09/96 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  2 - 0
 05/09/96 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  1 - 4
 29/08/96 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  1 - 3
 22/08/96 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  3 - 0
 15/08/96 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  0 - 5
 29/02/96 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  1 - 3
 25/01/96 2nd Round vs. Third Lanark (A)  1 - 4
 18/01/96 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  1 - 3
 11/01/96 1st Round vs. Morton (A)  3 - 2
 14/12/95 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  1 - 2
 07/12/95 Division One vs. Dumbarton (A)  2 - 1
 30/11/95 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  1 - 3
 23/11/95 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  2 - 0
 02/11/95 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  0 - 2
 26/10/95 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  0 - 11
 12/10/95 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  5 - 0
 05/10/95 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  4 - 1
 28/09/95 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  1 - 3
 21/09/95 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  1 - 1
 14/09/95 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  4 - 3
 07/09/95 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  1 - 0
 31/08/95 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  2 - 2
 24/08/95 Division One vs. Dumbarton (H)  4 - 1
 18/05/95 Division One vs. Clyde (A)  0 - 2
 04/05/95 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  1 - 2
 27/04/95 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  3 - 1
 30/03/95 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  0 - 4
 16/03/95 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  0 - 1
 09/03/95 Semi Final Replay vs. Renton (N)  0 - 3
 23/02/95 Semi Final Replay vs. Renton (N)  3 - 3
 16/02/95 Semi Final vs. Renton (H)  1 - 1
 26/01/95 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  2 - 1
 19/01/95 3rd Round vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 0
 22/12/94 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  0 - 2
 15/12/94 2nd Round vs. St Mirren (H)  2 - 0
 08/12/94 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  0 - 2
 01/12/94 Division One vs. Leith (H)  4 - 1
 24/11/94 1st Round vs. Orion (A)  5 - 1
 03/11/94 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  1 - 2
 20/10/94 Division One vs. Leith (A)  2 - 3
 13/10/94 Division One vs. Dumbarton (A)  4 - 2
 29/09/94 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  2 - 2
 15/09/94 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  1 - 5
 08/09/94 Division One vs. Dumbarton (H)  3 - 0
 01/09/94 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  0 - 1
 18/08/94 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  4 - 1
 11/08/94 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 1
 10/03/94 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  2 - 7
 24/02/94 Division One vs. Third Lanark (H)  1 - 1
 17/02/94 Division One vs. St Mirren (A)  3 - 10
 10/02/94 Division One vs. Renton (H)  8 - 1
 27/01/94 Division One vs. St Bernard's (A)  5 - 3
 16/12/93 Division One vs. Hearts (A)  0 - 3
 09/12/93 Division One vs. Dumbarton (H)  4 - 0
 11/11/93 Division One vs. Leith (H)  4 - 3
 04/11/93 Division One vs. Celtic (A)  1 - 3
 21/10/93 Division One vs. Hearts (H)  2 - 5
 14/10/93 Division One vs. Third Lanark (A)  3 - 4
 30/09/93 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  1 - 3
 23/09/93 Division One vs. St Mirren (H)  0 - 3
 16/09/93 Division One vs. Dumbarton (A)  1 - 1
 09/09/93 Division One vs. Leith (A)  5 - 3
 26/08/93 Division One vs. Renton (A)  3 - 2
 19/08/93 Division One vs. Celtic (H)  1 - 4
 12/08/93 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  3 - 3

 List of First Team Competitive goals scored (click to expand)
 13/01/00 1st Round vs. Douglas Wands (H)  8 - 0
 23/09/99 Division One vs. St Bernard's (H)  3 - 0
 23/10/97 Division One vs. Partick (H)  5 - 0
 04/09/97 Division One vs. Clyde (H)  6 - 0
 29/02/96 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  1 - 3
 11/01/96 1st Round vs. Morton (A)  3 - 2
 11/01/96 1st Round vs. Morton (A)  3 - 2
 31/08/95 Division One vs. Hibernian (H)  2 - 2
 01/12/94 Division One vs. Leith (H)  4 - 1
 01/12/94 Division One vs. Leith (H)  4 - 1
 10/03/94 Division One vs. Rangers (A)  2 - 7
 10/02/94 Division One vs. Renton (H)  8 - 1
 10/02/94 Division One vs. Renton (H)  8 - 1
 09/12/93 Division One vs. Dumbarton (H)  4 - 0
 09/09/93 Division One vs. Leith (A)  5 - 3
 12/08/93 Division One vs. Rangers (H)  3 - 3

  = Starting Appearances (Sub Appearances) | = Goals | NPS = Squad Appearances (as Non-Playing Sub) | GtGR = Goals to Games Ratio
 Yel = Yellow Cards/Cautions | Red = Red Cards/Dismissals | W/D/L - Games won, drawn or lost as percentage of games played in


Timeline

  • Date of Birth

    Date unknown

  • Signed For Dundee

    Friday, August 11th, 1893

  • First Team Debut

    Dundee 3 - 3 Rangers
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, August 12th, 1893

  • First Goal

    Dundee 3 - 3 Rangers
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, August 12th, 1893

  • International Debut

    Saturday, March 24th, 1894

  • 50th Appearance

    Dundee 5 - 0 Hearts
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, October 12th, 1895

  • 50th League Appearance

    Dundee 1 - 2 Clyde
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, December 14th, 1895

  • 100th Appearance

    Clyde 1 - 0 Dundee
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, September 10th, 1898

  • 100th League Appearance

    Dundee 2 - 5 Hearts
    League (Division One)

    Friday, December 2nd, 1898

  • Last Appearance

    Kilmarnock 4 - 0 Dundee
    League (Division One)

    Saturday, November 9th, 1901

  • Left the Club

    Sunday, June 1st, 1902


International Career (Scotland)

Caps: 6

Goals: 2

International Debut: March 24th, 1894 v. Ireland

Sandy Keillor won four of his six caps for Scotland while playing for Dundee. His other two came while he was a Montrose player.

In those six appearances, he found the back of the net twice for his country. His first came in a 3-2 victory over Ireland during his time with Montrose and his second, in a 4-0 win against Wales when he was a Dundee player.