David Rattray (soccer player)

David Rattray
Personnel
position	defender
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
	Avoniel FC
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
1882-1883	Ireland (IFA)	3 (0)
1 Only league games are given.

David Rattray (life dates unknown) was an Irish football player . The defender made three appearances for the Irish national team in the early stages of Irish football .

Career

Rattray belonged to the Avoniel FC on, a club from the Belfast neighborhood Mount Pottinger . Avoniel was a founding member of the Irish Football Association in 1880 and took part in the Irish Cup three times by 1883 . The most successful performance was in the 1881/82 season, when you had to admit defeat in the semifinals only in the second replay Cliftonville FC . The Belfast News Letter noted his performance in the first replay: "Among the defenders Rattray was far superior to the others and was pretty much the best man on the field" and "repeatedly cleared the gate of danger and from his long shots the strikers made regular incursions into the territory of Cliftonville".

After Rattray had proven himself in a test match (“Probables” vs. “Improbables”) in early 1882 and stood out with a “great defense game”, he was nominated for the historically first international match in Ireland. Rattray formed together with team captain John McAlery the defensive pair of the Irish selection, when the English team for the storm line Horace Barnet - Arthur Brown - Jimmy Brown - Howard Vaughton - Harry Cursham proved to be vastly superior and the Irish team outclassed 13-0. Nevertheless, the press response was positive for Rattray, who was attested "at times cleared the goal with excellent judgment, and was undoubtedly the best man in the back division." Rattray was also scheduled for the second international match against Wales, but could not make the away trip compete.

In December 1882 he represented County Down against County Antrim and was appointed by his performance there (final score 1: 1) in a Belfast selection team. With this he played in early 1883 a game in Kilmarnock against a selection from the Scottish county of Ayrshire (final score 1: 7).

In 1883 Rattray came to two more international appearances for the Irish association. In February he lost with his team in a 7-0 defeat by England at Liverpool's Aigburth Cricket Ground . His third and last international appearance had Rattray on March 17, 1883 in a game against Wales . The 1-1 draw was Ireland's first international match that did not end in defeat (and remained the only one until 1887). Rattray formed the defenders pair with Jimmy Watson and practiced "header game with great benefit for his side."

Rattray remained the only national player in Avoniel history, the club disbanded in December 1883 and most of the players joined Glentoran FC . Rattray went to Glasgow, Scotland , in 1884 and worked in the shipyards there . He returned to Belfast before the turn of the century and later helped build the RMS Titanic .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} David Rattray - Profile on NIFG , accessed September 10, 2017
2. ↑ FOOTBALL. IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. CHALLENGE CUP TIE. . In: Belfast News-Letter , February 6, 1882, p. 8.  (paid link)
3. ↑ ENGLAND V. IRELAND. . In: Northern Whig , February 4, 1882, p. 3.  (paid link)
4. ↑ IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. INTERNATIONAL TRIAL MATCHES. . In: Belfast News-Letter , February 13, 1882, p. 3.  (paid link)
5. ↑ INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL MATCH. ENGLAND V. IRELAND . In: Belfast News-Letter , February 20, 1882, p. 3.  (paid link)
6. ↑ FOOTBALL. INTERNATIONAL MATCH – IRELAND V. WALES. . In: Northern Whig , February 24, 1882, p. 7.  (paid link)
7. ↑ IRISH FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. . In: Northern Whig , December 19, 1882, p. 7.  (paid link)
8. ↑ FOOTBALL. COUNTY ANTRIM v. COUNTRY DOWN. . In: Belfast News-Letter , December 27, 1882, p. 7.  (paid link)
9. ↑ FOOTBALL. BELFAST V. AYRSHIRE. . In: Northern Whig , January 2, 1883, p. 7.  (paid link)
10. ↑ INTERNATIONAL MATCH. WALES v. IRELAND. . In: Wrexham Advertiser , March 24, 1883, p. 8.  (paid link)