John King (Scottish footballer)

John King (25 November 1888 – 9 August 1984) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside right in the Scottish League and the Football League, most notably for Partick Thistle and Newcastle United respectively.

Career
An inside right, King had a long career in the Scottish and the English leagues and played top-division football for Partick Thistle (two spells), Newcastle United (two spells), Third Lanark, Motherwell, Hibernian and Clydebank. In 1915 he played a full league match for Newcastle as goalkeeper after regular Bill Mellor was injured, keeping a clean sheet.

At international level, King was capped by Scotland Juniors and came into consideration for a full cap, evidenced by his selection for the Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match in 1913. He made one appearance for the Scottish League XI in 1912.

Personal life
King served as a private on home service with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) during the First World War. His brother Alex (17 years older, leading him to be mistakenly described as an uncle) was a Scottish international footballer. Both had several short spells with hometown team Dykehead between engagements with more prominent clubs.