Dave Halliday

Early years and Queen of the South

Dave Halliday was born in Dumfries and started in local schools football where he featured on the left wing. He attended Noblehill Primary School before attending Dumfries Academy. Halliday then trained as a motor mechanic with car manufacturer Arrol-Johnston and played for the works team, one of three clubs who merged to form Queen of the South in 1919. However despite having played in the trial matches arranged in the formation of the new club Halliday did not join Queens until 17 January 1920. Between playing for Arrol-Johnston and Queens, Halliday had a brief spell with Tayleurians. After joining Queens until the end of the season in May 1920 Halliday played 19 games.

With this being Queens first season after formation, their fixtures consist of challenge games and local cup competitions. This included the Dumfries Charity Cup played over three weekends in May. On 8 May Queens thrashed Dumfries 7–1. A week later Queens seen off Solway Star 4–0 in the semi final before facing Dalbeattie Star in the final.

A then record crowd of 4500 (many watching from the grandstand roof and other such points of elevation) watched the game. An early Halliday shot went wide following good lead up work involving Ian Dickson (Dickson also left Queens to score goals in England's top flight). However it was Dalbeattie and their physical style of play who took the lead. Queens equalised through Willie McCall (later of Blackburn Rovers) before Halliday's efforts bore fruit. One Halliday shot hit the post, another went inches wide before he put Queens ahead five minutes before half time. Connell hit Queens' third a minute into the second half before Halliday beat Borthwick to cross for McCall to bring up a 4–1 final score.

Halliday scored 13 goals in his 19 games at outside left for the Doonhamers in 1920. Unsurprisingly he attracted the attention of other clubs. He was offered terms by St Mirren after the cup final win over Dalbeattie. Halliday asked for time to think the matter over before the Thursday after he agreed to sign on one condition – that he would be allowed to retain his employment with Arrol-Johnston and travel to Paisley on match days.

Along with Halliday and Dickson two others who played in the earliest years for fledgling Queens were Hughie Gallacher and Willie Ferguson. All four would enjoy successful careers in England's top division.

Later in 1924 Halliday's 16-year-old brother Billy Halliday joined Queen of the South.

St Mirren

During a short spell with St Mirren Halliday was largely a reserve playing in the inside left position.

Dundee

Dave Halliday went then to Dundee in 1921 where Scotland internationalist Alex Troup played on the left wing. Dundee moved Halliday to centre forward; and so a goal scoring phenomenon was unleashed.

Finding goal scoring second nature he became one of the most prolific centre forwards in the game, finishing as Scottish top scorer in 1923–24 with 38 goals from 36 appearances – an excellent return in the era of the 3-man off side rule. He played for Dundee in the 1924–25 Scottish Cup final, although they lost the match 2–1 to Celtic. Halliday in total scored 90 goals in just 126 appearances league appearances for the Dees.

While he was with the Dens Park club he was capped for the Scottish League in a 1–1 draw against the English League at Ibrox Park in March 1924.

Sunderland

In 1925 Sunderland paid £4,000 for his services. Replacing Charlie Buchan in the team, Halliday soon became equally prolific South of the border as North, scoring at least 35 league goals in each of the four full seasons spent at Sunderland. His 43 goals in 1928–29 made him top scorer in England's top division that season. This remains Sunderland's highest number of league goals scored by one player in a season in the club's history. Halliday hit his first 100 goals for Sunderland in just 101 games. Halliday is the only goalscorer in top-flight football in England to have scored more than 30 goals in four consecutive seasons.

Dave Halliday has the best strike rate (goals to games ratio) of any Sunderland striker in that club's history: 165 goals in 175 games (156 league goals from 166 games, and nine in nine FA Cup outings) for an average of 0.943 goals per game. Only Charlie Buchan and all-time Sunderland top scorer Bobby Gurney have scored more goals for the club than Halliday. Halliday has scored more hat-tricks (12) than any other Sunderland player, and he hit four on three occasions.

Despite Halliday's goals trophies proved elusive with Sunderland, and he managed no better than third place with the club, which was achieved in 1925–26 and 1926–27.

While at Sunderland in November 1927 Dave's brother Billy joined nearby rivals Newcastle United.

Arsenal

In 1929 he was signed by Arsenal to compete with Jack Lambert, making his debut against Birmingham City on 9 November 1929. Halliday scored a comparatively modest number of goals in 1929–30 with 8 goals in 15 games. In his last Arsenal appearance he scored four in the record score in a drawn match in England, Leicester City 6–6 Arsenal (21 April 1930). By this time he was no longer a first team regular. Five days later Lambert played in the 1930 FA Cup Final, that saw Arsenal claim their first major trophy.

Manchester City

Dave Halliday signed for Manchester City in November 1930, only a year after joining Arsenal, for a fee of £5,700. At City Halliday regained his scoring form, hitting 47 goals in 76 league games as well as four goals from six cup appearances. At Man City he scored a hat-trick against former club Sunderland in just ten minutes in January 1932. Halliday missed the 1933 Cup Final, which City lost to Everton.

Clapton Orient

He saw out his senior playing career with Clapton Orient between December 1933 and June 1935. In his 18 months there he was still a regular goalscorer with 36 strikes in 56 first class matches.

Yeovil & Petters United

After leaving Orient, Dave Halliday became player-manager of non-league Yeovil & Petters United. He also scored a further three goals in the FA Cup proper for Yeovil & Petters United before taking over as Aberdeen manager in 1937.

Playing summary

Excluding Queen of the South figures as they were non-league until 1923/24 Dave Halliday scored 92 league goals in Scotland in 139 appearances and a further 13 in 21 Scottish Cup appearances. In England he scored 244 league goals in 310 appearances and a further 19 FA Cup goals in an unknown number of appearances (16 while with league clubs) for a total of 368 first class goals. It is worth noting that a large chunk of his career was spent playing under the old offside rule and that all his league goals bar those two seasons with Clapton Orient in the Third South were scored in the top flight in both Scotland and England.

He was never once picked for the Scottish national side, being consistently overlooked in favour of another player who started at Queen of the South, Hughie Gallacher.

Dave Halliday goals at senior clubs:-

Dave Halliday goals at then non-senior teams:-

Aberdeen

Halliday was appointed manager of Aberdeen on 22 December 1937. In 1945–46 he led the Dons to victory against Rangers in the Scottish League Cup, prior to the event being regarded as a fully official competition. The following season Halliday guided Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Cup success. In the 1950s he lost two further Scottish Cup Finals, before leading Aberdeen to their first ever Scottish Football League title in 1954–55.

Leicester City

After leaving Aberdeen he spent three years at the helm of Leicester City, guiding them to a Second Division title and promotion in 1956–57. Although Halliday left the Leicester job in 1958 the 1957 promotion proved to be the start of the club's longest ever top division run ending in 1969.

After management

Halliday returned to the Aberdeen area and scouted for Leicester City in north east Scotland. He died on 5 January 1970, aged 68.

Manager

Managerial Statistics