Full name John Reilly Years Team | Playing position Name John Reilly | |
Date of birth (1962-03-21) 21 March 1962 (age 53) | ||
John Reilly (born 21 March 1962 in Dundee) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Reilly began his career with Dundee United, signing as a schoolboy from Strathtay Boys Club in 1979. Played for Scotland U'17s and U'18's professional youth side before making his 1st team debut in August 1980. Was a member of the squad that won a Premier League Winners medal in season 1982/1983 before going onto score the clubs 1st ever goal in the European Cup the following season. Signing for Motherwell in 1985, Reilly suffered an achilles tendon injury in his 1st game for the club and despite seeing several specialists over the next 18 months was forced into early retirement. After revolutionary surgery 5 years later however, he was able to continue playing and went on to play a handful of games for a number of Scottish lower league clubs, including Dunfermline Athletic and East Fife, while taking on a player/manager role at Cowdenbeath F.C.
After retiring for the second time in the mid-1990s, Reilly remained in the game working as a journalist covering lower division football for a national newspaper. Reilly was inducted into Dundee United's Hall Of Fame in February 2013. Reilly is a massive David Bowie fan having seen him 49 times in concert and being known on the David Bowie fan site as BowieinDundee 73. He has 2 sons to wife Janis with the names Sam Bowie and Jack Dalglish (after Celtic & Liverpool.King Kenny)