Lawrence "Laurie" Scott (April
23,
1917 –
July 7,
1999)
was an
English
footballer.
Born in
Sheffield, Scott joined
Bradford City as a youth player, and played 39 times for the Bantams, mostly
as a
winger. In February
1937 he was signed by
Arsenal,
though he only played as a reserve for the first two years at the club. At the
start of
World
War Two, Scott joined the
Royal Air Force as a
PT instructor, but still guested as a player for the RAF, Arsenal and
England in wartime matches.
By the time peace broke out, Scott had grown into being one of the country's
most assured
full backs, known for his pace and composure on the ball. He made his
official first-team debut for Arsenal against
West Ham United in the
FA Cup in
1946, and his
League debut on the first day of the
1946-46 season; he also made his official England debut against
Northern Ireland in September of that year. Arsenal won the
First Division title in
1947-48, but after that Scott was blighted by injury; he suffered from
appendicitis in
1948, and then injured his knee whilst playing in an international for
England.
Scott's appearances for Arsenal were limited for the next few seasons, but he
still figured in Arsenal's
1950 FA Cup-winning
side. He was picked for England's squad for the
1950 World Cup, but by now, he was 33, and had not played for his country
for two years. England's first choice right-back for the entire tournament was
Alf Ramsey,
and Scott did not play a single minute. In
1950-51 Scott played 17 matches for Arsenal, but by now he was no longer
automatic first-team choice. In all he played for Arsenal in 127 official
matches (and 191 unofficial wartime matches), and 17 times for England (plus 16
wartime caps).
He joined
Crystal Palace as player-manager in October
1951. He managed
the Eagles for three years, but with little success; the club had to apply for
re-admission to the
Football League at the end of the
1953-54 season. He later had stints with non-league
Hendon
and
Hitchin Town, reaching the semi-finals of the
FA
Amateur Cup twice with the latter. He died at the age of 84, after a long
illness.
