Freddie Glidden

Freddie Glidden
Personal information
Full name Frederick Glidden
Date of birth (1927-09-07) 7 September 1927
Place of birth Newmains, Scotland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position Defender
Youth career
Murrayfield Rovers
West Calder Juveniles
1945-1946 Whitburn Juniors
1946-1948 Newtongrange Star
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948-1959 Hearts 165 (2)
1959-1962 Dumbarton 97 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Frederick "Freddie" Glidden (born 7 September 1927 in Newmains, Lanarkshire) is a retired Scottish professional footballer who spent most of his career with Heart of Midlothian.

Early Years

Raised in Stoneyburn, Glidden played for several different juvenile sides as a forward before moving to a half-back role upon joining junior side Whitburn[1] He earned selection for the Scottish junior international team in that role and eventually the chance to sign for a professional League side.[2]

Hearts

He signed provisionally for Hearts in 1946 but spent two years farmed out to local junior side Newtongrange Star, where he played alongside future Hearts team-mate Willie Bauld.[3]

After returning to Hearts in 1948 and playing several seasons of reserve-team football, Glidden made his debut in November 1951 against Queen of the South.[2] Although he played as a right-back on that occasion, it was as right-half that he gained a regular role in the first team later that season. In 1954 Hearts' Bobby Dougan sustained a serious knee-injury while playing for the Scottish League. After covering for Dougan during his enforced lengthy absence, Glidden took over the position on a permanent basis.[1] He was part of the side that ended Hearts 48-year trophy drought by winning the 1954-55 League Cup and captained the team to Scottish Cup victory in 1955-56, a moment he recalls as the "sweetest" in his footballing career.[3]

Glidden completed his set of domestic medals as Hearts won the League title for the first time since 1897 in the 1957-58 season but a recurring back injury during the following season limited his appearances and eventually led to his departure from Tynecastle.[3]

Dumbarton

He joined Dumbarton in 1959 and played three seasons for the Second Division club before retiring in 1962.

Away from playing

Throughout his playing career Glidden has been registered on a part-time contract, simultaneously working in the West Lothian County Water Department.[2] He later worked as a sub-postmaster in Edinburgh.[3] He continued to follow former side Hearts and was a regular spectator at their home games for many years,[3] although in 2006 he was a vocal critic of Vladimir Romanov's stewardship of the club.

References

  1. 1 2 Hoggan, Andrew (1995). Hearts in Art (Hardback). Mainstream. ISBN 1-85158-736-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Heart of Midlothian Official Annual 1955 (Paperback). Heart of Midlothian. 1955.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Robertson, Rob; Kiddie, Paul (2005). Hearts: Great Tynecastle Tales. Mainstream. p. 186. (ISBN 1-84596-003-3).
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