Johnny Martis



John MartisSigned from Larkhall based junior side Royal Albert in 1957. John was a powerful and determined centre half who was the replacement for ‘Well legend Andy Paton. John went onto spend twelve years at Fir Park winning Scotland caps at both senior and under-23 level. While the ‘Ancell Babes’ forward line frequently got the headlines, John was the rock in defence and often unsung hero. He played in each of the four victories over Rangers in the 1959/60 season. John quit Motherwell in January 1969 and he went onto play for Cape Town based Hellenic in South Africa, before returning to Scotland to play for East Fife. He played for the Methil club for six years before eventually managing them – at one point his former team mate Pat Quinn was his assistant. When he gave up football, he concentrated on his plumbing business.

John Martis was spotted in local B.B football and signed for Motherwell in December 1957 after a brief spell with Royal Albert. He took over from Andy Paton and soon made himself a big fan favourite with the supporters. He gained Under-23 honours and Scottish League recognition before winning a full cap against Wales in 1961. Four years later he won a Summer Cup medal and has twice been named the Supporters ‘Player of the Year’.

A plumber by trade, the former captain went to South Africa to join Capetown side Hellenic linking up with another former ‘well player in the shape of Ian Thomson, this of course came at a time when many players from the UK tried their hand at South African football as Bert Howieson, Ronnie Hume and John McLaughlin were also at various different clubs.

Name:
John Martis
Height:
5′ 11″
Weight:
11st 3lbs
Date of Birth:
30th March 1940
Place of Birth:
Motherwell
Position:
Centre Half
Nationality:
Scottish

Football Career:

Royal Albert 1957
Motherwell 1957 1969
Hellenic 1969
East Fife 1969 1975

Well Career:

Apps Goals
League:
295 (2) 2
Scottish Cup:
30 0
League Cup:
59 0
Other:
14 0
Total:
398 (2) 2