Born in Dundee in March 1962, John Reilly had been a successful fringe player at his hometown club Dundee United who he had joined from Strathtay Boys Club in 1979 signing as a school boy. He played eight times in their championship winning side in 1982/83, apart from enjoying a fruitful 1983/84 season he would never quite established himself as a regular at Tannadice remaining as a squad player for much of his career in Tayside.
In 1985, Tommy McLean signed John for Motherwell paying a reported fee of £50,000 to his brothers Dundee United side. In his first season he would enjoy making his former employers suffer as he netted a double in a 2-0 win at Fir Park in March 1986. At the age of 25 having made over 60 appearances for the Steelmen he was struck down with a Achilles tendon injury which eventually force him to retire.
After going through revolutionary surgical techniques in the early 1990s he was able to make a return to the game where he served the likes of Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife, Cowdenbeath (as player/manager), Arbroath, Forfar Athletic and Albion Rovers. After retiring John went on to resume his career as a sports writer.
|
Name:
|
John Paul Reilly |
|
Height:
|
5′ 7″ |
|
Weight:
|
10st 1lb |
|
Date of Birth:
|
21st March 1962 |
|
Place of Birth:
|
Dundee |
|
Position:
|
Forward |
|
Nationality:
|
Scottish |
Football Career:
| Dundee United | 1980 | 1985 |
| Motherwell | 1985 | 1987 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 1991 | 1993 |
| East Fife | 1993 | 1994 |
| Cowdenbeath | 1994 | |
| Arbroath | 1994 | 1995 |
| Forfar Athletic | 1995 | |
| Albion Rovers | 1995 | 1996 |
Well Career:
| Apps | Goals | |
|
League:
|
42 (14) | 12 |
|
Scottish Cup:
|
6 (1) | 2 |
|
League Cup:
|
4 | 3 |
|
Other:
|
0 | 0 |
|
Total:
|
52 (15) | 17 |