John Buchanan (footballer, born 1935)

John Buchanan (3 January 1935 – 1 September 2009) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Hibernian, Raith Rovers and Newport County in the 1950s and 1960s.[1][2]

Buchanan, who was born and educated in Leith, played for youth side Edinburgh Waverley as a centre half.[3] He signed for Hibs in 1954, and made his first team debut the same year, having been converted to the centre forward position.[3][4] In 1955, he became the first player to score a goal on British soil in the first season of the European Cup, scoring the opening goal of a 1–1 draw in a first round tie between Hibs and Rot-Weiss Essen.[4][5] Despite being a prolific goalscorer for Hibs' reserve team, Buchanan found difficulty in winning a place in the first team, as the club enjoyed the services of internationals Lawrie Reilly and Joe Baker.[4] His time at Hibs was also interrupted by two years of National Service, which Buchanan spent with the Royal Artillery in Oswestry.[3]

Buchanan's last first team appearance for Hibs was in a 2–1 defeat against Rangers at Ibrox in December 1960.[4] He was then transferred to Raith Rovers, who he played for in the rest of the 1960–61 season.[4] After a season in English football with Newport County, Buchanan returned to Scotland to play for Gala Fairydean, Duns and Hawick Royal Albert.[4] After retiring as a player, he moved back to his native Edinburgh and became a taxi driver.[4]

Buchanan died in September 2009 after suffering a long illness.[4]