WITH no Arthurlie game last weekend due to the weather, we will take you back in time with Robert Burns, as he looks through some of the most influential players in Arthurlie’s history.

I will not claim this to be the best Arthurlie 11 but just a group of players who have contributed more than most to the Barrhead club’s illustrious past.

First on the team sheet is a centre forward called John McHarg, he was signed in the summer of 1936 from Cowdenbeath.

This had been McHarg’s second spell there with a time at Glasgow Rangers in-between where he only played one match, a friendly against Raith Rovers.

McHarg’s first game in Arthurlie colours, which where white with a red band at the time, was against St Anthony’s at Moore Park, Govan on Friday, 31st July 31, 1936.

Scoring two in a 3-2 victory McHarg set his marker for the season. Goals followed against Renfrew, Maryhill and Ashfield for McHarg.

On August 9,th 1936 Dunoon Milton Rovers visited Dunterlie in the first round of the Renfrewshire Cup.

A hat-trick from McHarg helped the ‘Lie to a 5-1 victory, while goals in the following two games saw Neilston Vics disposed of in the Scottish Cup while league points were secured against Morton Juniors.

John failed to find the net against Parkhead in another league victory but in the following four games he scored an amazing 12 goals.

As a team Arthurlie were going great guns, flying high in the league while still in all the cup competitions.

For some reason McHarg seemed to go off the boil now and went eight games without finding the net.

He of course came back to form with a bang. Counters against Petershill and Blantyre Victoria secured wins in rounds four and five of the Scottish while sandwiched between those games he hit the net four times against Strathclyde.

The semi-final of the Scottish Cup saw McHarg score both goals in a 2-0 victory over Morton at @ Firhill Park, Glasgow. Arthurlie fell to Parkhead and St Rocks in the West of Scotland and League Cups respectfully over the coming weeks as the season came to a climax.

Scoring 10 goals in the last seven matches of the season showed how important McHarg was to the team. The league was secured while a McHarg goal the only counter during the East – West play off against Shawfield, while Arthurlie scratched from the Renfrewshire Cup at the semi final stage.

On Saturday, May 22nd at Celtic Park Glasgow John McHarg netted twice as Arthurlie secured their first Scottish Cup success. 23,000 people packed into the ground to see the Barrhead side triumph 5-1 over Kirkintilloch Rob Roy.

At the end of the season John left Barrhead and signed for Plymouth Argyle, although staying there for two seasons it doesn’t see as if he ever played for the first team.

With the outbreak of the war it’s nigh on impossible to find out where John went after this in his football career but he will always be remembered for his exploits at Barrhead.

In total John McHarg appeared for Arthurlie 47 times and scored 52 goals. The one fact I find amazing is that during the games John played in Arthurlie scored 14 penalty kicks but John never once took a spot kick.