# Peter McKennan

Peter Stewart McKennan (16 July 1918 – 28 September 1991) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as an inside forward in the Scottish and English leagues, most notably for Partick Thistle, for whom he scored 113 goals in 198 appearances in all competitions. McKennan represented the Scottish and Irish League representative teams and is a member of the Partick Thistle Hall of Fame. He was nicknamed "Ma Ba" ("my ball"), due to his desire to receive the ball into feet and dictate play.

## Club career

An inside forward, McKennan began his senior career with Scottish League First Division club Partick Thistle in 1934 and though his career was interrupted by Second World War, he remained with the club through the war. He made nearly 200 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring 113 goals and was posthumously inducted into the club's Hall of Fame. McKennan moved south of the border to join Second Division club West Bromwich Albion (for whom he had guested during the war) for a £10,650 fee in October 1947.
McKennan went on to play for Football League clubs Leicester City, Brentford, Middlesbrough and Oldham Athletic and scored 63 goals in 171 appearances, before moving to Northern Ireland in 1954, where he played out two injury-ravaged seasons as player-manager of Coleraine. As of December 2018, McKennan is the third of three Brentford players to register five goals in a single league match.

## International career

After making appearances for the Scottish and Irish League representative teams, McKennan scored on his solitary appearance for Scotland in a 3–2 win over an Irish XI on 28 April 1940.

## Personal life

McKennan served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers during the Second World War and saw action as a Command Sergeant-Major on D-Day. He was mentioned in dispatches.

## Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Partick Thistle | 1935–36 | Scottish First Division | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 6 |
| Partick Thistle | 1936–37 | Scottish First Division | 33 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 37 | 21 |
| Partick Thistle | 1937–38 | Scottish First Division | 35 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 39 | 24 |
| Partick Thistle | 1938–39 | Scottish First Division | 34 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 36 | 25 |
| Partick Thistle | Total | Total | 121 | 70 | 11 | 6 | 131 | 76 |
| Raith Rovers (loan) | 1936–37 | Scottish Second Division | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 1947–48 | Second Division | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| Leicester City | 1947–48 | Second Division | 11 | 4 | — | — | 11 | 4 |
| Leicester City | 1948–49 | Second Division | 7 | 3 | — | — | 7 | 3 |
| Leicester City | Total | Total | 18 | 7 | — | — | 18 | 7 |
| Brentford | 1948–49 | Second Division | 24 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 9 |
| Middlesbrough | 1949–50 | First Division | 33 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 16 |
| Middlesbrough | 1950–51 | First Division | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Middlesbrough | Total | Total | 40 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 43 | 19 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 215 | 106 | 19 | 10 | 234 | 116 |
* ↑ Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup

## Honours
### As a player

Oldham Athletic
* Football League Third Division North: 1952–53

### As a manager

Coleraine
* North West Senior Cup: 1954–55, 1955–56

### As an individual

* Partick Thistle Hall of Fame