Everyone at Glentoran Football Club was saddened to learn of the passing, earlier today, of Arthur Stewart.
On behalf of the President, Chairman, Board of Directors, Staff, Players and Supporters, we extend our deepest sympathy to Arthur's wife Eileen, sons Paul & James and his surviving brothers & sisters; Allen, John, Trevor, Dorothy and Olive.
You are all in our thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
Funeral service in 1st Broughshane Presbyterian Church on Thursday 8th inst. at 11am followed by cremation at Roselawn at 2pm.
House private no flowers please, donations in lieu if desired may be made payable to James Henry Funeral Services, 100 Broughshane Street, Ballymena BT43 6EE for Dementia N.I. or Huntington’s.
USA 1967 Arthur Stewart (R) & Billy Sinclair
Arthur played for and managed both Glentoran and his hometown club, Ballymena United. He also played for Derby County and was capped for Northern Ireland. Philip Stevenson (Glentoran Supporters Committee 1923) covered Arthur's career recently in the Glentoran Gazette and he has kindly allowed us to reporduce it here as a tribute to Arthur.
Glentoran 1961-62 Arthur Stewart is back row, second from right
During the summer the Detroit Cougars celebrated the 50 th Anniversary of their tour of America . One of those players who did Glentoran and the Irish League so proud that summer will be so familiar to supporters of both clubs tonight. His name, Arthur Stewart, a tenacious half-back who was born in Ballymena in 1942 and gave terrific service over a twenty year career to both Glentoran and Ballymena United, both as a player and as a manager. With thanks to the 'Northern Ireland Football Greats' website, we take a close look at the career of Arthur, one that saw him win trophies galore at home, enjoy a spell in England with Derby County and also saw him earn the ultimate accolade of playing for his country. This is Arthur’s story.......
Glentoran 1962-63 Stewart is back row, 4th from right
As Ballymena came out of their golden age of the late fifties one of their most recognised stars was the teenage Arthur Stewart. Already a youth and amateur international, and with English scouts circling, he transferred to Glentoran in the
summer of 1961. He soon drew comparison with some of the game’s leading stars, a “second Danny Blanchflower” with the ability to produce a “Johnny Haynes-like through ball”. Within months of his arrival at the Oval, Stewart, still just nineteen, had appeared for the Irish League, and by the season’s end had made 52 appearances as Glentoran finished sadly in the shadow of Linfield, a status best illustrated by their 5-0 defeat in the Co. Antrim Shield that saw Linfield complete their domestic “clean-sweep”.
Stewart & Sinclair
It took Glentoran until the mid-sixties to emerge fully from their near-decade lull. A Gold Cup win in 1963, Stewart scoring twice in the 2-1 semi-final win over Distillery, set the ball rolling on one of their most consistently successful periods. By now Stewart was becoming more noted as the hard-tackling rock on which the Glens’ great side was built, with his passing range and consistent goal scoring making him close to the complete midfielder. The Gibson Cup arrived at the Oval for the first time in eleven years in 1964 and the following season a fifteen year wait for an Irish Cup success was ended. 1967 proved to be perhaps the best year of Stewart’s long career. The 1966/67 began with an Ulster Cup success, by February the Gold Cup and Irish League title had also been claimed, and the City Cup was added with a final win over Linfield in May. The Co. Antrim Shield slipped through Glentoran’s fingers, with Linfield gaining a measure of revenge in a 2-1 semi-final win. Also they lost to Crusaders in the final of the Irish Cup.
USA 1967 Arthur Stewart, Walter Bruce, Billy Sinclair & Sam Kydd
Stewart was rewarded for his form with his first cap, in a 0-0 Home Nations draw with Wales. With Stewart freshly crowned as the club’s 'Player of the Year', the Glens departed for America to take part in the trail-blazing US Soccer Association championship. The Detroit Cougars, the name given to the Glens team, held their own against teams from across the world – including Stoke, Wolves, Hibs and Shamrock Rovers – finishing with a 3-6- 3 record. As the 1967/68 campaign began Stewart continued his good form. He added two further caps, including in the famous 1-0 ‘Best’ victory over Scotland, and his third inter-league appearance before his transfer to Derby County in December 1967 for a £10,000 fee.
v Scotland 1967 Arthur Stewart, Terry Neill, Billy McKeag & John Greig
Brian Clough saw him as the man to add the necessary steel to the struggling Second Division side, Derby rallying late in the season, eventually finishing in eighteenth place and reaching the League Cup semi-final. Any confidence carried over from Derby’s strong finish to the 1967/68 season was seemingly lost over the summer as the team began with four straight defeats - Clough made changes. With Stewart dropped, Derby hit a vein of form that took them to the Second Division championship. After a season as merely top-flight back-up, Stewart returned to Ballymena in August 1970.
Derby County
Immediately on his return to the Irish League, Stewart reminded anyone who may have forgotten what he was all about. He returned to the Irish League representative side, but it took his appointment as player-manager in 1971 to take Ballymena near their previous successes. The City Cup win early in his first term in charge was Ballymena’s first trophy for eleven years. It was his performances on the pitch in 1973/74 as Ballymena pushed close for honours, only to lose out to Ards in both the Irish Cup and Blaxnit Cup finals, which earned Stewart the 'Ulster Player of the Year' title. Over the next few seasons success was limited to the Gold Cup, with a win in 1974 and a final defeat by Coleraine in 1975 preceding Stewart’s departure early in 1976.
Ballymena United 1974
In March 1976 Stewart signed as a player with Distillery, helping them regain some pride in a season in which they had finished bottom of the Irish League, with an appearance in the Co. Antrim Shield final. That summer he departed for a lucrative five month spell in the American Soccer League with New Jersey Americans. He returned to the Irish League early in the 1976/77 season, taking in brief spells with Bangor and Cliftonville before he accepted a return to Glentoran as player-manager in May 1977.
Training in Turin 1977 - Arthur Stewart back row on left
Stewart’s role as both experienced tactician and seasoned player aided Glentoran to some early successes. They embarked on a European Cup campaign which would take them past Icelandic side Valur and within a whisker of a famous draw with Juventus. The Gold Cup continued as Stewart’s ‘lucky’ competition, Glentoran winning 3-1 against Glenavon in the final having free-scored their way to the decider. While Glentoran lost out to Linfield in the race for the League title, they did defeat Crusaders in the Co. Antrim Shield Final. Stewart however did not select himself for the final show-down, thus missing out on the final local honour needed to complete his collection – he was however presented a winner’s medal by one of his own players.
Turin 1977 with Ronnie McFall, Trevor McCullough & Peter Dickinson
In December 1978 Stewart resigned as Glentoran manager to take the over as head coach at New Jersey Americans. He returned to Northern Ireland as manager of Ballyclare Comrades in 1981 and later managed Ballymoney United. After retiring from the game, Arthur would be a familiar face at both the Oval and the Ballymena Showgrounds, watching his two great loves, in between regular trips to the golf course!
Unfortunately due to ill health Arthur sadly missed out on joining up with his former Detroit Cougars team mates for their 50th Anniversary dinner last summer. Arthur Stewart was one of the true gentlemen of the local game and will be greatly missed.
Scoring for the Detroit Cougars
Detroit Cougar 14