Former player and lifelong supporter John Anderson passed away on Wednesday 7th June after a long and courageous battle with illness. He was 78.
John was born in December 1944 and grew up in East Belfast (Jonesboro Street). He played football alongside Roy Coyle at Ledley Hall and Boyland before signing for Glentoran when he was 13. The club then released him to allow him to play for the Schoolboy International team, as a player registered with an Irish League club was ineligible. John was also capped at both Youth and Amateur level. At Youth level he played in the same side as Pat Jennings and George Best. Another former Glentoran player, Tom Doherty and John were the youngest players to win Amateur International caps; aged 16.
John joined Newcastle United but only stayed with them for about a month before returning home. George Eastham was manager of Distillery at the time and he managed to obtain John’s release from Newcastle. He joined the Whites and was a regular in the first team at the age of 15. John played for Distillery from 1960-64, winning the Irish League, Ulster Cup and City Cup.
L to R John Anderson, the late Tommy Craig & Billy McKeag
He joined Ards at the beginning of the 1964-65 season, again under George Eastham. In seven seasons at Castlereagh Park he won a Gold Cup medal but the biggest disappointment during his time there came in 1969 when having played in every round of the Irish Cup, he was left out of the final (which Ards won 4-2). A short spell at Glenavon was followed by loan moves to both Bangor and Carrick Rangers. At the end of his contract John had decided to retire but he was persuaded by George Eastham to sign for Glentoran.
John Anderson 2nd from right in front row.
It was a dream come true for John who had supported the team since he was a young boy and had idolised the likes of Sammy Hughes, Sammy Lowry and Billy Neill. In the first of his two seasons with his beloved Glens John Anderson finally got his Irish Cup winners medal when Glentoran defeated Linfield 3-2 in the 1973 final. The following season he also played in the side which reached the quarter-final of the European Cup Winners Cup.
Irish Cup winners 1973
John played for three clubs in Europe. In 1963, aged 19, he played for Distillery against Benfica in the European Cup, drawing 3-3 in Belfast and losing 5-0 in Lisbon. With Ards he faced AS Roma in the Cup Winners Cup and with Glentoran he played against Chimia Vilcea, Brann Bergen and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
After his playing career John continued to follow the Glens home and away and rarely missed a game until illness prevented him attending a couple of years ago. We did pay him a visit with the Irish Cup though in September 2020.
John, his son and 3 of his grandsons with the 2020 Irish Cup
On behalf of everyone at Glentoran, we extend our deepest sympathies to John’s wife Lesley, son John & daughter-in-law Susie, daughter Gillian, grandchildren, Mark, Gemma, Stuart, John & Luis and great grandchildren, Elijah & Freddie.
John Anderson’s funeral arrangements can be found HERE