13th March 1897

Leeds

Half-Back

Injury-hit but regarded as one of the more significant signings of the mid-1920s, John ‘Jock’ Ditchburn played for Exeter City between 1926 and 1934. He joined the club from Sunderland and, born in Leeds but raised in Scotland, had started his career with Blantyre Victoria. He continued to live in Exeter after his playing days. 

Jock moved to Scotland at the age of three, his parents being Scottish, and started his career in junior football with Blantyre Thistle in the Lanarkshire League. He was signed by Sunderland in 1923 and during his three-season stay played six league matches for the Roker Park club.

Jock then signed for Exeter City in the summer of 1926 with his debut coming in a 3-0 home win over Merthyr Town in August 1926. Although he played 50 league matches in two seasons for the Grecians he was not retained for the 1928/29 season.

After briefly playing for Exeter Loco in the local Wednesday League, City re-signed Jock in November 1928 and he continued to serve the club for a further four seasons although he was hampered by a series of knee injuries. When he retired from playing he continued to live in Exeter and worked locally on the railways. He died in the city in January 1992 at the age of ninety-four.

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