Ronnie McDevitt - Scotland in the 60s: The Definitive Account of the Scottish National Football Side During the 1960s

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2016

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Ronnie McDevitt, 2016

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Print ISBN 978-1-78531-180-2

eBook ISBN 978-1-78531-245-8

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THE CONTENTS of this book would have been vastly diluted had it not been for the contributions of a number of people who I am eternally grateful to for sharing their time and memories with me. It was a pleasure to talk to the following. Frank McLintock and Pat Crerand proved to be real football men whom I felt could have still been talking yet about their time with the Scotland team. Willie Hunter and Bert McCann gave an invaluable insight into the international set-up during the early part of the decade and I must also express my gratitude to Motherwell fan and author Graham Barnstaple for putting me in touch with those gentlemen when I was struggling to locate anyone from the early days. Similarly credit goes to John McNeill and Duncan Simpson for making contact with and fielding my questions to Eddie Connachan in South Africa.

John also put me in touch with Jim Herriott who has excellent recall and many a tale to tell from his Scotland days. Geoff Snape of the West Bromwich Albion Former Players Association cleared the way for me to speak with Dougie Fraser who reminisced over the world tour of 1967. It was a pleasure to hear the recollections of former Scotland manager Bobby Brown who shared some of his memories and no one that I spoke to had a bad word to say about Bobby. Another former Scotland manager, Craig Brown, was, as always, most helpful as were Bobby Lennox, Willie Johnston, Colin Stein, Bobby Clark and John Hughes. I really appreciated Johns honesty regarding his views of the Scotland set-up and hope readers will interpret his comments in that manner. Once again my sincere thanks to all of you for giving up your time.

Plaudits also to Gary Keown of the Herald who paved the way for me to communicate with both Archie MacPherson and Rodger Baillie who could not have been more helpful when discussing the period from a journalists viewpoint.

I am always keen to include the views of supporters and it was fascinating to chat with Tommy Collin, David Riddell and Brian Davies, splendid chaps, all of them. Davids son Martin and Brians friend Angus Guthrie were helpful in me establishing contact whereas Tommy and I go back some way.

Andy Mitchell was invaluable when compiling the appendix, particularly with identifying the clubs of the Belgian players for an Under-23 match when the information seemed to be unavailable and a gap in the listing looked likely. Andy was also, through his Canadian contacts, crucial in compiling the personnel for two matches in Canada during the world tour. The following gentlemen put in a great deal of work in Canada to help secure the information. Jason Beck, Curator and Facility Director of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, Colin Jose, Colin Crawford, Rob Notenboom and Les Jones. Another valuable source for filling in the gaps in the appendix was Graeme McGinty with his circle of programme collector contacts.

As well as the newspapers credited in the text two reference books were particularly useful. Scotland the Team by Andrew Ward and Richard Keirs Scotland The Complete International Record are both packed with statistics. The effort which went into compiling these titles became apparent when working on the appendix where I had to locate attendances and other information for the league internationals and Under-23 matches from scratch.

Finally a big thank you to Paul and Jane Camillin at Pitch Publishing for their faith and support in the title and to Duncan Olner for an excellent cover.

AS SOMETHING of a fan of the Scotland team myself I have always been interested in the history of the national side and during research through old newspapers I formed the opinion that the 1960s had much more to offer for fans of Scotland than the 1967 victory at Wembley, which was clearly the highlight of the period.

The decade witnessed so many fantastic matches and players that I felt there was adequate material to fill a book. It was an age when Scotland were expected to win every match. As Pat Crerand recalled, You didnt play friendlies.

During the research it was a pleasure to speak to so many who played a part in the period and were prepared to share their memories of the time. One thing that did strike me was the respect that the Old Firm players from the time had for one another. Whether it was Colin Stein laughing over Big Tams antics in Hamburg or when Bobby Lennox recalled an incident which involved himself and Willie Johnston during a Scotland v England match. I mentioned that I had spoken to Willie earlier that same day to which he responded, Hows he getting on? A great guy! Equally there was respect for the England players of the time in what was a golden age of football.

To cover the period only focussing on the 64 full international matches would, I feel, have been to tell an incomplete story. Details of forgotten Under-23 and Inter League fixtures are included not for novelty or space-filling value but because they were an important part of the international set-up at the time. Many of the players recall with fondness some of those matches which were a gateway to full international honours and usually attracted large crowds.

Ronnie McDevitt

July 2016

THE PEOPLE of Scotland had witnessed a number of notable events throughout the 1950s. These had included an end to rationing which had been introduced during the Second World War, the arrival of television which boasted two channels, the removal of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and the cessation of tram cars in Edinburgh for almost sixty years. In football the national team had taken part in two World Cup finals tournaments, rejected an invitation to another, and had finished the decade in reasonably good form.

Of the six matches played in 1959 Andy Beatties side had won three, drawn one and lost two, both by the odd goal. The most impressive performance had been in Belfast in October when the Irish found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-0 rout. Scotlands last match of the decade had taken place on November 4th at Hampden Park where a Welsh side took most of the plaudits. Having been reduced to ten men since the 14th minute when left-back Mel Hopkins had been taken off injured, the Welsh survived a second half onslaught as the Home International finished at one goal apiece.