20/09/50: Reserves v Weymouth (H) Southern League.

Another go! Lost the last post entirely and it wasn't short. Here goes again!

Yes that is my and Matthew's father, affectionately known as Wee Sammy . He was well known throughout non-league circles even having a weekly column in a national newspaper of the time. He came to Weymouth, which traditionally had strong Scottish links, as a crock having sustained a bad knee injury at Motherwell where he had won an SFA Cup winners medal at a young age. He was effectively number 2 to one of the all-time Scottish greats, Willie Waddle, in the Scottish pecking order. He had spent his war-time down the pits with Jock (John to my dad) Stein, now there was a man with charisma! Privileged to meet him.

He was hero-worshiped in Weymouth and was without doubt one of the most liked and respected personalities the town has ever had. Old guys still talk about him reverentially and often with a nostalgic tear in their eye; I often seem to get a speck of dust in my eye at the same time, strangely .

He had opportunities to return to full-time football but by then my mother had settled in this lovely sea-side town and, in fact, dad was earning more working and playing part-time than the FA maximum wage at that time. He broke many records at Weymouth before retiring at 40 to become involved in the coach/trainer role at the club where he helped Frank O'F through an inauspicious start to his managerial career before winning the Southern League (no automatic promotion then) and Frank's rise to stardom.

He died of Alzheimer's aged 77 on 7.7.77. Spooky, eh, as he almost always wore the number 7 shirt.

Interestingly, the 3 Scots listed in the programme- Brawley(my Godfather), McCarter( a wonderful man who never missed a weekly visit to see dad throughout what was a long and desperate illness) and dad all died of the same thing. Those old footballs have a lot to answer for even though my younger son argues that there is, as yet, no proven link; Doctors, eh.

Anyway, enough. You did ask me to talk about my beloved father for goodness sake. You are lucky - you should have seen the first version.

Best wishes

Stuart McGowan