GORDON’S TRIPLE FEAT WILL NEVER BE EMULATED

A Carse reader waxed lyrical at the achievements of the late Gordon Smith, who won league titles with three different clubs — Hibs, Hearts and Dundee.

“He was part of the Hibernian ‘Famous Five’ forward line,” he commented.

“And, of course, he ended up at Dens Park in the later stages of his career, but won his fifth championship medal and played in every European game the following season as Dundee reached the semi-finals of the European Cup.

“I just wondered if there was any other player who won three Scottish titles with three different clubs — and none of them Rangers or Celtic.”

Smith also won three titles with Hibs and one with Hearts — and no-one springs immediately to mind to have emulated this feat.

Indeed, I wouldn’t be putting myself out on any sort of limb by declaring this particular feat will never be equalled, never mind beaten.

I first came across Gordon, like many fans of my age, only when he signed for Dundee in the early 1960s.

His amazing, pin-point crosses to the head of Alan Gilzean were a feature of his play, also the ability to beat a full-back very simply. He had a calm composure and I can recall him losing his cool just once — in the European Cup semi-final second leg at Dens Park when some rough AC Milan defenders dished out a few unsavoury tackles . . . and other assaults besides.

I was down at the dyke of the south enclosure when he was clattered, and he got up and gave the Milan player a “rabbit chop” on the back of the neck. Nowadays, both players would have been given a red card, but the referee in charge that day just separated the players and re-started play with a free-kick for the home team.

His first claim to fame was being part of the Hibs “Famous Five” forward line, which included Eddie Turnbull, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly and Willie Ormond.

Tee-total and a non-smoker, he won three league titles with the Easter Road outfit and, after being surpringly freed by Hibs, he continued his career in Edinburgh, opting to head in the Gorgie Road direction to his first love, Hearts.

His first game for the Jambos was a reserve game — and over 10,000 turned up to watch. Again, he was part of a title-winning team at Tynecastle. He was getting on a bit, though, 37-year-old to be precise, when Bob Shankly decided he could still do a job at the highest level for Dundee and signed him for the Dens Parkers.

Indeed, the Dark Blues could have had him much earlier. Although born in Edinburgh in 1924, his family moved to Montrose two years later, where his father Robert ran a grocery business.

He had two elder brothers and played for Angus sides such as Arbroath Bramford and Kirrie Harp, in addition to winning schoolboy caps.

He moved into the juniors with Dundee side North End — and Hibs snapped him up for an incredible £10 in April 1941 after the 16-year-old played for a select against a Hibs-Hearts combined XI. to open Lochee Harp’s Beechwood Park.

However, despite “Miffy” — as he was known in the dressing-room — scoring a hat-trick in that game on their doorstep, Dundee didn’t make their move . . . and the rest, as they say, is history.

All his 18 full caps were won when at Easter Road, the last of these in 1957, and he scored over 400 goals in his career . . . not bad for a winger.

A measure of the affection fans felt for him was that, when Hibs played Manchester United in a testimonial for him, an incredible 76,000 turned up to watch the Scots beat their English visitors 7-3.

HARP “UNKNOWNS” NAMED

Current Lochee Harp committee member JIM KELLY, and Broughty Ferry reader ALAN HAXTON responded to the missing names in the Harp photo of April 14.

“The five ‘unknowns’ at the back are (from left) Davie Forbes, Jim Smith, John Mulreany, Barney Gallacher and Peter Lonie,” revealed Jim.

“The committee man in front is Bill (Willie) Dysart.”

Alan reckoned that Barney Gallacher was part of the well-known Lochee window-cleaning family.

ANDREW HENDERSON also gave input, identifying Bill as his cousin.