Albion Rovers Greats
Authors Maxwell Crichton and Bill Walker

Although Matt Carson scored more goals in a season, John Brogan was noted for spectacular strikes (especially against Airdrieonians) and Bernie Slaven had better close control which took him to greater heights in the game, Peter Dickson was arguably Rovers’ most talented goalscorer of the post-war era.

Signed from Baillieston in April 1972, Dickson’s speed, allied to a sure first touch, quickly marked him out as the most effective overlapping full back in the Second Division. It was a pity that the Rovers’ team of the early seventies was not one to set the pulses racing and was unable to capitalise sufficiently on Dickson’s surging runs. Despite being voted the 1973/74 fans’ player of the year for his performances at right back, Dickson had moved to centre-forward by the start of the following campaign. Rovers were suddenly transformed from a bottom three side into one that could, on their day, challenge any team in Scotland. Dickson’s pace terrorised defences, most notably when he and Jimmy Coughlin carved Falkirk to ribbons as Rovers trounced the eventual Champions 4-1. A Lanarkshire Cup match at Broomfield where Airdrieonians (in their Scottish Cup Final season) were casually swept aside 3-1 was another memorable performance. In his autobiography, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson recounts an occasion where before a league cup tie at Firs Park, he gave instructions to his East Stirling defenders on the best means of combating Dickson’s goal threat – and then dished out the hair-dryer treatment after Dickson had run amok and set up a Rovers’ win.

The team of 74/75 ultimately failed to live up to its considerable potential, but Dickson went on to become top scorer in Britain with 34 league and cup goals. Yet his popularity with the Cliftonhill faithful seemed to fall a notch or two in the process. In contrast to the more gifted Jimmy Coughlin and Tommy Sermanni, and all-heart-no-skill clogger Dunky Shields, Dickson was never a fans’ favourite. Perhaps this was because he rarely scored 25 yard screamers and missed almost as many chances as he converted, a view which overlooks the fact that, in the first place, he created more opportunities than the average centre forward. Whilst at Cliftonhill, Dickson (and Coughlin) received international honours – of a sort - as both were included in a Scotland semi-professional team which took on their Italian counterparts in rain-swept Pescara. Because of a second half deluge, the match was abandoned with the score at 0-0. Whether caps were awarded does not appear to be recorded by the SFA.

Dickson began the 75/76 season less prolifically and by November had been transferred to Queen of the South for the measly sum of £15,000, Chairman Tom Fagan typically ignoring the interest of larger clubs and cashing in on the first firm offer that came his way. Dickson made a big impact at Palmerston and by the end of the season was playing for Scotland under-23s alongside Joe Jordan His career stalled somewhat the following season and he failed to progress further up the ladder. He probably did not help matters in a TV interview before a match with Rangers, which revealed a belief in his own abilities that breached the line between confidence and arrogance – any watching defenders would certainly have had his card marked from then on. However, he remained a regular goalscorer and a firm favourite during seven seasons at Palmerston before emigrating to Australia in 1982.

Thanks for the memories, Pete.

John - who also won four League Caps - stayed at Tynecastle for five years before being transferred to Leeds United in 1927. Just over three years later, he returned to Hearts with whom he remained until his retiral in 1934.

Although another name closely associated with Albion Rovers, it has to be admitted that Jock Stein did not achieve his national fame until long after his departure from Cliftonhill.

Signed just after the start of the 1942/43 season from Blantyre Victoria, there was no indication that the man destined to become a legend was no more than a good, journeyman centre half who still retained his day job as a miner. Stein remained with Rovers for eight seasons, helping the club to gain promotion to the First Division in 1947/48. Unfortunately however, he was also a member of the team which won only eight points in the upper league the following season and crashed back to Division Two!

Near the end of the 1949/50 season, Stein signed for Welsh non-league club Llanelli. Rovers lost out financially with the big man’s move as they had earlier turned down an offer from Kilmarnock.

A year later he was to sign for Celtic and begin the stage of his career which would make him a household name in football. While with the Parkhead club he won the League and the Cup in 1954, before an ankle injury forced him into retirement two years later.

He then went on to manage Dunfermline to a cup win and had a brief period in charge of Hibs before returning to become Celtic boss in 1965. A year later, while still at Parkhead, he was appointed caretaker manager of the national team

In 1978, after being refused a place on the Board, Stein left Celtic for Leeds where he remained for only 44 days before being appointed full-time manager of Scotland. Took Scotland to the 1982 World Cup Finals in Spain and masterminded the 1986 qualifying campaign before his untimely death at Ninian Park on September 10th 1985.

Coatbridge-born Tommy joined Rovers from Clydebank Juniors in January 1938, signing on the team bus after impressing as a trialist during a 2-2 draw with Forfar Athletic. A compact and skilful inside forward, the new boy quickly proved he had an eye for goal when he scored a hat-trick in the course of five pulsating minutes during Rovers’ record 10-0 thrashing of Brechin City.

Tommy went on to score on another thirteen occasions that season, giving a splendid sixteen goals from eighteen outings, and making a significant contribution to the team’s promotion to the old First Division. The crowd-pleasing cocky inside forward went on to play a major role in Rovers maintaining their First Division status in season 1938/39.

After joining the army in 1940, Tommy occasionally took time off from tackling Hitler to make appearances for Rovers, including some fine performances against Celtic, who eventually signed him in 1945. After leaving Parkhead, Tommy went on to play for Luton Town, St. Mirren and Alloa Athletic before returning to his home town for a second spell with Rovers between 1952 and 1954. A Scottish League cap against the English League in 1947 was one of the highlights of an impressive career.

Signed in late 1941 from Blantyre Victoria - about a year before Jock Stein arrived at Cliftonhill from the same club - Willie quickly formed a successful right-wing partnership with established favourite Johnny McIlhatton. The talented newcomer swiftly endeared himself to the Rovers’ fans by playing a major role in a thrilling 4-3 win (Rovers having been trailing by three goals at the interval) over Airdrie at Broomfield on Ne’erday 1942.

Despite his markedly different physique and style, the lanky and unassuming Findlay was often compared with Tommy Keirnan whose upward mobility he emulated when for the then sizeable sum of £7,500 he joined the other half of the Old Firm in April 1947. Willie starred for Rangers for seven successful seasons, in the course of which he scored 76 goals and earned League Championship and Scottish Cup medals.

In season 1954/55, Willie returned to play for Rovers for a few months and over thirty years later made a welcome reappearance at Cliftonhill when the club’s Directors made him guest of honour at a match. Following a long illness, Willie died on January 9th 2001.

A pacey and skilful winger capable of troubling the best of defenders, Johnny signed from Ayrshire junior club Ardeer Recreation in time to play a starring role in the pulsating 4-3 Ne’erday 1942 win over Airdrie. A series of stirring performances saw Johnny claim some memorable defensive scalps - notably that of Rangers’ internationalist, Jock "Tiger" Shaw - and attract the attention of a number of big clubs. It was Everton who eventually secured the winger’s signature in 1946, with part of the deal being a Goodison Park friendly which The Toffees won 6-3.

An extremely popular player who forged a productive partnership with Rovers’ inside-right Willie Hannah, McIlhatton’s transfer was resented by many of the Coatbridge fans, some of whom (and a few veterans of that sepia-tinted era are still to be seen on the Cliftonhill terraces!) to this day continue to reminisce fondly about Johnny’s mercurial wing play.

Plucked from the then talent-strewn ranks of the Coatbridge Amateur League in 1956, this barnstorming centre-forward may have lacked some of the finer touches, but after a slow start, his strength and pace saw him take Cliftonhill by storm and score a barrowload of goals between 1956 and 1958. Strangely, after attending a coaching course during the summer of ‘58, the striker’s unsophisticated but highly-effective powers seemed to desert him, and big Matt was eventually transferred to non-league Cheltenham for an undisclosed fee thought to be about half his worth when at his peak.

Signed in 1960, excellent displays by this talented midfielder culminated in his transfer to Sunderland for £5,000 the following year. He went on to enjoy an illustrious career in the top flight of English football, his subsequent clubs including Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was capped for Northern Ireland on seven occasions, including an appearance against Scotland in 1972.

Arguably the most gifted player ever to pull on a Rovers’ jersey, this slightly-built midfielder was signed in 1965 by manager Bobby Flavell and quickly gave notice of a major talent. His standard of ability was obviously greater than that required in the Second Division and he was transferred to Blackpool for £13,500 in 1967. Moved on to Newcastle United whose supporters still fondly remember Tony’s silky talents gracing St. James’s Park before a horrendous tackle prematurely ended what was already an illustrious career. He was capped for Scotland on five occasions and would doubtless have added to this tally but for that career-terminating injury. Has been a member of the pools panel for many years.

Signed from Bargeddie Amateurs in 1969, this highly talented goalkeeper made his debut for Rovers at the tender age of 16 and went on to make 79 appearances in five seasons at Cliftonhill. During a pre-season friendly in the summer of 1972, Jim so impressed the Chesterfield manager (already on the trail of hirsute striker Sammy Ferris) that ‘Field beat the hotly-pursuing Brighton for the young ‘keeper’s signature. Jim’s Chesterfield debut was against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day 1972, and he went on to become a firm favourite with the Recreation Ground fans before being transferred to local rivals Sheffield United for £80,000 in 1974.

Having already been capped for the Under-23’s against Wales in February ‘74, Jim gained full international honours when alongside such luminaries as Dalglish, Lorimer and Gray, he played for Scotland against Romania in a vital European Championship qualifier. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, unfortunately not good enough for the Scots to progress to the latter stages of the competition.

Towards the end of his career, and at a time when a number of major stars were strutting their late-career stuff across the Atlantic, Jim enjoyed several seasons in the USA before eventually returning to Chesterfield, where he is now the club’s Commercial Manager.

Mick was signed from Benburb Juniors in 1967 and starred in Rovers’ midfield until his transfer to Blackpool - ostensibly as a direct replacement for his more famous predecessor and namesake, Tony - in 1971. We understand he never actually played any competitive games for Blackpool.

This lofty defender played for Rovers in season 1973/74 before emigrating to New Zealand and by playing for his adopted country on four occasions, proved wrong those who doubted his ability. He was in the Kiwi side which, from a Southern Hemisphere perspective at least, gained the creditable result of losing by only 5-2 to Scotland in the World Cup finals of 1982.

The Fauldhouse-born midfielder made his debut against Stenhousemuir in 1973 and will probably be best remembered by Rovers’ fans for his absolutely outstanding performance in the first leg of the 1973/74 League Cup Quarter-Final match against Kilmarnock. Watched by a crowd of 5000, Jeff scored Rovers’ first goal and thereafter ran the show in midfield, helping his side to a 2-0 win. Unfortunately, the Ayrshire team won the second leg at Rugby Park by 5-2. Jeff’s best goal for Rovers was a superb diving header in the 1974 New Year derby against Hamilton Accies.

JK’s excellent first touch and passing ability inevitably attracted the attention of bigger clubs, and in 1974 the budding maestro was transferred to Derby County for £7,000. He made his debut at the Baseball Ground in December 1975, playing from the start in the English champions’ 2-0 victory over Aston Villa. Jeff’s later clubs included Notts County, Portsmouth (on loan), Walsall and both Sheffield clubs, Wednesday and United.

This tenacious youngster, signed from Blantyre Celtic in 1972, scored his first goal for Rovers in a 2-2 draw with Alloa Athletic in February of the following year. Both highlights of the young Brogan’s career came against local rivals Airdrie. Firstly, John’s thrilling solo goal at Broomfield in the latter stages of a second-round League Cup match in 1973/74, a tie which Rovers won 4-0 on aggregate. Secondly, three years later and in the same competition, an outstanding second half hat-trick against our old adversaries in front of 3,000 fans propelled Rovers to a 3-1 win on the night (5-4 on aggregate).

Rovers’ top scorer in 1975/76, Brogan was already leading the pack the following season when with 10 goals by February, he headed north to Perth for the new challenge of St. Johnstone where he was soon to link up with the young Ally McCoist. Brogan went on to become the First Division’s top scorer in 1982/83 and Saints’ leading marksman the following season.

After a short and ill-starred spell with Hibernian, Brogan joined Hamilton Accies in December 1984 and was their top scorer for three seasons, the last of which was in the Premier League. Moving to Stirling Albion in 1987, he netted 23 times to help the Beanos to the Second Division title. He went on to become the club’s manager and, with future Rovers’ boss Vinnie Moore as his skipper, again won the Second Division championship in 1990/91. John later had a brief period as manager of Arbroath and with former Rovers’ midfielder Martin Clark, is currently co-manager of a side in the Scottish juniors.

After stepping up from the junior ranks in 1984, Bernie ("The Wolfman, as Middlesbrough fans were to come to call him) was a natural goal-predator who went on to become Rovers’ top scorer the following season; a season in which he was also voted the Second Division’s Players’ Player of the Year. The ambitious Bernie - never a man to underestimate his own value - refused to re-sign for Rovers the next season and, after hawking his CV around almost every club in the land, eventually joined ‘Boro in September 1985.

Although the fans were often exasperated by his tendency to get caught offside, Bernie went on to become one of ‘Boro’s most popular players, scoring 144 goals in 375 outings and regularly whipping the fans into a frenzy with his extravagant fence-climbing celebrations. He later moved to Port Vale and Darlington, where he again attained near-messianic status with each new set of fans. Bernie’s late-flowering international career saw him win seven caps (six of them in friendlies) and a place in the Republic of Ireland’s Italia ‘90 World Cup squad.

Now an outspoken soccer pundit on North Eastern TV and radio, Bernie regularly castigates his Middlesbrough successors from his perch in the commentators’ gantry.

Memorably described by The Guardian as "an armoured car of a winger with a cannon for a shot", the extravagantly-gifted but ludicrously ill-disciplined Glaswegian-Ugandan winger signed for Rovers in 1984/85, scoring a total of 18 goals in his 132 appearances and creating many more.

Following a spell with Meadowbank, in January 1988 the still young and impressionable Vic - his off-field indiscipline by now the stuff of legend - was the subject of a £35,000 move to Shrewsbury where his thrilling wing-play quickly made him a fans’ favourite. Sadly, however, Vic’s "recreational" exploits were becoming ever more extreme, and sources suggest that after joining Chesterfield, the presence in the Spireites’ ranks of other allegedly wayward Anglo-Scots like Alan Irvine and former Rover Dougie Bell did little to curb Vic’s neo-Rabelasian tendencies.

After the relatively brief English career during which he hugely impressed every seasoned football observer who clapped eyes on him (on the pitch, that is), and in the course of which he was booked for singing a George Benson song to a referee as well as writing off John McGinlay’s sports car in a post-training trip to the off-licence, Vic returned north and signed for Hamilton Accies. Again, he soon became a cult hero with the fans who affectionately christened him "Vodka Vic". Unsurprisingly however, he quickly fell foul of John Lambie, Accies’ manager at the time, for whom not even the eccentricities of the erratic Chic Charnley had been adequate preparation for Vic’s round-the-clock hedonism.

Thereafter, the errant lad played briefly for Irish club Portadown before heading off to Finland, Malta (where he came up against Benfica in the European Cup) and then back to Ireland where he turned out for Dublin’s Bohemians, Vic’s perfect club, name-wise at least! Sadly, a recurring achilles tendon brought Kasule’s career to a premature halt shortly thereafter, and he’s now working in telesales back in Glasgow, no doubt dreaming of what might have been had he (even just occasionally) kept to the straight and narrow.

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