Law’s amazing fourgoal coincidence

WithBrown

BILLY Steel was featured in BwB on December 26 for his feat of scoring four goals in one match for Scotland.

That particular piece was enjoyed by reader Tommy Gellatly, who also reckoned he had a “better story”.

Said Tommy: “Billy Steel was my dad’s favourite player when he played for Dundee, so I really enjoyed reading about him.

“I wasn’t aware he had scored four for Scotland.”

The Ardler, Dundee, resident went on: “My favourite Scotland player was Denis Law (below) and I reckon his feat in a Scotland jersey is a better story.

“For not only did he score four goals in an international, he did it twice.

“And exactly a fur ther year on to the day, he amazingly repeated the feat!”

Tommy supplied the facts to back up his tale.

The Lawman’s first four-goal haul game versus Northern Ireland at Hampden Park on November 7, 1962, in the

Home International Championship.

Willie Henderson scored the other as Scotland lined up: Brown (Tottenham); Hamilton (Dundee), Caldow (Rangers, capt); Crerand

(Celtic), Ure (Dundee), Baxter (Rangers); Henderson (Rangers), White (Tottenham), St John (Liverpool), Law (Manchester United), Mulhall (Sunderland).

Exactly 365 days later on the same date in 1963, the Scots thrashed Norway

6-1 at Hampden in a friendly.

In addition to Law’s haul, Tottenham’s Dave Mackay hit a double.

Scotland team then was: Brown (Tottenham);

Hamilton (Dundee), Provan (Rangers); Mackay (Tottenham, capt), Ure (Dundee), Baxter (Rangers); Scott (Everton),

White (Tottenham), Gilzean (Dundee), Law (Manchester United), Henderson (Rangers).

JIM McLean masterminded many successful Dundee United campaigns.

His public grumpy frown (one of the nicer phrases) was not just for the opposition, but for his own players, too, if they failed to live up to the extremely high standards set by him and his coaching staff.

In recent weeks, I’ve relayed tales of Jim’s other side – one which not too many got to see – that of an extremely generous man, who was very keen to help out those involved in local football.

In this column not so long ago, Billy Grier told of the time Jim gave his Lochee United side a loan of a set of dimplesoled boots to play an