Tributes paid to 1955 Clyde Cup hero Ally
JONATHAN GEDDES
Tributes have been paid to the footballer Ally Hill, who starred as Clyde won the Scottish Cup in 1955.
The 84 year old passed away in a Blairgowrie nursing home a week before Christmas.
Ally became a senior with Clyde after being talent spotted while with Perth side Jeanfield Swifts.
He lifted a Scottish Cup winners’ medal in 1955 after the Shawfield side defeated Celtic 1-0 in a replay at Hampden, the first televised final, watched by over 106,000 fans.
He was also a regular goal scorer for Dundee before going on to play for Bristol City, Stirling Albion and Falkirk.
After his playing career was cut short by injury, he returned to the junior ranks, training Perth Celtic for several seasons, helping to produce several players who made the senior ranks.
In a wide-ranging eulogy given by celebrant Lynne Mitchell, she paid tribute to Ally, describing him as “a man of many talents.”
She explained: “Allegedly it takes 10,000 hours’ practice to master any one skill.
“Ally didn’t just master one - he mastered several.
“He earned his place in football history and he was a craftsman in his own right in his trade.
“But he was more than that. He was a man of character and of resilience.
“He suffered no fools and took no prisoners but he was a loyal and dependable friend. He was open-handed and generous to a fault.
“He was no saint but he was wellrespected and well-loved - and he will be missed.”
Ally was born in Maryhill Barracks, Glasgow, on April 25, 1934, to George and Amy Hill.
After starring as a footballer in his teens, he joined Jeanfield Swifts in 1950, aged just 16, and won two junior caps against Wales and Ireland. The following year he put pen to paper for Clyde - and four years later, in 1955, he lifted a Scottish Cup winners’ medal with the Bully Wee.
They had drawn 1-1 with Celtic at Hampden in the first match but defeated them by just one goal at the replay.
National Service interrupted his footballing career for two years and he served with the army in Cyprus. While in the forces, he played for the British Army team alongside Duncan Edwards, of Manchester United, and Rangers’ Jim Baxter.
Returning from National Service, he was released by Clyde and joined Dundee.
While on leave from the army, he met his future wife, Margaret Pritchatt, at a dance in Perth City Hall. After a whirlwind romance, they were married in 1956 and spent a happy and devoted life together.
Ally is survived by son Alan and his wife, Alison, Ally’s daughter Maggie and her son Allan, and his remaining brothers John, Ronnie, Laurence and their families, as well as the families of his late wife Margaret’s sisters.