TRIBUTES POUR IN FOR GORGIE HERO YOUNG
GARY MACKAY and Duncan Ferguson led the tributes to Alex Young after the Hearts and Everton legend died yesterday at the age of 80. The Loanhead-born forward, whose elegant touch and blond hair earned him the nickname ‘The Golden Vision’, was part of the Tynecastle team who won the Scottish league title twice, in 1958 and 1960, and also helped them lift the Scottish Cup in 1956 and League Cup in 1959. After being sold to Everton for £40,000, he went on to win the English league title in 1963 and the FA Cup three years later. Regarded as a hero both north and south of the border, Young also scored five goals in eight appearances for Scotland. ‘He was an absolute star of a player and an absolute gentleman,’ said former Gorgie stalwart Mackay. ‘He was held in such high esteem by not only Hearts fans, but also Everton supporters, as well. ‘There haven’t been a huge number of players that have left Hearts and prospered at a great level down south — but he was definitely one of the ones who did exactly that.’ Ferguson, who followed in Young’s footsteps by leaving Scotland to become an icon at Goodison Park, added: ‘He was a fantastic player, an unbelievable striker who scored over 80 goals for our great club. He was a tremendous player and a proper legend.’ Indeed, Young became one of the greatest and most revered players in Everton’s history. The pantheon of club greats is headed by the fabled Dixie Dean but it is a measure of the impact Young had following his arrival in 1960 that an argument still rages as to whether he or the late Alan Ball occupies second place in the all-time list. Such was the esteem in which he was held, Harry Catterick’s decision to drop Young for a match at Blackpool in 1966 — so he could give a 16-year-old Joe Royle his debut — was greeted with such outcry that the manager was jostled as he left Bloomfield Road. Young, who had spells managing Glentoran and Stockport, returned to Scotland to enjoy his retirement and it was his son, Alex, who revealed that his father had passed away after a short illness.