Enforcer Bill was just the man to Buck up Saints’ greatest player
John Connolly was the beating heart of the best ever St Johnstone team managed by Willie Ormond in the late 60s and early 70s.
Rated by many the club’s greatest player, Connolly was discovered at crack juvenile side Glasgow United where for a short time he formed a strikeforce with Kenny Dalglish.
Connolly recalls: “Ormond had been a great player at Hibs. There was little in the way of tactics in the game at that time. It was more a case of having respect for the manager and his ability to motivate players.”
It did not take long for everyone to see Saints had found a gem.
The Barrhead-born outside-left or striker was given his league debut in the final match of the 1967- 68 season in the No. 8 shirt and scored the winner against Motherwell.
It was a tremendous start but the local newspaper’s match report would have kept his feet on the ground. It said: “Connolly might be the answer [to Saints’ lack of a freescoring forward] but only if he speeds up his play considerably.”
He became a regular in the team and was instrumental in helping Saints reach the first major cup final in their history. Connolly scored seven goals in the League Cup campaign as they got through to a semi-final against Motherwell.
In the build-up, the Perth club were beaten 3-1 by Rangers and Ibrox star Jim Baxter told the Saints players: “You lot are rubbish – my money’s on Motherwell.”
But Baxter lost his bet as Saints beat Well 2- 0. Sadly Connolly could not find the net in the Hampden final and rivals Celtic squeezed home 1- 0 thanks to a Bertie Auld strike.
In 1970-71, Saints finished third to win a first crack at Europe. The fans were euphoric and even more so when their heroes knocked out crack German side Hamburg in the following season’s UEFA Cup.
After losing 2-1 away, Connolly turned on the style at Muirton with some dazzling runs that mesmerised the Hamburg defence and helped his team to a surprise 3- 0 win. Connolly said: “For a provincial club to get into Europe was fantastic and beating Hamburg was the biggest game in our history.” Ormond’s side went on to beat Vasas Budapest before losing out to Zeljeznicarj of Yugoslavia.
The T European adventure alerted ale clubs down south to Connolly’s Co talents.
Saints S held out until March 1972 197 when a cheque for £70,000 took too him to Everton where he went we on to win a Scotland cap. Connolly, who later managed Saints, Sa summed up his playing style, sty saying: “My game was all about, ab ‘Give me the ball and I’ll have ha a go at the defender’, using close clo control on my left foot. I liked lik to try to go past people and an get the ball into the box.” It was a style that brought him hi 55 goals in 133 games for Saints Sa and goodness knows how ho many assists.
Of course, for talented forwards to thrive they need someone to do the dirty work so step forward Bill “Buck” McCarry. Signed from Falkirk in 1963, he could play anywhere outfield and never gave less than 100 per cent effort in eight years with the club.
An ex-miner who did his National Service in the Black Watch, he was a perfect midfield enforcer who loved to rile up his rivals. A likeable rogue or a villain of the piece, depending on your standpoint.
Former Hibs star Pat Stanton said of him: “Buck was a seriously big and powerful man. One day in Perth, he brought me down. I jumped up, kicked him and the ref sent me off.
“After the game I was walking down the corridor under the main stand and met Buck. The corridor was too narrow for us to pass.
“Now Buck was mountainous but I was determined not to back down.
“It was like the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. We eyeballed each other and I feared the worst. Suddenly Big Buck burst out laughing, ruffled my hair and said: ‘ You silly wee b****r’!”
Despite his combative style, Buck had a good disciplinary record. But he did have an embarrassing moment after a warning for pulling Aberdeen No.1 Bobby Clark’s jersey.
McCarry started to protest but the ref pointed out one of his hands contained a piece of Clark’s shirt.
McCarry made more than 300 appearances for the Perth club and, like Connolly, gave the supporters loads of wonderful memories.
It was like the gunfight at the O.K. Corral as Buck and I eyeballed each other