Side that couldn’t stop scoring stopped by a striker
OUTFIELD players being forced to take the goalie’s gloves took another twist during the week.
Striker Ryan Stevenson went between the sticks against Ayr United after Raith Rovers failed in their attempts to both find a replacement for the three injured keepers on their books, and have the match postponed.
In the end, Stevenson was beaten just the once as the Honest Men took all three points.
But he can’t claim to have done as well as Alex Dawson did 56 years ago.
He was a prolific striker with Manchester United – and had scored nine goals in his previous four games, including two hattricks – when injury to Harry Gregg saw Alex becoming an emergency last line of defence against Spurs at Old Trafford.
The Aberdonian kept a clean sheet – one of only two goalies to do that as the side led by Danny Blanchflower did the 1960-61 Double, scoring 136 goals in the process.
Alex recalled: “We were a goal up, scored by Nobby Stiles, when big Harry got injured during a stramash in our goalmouth.
“Bobby Charlton wanted to take the goalie’s jersey, but Matt Busby insisted I go in goal to see if they could get Harry sorted out at half-time.
“But they couldn’t. It was the days before substitutes, so after the interval, Harry took my place up front and I stayed in goal.
“He proceeded to set up Mark Pearson for our clinching goal, while I kept the back-door shut. And, to be honest, I don’t recall having to make any real saves of note as the defence did a great job in front of me against a really good Spurs forward line.”
Alex had moved south from Aberdeen to Hull, aged 11, after his dad got a job working on the local fishing fleet.
He was already a promising player, and had captained the Aberdeen Schools side which contained a certain Denis Law.
And it was while playing in a schools match for Hull against Barnsley that he was spotted by Busby’s legendary No. 2, Jimmy Murphy, and signed for United.
His time at Old Trafford was successful, with 45 goals in 80 appearances, but tinged with huge sadness.
In 1958, Alex was on the fringes of the side which had become known as the Busby Babes when they were drawn to play Red Star Belgrade in the European Cup.
He was actually issued with a visa to travel to Belgrade. But with one place in the travelling squad to be filled, it was decided Geoff Bent should go.
The 25-year-old would be one of eight players to perish as the Munich Air Disaster claimed 23 lives and plunged the club into the darkest period of its history.
“I felt terrible,” Alex recalled. “Geoff’s wife had just had a baby, and they were such a lovely set of lads. “We’ll never see the likes of that side again.” The Scot was thrust into the first team as United tried to recover, and scored a hat-trick against Fulham in the FA Cup semi-final, still the last player to achieve that feat.
In 1961, Matt Busby decided Alex’s time at the club was up, and he was sold to Preston for around £25,000.
He continued to score freely with 114 goals in 197 games for North End, including one in the 1964 FA Cup Final defeat against West Ham.
Spells at Bury, Brighton, Brentford and Corby Town followed before Alex hung up his boots – and gloves – to pursue a variety of jobs and decent golf swing.
He’s just turned 77 and lives with his wife in Rothwell, near Kettering.