Dons chemist got an odd formula for the cup final
Football is a global game these days.
Aberdeen – currently warm-weather training in Dubai – have just extended the loan signing of Irish winger Jon Gallagher from American club, Atlanta United.
They were very different times when Tony Fraser was signed by the Dons.
He was a local lad, studying chemistry. Medical science, however, didn’t play a big part in football back then.
Tony recalled: “I made my first- team debut against St Mirren in 1964.
“What I remember most is having to go off for a spell after clash of heads with one of their defenders.
“I was probably concussed, but that was never mentioned in those days.
“I came back on and finished the match. “They did take me to hospital afterwards to get me checked out before I was taken home.
“I was supposed to be going to a 21st birthday party that night, but I had to give it a miss.”
Tony found the experience of playing for his boyhood favourites quite daunting.
He said: “I was with Junior side, Banks O’ Dee. They didn’t pay me, but the incentive was that Aberdeen might come calling if I did well.
“They were something of a feeder club for the Dons.
“It was slightly overwhelming when I went to sign a contract at Pittodrie. I was one of a number of part-time players at the time.
“I have to admit I felt quite a lot pressure playing for my local team. The crowd didn’t let you away with much.”
Tony’s second match was no ordinary occasion. He was brought in to play against Hibs in a replay of the Summer Cup final.
“I was always a right winger,” he went on. “But I was brought in to play at centreforward in the Hibs’ game, and was up against their giant centre-half, John Mcnamee.
“It was great to be picked for a final. “But it was a big disappointment when we lost 3-1.”
Tony featured regularly during a difficult time for Aberdeen.
He continued: “We lost 8- 0 to Celtic on a frozen pitch when they were wearing trainers and we had ordinary boots.
“Then we were knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a replay by East Fife, which ended Tommy Pearson’s time as manager.
“Eddie Turnbull took over and he was a completely different character.
“Tommy was very quiet. Eddie was extremely vocal. One big change was that we saw a lot more of the ball during training.”
Tony dropped out of the team in August, 1965, but was brought back from nowhere for a final appearance at the start of 1966, picked to play at inside-left against St Johnstone.
“I don’t know why I was played there because I didn’t have much of a left foot,” he said.
“Eddie Turnbull only wanted full-time players, so I was on my way at the end of the season.
“There was a chance to go to Dundee when I left Pittodrie. But I had a good job as an analytical chemist at Aberdeen’s Macaulay Institute, and decided to stay with that.
“I joined in 1965 and still do some work there, although it’s now called The James Hutton Institute.
“I played for Elgin City for three years, then joined Inverness Thistle until a cruciate knee injury led to retirement at the age of 30 in 1974. I felt I had blossomed playing for Thistle.”
Tony was in the Elgin team that knocked Ally Macleod’s Ayr United out of the Scottish Cup in 1967. They then faced Celtic, just three months before Jock Stein’s side won the European Cup.
The result was a little better than Tony’s previous visit to Parkhead – they only lost 7-0!