Billy’s Diamond debut as he helped to beat Celtic
A number of players have been making debuts for clubs this past week.
Helping a new side to a memorable victory is always a great way to endear yourself to the fans.
Billy Hulston became an instant favourite at the start of 1973.
He signed for bottom-of-the-table Airdrie, and was thrown into a home game against Celtic.
As he recalls, it was an afternoon when he might just as easily have been the villain instead of a hero.
He said: “I’d had five good years with Clyde but then fell out with the manager, Archie Robertson.
“We’d been relegated from the First Division and had our wages cut.
“Four of us decided we weren’t having that, and found ourselves out in the cold.
“We eventually backed down, but I ended up on the bench a lot.
“Airdrie had sold Drew Jarvie to Aberdeen for good money that season, and their boss, Ian Mcmillan, bought me for £10,000.”
Billy’s first outing for the Diamonds saw him go head to head with another debutant. Ally Hunter was in goal for Celtic after his £ 40,000 move from Kilmarnock.
“I had never been in a winning team against Celtic, so it was a big occasion for me and Airdrie,” said Billy.
“It didn’t look like being a day to remember when I missed a great chance. Billy Wilson cut the ball across the face of the goal, I stretched for it and managed to somehow put it past the post.
“I hadn’t played for ages, and just didn’t get there in time to make a proper contact.
“Fortunately, I was there to hit the net when Derek Whiteford’s header came back off the bar.
“That made it 1- 1, then Kevin Mccann hit a last-minute winner. It was a great victory.
“It got a bit niggly after the final whistle. “I remember going to shake Billy Mcneill’s hand – and he walked right past me. It wasn’t like him but I understood. Emotions run high when you’ve just lost.”
After two years at Broomfield, Billy returned to East Stirling, the club where he’d first played regular football.
A rookie manager, destined for great things, recruited him for a second stint at Firs Park. Billy went on: “I was dropped from the Airdrie team one week and decided, wrongly, not to stay and watch the game.
“At the next training session, Ian Mcmillan asked us all what we thought about the match.
“I said I wasn’t going to lie, I had been upset and didn’t see it. We had a discussion afterwards and Ian asked if I wanted a free transfer.
“I said yes – and I’ve regretted it ever since.
“I was then out of the game until I got a telegram from Alex Ferguson asking to meet up.
“He had been appointed East Stirling manager and was looking for players.
“I’d already had talks with Alex Smith about joining Stenhousemuir.
“I told Fergie that I was looking for £1,500 to sign, but he only had £1,000.
“I said I’d need to think about it, but he wasn’t having it.
“Out of his pocket came £50 of his own money and he persuaded me to sign there and then.
“He was only with us for a few months but you could see what a great coach he was.”
After a season with Stirling Albion – the club where he’d started out as a teenager in 1963 – Billy made a life-changing decision.
He said: “I was approached with an offer to play for Western Suburbs, a team in Sydney, Australia that was coached by former Hearts player, Archie Blue.
“I had always been a part- timer, combining football with being a carpenter, and I could carry on with that.
“I spent five years in Sydney before moving to Perth, where we’ve been for the last 40 years.
“I played for Rockingham City and Melville Alemannia. I was still turning out for veterans teams until 10 years ago, when I was 65.”