Davie couldn’t get near to the Wizard of the Dribble
There will be some young Scottish footballers already thinking about moving to pastures new next season.
It’s possible for 16-year-olds to have an agent that’s working to get them fixed up at club.
Things were very different when Davie Mitchell headed to England in 1962.
He went from amateur football to rubbing shoulders with one of the world’s all-time greats on the recommendation of a local businessman.
There wasn’t the glamorous lifestyle now associated with cash-rich clubs.
He recalled: “I was playing with Stewarton Amateurs in Ayrshire when a chap who ran a haulage business spoke to Stoke City about me.
“He had friends down there and it led to them offering me a contract.
“It was a big change for me but I was lucky that I ended up in good digs.”
Davie was only 18 years old but he was joining the club with the oldest team in the Football League.
The presence of a certain 48-year-old winger – having his second spell at Stoke – brought a huge amount of publicity.
Davie went on: “Stanley Matthews was a huge star and he was allowed to take care of his own training.
“He would only appear on the Friday before a game and run round the park for an hour. “Other than that, he did his own fitness work. “He was a very clever player. I did try to tackle him a few times in practice matches but I’m still waiting to try to get a touch of the ball!”
Stoke were promoted to the First Division, with Matthews voted as the Football Writers’ Player of the Year.
Davie spent two years at the Potters but returned to Scotland and played a few games for Ayr United.
He then faced an uncertain future.
“I had a back injury that stopped me playing and they couldn’t find anything wrong,” he said.
“Then I went to a physio in Kilmarnock and he managed to get to the root of the problem.
“After that I was signed by St Mirren and was playing in Scotland’s First Division.
“We had a team that included Archie Gemmill.”
Davie’s career saw him play in midfield and at full-back.
He performed with distinction on both sides of defence during an eight-year spell with Clydebank that followed his departure from St Mirren in 1966.
He went on: “It meant I was now going to be a part-time player. I worked as roofer and roughcaster, then travelled to train with Clydebank three nights a week.
“It was a busy schedule but when you’re young and daft, you don’t really think about.”
Davie’s debut for the Bankies was a bit of a turning point for the club.
They had conceded 33 goals in nine games and were the only team in Britain without a point when they travelled to play Berwick Rangers.
With Davie in the side they produced a muchimproved performance and emerged with a 1-1 draw.
He said: “We improved with the arrival of a lot of young players, the Bankies Babes.
“I was one of the older heads at the age of 22. People like Jimmy Caskie, Jim Fallon, Dennis Ruddy and Gerry O’brien were given a chance and were great for the club.
“My favourite games are probably the ones we played against Chelsea in 1967.
“Tommy Docherty took his team north to play twice at Kilbowie and it was great to come against opponents like Charlie Cooke and Peter Osgood in front of a big crowd.”
The old back problem didn’t seem to hinder Davie as he racked up 313 games for the Bankies.
He said: “I played junior with Kilwinning Rangers after leaving Clydebank and then coached my old team at Stewarton.
“I was still doing roofing work up until a few months ago but I think that might be me finished with it now.”