As Gillie learned his trade at Dens, he was Ally’s hero
Hundreds of goalies must have had nightmares featuring Alan Gilzean.
But for one former Dundee keeper, it was a dream to line- up in the same side as the legendary striker.
Gilzean, who passed away at the age of 79 last week, hit the net more than 300 times during his career.
Normally the man between the posts grows up idolising fellow goalkeepers, or defenders who are going to help him at the back.
But for Ally Donaldson, there was only one man he was desperate to line-up with.
He said: “Gillie was a hero of mine. He was such a majestic player.
“There’s no doubt he was the best header of a ball I’ve ever seen.
“I was just a 17-year-old lad in 1962 when I watched him score two goals against St Johnstone as Dundee won the championship at Muirton Park.
“I was on the bus with the first-team as we travelled back to a reception at the city chambers.
“Just over two years later, I was playing in what proved to be his last game for Dundee.
“He hadn’t played a lot of football at the start of the 1964- 65 season because of a contract dispute with the club.
“But he signed a short- term deal and was straight back into the team.
“His final game was against St Johnstone and it ended in a 4-4 draw.
“Jackie Coburn scored three for Saints, but Gillie wasn’t going to be upstaged.
“He scored a brilliant hat- trick – and every goal was a header from an Andy Penman cross. “Football was really exciting back then.
“We had a fairly simple formula at Dundee. It was direct football, and the fans loved it.
“It was so often a cross from Gordon Smith or Hugh Robertson, and then a header from Gilzean.
“And if he got a through ball then, he’d take it in his stride and always hit it low and just inside the post.
“As a goalkeeper, I know just how difficult these are to keep out.
“I’ve never seen a player with such an amazing leap.
“I remember seeing a photograph of Gillie outjumping Gordon Banks.
“It looked like he was more than three feet off the ground, and Banks couldn’t match him even with his arms outstretched.
“I once heard that he practiced heading as a youngster by using a ball attached to a string that hung from the roof of a shed.
“But I reckon it was a natural spring and great timing.
“Not long after he’d left Dundee for Tottenham, we were down in the London area for a couple of friendly games.
“We went to watch Spurs playing Portsmouth and Gillie scored with a phenomenal header.
“Mike England sent the ball forward from the half- way line and he headed it into the top corner from the penalty spot. It was really breathtaking.
“He learned his trade in Dundee and became a legend at Tottenham, when he played with Jimmy Greaves and Martin Chivers.”
Gilzean’s brilliance as a footballer has never been in doubt.
However, a reluctance to make public appearances following his retirement led to him gaining a reputation he didn’t deserve.
Some thought he must be an aloof character or had something to hide.
In recent years he returned to his former clubs, explaining that he’d simply lost interest in football for a spell.
“He was a good team- mate and a really humble man,” says Ally, now 74.
“I used to run a pet shop in Carnoustie and he would come up from England to visit his son, Ian.
“We would have a chat, but most people wouldn’t realise it was this legendary footballer strolling down the road.”