The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Scots football legend Tom Forsyth, aged 71
Hampden Park momentarily held its breath during the thrilling 1973 Scottish Cup final when Derek Johnstone’s header smacked the inside of the near post at the Celtic end and bounced once on the line before hitting the other upright.
Almost 123,000 fans watched as Rangers centre-back Tom Forsyth prodded the ball just over the line from six inches, delight etched over his face as he raced away in celebration.
Forsyth, signed from Motherwell the previous October, had yet to play in a losing Rangers team and his unlikely goal gave the Govan men a 3-2 win over their rivals.
Like the present day, Celtic had a firm grip on the domestic scene and had recently clinched their eighth of nine successive league titles.
However, the Gers’ first Scottish Cup final win since 1966 gave encouragement to the Light Blue legions and Forsyth would soon help turn the balance of power back to the south side of Glasgow.
Born in Glasgow in 1949, Forsyth, who had a twin brother Robert, grew up in the rural Lanarkshire village of Stonehouse.
Forsyth played for local club Stonehouse Violet before joining boyhood heroes Motherwell in 1967.
Despite arriving as a centre-half and going on to make his name in that position, he initially played as an inside-forward and netted 17 goals in his breakthrough season.
Forsyth became a favourite at Fir Park until he made the move to Ibrox months after Rangers won the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
He said in 2017: “I don’t think some Motherwell fans ever forgave me for going to Rangers, but I just couldn’t turn it down.”
Forsyth made 326 appearances for Rangers and won three league championships, four Scottish Cups and two League cups,
His Scotland career began at Motherwell and he went on to win two British Championships with the help of victories in both his appearances against England, in 1976 and 1977, also captaining his country once. He won his 22nd and final cap at the 1978 World Cup.
After hanging up his boots in 1982 Forsyth was appointed Dunfermline manager but left within a year.
He became assistant to Tommy Mclean at Morton, winning the First Division in 1984, before the pair moved to Motherwell.
They enjoyed a successful decade at Fir Park which peaked with the 1991 Scottish Cup triumph before spending a year with Hearts.
He will always be remembered as a no-nonsense defender but with a reputation that he believed was exaggerated.
In 2017, Forsyth said: “Yes, I was aggressive. I always wanted to win, but I’d like to think I was honest.”
Forsyth, who was 71, is survived by his three children – Karen, Julie and David – from his marriage to Linda, who died last year.