City will commemorate Cooper’ s ‘great fighting spirit’ in fitting tribute

Aberdeen’s lord provost said the city could consider a commemoration to the Dons legend.

Barney Crockett said the loss of the Gothenburg Great was raw and that the city’s people were still coming to terms with his death.

Over time he said Aberdeen would be able to consider a fitting tribute to a man who was beloved by all who knew him. Mr Crocket said: “While the whole city is still reeling from the news, I am sure that once we have come to terms with it there could be something suitable we can do as a city to commemorate his great fighting spirit.”

It emerged earlier this month that one little-known tribute to Neale Cooper – and his 1983 teammates – already exists beneath the city’s streets. A network of electrical substations placed around the giant Union Square centre bear the names of the European CupWinners’ Cup champions.

The 12 substations are named McLeish, Rougvie, Simpson, Cooper, McMaster, Leighton, Miller, Strachan, Black, Weir, McGhee and Hewitt.

They were afforded the names by SSE network design manager David Ross, a Dons season ticket holder.

In addition to making the individual stations easier to remember, the move also ensured that colleagues

– no matter the club they supported – were unable to overlook the achievements of the then 19-year-old Neale Cooper and his teammates.