39 years on, Bobby is now performing different heroics
On Tuesday it will be 39 years to the day since Bobby Russell and John Macdonald scored three of Rangers’ goals as they beat Dundee United 4- 1 in the 1981 Scottish Cup Final.
In what proved to be the last-ever to go to a replay, that victory prevented John Greig’s team from going two years without winning silverware.
Now, almost four decades on, the former team- mates are reunited – and they are still game-changers.
This time, though, it’s a matter of life and death rather than just football they’re fighting against.
Both of the Ibrox icons are currently working for the Scottish Ambulance Service, helping our doctors and nurses work round the clock to treat those infected by the coronavirus pandemic and to stop it spreading.
“I’ve been driving for the PTS – the Patient Transfer Service – for a wee while now,” Russell explained.
“John does it full-time while I do it part-time, although it has been getting a bit busier lately.
“My role is to fill in whenever they need shifts covered.
“I’m part of a bank of drivers who can be called on whenever we’re needed. I don’t have shifts that are set in concrete.
“Essentially, it boils down to either taking a doctor out to see patients if they can’t get to a hospital for their appointment and, sometimes, to take the patient into hospital.
“The majority of work we’re doing now is Covid-19 related. We’ll take doctors out to check the patient’s symptoms and, when necessary, we’ll then take them to the hospital for further examination and tests.
“Do I wear protective equipment? No, the doctors have that, although they take it off when they get back in the vehicle. Our chances of being contaminated are very slim.
“I’m happy to do it because it’s good to help out – plus my wife says that it keeps me out of mischief!”
Back in 1981, though, Bobby and John were content to take second billing in what turned out to be the Davie Cooper final, when the winger responded to being benched for the 0- 0 draw three days earlier by turning in a virtuoso display, scoring a wonder goal and setting up one each for Russell and Macdonald as Jim Mclean’s side were outclassed.
Yet the 43,099 fans who turned up for the replay could easily have been denied the best 90 minutes of Cooper’s career.
“We should have won it on the Saturday because I’d been brought down for a penalty in the last minute, but Ian Redford’s effort was saved,” Russell recalled. “However, if we hadn’t won it, then we wouldn’t have had Davie’s performance in the replay.
“He was exceptional and it probably was his finest moment. The sun was shining, it was a glorious night for football and you knew straight away that this was going to be a different game because the first one had been uneventful.
“Everyone’s heads had gone up when we found out Davie was in the team. When he was on his game, we felt we could beat anyone.”
Midfielder Jim Bett revealed that Cooper was pumped up after being dropped by Greig for the first meeting.
“Davie and the manager didn’t always see eye-to-eye and he wasn’t too happy at having been left out,” he said.
“He probably felt he should have been playing and he was right.
“When I was in the team, I didn’t like to see him coming back and trying to tackle or find the ball because he wasn’t any good at that, although everyone has different ideas.
“I liked to have Coop in front of me where I could find him and he was excellent that night. It was his final.”