Caribbean for Ally but Gordon could not afford Butlin’s
Steven Gerrard is in for a new experience when he takes Rangers to face Livingston this afternoon.
You wouldn’t bet against there being a few comments about the controversial plastic pitch at the Tony Macaroni Stadium.
The home side are known for their forthright style of play, so Gerrard will want his men to keep their discipline.
Rangers have already picked up four red cards this season.
And it was a sending-off that gave a glimmer of hope to Livi’s previous incarnation, Meadowbank Thistle, when they took on the Ibrox men in October, 1984. Meadowbank morphed into Livingston in 1995 when the club moved from Edinburgh to the West Lothian new town.
The occasion was the League Cup semi-final, and the man who scored the club’s first goal against Rangers had played Premier Division football with Hearts.
Gordon Smith faced the Light Blues in the semi-final of the Tennent Caledonian Cup when, rather confusingly, his namesake – and now Sunday Post columnist – scored twice for the opposition as they won 3-1.
There was only one Gordon Smith involved in 1984, however. He was in yellow and at the centre of everything.
He recalled: “We lost the first leg 4-0 at Ibrox, but we were still determined to do something in the second game. “That was played at Tynecastle because Meadowbank Stadium wasn’t big enough for the game.
“Rangers had Ally Dawson sent off after halfan-hour when we had a coming together.
“I stood on his toes and he retaliated. That gave us a little bit of hope.” Meadowbank took the lead when Gordon headed past Peter Mccloy.
But Ally Mccoist – as he so often did – spared Rangers from defeat when he hit a late equaliser. The goal did little to lift the gloom surrounding the Ibrox men after struggling past the second-tier outfit, but did ensure Mccoist won the sponsor’s prize of a Caribbean holiday as top scorer in the competition.
It also set them up for a win over Dundee United in the Final. “Ally was off to the Caribbean and I was getting just about enough for a weekend at Butlin’s,” laughs Gordon. “It wasn’t big money in those days. Even at Hearts, I was on a basic £85-a-week.
“But we had a really good team at Meadowbank with Terry Christie as manager. It was a blend of youth and experience. “Signing for Meadowbank suited me because I lived just round the corner in Edinburgh. “We had a great run in the League Cup. “Beating Hibs at Easter Road on the way to the semi-final is the one that sticks in my mind.
“I’ve always been a big Hibs’ supporter and had hoped to sign for them.
“It seemed they were going to take me but they delayed and delayed, so I joined Hearts. “I scored against Hibs when we beat them in the cup and had another disallowed. It was a good night.”
The man nicknamed “Pogo” scored on his Hearts’ debut against Kilmarnock.
He left Tynecastle after three seasons and just 10 appearances to join Berwick Rangers. He said: “Former Rangers midfielder Dave Smith was the player-manager at Berwick and he was probably the best I played with.
“I enjoyed my time down there, and still go to visit the club quite regularly.”
Gordon also played for Falkirk, East Fife and Partick Thistle, where he was top scorer in season 84-85.
He managed a number of junior clubs and runs an Edinburgh-based painting and decorating business.
His son Gordon Jnr played for Hearts and is now plying his trade in Australia.
Another son, Kevin, is a striker with East Fife.