Bobby’s bingo helped to get his family a full house
It’s less than four weeks until the transfer window opens again.
You can be sure a number of players will be saying farewell to team-mates and heading for pastures new.
Most of them will then spend just a short amount of time at their next club before quickly moving on.
The life of a footballer is not one with much stability these days.
It was different when Bobby Ross St Mirren for English football 55 years ago.
There weren’t big salaries on offer, and his income was supplemented by calling bingo numbers during the close season!
But a friendship with Grimsby’s chairman helped to make sure he’s still living in the club house he got the keys for in 1965.
His move to Lincolnshire came about thanks to his friendship with two famous footballing brothers.
Bobby recalled: “I’d spent three seasons playing with St Mirren in the First Division.
“I enjoyed my time in Paisley. I played in midfield with a young Archie Gemmill – he was a class act.
“It was time to move on when Jackie Cox got sacked as manager, but I had no idea where my next move would be.
“I was playing golf one day when my wife called the club to say a telegram had arrived for me.
“It asked me to call a number in Cleethorpes.
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My father worked out that it must be Grimsby Town wanting to speak to me.
“He was right. It was Grimsby’s Scottish manager, Jimmy Mcguigan, on the other end of the line.
“I was friendly with Tom White. I knew him and his brother, the great John White, from my early days in the Edinburgh area.
“I played with Tom at St Mirren before he moved on to Hearts.
“He had met Mcguigan at a coaching course and recommended me to him.
“It was a big change coming down to England, but getting a club house in Cleethorpes helped us to settle.
“There were a few of the houses close together, and that meant we had some instant friendships in the area.”
Bobby became a popular figure with the supporters and, unlike many players, was highly regarded in the boardroom.
A close pal was Graham Taylor, later to become England manager. The two would often be seen discussing tactics.
Another man at Blundell Park would have an influence on Bobby’s later life.
He said: “I got on well with the chairman, Paddy Hamilton. He got me a job running the bingo at a holiday camp during the summer.
“And when a knee injury meant I had to leave the club in 1971, he made me an offer.
“Instead of a testimonial, I got to buy the house. My wife and I still enjoy living in it.”
Bobby, now 79, had started his professional career with East Fife in 1959.
He said: “I was a Hearts fan – I still am – and there was a possibility of me going to Tynecastle as a kid.
“That didn’t happen, and I was given a chance by East Fife manager, Charlie Mccaig.
“They had some decent players, and that led to me playing in the top flight with St Mirren.”
Modern players have different standards when it comes to fitness and diet.
However, Bobby is happy to put one myth to bed.
Some Grimsby fans seem to think he used to be seen going out for the warm- up with a cigarette in hand.
He said: “No, I was a smoker but I’d never have a cigarette until the end of the game.
“What they probably saw was me holding one of those inhalers that you used to unblock your nose.
“Looking back, I’ve no idea why I smoked and, ironically, I gave it up when I finished with football.”