John escaped the pit and lined up with two legends
Aston Villa will be out to put a dent in Arsenal’s title challenge today when they take on the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.
The Midlands side have Scotland star John Mcginn in their ranks. He is doing incredibly well on and off the field in England.
As well as skippering the side, the 29-year-old earns more than £6 million a year.
Things were very different when John Inglis left Fife to sign for Villa in 1965.
He certainly didn’t make a fortune from football, but it sent him on a different path in life.
And he got the chance to play alongside two men who were superstars in Italy.
John explains that a family connection led to the chance to sample life south of the border.
He recalled: “My uncle, Jim Baxter, was the chairman of East Fife.
“It was through him that I got a trial at Villa. “I had another uncle, Bill Baxter, who was a trainer at the club. He had played for them.
“Him being there had nothing to do with me being signed.
“He made sure there was no suggestion of favouritism and at times it was like he didn’t know me.
“Villa helped me to escape from the life I had in Fife and I mean that in the nicest possible way.
“I would have been going down the pit, just like my father did. I had spent six months as an apprentice fitter at Frances Colliery.
“Going to Birmingham seemed liked a completely different world. “Unfortunately, I only managed three competitive first-team games at Villa and a number of friendlies.
“I’m not sure I really played my best when I got a chance. I sometimes think I bottled it and that is a regret.
“There were a few Scots at the club when I arrived. There was Charlie Aitken, Jimmy Mcewan and Johnny Macleod.
“One I really enjoyed playing with reserves was the great Willie Hamilton. “We all knew he liked a drink, but he was also a brilliant footballer.
“I always remember a game against a Manchester United side that contained men like David Sadler, Jimmy Rimmer and Carlos Sartori. in the
“I scored a hat-trick as we beat them 5-2 and Willie set up my goals on a plate.”
John, now 76, was released by Aston Villa in 1968 and was snapped up by Crewe Alexandra.
He said: “I had a good time there. I played about 50 games and met my wife during that spell.
“Again I had some Scottish team-mates. There was Willie Mailey in goals and Tommy Curley on the wing.”
John’s next move was to non-league football but there was arguably more glamour than playing in the Third Division. There was firstly a meeting with a man who starred in Italy for nine years.
He went on: “I signed for Worcester City and that was where I played a few games alongside former England striker Gerry Hitchens.
“He then left and I took over as the main goalscorer.
“But I’d been promised a job at Worcester and that wasn’t materialising.
“I had scored a few goals against Hereford United and their manager, John Charles, said he would sign me.
“He was the best header of a ball I ever saw. Tony Hateley, who was at Villa during my time, was great in the air but he had nothing on Charles.
“I then went back to Worcester City and ended up as their all-time record goalscorer with more than 200 goals.
“I got a job with the Bradford & Bingley. I ended up as a building society manager and then moved into insurance.
“It was football that was the gateway to a new world for me.”