John went from Ireland to Iceland via Cowdenbeath
Queen’s Park were back playing at Hampden Park yesterday.
Scotland’s National Stadium was their home for over a century, but the SFA bought the ground two years ago after the Spiders gave up their amateur status.
Paying salaries may be a new thing for them, but that doesn’t mean players of the past were anything but professional when it came to their commitment.
Former Spiders’ goalkeeper, John Taylor, recalls a weekend when everyone involved went to great lengths to ensure they fielded the strongest possible side.
He said: “In 1967, I was picked to play for the Great Britain Amateur team.
“We went to face Sweden in Gothenburg, and then headed for Dublin and a meeting with Ireland at Dalymount Park on the Friday night.
“A message arrived from Queen’s Park, saying their players were needed for a game at Cowdenbeath the next day.
“We couldn’t get a direct flight to Glasgow because the Horse of the Year Show was taking place in Dublin that weekend.
“Instead, we flew to London and then returned to Scotland from there.
“Our coach, former Rangers player Harry Davis, picked us up from the airport and drove us to Fife for a 2-0 victory at Central Park.
“After the game, we were taken back for a flight to Iceland and another game with the British side.
“Nobody asked for a penny, or any special treatment. Amateurism meant that if your travelling expenses were 99p, you were given £1 and handed a penny back.
“I went on three tours that year – one with Queen’s Park to Sierra Leone, then games with the Scotland Amateur side and the GB team.”
The prospect of playing at Hampden Park every week was a big factor in John’s decision to join Queen’s Park.
He said: “It’s a special place and the thought of running out there gave me goosebumps.
“I was playing for Ayr Albion when I was approached by a scout. I spoke to Scotland player, Ian Ure, who comes from Ayr, and he advised me to choose Queen’s.
“Eddie Turnbull was the coach at that time – a hard but fair man.
“I replaced Bobby Clark in goals when Eddie moved to Aberdeen and took him with him.”
John’s performances caught the eye of other clubs but he elected to stay put with the Spiders.
He took the decision to turn down a move to Rangers in 1967.
“Harry Davis told me that Rangers were interested. I thought it must be Berwick Rangers but he assured me it was the team from Ibrox.
“I couldn’t talk to them personally, so my dad went to talk about the terms.
“During a game against Morton, I looked up and saw people from Rangers watching me.
“I decided there and then that I wasn’t going. I wasn’t confident that I had the ability to be part of their squad.
“It was a decision that amazed my pals but one I felt I had to make.
“There was another time when I might have gone down to England, but I suffered a bad shoulder injury in the last minute of a match against Alloa.
“I needed an operation and was told it was 50-50 if I’d play again.
“A first-team comeback came two years later.” In 1973, John moved up to Scotland’s top flight for a season with Dumbarton.
He said, “My first game for them was at Ayr. We lost 2-0 and I got plenty of stick.
“But I got my own back when we beat them in the last game of the League Cup section at Boghead.
“It meant we got a £100 win bonus and a tie against Rangers. Sadly, we lost 6-0 at Ibrox.”
John, now 74, went on to spend 20 years at Stranraer, a club he has great affection for.
Goalkeeping duties ended in 1982 and were replaced by a coaching role.
John did radio broadcasting in Ayrshire, and still does sales work in the oil and gas industry.