Blether: The brothers McNicoll played in same senior professional team

The recent photo in BwB of the three McLean brothers impressed another former professional footballer.

He was also part of a sibling trilogy… but he reckons he can go one better.

While Jim, Tommy and Willie McLean never played together in the same team in a professional match, Dave McNicoll and his two brothers did!

First of all, I chastised Dave for his opening line, which was: “A friend mentioned that a photo of the McLean brothers were in the Evening Telegraph.”

I would have thought Dave, a friend since schooldays, would have bought the Tele every weekend — and I told him so!

Anyway, back to the task in hand, and Dave’s friend continued by asking him if he and his two brothers played professional football?

Carnoustie resident Dave was signed as a schoolboy for Dundee, but made his name with Dunfermline before going on to have stints with Hearts and Montrose, eventually finishing his career with Inverness Clachnacuddin.

He said: “Myself, Jim and Brian all played professionally and I looked in the attic and found some pictures.

“The one with the story was taken in 1970.

“The other is a picture from 1977 when I signed for Hearts and the Tele or Courier — I really can’t remember which — wanted a picture of the three of us.

“It was taken at Westfield Park, Carnoustie, because Jim and Brian were playing for Panmure Juniors at the time.”

Dave is also well-known as the owner of the Carnoustie Golf Shop in the town’s main street, and he revealed how playing with his brothers came about.

He continued: “One other rare fact is that, in April at the end of the season in 1981, my dodgy left knee was absolutely on its last legs (forgive the pun).

“I was with St Johnstone at the time and, with manager Alex Stuart having just left, Roger Hynd came in as team boss.

“He asked me if I would run the reserve team for the last few games of the season.

“The first game in charge was, believe it or not, against Dunfermline at East End Park and we were two players short.

“So I recruited Jim and Brian, and all three of us were on the pitch at the same time — and I am sure we won.

“It would be interesting to know if any other trio of brothers ever played together in the same senior team in the same match.

“I certainly can’t remember any.”

I’ve mentioned the McNicoll brothers many times over the years in this column.

Brian played for East Fife, Forfar and Brechin, while Jim also turned out for the Loons.

Dave reminded me he also had a 13-year stint with DC Thomson, mostly working with the regaled Scoop magazine, for which he wrote a personal column.

In 1974, I sat in Dave’s house in Carnoustie to watch a Scotland World Cup match.

Dave gave me his Scotland U/21 jersey to wear in the hope it would bring our boys luck.

Scotland didn’t lose that particular match with Yugoslavia, but the 1-1 draw meant they were coming home after the initial group stages from the World Cup in West Germany.