Jimmy Walker, of Menzieshill, Dundee, says he was at a Dundee FC function a couple of years ago and Pat Liney told the tale of his debut for the Dark Blues.
“I remember it as being an amusing story but can’t really recall it,” said Jimmy.
“Do you know the story or could you ask Pat about it again?
“I’d really like to hear it again.”
I’ve been in Pat’s company quite a few times over the last few years and have also heard the story of his debut for the Dee.
It was the last game of season 1957-58 and Dundee were visiting Rangers at Ibrox.
Hearts had already won the league and Rangers were comfortable in second place.
It hadn’t been a great term for Dundee and they eventually finished an inauspicious 11th in the table.
Willie Thornton was the manager at Dens at the time and, at the pre-match meal on the day of the game, he leaned over to Pat and told him he was playing.
Bill Brown was the regular goalkeeper and had played in 39 of the previous 41 games that season.
Jim Ferguson was the other goalkeeper on the books and he was between the sticks in the two games which Brown missed.
So, it was a big shock for Pat to be told he was playing.
The first thing he thought of was that his father and family in Paisley should know he was playing.
There was just one person in his father’s street who had a phone and, as it was in many neighbourhoods at that time, many calls went through that neighbour and she just used to run out and relay the message to the intended recipient.
And that was what she did when told that ‘Eric’ was to make his debut not very far up the road at Ibrox.
Can you just imagine neighbours nowadays being asked to run out and pass on non-life-threatening messages? I can imagine the colourful language used in reply.
All through that story, Pat referred to himself as ‘Eric’. I asked him why?
“Most of my family were of Irish descent and spoke in a slow drawl,” he explained.
“So my name of Patrick became a slow
Pah-ter-ick and eventually shortened to Er-ick (Eric).”
Pat not only kept a clean sheet that day on his debut, Dundee won 1-0 thanks to an Alan Cousin goal in front of 10,000 spectators.
Dundee lined up for that fixture on May 10 — Liney; Hamilton, Cox; Henderson, McKenzie, Curlett; Robertson, Bonthrone, Cousin, Sneddon, Christie.
Have a story to share with John? Email: jbrown@dcthomson.co.uk
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