Alex Blyth got in touch re his father Laurie, who featured in the Dundee Schoolboys U/15 team back in June.
I asked for an update on his father, and soon Laurie himself was in touch.
He is currently in New Zealand and is now 61.
Incredibly, he reckons he spent just “14-15 years” of his life in Dundee.
“After I left Dundee, it was to Preston North End and I was there for around three years from 1969-72,” he revealed.
“Then I did a couple of months at Grimsby Town and one at Aberdeen.
“I then had six weeks in Washington DC with Denis Viollett, who was the reserve team coach at Preston.
“However, I did not like that at all. I was on my way back to the UK when I was offered a stint in New Zealand.
“Ian Park, a team-mate at Preston, had already gone out and liked it, so I thought why not.
“I arrived there in June 1972, got acclimatised and went into the Christchurch United side in August.
“They played me at left-back a position I had never played in my life and it took a bit of getting used to.
“However, the football was a pretty high standard at least as good as the England Division Four.”
Laurie soon settled in and was very successful.
He continued: “We won the cup that September and I was picked for the New Zealand U/21 side at centre-back, my preferred position.
“The following season, we won cup and league, conceding just 12 goals in the season.
“By then I was captain of the NZ U/21 side, then into the Olympic squad as captain.
“At that point, it was all looking good.
“Then, during a game against Hertha Berlin in February 1974, I suffered a multiple break in my left leg, which prevented any future international play.
“I did play against touring teams such as Hearts (1-0), Rangers (1-1), England B (2-2), Luton, Bournemouth, Hadjuk Split, Iran, Mexico and many more.
“I know that if I had not broken my leg, I probably would have been in the World Cup squads for 1978 and 1982.”
It was then on to coaching for Laurie.
He revealed: “I coached at Premier League NZ level for two years and three years but it was too intense andI did not really reach my potential as a coach.”
Away from football, Laurie is currently running a few different businesses.
He has nine Frontrunner stores, which sells football and other sports gear.
His Fridge outlets sell “cool” streetwear and casual stuff.
Issimo deals in high end men’s and women’s fashion shoes, mainly from Italy, and also designs and makes rugby and football boots for various companies worldwide
Laurie continued by mentioning some of the former Dundee lads who are currently in New Zealand and Australia and many have been featured in Blether with Brown.
“George Morris, who went to St Pius PS, lived along the road from us is in Christchurch. Allan Mackenzie is a headmaster in New Plymouth.
“Davie Gollan, Colin ‘Tush’ Macdonald and Peter Brown all live in Wellington and I see them when I go up for the Phoenix match or other games.
George Forbes and a couple of others live in Melbourne.
“Joe Tront, sadly, died a couple of years back. He was in Melbourne as well, as is Davie Brogan.
“So when we look at the Lawside Academy team that won the Scottish Cup, Joe, George, Allan, Davy Brogan and I are all out this way.”
Coincidentally, Joe Tront’s nephew Ryan Milne got in touch to say it’s four years since his passing.
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