by Charlie Allan, Aberdeen FC Former Players Association

 

EVERYONE at Aberdeen Football Club would like to send our best wishes to Alex Kiddie, our oldest surviving former player, as he celebrates his 93rd birthday today.

 

Alex not only played for the Dons, he was also a member of our first ever trophy winning side, who beat Rangers 3-2 in the 1946 Southern League Cup final in front of a bumper 130,000 crowd at Hampden Park.

Unfortunately, we were unable to contact Alex directly to pass on our good wishes. The care home he now stays at in Dundee is currently in lock down in accordance with the regulations put in place to protect the more vulnerable members of our society during the Covid-19 outbreak. But – as part of our StillStandingFree campaign – the club sent Alex a letter to say thanks for being a true living legend plus a video message from another afc great, Neil Simpson.

It’s fitting that we should also celebrate Alex’s big day by using extracts from previous interviews done with him to look back on his time as a Don.

I first spoke to Alex more than seven years ago, while working as a sportswriter for the Aberdeen Evening Express, and it was clear that he really loved his time at Pittodrie.

“I’ve always appreciated the opportunity Aberdeen gave to me,” he said.

“I retain a lot of affection for the club because it was a special time and an honour to be part of the team which won the first major trophy.”

Born in 1927, Alex played for Ashdale Boys in his native Dundee before joining Stobswell Juniors.

He was provisionally signed by Celtic in 1944, but the Hoops never took up their option to sign him.

The Dons stepped in after being impressed by Alex’s display for Forfarshire against Aberdeenshire in a county select representative match.

That was despite a last gasp attempt by Celtic to scupper the deal for the then 18- year-old winger.

Alex said: “I had never heard anything from Celtic after leaving them that summer, so assumed they wouldn’t be getting in touch.

“David Halliday, Aberdeen’s manager at the time, spoke to me after the select game and asked me to sign for them.

“After talking things over with my dad, I agreed.

“A few days later a neighbour told me a man from Glasgow had come to see me.

“She said I wasn’t in but knew I’d be playing for my Junior club later so he told her he would be back to see me.

“That was my last game for Stobswell and at half-time the club secretary told me Jimmy McGrory (Celtic’s manager) wanted to se me.

“Everyone’s mouths fell wide open when they heard that!

“We went into the committee room and Mr McGrory told me he had heard Aberdeen had signed me and wanted to know it it was true.

“I told him it was and he insisted Celtic were still interested but I said I couldn’t
go back.

“He then said if I also signed a contract with them, both would become null and void, meaning I would be suspended and I’d become a free agent again.

“He promised Celtic would sign me after I served my suspension but I told him I had given my word to Aberdeen and that was that.”

Alex’s show of loyalty was even more remarkable because he had joined the Dons as an amateur player.

“I was still at St Andrews University studying for my BSC in maths and physics,” said Alex.

“I was also active as a sprinter on the athletics field and did well in the long jump, which is why I chose not to go professional.

“I got my expenses covered but that was it.

“I didn’t care though because I loved playing for Aberdeen.”

Alex ended up enjoying a fairytale first season with the Dons as they claimed the first trophy in the club’s history.

The Southern League Cup was a regional competition held during the Second World War.

It was dominated by Rangers, who won it in 1941, 42, 43 and 45, with Hibs the only side to break their grip on the trophy.

When the war ended, the competition was expanded to include teams from the north of Scotland as well, which is how Aberdeen came to be involved.

We beat Ayr United to book a semi-final against Airdrie.

The sides drew 2-2 in their first clash, at Ibrox, but Alex scored twice in the replay in a 5-2 victory. Stan Williams, Archie Baird and Bill Straus were Aberdeen’s other scorers that day.

That set up the final showdown against holders Rangers on May 11, 1946, which caught the imagination of the public and attracted that huge crowd of 130,000.

Alex said: “Playing in front of the sea of faces at Hampden that day is something that has never left me.

“How big the crowd was never really struck home until I was setting the ball to take a corner.

“It gave me the chance to look around myself and I thought ‘my goodness’.

“It really was quite amazing.”

It was to be an afternoon when Alex produced one of his best ever performances in an Aberdeen shirt, despite the fact he was still a teenager and up against Rangers greats like Jock ‘Tiger’ Shaw, Willie Waddell, Scot Symon, George Young and Willie Thornton.

Legendary Scottish journalist Jack Webster, who was just a teenager himself when the final was played, wrote about it his book ‘The Dons’ – the official history of the club, which was first published in 1978.

Jack wrote: “It was the first opportunity for a whole generation of football supporters to visit the national stadium and when the Aberdeen party arrived in Glasgow they found the city seething with red and white.

“That was the day when a slightly built lad from Dundee, who was generally referred to as A.A.Kiddie, played the game of his life, turning his own dream-like performance into a nightmare for Rangers left-back stalwart Tiger Shaw, who was not accustomed to chasing shadows.”

The Dons took the lead when Stan Williams nodded on a long throw-in from Andy Cowie for Archie Baird to nod home.

Alex provided the cross that led to Stan Williams making it 2-0 but Rangers hit back with two goals in the second half. Alex then hit the crossbar with a shot in a game that looked destined to end in a draw until Aberdeen’s young winger stepped up again.

Jack Webster, who listened to final live on BBC radio back in Aberdeen, continued:

“The game had entered its very last minute and the atmosphere was felt not only on the slopes of Hampden Park but in places like the common room of Gordon’s College boarding house at Queen’s Road, where a group of us were clustered around the wireless set, as we called it then, hanging on every word of BBC commentator Peter Thomson.

“He had checked his watch his watch for the number of dying seconds when suddenly Aberdeen were on the attack, the ball had been crossed by Kiddie… Cowie was going for it… Hamilton was going for it… George Taylor was going for it…”

It was Taylor who finally put the cross away and there was only time for the game to restart before the final whistle went and confirmed Aberdeen had won their first national trophy.
Newspaper reports of the time also talk of how ‘young Kiddie of Aberdeen’ gave Tiger Shaw a ‘torrid time.’

When I asked Alex about that he seemed a little embarrassed and would only say:

“I was pretty pleased with how I played that day.

“Rangers had a terrific side but we got the better of them.

“I don’t think many people gave us a chance but we always believed we would win, even when Rangers pulled it back to 2-2.”

When asked about the winning goal, Alex said: “I did what always did, got the ball, took it down the wing and crossed for George to score.

“It was a great achievement winning the cup that day.

“I remember stopping at the railway station to buy a paper to read the match report, I still have that newspaper!”

As the only amateur to play in the final, Alex was unable to share in the win bonus the Dons directors gave to their cup winning squad. Aberdeen chairman William Mitchell asked what he would like instead to mark the occasion – and Alex chose a wristwatch.

“I had never owned a watch before so I was delighted,” he said.

“Not getting a bonus never worried me.

“Winning the cup was reward enough.

“The watch was a very kind gesture by the club and I’ve been proud to wear it almost every day since.

“The only time I’ve taken it off was when I went on holiday because I was worried about losing it.

“I get it serviced regularly so it still keeps perfect time.

“The chairman had it inscribed before presenting it to me, it’s one of my most treasured possessions.”

Alex continued to play as an amateur for a further two years while completing his studies.

He made a total 48 appearances and scored 13 goals for the Dons before moving to Falkirk, in December 1950.

Alex also played for Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin City, Montrose and Forfar during the 1950s but it was that spell with Aberdeen that was the highlight of his career.

When Alex turned 90, in April 2017, the club contacted him to say we were aiming to beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup final the following month in his honour.

A letter sent to Alex from Pittodrie said: “As our oldest living player, and the last survivor of what was our first major honour, the Southern League Cup in 1946, you hold a very special place in the hearts of all those connected with the club and hopefully we can lift the Scottish Cup in your honour.”

Alex admitted he was touched by that gesture: “The letter from Aberdeen was a lovely touch and had some very nice words.

“It was a pleasant surprise and brought back many great memories for me.”

On behalf of all of the Red Army, we would once again like to say thank you to Alex for the important part he played in our history and hope that he enjoys his birthday celebrations.

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