The following post was kindly submitted to us by Gordon McCreath, who is a keen Ayrshire junior football historian.
George Wall began his Junior career at Dalry Thistle, playing alongside a young Jim Leighton, who went on to win 91 Scottish international caps during his career with, amongst others, Aberdeen, Manchester United and Hibs. At the other end of his playing days, George won a Scottish Cup medal with Largs Thistle. In between he played with Irvine Meadow.
GMcC: How long did you play for the Meadow, George?
George Wall: I think it was three seasons. Let me work it out. I played with Port Rangers under 18s. I went to Morton, signed with them and they farmed me out to Dalry where Erik Sørensen was the manager. Morton freed me and then I came to the Medda, so I was 19 when I came here. Les Dickie who was the coach at Port Rangers influenced me to come to the Medda.
GMcC: You mentioned Erik Sørensen the former Morton and Rangers goalkeeper was the Dalry manager at that time. Was Jim Leighton the goalkeeper at Dalry Thistle when you were there?
George Wall: Yes. And I still say to this day the reason Jim Leighton made it as a goalkeeper is because Erik Sørensen hammered him. If you look at Jim, he’s not the biggest guy in the world, he’s not the broadest guy in the world. He disnae look like a goalkeeper. Erik Sørensen hammered that boy every night at training. He was told to be there an hour before the rest of us and Sørensen just tortured him for an hour. Then he’d come in, get a shower, and went back out with us. Honestly the warm up before a game in the dressing room with Sørensen and Leighton. Sørensen was a big guy and he just flung the ball and Leighton had to grab it
GMcC: Anyway, back to Meadow. Did you win any trophies when you were a player here?
George Wall: Yes, we won the Ayrshire District Cup. I think we won it at Troon. If I remember rightly the final was here, but we went down to Portland Park for the replay. I remember playing in the middle of the park with Ally Mauchlen. What a player he was! We played 4-2-4 and Ally and I were in the middle. I think that was the only cup we won. We got to the final of the Jackie Scarlett Cup against Auchinleck at Dam Park but I think they beat us 3-2. I scored the first goal. It was blowing a gale and, as you know, Dam Park is wide open. We took the lead and we scored a second goal and I don’t know how we got beaten that day.
GMcC: From that Meadow squad who were the players you would pick out?
George Wall: Well, when you look at the squad, Tam Clarke was the goalkeeper, a right good goalkeeper, although in the final, if I’m right, he flung one in the net. Ronnie Adams at right back, who’d played in the 1973 Scottish Cup team. Con Renfrew was the left back, what a character he was. Central defence at the time was Bobby Currie and Dylan Alexander. In the middle of the park you had Alastair Mauchlen, Peter Monan, Frankie Clark, Alan Johnstone was there, Jimmy Flynn, Bobby Stevenston, myself. Johnny McIntyre was the manager. And I still to this day think, how could we not keep that squad together? Frankie Clark got a Scottish cap when I was here. And Monan, what a player he was, he could play anywhere. Alan Johnstone was at the end of his career, but what a goalscorer. I played outside left at the time and all I had to do was hit the ball into the box and Alan would be up, bump, goal. Bobby Stevenston used to go in the cold shower before a game to waken himself up. He went to Cumnock and then he went to Largs as well. Wee Jimmy McIntyre came in the following season. He was with Rangers at the time and played in the Rangers first team. But that was some team we had.
GMcC: Do you think if that team had stayed together, it had the potential to be a Scottish Cup winning team?
George Wall: Oh aye, definitely. When you think that Auchinleck won it and Cumnock won it and we were a match for them.
GMcC: Why did you leave?
George Wall: It was when John Minford came in as the manager and I don’t think he liked me so much. I mean footballwise and that’s OK. Managers have got to pick who they think are the best players. And reading into the situation I thought I needed to get out of here.
GMcC: You mentioned Johnny McIntyre was the manager when you came here. He is a real legend at this club. What was it like to work with him as manager?
George Wall: Johnny was a quiet guy. He wasn’t emotional. He didn’t lose the plot. I think Johnny’s thing was to have good players and forget about the tactics. Don’t get me wrong, he knew what he was talking about. It wasn’t tactical, it was ‘go out and play football boys.’
GMcC: What position did you play?
George Wall: I came here as an outside-left. I played there for Morton and Dalry. We were playing against Irvine Vics and they had a player at outside right called Fraser Preston. He was torturing our left-back, Sammy Casemont. And Johnny whipped Sammy off and put me at left-back. And I played at left-back for years and years.
GMcC: In your Junior days where was the hardest place to go and win:
George Wall: Beith is a hard park, just because of the slope. The Talbot’s park, just because it’s the Talbot.
GMcC: The real highlight of your career must have been winning a Scottish Cup winner’s medal for Largs Thistle in the final against Glenafton.
George Wall: It was 1-0. Pat McCurdy scored the goal. I was substitute and I knew I wasn’t going to get a game. I knew John Crawford, the manager, just wouldn’t pick me, because he just didn’t think I was any good. The reason I came on in the cup final was that Largs had a guy ordered off and they were struggling. Glenafton were pressing and Barclay Feeney ran over to the bench and said ‘get him on.’ In the end it was easy. It should have been three or four nil to Largs but Pat McCurdy missed three or four chances.