FORMER FIRST Minister Henry McLeish has led tributes to East Fife stalwart Jimmy Bonthrone who died at the weekend aged 79.

Mr McLeish, who played for the Fifers for six years under Bonthrone’s stewardship in the 1960s, described him as a true gentleman of football and an outstanding servant to the club.

Born in Kinglassie in 1929, Jimmy Bonthrone served East Fife as player, scout, manager, club secretary and general manager for nearly 50 years.

He first signed for the Methil club from Kinglassie Colliery when he was 18 and went on to make 282 appearances, scoring 112 goals in 11 seasons.

Although he joined East Fife in 1947, Mr Bonthrone’s first team debut was delayed for two years by National Service but he finally donned the black and gold shirt on November 19, 1949, when the Methil men were defeated 4-1 by Hibs.

He was part of the club’s historic side which lifted the league cup for the third time in 1953, the same year as he was selected to play for Scotland against the army, and for Scotland B against England B.

His Bayview playing career ended five years later when he moved to Dundee FC before joining Stirling Albion, then Queen of the South.

He then acted as a scout for the Methil club for around a year before taking over as manager from Charlie McCaig in 1962.

He was in charge of East Fife for six seasons, notching up 142 wins, 88 defeats and 52 draws, before becoming coach at Aberdeen under boss Eddie Turnbull, who he went on to replace as manager in 1971.

He enjoyed instant success at Pittodrie, lifting the inaugural Dryburgh Cup that year and went on to manage such Aberdeen greats as Joe Harper and Willie Miller.

During his time at Aberdeen he was also involved with the Scotland national team and ran the under-23 side.

He left Pittodrie in October 1975 and took a break from football for five years to become a car salesman.

But the lure of his beloved East Fife proved too much and when then chairman Jim Baxter offered him the post of general and commercial manager in 1980 he accepted, remaining there until his retiral in 1994.

His loyalty was rewarded the following year when the club organised a testimonial match against Manchester United in his honour.

Mr Bonthrone’s close friend Alex Ferguson brought a strong team which included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to Bayview, where Man United won 4-0, with Beckham scoring twice.

The following day, Mr Bonthrone cut the ribbon to officially open the Lower Methil Heritage Centre exhibition on East Fife, and a few years later the club named their Millennium Lounge—now the board room—in his honour.

Mr McLeish said he remembered Mr Bonthrone with fond affection and was saddened by his death.

“Jimmy was a man who was always very measured and very calm and he had a great knowledge of the game,” he said.

“He gave great service to East Fife, both as a player in the successful days of the early 1950s and as a manager and he was a gentleman of the game.

“I always followed his advice and his help was really appreciated by me at that time.”

Mr McLeish recalled Mr Bonthrone taking him to play a trial for Scotland under 18s, which led to him playing for his country against Yugoslavia.

“He was a key part of developing my confidence as a player and he has always been well regarded in the game.”

East Fife secretary Jim Stevenson described Mr Bonthrone as a club legend and said, “Everyone is very sad at his passing.

“He made an enormous contribution to the club and was held in really high regard. He was very well known in football and to East Fife fans.

“East Fife Football Club would like to thank Jimmy Bonthrone for his contribution. He will never be forgotten here because we have the Jimmy Bonthrone Millennium Lounge, which is now our board room, with his Scotland shirt hanging up in it.”

Mr Bonthrone is survived by his wife Vina, two sons and a grandson. His funeral is at Kirkcaldy Crematorium on Friday at 11am.