Punters in a Lochee betting shop, like myself, enjoy hearing Charlie Walker’s tales of quirky goings-on in the soccer world.
Some, though, are casting doubt and reckon he is making it all up.
“Can you find a corner in your column to confirm the following,” said Charlie, a regular contributor to BwB.
“On the day that Bob Shankly’s Dundee FC won the league against St Johnstone at Muirton, I was up at Brechin to see Morton play.
“Several of my relatives are from Greenock and I joined them that day and saw Morton win 9-1.
“If my memory serves me correct, Everton also won by a big score that day, and so did West Bromwich Albion.
“Also, St Johnstone were relegated from the top league in Scotland but did not finish bottom.
“Liverpool were in the English Second Division.”
All of Charlie’s facts are true.
Dundee’s 3-0 win over St Johnstone relegated the Perth side, who were second bottom with Stirling Albion rooted at the foot of the table.
The bottom two were automatically relegated at that time.
That same day — April 28, 1962 — Brechin did, indeed, lose by that heavy score to The Ton.
Everton beat Cardiff 8-3 at Goodison Park. Scorers were Roy Vernon 3 (1 pen), Billy Bingham, Jimmy Gabriel, Dennis Stevens, Derek Temple and Alec Young.
On the same day, West Bromwich Albion beat Blackpool 7-1 at The Hawthorns.
Bill Shankly’s Liverpool were in the English Second Division in season 1961-62 but they won the league title and promotion to the top flight, making it a league double for the Shankly brothers.
Charlie finished off with: “I have not got around to telling them that I also had ‘five bob’ (25p) on the 2,000 Guineas winner that day at 33-1.
“Maybe you can tell them.”
You just have yourself, Charlie.
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