Tommy Gemmell, Gordon Strachan, Jocky Scott, Ally Donaldson and a future “Dundee reject” – Dave Mackinnon’s short spell as a player at Dens Park was certainly eventful.
After a short loan stint from Arsenal in 1976, the young Scot upset World Cup-winner Alan Ball by storming out of a meeting at Highbury demanding manager Bertie Mee rip up his contract.
Mackinnon details in his upcoming book how low his mental health was at that time and how he regrets the blow-up that led to his exit.
Made worse by seeing former reserve team colleagues make the step up to the Gunners’ first team.
The 67-year-old was inspired to write ‘Slide Tackles & Boardroom Battles’ after suffering a near-fatal fall down 12 concrete steps that ruptured an artery to his brain. In recovery, he picked up the pen and jotted down his experiences.
Heart problem
It was also discovered during his recovery he had a condition called ‘footballer’s heart’ – or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – the condition that led to the untimely death of Motherwell’s Phil O’Donnell on the pitch in 2007.
“We need to take control by getting heart screening back on the agenda before we are forced to do so following another tragic on-field death,” Mackinnon told Courier Sport.
“It transpired I have this footballer’s heart situation. I’m the luckiest guy in the world because I only found out about it after I had the accident.
“Since I retired from playing, I’ve never had a heart scan. It was luck.
“I count my blessings because usually the first thing you know about it is when you collapse in the street and you’re gone.”
Regret
Mackinnon’s senior playing career started at Dundee after leaving Arsenal despite being on the fringes of the first team at Highbury.
A decision he still regrets.
“I didn’t regret leaving Arsenal because there’s any disrespect for Dundee,” he added.
“I decided I wanted to go to Dundee for first-team football.
“I was supposed to make my Arsenal debut against Stoke City and I broke my metatarsal on the Wednesday before the game.
‘Dented me mentally’
“My room-mate, Frank Stapleton, and I were told we’d play so we were quite excited about it. But then the Wednesday someone stood on my foot and broke it.
“I was sitting in the digs on my own for three weeks, 400 miles from home and no one to talk to. It dented me mentally.
“I was really friendly with Frank Stapleton and I listened to him playing on the radio and I couldn’t believe what had happened to me.
“That whetted my appetite to play but I never got the chance. Dundee wanted me and said I’d play.
“Playing football was more important than money – my wages at Dundee were a third of what they were at Arsenal – but it wasn’t about money, it was about playing.
“I came up and was supposed to play Celtic on the Saturday but I played a reserve game, got a kick in the ankle and it put me out for months, two operations.
“So that wasn’t a good time. Especially watching Match of the Day and all the guys I played with in the reserves at Arsenal were playing – David O’Leary, Graham Rix and David Price.
“It felt like everything was transpiring against me.”
‘No loyalty!’
Eventually Mackinnon would recover from his injury and, after a stop-start 1976/77 season, he became more of a regular as Tommy Gemmell took over as manager.
Regulars that season included the likes of Billy Pirie, who scored a remarkable 38 goals in 46 games, Billy Williamson and Eric Sinclair also contributed 17 and 15 goals each.
The likes of Ally Donaldson, John McPhail, Jocky Scott, Eric Schaedler and a young Gordon Strachan were also part of that side.
But promotion eluded them by just one point, finishing third behind Greenock Morton and Hearts who were locked on 58 points. Ton went up on goal difference.
That would signal the end of Mackinnon’s time at Dens Park. And he’ll always remember his return to the stadium as a Partick Thistle player.
“I really enjoyed it at Dundee,” Mackinnon recalled.
“We were getting six-and-a-half to seven thousands fans coming every week.
“We just missed out on promotion which was hard to take.
“The following season, Tommy wanted a change so he cleared the place out – Gordon was transferred to Aberdeen and I went to Partick Thistle.
“I remember coming back to Dens Park. As a player I thought I had a good relationship with the fans but the fans started chanting ‘Dundee reject!’
“I knew then that in football there’s no loyalty!”
Slide Tackles & Boardroom Battles
Slide Tackles & Boardroom Battles will be released on November 2 and is available for pre-order HERE.
Mackinnon will be in Dundee for a night to talk about the book and to raise money for his old team-mate John McPhail after his own health issues.
Gordon Strachan, Paddy Barclay and the Scotsman’s Alan Pattullo will be there on November 24 at the Logie Club.
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