Hughie Gallacher

Legendary Hughie Gallacher was one of the classic inter war footballers. A member of the Wembley Wizards Scotland team of 1928 while at Newcastle, the Scots famously beating England 5-1 at Wembley with Hughie grabbing a brace, he had started at Queen of the South and Airdrie, where he’d scored 100 goals in 129 games. A £6500 transfer to Newcastle followed and 5 years of wizardry ensued with 143 goals in 174 games, with Newcastle winning the League Championship in 1926-27 in his first full season as Gallacher scored 36 goals in 38 games, still the highest number of league goals in one season by a Newcastle player. He was sold to big spending Chelsea in 1930. Another 72 goals in 132 games over 4 years at Chelsea was followed by a transfer to Derby County aged 31 in 1934. Still the goals flowed, 38 in 51 games for Derby and 32 in 45 games for Notts County. He finished up playing a season each at Grimsby Town and Gateshead up to his retirement in 1939. At international level he played 20 times for Scotland and his 23 goals still ranks only behind Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law.

Hughie’s life and legend isn’t just about his amazing genius in his size 6 boots, his private life was often in disarray and he tragically took his own life in 1957. The excellent article covering the more tragic aspects of his life and death published in 1999 is something worth reading, sad as it is, you can read it at http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-hero-who-died-of-shame-1124187.html