Allan McGraw

Allan McGraw (born 29 July 1939 in Govan)^[1] is a Scottish former football player and manager.

Player

McGraw started his playing career with Greenock Morton. He set a Scottish record for most goals scored in a season, while playing in Division Two. He finished as Morton's top goalscorer in five consecutive seasons, and appeared in their 1963 Scottish League Cup Final defeat. He helped the club to promotion to the top flight in 1964, their first time at that level since 1952. Two seasons later in 1966 the Ton were relegated.

McGraw left Morton for Hibernian, where he scored a goal which meant that the club reached a League Cup final. He took a number of pain killing injections in order to play while injured. This ruined his knees, causing great pain and necessitating the use of walking sticks for the rest of his life. He later played for Linfield for one season and spent a season back at Morton without appearing in a league match.

Manager

McGraw returned to Morton as manager in 1985. He gained a reputation for developing young players, including Derek McInnes, John Anderson, David Wylie and Alan Mahood. Towards the end of his time as manager, McGraw built a team that were only denied the chance to win promotion to the Scottish Premier Division by one goal in the 1995-96 season.

Politics

He stood for election as an independent for West Renfrewshire in the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. His son Mark also played for both Morton and Hibs.

References

• Jeffrey, Jim (2005). The Men Who Made Hibernian F.C. since 1946. Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7524-3091-2.