Graham Leggat, a man who’s football career left a mark on Scotland, England and Canada, passed away last Saturday aged 81.
A native of Aberdeen, Leggat made his debut for his hometown club in 1953 when, under the management of Dave Halliday, the Dons would briefly emerge as a power in Scottish football. Though never relegated from the highest level in the country (a record that remains today), the only honour the club had won was the Scottish Cup in 1947. It was an era where a Rangers side, whose back line was dubbed the ‘Iron Curtain’ and a Hibernian side whose forward line was known as the ‘Famous Five’, dominated the landscape in Scotland.
In his debut season of 1953-54 Aberdeen could only finish ninth, but Leggat quickly emerged as a star on the wing and was a regular scorer, with 15 goals from 26 league games. Halliday’s team was developing nicely and for the following season, Leggat and Jack Hather on the wings would be part of a forward line that included Rob Wishart creating opportunities for Harry Yorston and Paddy Buckley to score. After half a century of playing among Scotland’s elite, 1954-55 would finally be the season in which Aberdeen won their first-ever League Championship. Celtic had won the double the previous season, which was to be their last title for over a decade, while Hibs and Rangers had faded, at least temporarily, after holding the Scottish League in a stranglehold since the end of World War II.
Of the 73 League goals scored by the Dons that season, Leggat registered 11, behind Yorston (12) and Buckley (17), while Jack Hather (9), Bobby Wishart (7) and Archie Glen (4) also scored their share.
The following season saw an expansion of the top flight from 16 to 18 teams, a number that would remain for the next 20 years. Aberdeen were still a formidable side, but a revived Rangers would win the League Championship. The Dons nonetheless scored 87 goals and Leggat managed a remarkable 19 from only 18 games. Now undoubtedly one of the star turns in the Scottish League, international recognition was inevitable and it was in 1956 that he made his Scotland debut. That was against England, and Leggat marked the occasion by scoring the opener, with his future Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes equalising.
Aberdeen’s form would then steadily decline as they eventually lost their strike partnership of Buckley and Yorston to injury and retirement respectively, yet Leggat (who would be the top scorer two seasons running) along with Wishart, Glen and Hather, continued to perform well. Not until the mid-60s under Eddie Turnbull, one of Hibs’ ‘Famous Five’, would Aberdeen again become a force in Scottish football.
In 109 League games for Aberdeen, Leggat scored 64 goals – 0.59 per game, or one goal every 1.7 outings, a fine return for a winger. Similarly, in his 18 games for Scotland, he would score eight goals, two of those against England and one against (West) Germany.
In 1958, Leggat made the move south of the border to join Fulham. Then in the Second Division, they nonetheless boasted a jewel of a player in midfield maestro Haynes, while Maurice Cook joined them from Watford that year to partner Jimmy Hill up front. An attack featuring Leggat, Hill, Cook, Haynes and Tosh Chamberlain proved to be a winning combination, as Fulham won promotion to the First Division in Leggat’s first season at the club, one in which he continued his trend of finding the net with 21 goals. Over the next decade, the Cottagers would be competitive in the top flight, but would never finish above mid-table and in fact the 1959-60 season was their highest finish of 10th place, not to be bettered for decades.
It was also the first of five seasons in which Leggat would finish as Fulham’s top scorer and the following campaign saw him score 23 goals. Over the years, the team would boast such players as Alan Mullery, Roy Bentley, Bobby Robson, Pat O’Connell, Rodney Marsh, Roy Bentley, Steve Earle, Bill Dodgin, Allan Clarke and World Cup winner George Cohen. In that company, Leggat continued to be a consistent performer and recorded 127 league goals between 1958 and 1966, with a number of hat-tricks to his credit.
On Boxing Day 1963, Fulham would take on Ipswich Town in a match that would become famous, or infamous, depending on point of view, for it was one that the Cottagers won 10-1, with Leggat making history as the fastest scorer of a hat-trick. It was also the last time a top-flight side scored 10 goals in a match. Just two days later in a reverse fixture at Portman Road, Ipswich would get their revenge by winning 4-2. Leggat scored there too.
After leaving Fulham, brief spells at Birmingham City and Rotherham United followed, along with more goals. Leggat finished his League career playing 395 games and scoring 201 times – a goal every other game from a player who spent much of his time on the wing.
After briefly playing for Bomsgrove Rovers, Leggat moved to Canada in 1971 to coach Toronto Metros. But it would be media where he carved out his post-playing living, and would have a distinguished career in broadcasting football with CBC and TSN. As a regular host of TSN’s Soccer Saturday, he would be a household name in Canada, recognised for his contribution to the game across the country.
As a player, Leggat deserved recognition as a fine talent whose record in front of goal remains mightily impressive.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
