Footballer
Born: February 26, 1932;
Died: October, 2015 23
PETER Price, who has died aged 83, was a footballer and quite simply Ayr United's greatest player. For all the big names – Stevie Nicol, Alan McInally, Johnny Doyle, Robert Connor or Cutty Young who went on from Somerset Park to star for the Old Firm, or for Scotland, never mind the legend of Ally MacLeod – Peter Price is the man amongst Honest Men.
The official History of Ayr United, written by Duncan Carmichael, describes the seven years during which Price wore United's number nine shirt as The Price Era. And what an era it was for the fans on the Somerset Park, who enjoyed watching Price score goals galore.
In all, he played 199 games for United, scoring 213 goals. No other United player, before or since, has come close to his goal-scoring feats. But, he was not simply a penalty-box predator - one goal against Stranraer is rated every bit as good as Ryan Stevenson's legendary You Tube sensation strike for a later Ayr United team.
He was not strictly speaking an "Honest Man", being born in the small mining hamlet of Drumley, some four miles from Ayr town centre. Like most boys from Drumley, he was destined for the pits, but he could not adjust to working life underground and quit.
He was soon finding the net regularly for Craigmark Burntonians in the Western League, with his goal-scoring helping the Dalmellington side to the Western League (South) title in 1950-51 and catching the eye of St Mirren. But he failed to impress at Love Street and was soon heading south, to Gloucester City.
He did his national service at this time, which saw him loaned to Darlington while posted to Catterick, before, duty to Queen and country done, he returned to Ayrshire and signed for United in 1955.
This was a marriage made in heaven, as, back on home soil, he began his legendary goal-scoring feats. In 1956, United were promoted from Division B, finishing second behind Queen's Park. They scored 103 league goals that season, 40 of them coming from Price.
They lasted only one season in the top flight, but, of their 48 league goals, Price accounted for 21. Back in Division B, the goals continued to flow; he scored 105 over the next two seasons, culminating in promotion, as Division Two Champions in 1959.
The stronger Division One defences could not entirely strangle his goal-scoring ability. He notched a hat-trick in a 5-2 demolition of Motherwell's "Ancell Babes" at Somerset Park, while his last-gasp equaliser against eventual Champions Hearts, at Somerset Park, was caught by the TV cameras. This was, literally the last kick of the game – there was no time to re-start play.
The following season, he gave United's long-suffering fans – the team was heading for relegation at the end of that season – a welcome Christmas present, with the only goal in a 1-0 Somerset Park win over Champions-to-be Rangers, on Christmas Eve.
But he was no longer an automatic pick and, at the end of that season, he refused to re-sign, before changing his mind. In January, 1962, he left United for Raith Rovers, then moved on to Albion Rovers, before emigrating to Australia, to play for Gladesville.
He scored with his first touch in Australian football, on his way to a hat-trick against Hakoah, but he never settled in the Antipodes and was soon back in Ayr, where he played out his career with local junior side Whitletts Victoria.
Price remained a weel-kent face in Ayr, as a bus driver, then a taxi driver. He was always a welcome guest at Somerset Park, but his main sporting pleasure was bowling, outdoors in the summer, indoors in the winter. He also gave much of his time to his growing and expanding family.
He and Christina, who he married in 1959, had four children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
He is survived by Christina, daughters Jacqueline and Andrea and son Paul. Another son. Peter Junior, predeceased his father in 2003.
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