Scotland international goalkeeper
Born: March 11, 1947;
Died: November 13, 2018
DAVIE Stewart, who has died aged 71, was a footballer who, long before Johnny Cash claimed the title, was known by Ayr United fans as The Man In Black. Other goalkeepers before him, notably Lev Yashin, have been known by the same name, but Stewart – while not in the great Russian's class – was certainly a fine custodian of the title.
Born in Glasgow, Stewart left school to train as an upholsterer and carpet fitter while playing football for local youth sides Wellshot, then Shettleston Violet. From there, he joined juniors Kilsyth Rangers and played in the Kilsyth team which beat Rutherglen Glencairn to win the Scottish Junior Cup in 1967. His form for the wee Rangers earned Stewart a move upstairs, to Ayr United, where he quickly broke through into the exciting team which Ally MacLeod was building there.
He spent six and a bit seasons at Somerset Park, making some 250 appearances for the Honest Men. That side, in Ally's first spell as United boss was a legendary squad – Stewart, right back Dick Malone and wingers Quintin “Cutty” Young and Johnny Doyle all won Scotland Under-23 honours, while Alex “Dixie” Ingram played for the Scottish League, while others came close to representative honours. They also had the maverick goal-scoring duo of George McLean and Alex Ferguson up front.
Stewart, like several of that squad, is in the United Hall of Fame, and, in spite of the rival claims of the eccentric Hugh Sproat, he is widely held to be the Honest Men's best goalkeeper. He back-stopped the Ayr team which won promotion to the old First Division in 1968-69, a status they would hold for the best part of a decade.
But, such was his ability, Ayr could not hold him and when, in 1973, seeking a replacement for Gary Sprake, Leeds United's Don Revie dangled a cheque for £30,000 in front of United, they grabbed it and Stewart went off to join the English glamour team of the time.
He knew he was going as back-up to Scotland cap David Harvey, but he accepted his lot and waited. Revie had departed, Brian Clough had come and gone, before Stewart's chance came. Harvey was injured in a car crash and manager Jimmy Armfield did not hesitate, throwing Stewart into the crunch games at the end of the 1974-75 season.
He played outstandingly well as United won a kicking match with Barcelona in the European Cup semi-final that year, to qualify for the Paris final, against Bayern Munich. This gave him a unique double – no other player has ever played in a Scottish Junior Cup Final and a European Cup Final.
That match, one of the most controversial ever, was won by the Germans, but, to this day, many neutrals agree, Leeds were “robbed” by some extremely doubtful refereeing calls, while the fact the Yorkshire fans rioted also cast a shadow over the match.
The following season, Harvey reclaimed his number one place and, although he never let Leeds down when called upon, Stewart was mainly used as back-up. He did, however, in September, 1977, convert the Under-23 cap he had won against Wales, seven years previously, into a full Scotland one, becoming Scotland internationalist #902, when his old Ayr boss, Ally MacLeod gave him his only cap in a 1-0 defeat to East Germany. He did save a penalty during the game and was widely praised for his performance, but, by then back on the Leeds bench to Harvey, he failed to make the squad for the 1978 World Cup Finals.
He moved on from Leeds, for whom he had made 74 appearances, to West Bromwich Albion, but he never made a first team appearance at the Hawthorns, and moved on again, to Swansea City, for whom he made a further 57 appearances, before hanging up his gloves.
He helped the Swans win promotion to the old First Division for the first time, in 1981, but manager John Toshack brought in Welsh internationalist Dai Davies for the season in the top flight and Stewart was back to being back-up. He finished his playing career with a short spell in Hong Kong.
He remained in Swansea for a number of years, working firstly in a carpet shop, before retraining as a goldsmith, a profession he followed for over 20 years. In retirement, he returned to live in Kilsyth.
He is survived by his wife Anne; they had no children.
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