ALEX GOVAN

Born: 16 June 1929

1. Came from: Bridgeton Boys Club   Went to: Birmingham City

1. First game: 05 October 1946   Last game: 06 April 1953

2. Came from: Portsmouth   Went to: Retired

2. First game: 18 September 1958   Last game: 27 February 1960

Appearances: 150 (150/0)   Goals: 39

Govan was an outside-left who was born in Glasgow and started his career locally with Bridgeton Boys Club.

He was recommended to Argyle manager Jack Tresadern by former Argyle player, Alec Hardie, who was by then leading Argyle's Scottish scouting network. Hardie believed Govan would go on to represent Scotland at senior level. The cap did not materialise, but the career he would go on to have validated Hardie's eye for talent.

He was persuaded to make the long move to Devon, in part by a sham apprenticeship to initially delay conscription. Govan arrived at Home Park as a fresh-faced young Scot in the summer of 1946, with Argyle chairman Dudley Cole's building firm taking him on as an apprentice chippie on post-war re-builds and he clocked in and out each day and then went off to training. He did eventually get called up, his papers arriving in 1947 after which he served in the RAF for eighteen months, playing for their representative sides whilst also turning out regularly for Argyle's reserves in the Football Combination League.

It took Govan over five years to really make his mark, making just seven appearances in his first four seasons. A switch from inside-left to the left-wing transformed his career, and he became famous for his speed and ability to whip in dangerous crosses with his left-foot. He played 35 league matches in each of the next three seasons, to take his total to 117 appearances and 30 goals, playing a key role in the team that won the Third Division (South) championship in 1951-52.

This bought him to the attention of top-flight Birmingham City in 1953. Initially reluctant to move as he had married a local girl, City promised them a house, and the deal went ahead in June 1953 for a fee of £6,500. He scored on his debut and finished that season with eight goals, and was later joined by fellow Argyle winger Gordon Astall. At the time, their forward line outclassed any other in the 1954-55 Second Division - five players, including Govan and Astall reached double figures as the club won the Second Division title.

Goals were harder to come by in the top-flight, but the club still achieved its highest-ever league finish of sixth and finished runners-up in the 1956 FA Cup Final. It was during the run to the Final that Govan was cited as being responsible for the club's anthem. The song, by fellow Scot, Sir Harry Lauder "Keep Right On To The End of the Road" was one of his favourite songs. He admitted that in an interview previously, but it was also reported that on the way to City's 1956 FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal he led the singing of it and it spread quickly among the players, and then to the fans. To this day it remains, and is often known as 'KRO'.

In April 1956, he was recognised by the national selectors and received his only call-up for a match against Austria. Unfortunately the match was due to be played only three days before the Cup Final, so City refused to release him. The following season, 1956-57, he was Blues' leading scorer with 30 goals in all competitions - a remarkable tally for a winger, which included five top-flight hat-tricks.

He also took a highly productive part in their first foray into European competition in the 1955-58 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, playing at the Nou Camp against Barcelona and then scoring both goals to beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the San Siro, and top their qualifying group.

In five seasons at St Andrews, he made 187 appearances, scoring 60 goals. By 1958, with some perceiving his pace was beginning to flag, City spent £20,000 on winger Harry Hooper from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Govan decided to move on.

In March 1958 he was transferred to Portsmouth under Eddie Lever. However by the time the new season had started, Lever had been replaced by Eddie Cox who didn't see eye-to-eye with Govan and host of other key players. Govan failed to settle playing just 11 times and scoring twice. Rather prophetically, Govan had learned of Lever being replaced, from Argyle manager Jack Rowley during a summer round of golf. "You won't like him. If you have to leave, make sure you tell me" Rowley told him. Having turned down moves from Fratton Park to both Cardiff City and Brentford, Cox was apoplectic, whilst Govan told him simply to "ring Jack Rowley".

Six months after arriving in Portsmouth, by September 1958 he was back at Argyle. It was to prove to be a successful return, adding a further 33 appearances and eight goals across two seasons and helping the club to the Football League Third Division championship for the 1958-59 season. Towards the end of his second spell at Home Park, he was also player-manager of the club's South Western League side and at one stage, after a first team recall, Wrexham were keen to sign him but he had no desire to leave his adopted city for a second time.

He retired the following year and ran the Hyde Park Hotel in Mutley Plain with his wife for eight years, and later a market stall but sold up as the rise of supermarkets started. He had a brief spell as manager of Truro City in the 1972-73 season and also ran the the short-lived Plymouth City's youth team, winning several trophies.

In 2012, Govan was one of seven former players elected to Birmingham City's Hall of Fame and during the same era was a regular, and favourite match-day guest for Argyle Legends (and their successor, Forever Green), the former players' association at Home Park.

Govan died at his Plymouth home on in June 2016, aged 86 years old.

A fitting footnote comes from author Steve Rhodes' book "Thanks for the Memory" - a chronicle of the 1958-59 season championship-winning side. "He was in the Golden Hind one evening. A stranger came in and joined in the football chat. "Look, I have a £5 note, signed on the back by the great Leeds player John Charles, after he had scored both his teams goals in a 6-2 defeat against Birmingham." Alex looked up and said: "Better bring it over here son and I will sign the other side for you. I scored three for Birmingham that day!" The game had taken place in April 1957 at St Andrews and was his fifth hat-trick that season.