Alex Govan
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Alex" Govan is a Scottish
former professional footballer who played at outside left
. Most of his career was spent with Plymouth Argyle
(in two spells) and with Birmingham City
during their most successful period in the 1950s. He is credited with being responsible for Birmingham's fans adopting Harry Lauder
's song "Keep right on to the end of the road" as their anthem.
, Scotland
. As a schoolboy he played football for Bridgeton Boys Club, and was cap
ped for Scotland
at schoolboy level.
He was spotted by Plymouth Argyle
manager Jack Tresadern
, given a trial at the club, and eventually persuaded to make the long trip south to sign as an apprentice
. Govan admits there was an incentive apart from the football:
He also played one game for Scotland at youth level against Wales
youth team in 1945.
He scored 30 goals in 117 appearances for Plymouth, and was part of the team that won the Third Division South
championship in the 1951–52 season
.
When Birmingham City
showed an interest in signing Govan, he was reluctant to move away from the Plymouth
area, as his wife was a local girl, but when manager Bob Brocklebank
promised them a house, the deal went ahead.
Govan signed for Birmingham in June 1953 for a fee of £6,500.
He scored on his debut and finished that season with eight goals.
With the addition of the prolific Eddy Brown
to regular top scorer Peter Murphy
, a former league-winner with Tottenham Hotspur
, combined with the creativity of Govan, fellow Plymouth winger Gordon Astall
and Welsh international Noel Kinsey
who had all joined the club the previous year, the Birmingham forward line outclassed any other in the Second Division
. All five reached double figures as the club won the 1955
championship.
Though unable to score at such a rate in the top flight, the club still achieved its highest ever league finish of sixth place.
They also reached the 1956 FA Cup Final
, and it was during that season's FA Cup campaign that Govan was responsible for Harry Lauder
's song "Keep right on to the end of the road"
being adopted (and adapted)
as the anthem of the Birmingham City fans. There is no definitive explanation of how this happened. One version has him heard singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter-final against Arsenal
;
another has him revealing in a radio interview that it was his favourite song.
Either way, by the time the football correspondent of The Times
came to write his Cup Final preview, the song was well enough established for him to describe how
The strengths of Govan's game were hard work, pace on the wing and exceptional goalscoring ability. In April 1956, his ability was recognised by the national selectors when he received his only call-up to the full Scotland squad
for a match against Austria
. Unfortunately for him the international match was due to be played only three days before the Cup Final, so Birmingham refused to release him.
The following season he was Birmingham's leading scorer with 30 goals in all competitions.
This was a remarkable tally, especially for a winger, and included no fewer than five hat-trick
s:
He also took a productive part in Birmingham's first foray into European competition in the 1955–58
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
, scoring both goals to beat Inter Milan 2–1 and thereby top the qualifying group.
By 1958 his pace was beginning to flag.
Winger Harry Hooper came in from Wolverhampton Wanderers
for a £20,000 fee.
In March 1958 Govan was transferred to Portsmouth
but failed to settle; six months later he returned to his first club Plymouth Argyle. He contributed to the club winning the Third Division
championship that season
before retiring the following year.
He settled in Plymouth, where he still lives.
Birmingham City
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former professional footballer who played at outside left
Outside forward
Outside forward is a position in association football which refers to a footballer who plays as an advanced forward on the right or left wing - as an outside right or outside left. Typically as part of a 2-3-5 formation or one of its variants...
. Most of his career was spent with Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
(in two spells) and with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
during their most successful period in the 1950s. He is credited with being responsible for Birmingham's fans adopting Harry Lauder
Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
's song "Keep right on to the end of the road" as their anthem.
Biography
Alex Govan was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. As a schoolboy he played football for Bridgeton Boys Club, and was cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
ped for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
at schoolboy level.
He was spotted by Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
manager Jack Tresadern
Jack Tresadern
John "Jack" Tresadern was an English professional footballer and football manager. He played twice for the England national side.-Playing career:...
, given a trial at the club, and eventually persuaded to make the long trip south to sign as an apprentice
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
. Govan admits there was an incentive apart from the football:
He also played one game for Scotland at youth level against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
youth team in 1945.
He scored 30 goals in 117 appearances for Plymouth, and was part of the team that won the Third Division South
Football League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
championship in the 1951–52 season
1951-52 in English football
The 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
.
When Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
showed an interest in signing Govan, he was reluctant to move away from the Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
area, as his wife was a local girl, but when manager Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank
Bob Brocklebank was an English footballer and manager.He played for Aston Villa and Burnley, where he was top goalscorer in 1937-38 before becoming a manager, at Chesterfield, Birmingham City, Hull City and Bradford City....
promised them a house, the deal went ahead.
Govan signed for Birmingham in June 1953 for a fee of £6,500.
He scored on his debut and finished that season with eight goals.
With the addition of the prolific Eddy Brown
Eddy Brown
Edwin "Eddy" Brown is an English former footballer who played as a centre forward. He played professionally for a number of clubs, but the peak of his career was spent with Birmingham City during their most successful period in the 1950s...
to regular top scorer Peter Murphy
Peter Murphy (footballer born 1922)
Peter Murphy , often referred to as "Spud" Murphy, was an English footballer who played as an inside left. He played professionally for three clubs, Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City...
, a former league-winner with Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, combined with the creativity of Govan, fellow Plymouth winger Gordon Astall
Gordon Astall
Gordon Astall is a former English professional footballer. He played as an outside right and represented the Football League, the England B team and played twice for the full England side. At club level he made over 450 appearances in the Football League.Astall was born in Horwich, near Bolton,...
and Welsh international Noel Kinsey
Noel Kinsey
Noel Kinsey is a Welsh former international footballer, who played as an inside right for Norwich City, Birmingham City and Port Vale.-Club career:...
who had all joined the club the previous year, the Birmingham forward line outclassed any other in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. All five reached double figures as the club won the 1955
1954-55 in English football
The 1954–1955 season was the 75th season of competitive football in England, from August 1954 to May 1955:-Overview:* Chelsea win the League Championship for the first time.* Newcastle United win the FA Cup....
championship.
Though unable to score at such a rate in the top flight, the club still achieved its highest ever league finish of sixth place.
They also reached the 1956 FA Cup Final
1956 FA Cup Final
The 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
, and it was during that season's FA Cup campaign that Govan was responsible for Harry Lauder
Harry Lauder
Sir Henry Lauder , known professionally as Harry Lauder, was an international Scottish entertainer, described by Sir Winston Churchill as "Scotland's greatest ever ambassador!"-Early life:...
's song "Keep right on to the end of the road"
being adopted (and adapted)
as the anthem of the Birmingham City fans. There is no definitive explanation of how this happened. One version has him heard singing it on the coach on the way to the quarter-final against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
;
another has him revealing in a radio interview that it was his favourite song.
Either way, by the time the football correspondent of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
came to write his Cup Final preview, the song was well enough established for him to describe how
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
for a match against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
. Unfortunately for him the international match was due to be played only three days before the Cup Final, so Birmingham refused to release him.
The following season he was Birmingham's leading scorer with 30 goals in all competitions.
This was a remarkable tally, especially for a winger, and included no fewer than five hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
s:
He also took a productive part in Birmingham's first foray into European competition in the 1955–58
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1955-58
The first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup took place over three seasons from 1955 to 1958. The competition began with a group stage with each team playing home and away against each other. Due to the competition rules which stated only one side from each city was allowed to compete, many cities with several...
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
, scoring both goals to beat Inter Milan 2–1 and thereby top the qualifying group.
By 1958 his pace was beginning to flag.
Winger Harry Hooper came in from Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
for a £20,000 fee.
In March 1958 Govan was transferred to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
but failed to settle; six months later he returned to his first club Plymouth Argyle. He contributed to the club winning the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
championship that season
before retiring the following year.
He settled in Plymouth, where he still lives.
Honours
Plymouth Argyle- Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division SouthThe Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
champions 19521951-52 in English footballThe 1951–52 season was the 72nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
. - Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
champions 19591958-59 in English footballThe 1958–59 season was the 79th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:August 1958: The Football League season begins with the new national Third and Fourth divisions that have been created from the old Third Division North and Third Division South.September 1958: Manchester...
.
Birmingham City
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champions 19551954-55 in English footballThe 1954–1955 season was the 75th season of competitive football in England, from August 1954 to May 1955:-Overview:* Chelsea win the League Championship for the first time.* Newcastle United win the FA Cup....
. - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finalist 19561956 FA Cup FinalThe 1956 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 1955–56 staging of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup, better known as the FA Cup. The showpiece event was contested between Manchester City and Birmingham City at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday...
. - Club's top scorer 1956–571956-57 in English footballThe 1956–57 season was the 77th season of competitive football in England.Manchester United won the First Division to become English football champions for the fifth time. Tottenham Hotspur were runners-up. In the Second Division it was Leicester City who finished in top spot, ahead of East...
.
External links
- Profile at Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database.