Born on this day in 1954 is former Lads defender Jackie Ashurst. Hailing from Coatbridge – the birthplace of Billy and John Hughes – Wacky Jackie started his football education with Renton Juniors before signing for us as an apprentice in 1969. He made his debut in September 1972 against Millwall, alongside Mick McGiven in central defence, when a Dennis Tueart goal brought us victory.
He made a further eleven starts that season, and came off the bench once, but the presence of Pitt and Watson meant that he didn’t feature in our FA Cup campaign, with John Tones and David Young being the preferred replacements when either of our first choice pair were unavailable. The following season brought 21 appearances, including four from the bench, and his first goal – on the last day, in a 4-3 win at Luton.
There were only four games, and no goals, in ’74-75, as the arrival of Jeff Clarke in place of Watson also kept Jackie out of the starting eleven for a couple of years, and he asked for a transfer before an injury to Jeff gave him the break he’d been looking for. He’d p