Tributes have been pouring in from everyone involved at Berwick Rangers for Sammy Reid, scorer of the club’s most famous goal, who died at his Wishaw home in Lanarkshire on Sunday aged 75.
Sammy was part of the Berwick team which famously defeated Rangers in the Scottish Cup first round on January 28, 1967 in what is still considered to be one of the biggest upsets in the history of Scottish football and a result which gave the Wee Gers some significant publicity in the aftermath of the game.
Despite spending just one season with Berwick, Sammy’s left-footed strike on 32 minutes against a Rangers side laden with Scottish internationals helped write his and his team-mates’ names into Berwick Rangers folklore in what was a truly unforgettable day for the club.
More recently, Sammy had been back at Shielfield Park on October 4 where he watched Berwick defeat Formartine United 2-0 in the Scottish Cup second round. He had also been planning another trip down on November 29 with ’67 team-mate Russell Craig for the fourth round tie against Albion Rovers.
Once again, the club would like to extend its sincere condolences to Sammy’s family and friends at this time and below, led by friend and team-mate Russell Craig, are some tributes to Sammy and memories of that game in 1967.
Russell Craig, team-mate of Sammy in 1967, said: “I went about with Sammy for the last 25 years and I knew him as a very determined and strong-minded man. He played with Clyde and broke his kneecap in a game at Easter Road which put his career on hold before he was signed by Ian Spence at Berwick in 1966. Big Jock (Wallace) arrived on the scene and we proceeded to beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup which was an unforgettable day that people are still talking about nearly 50 years later. He was a great character who didn’t suffer fools gladly, despite being just 5ft 4in tall, but more importantly he was a good family man.”
Alan Ainslie, also a team-mate of Sammy in 1967, said: “I was the youngest in the team in ‘67 so he was like the father figure to me in the dressing room. I looked up to him, as did some of the other younger lads like Kenny Dowds because at that time, I was only 19 and he would’ve been around 27 and he’d been around and played a bit more. He had a lot of injury problems but he was the total professional and such a nice guy. The special thing as well about ‘67 is the team that played against Rangers never played together again because the following game Jock didn’t play, when it came to the Hibs game George Christie didn’t play and at the end of the season that was it.”
Eric Tait, Berwick Rangers’ record appearance maker and goalscorer, said: “Sammy is somebody I’ll always look up to because he was a legend at the club and what he did is something that will never be forgotten. I remember being in the Ducket for the game as a 16-year-old at a time when I never missed a game for many years and I’m sure there won’t ever be another upset like that again as the gap between the teams was so much bigger back then than what it is now. Sammy’s goal is something which is still very fresh in my mind, I can visualise it all the time and I can remember just how awesome a day it was to be a Berwick fan.”
John Bell, Berwick Rangers vice-chairman, said: “We were genuinely saddened to hear of Sammy’s passing on Sunday as when we saw him last there was no hint that he was ill and we were fully expecting to see him around the club more often. The whole team – although Sammy does get singled out for scoring the goal – are quite legendary and there’s no doubt that what those guys did put Berwick Rangers on the map in Scottish football. It was also probably the single biggest event that put the club on the map in world football terms too with a lot of people regarding it as one of the greatest ever cup shocks.”
Dennis McCleary, Berwick Rangers club secretary, said: “It was just so sad to hear the news about Sammy as he’d been looking ever so well when he was last down here two or three weeks ago and I even said to him that he looked fit enough to be pulling on the number eight shirt. I was there (in 1967) with my mother among a lot of Rangers fans in what is now the North Stand and was then cinder terracing and my dad was on a turnstile. I honestly thought, as did Jock Wallace that Berwick had a chance, although few believed it but we were in cracking form at the time. For Berwick the publicity was immense. They filled Sunday and daily newspapers for days after with Sammy of course being the main focus of attention with Jock.”
David Spence, Berwick Rangers Supporters Trust committee member and 12 at the time of the Rangers game, said: “I met Sammy about half a dozen times in the last 20 years and found him to be the perfect gentleman who always had time to speak to us fans. When we drew Rangers in 1967 it was a time of great excitement, especially as a few of my closest friends were fans of the Ibrox Club and when Sammy scored that goal it was mental. The pitch was invaded by a few hundred people and I was nearly on myself but was persuaded not to by a member of the constabulary, although I was part of the pitch invasion when the final whistle blew. My sincere condolences to his family and friends and as far as Berwick Rangers are concerned, he won’t be forgotten.”
Photo: Motherwell FC
Elsewhere, Motherwell paid tribute to one of their famous ‘Ancell Babes’ with Sammy an integral part of arguably their finest team in the late 50s while Falkirk, Clyde and Liverpool – who Sammy failed to make a competitive appearance for after an £8,000 move from Motherwell in 1960 – also paid their respects with articles on their official club websites.
The club’s social media feeds have also been inundated with messages of sympathy from fans, highlighting the high regard in which Sammy was held.
Neil McLain wrote on the club’s Facebook page: ‘Sammy the biggest name in the history of Berwick Rangers, gone but will never be forgotten. This legend’s name will be spoken for many years to come. Always remembered. RIP.’
James Welsh wrote: ‘R.I.P. Sammy Reid. Berwick Rangers legend. Thank you for the most famous moment in Berwick’s history!’
It was confirmed today that Sammy’s funeral will take place at 11.15am on Tuesday, November 18 at Cambusnethan North Parish Church in his hometown of Wishaw, Lanarkshire.
Photo: The Scotsman
Sammy Reid (1939-2014)
Black & Gold 