Scotland football internationalist

Born: 15 October, 1932;

Died: 12 September, 2017

ROBERT Johnston McCann, known as Bert, who has died aged 84, was a Scottish football internationalists who won the first of his eventual five full caps in the heartening 3-2 Hampden win over West Germany in May, 1959. Sadly, his international career ended at Wembley in April, 1961. McCann had never lost in a Scotland team, until those tragic 90 minutes, at the end of which, Scotland was on the wrong end of a 9-3 hammering.

A Dundonian, he went from Dundee North End to Dundee United, whilst still a pupil at Harris Academy, playing as an amateur. He then went south, to Edinburgh University, to study geography and Spanish. Graduating, he went into teaching, arriving at George Heriot's School, where he met veteran Queen's Park player Jack Crichton also on the staff. Crichton directed him towards Hampden.

McCann a professional man in the day job and was a natural Queen's Park player. An inside-right then, he played 61 games for the Spiders, winning the obligatory Amateur Scotland caps, before he was persuaded to turn professional and join Motherwell. The persuader was new Motherwell boss Bobby Ancell, who had coached McCann up in Dundee.

His arrival at Fir Park was timely: Ancell was establishing the dashing team which became known as The Ancell Babes. Centre-half John Martis, McCann and forwards Willie Hunter, Pat Quinn, Ian St John and Andy Weir would all be capped by Scotland, while a couple of others, McCann's wing-half partner Charlie Aitken and Bobby Roberts were unfortunate not to also earn full caps.

A naturally attacking midfielder, McCann gave sterling service to Motherwell, where he generally wore the number six shirt, as left-half. In time he became team captain.

Following the relative “failure” of the 1958 World Cup finals, the Scottish selectors opted to give youth its chance the following season in the game against West Germany. McCann was one of four new caps that night, the others were John White and Motherwell team-mates St John and Weir, the Fir Park trio perhaps owing their selection to the fact Motherwell had finished a close third in the league that season, behind Rangers and Hearts.

He made lasting friendships at Fir Park, and, even in his later years would recall a game with Celtic which was abandoned with five minutes remaining and Celtic ahead, when the mist descended. In the replay, Celtic were again ahead, when, once more, the mist came down, but, not so densely and the match was played out – with Ian St John scoring twice to give Motherwell an unexpected victory.

McCann also played in the legendary 1961 Scottish Cup replay at Ibrox, in which Motherwell thrashed Rangers 5-2. The Herald report of that match says: “The foundation of Motherwell's victory were laid by their wing halves, Aitken and McCann, conveying a succession of expertly-Sdirected passes to their team-mates.”

He missed the end-of-season Scotland tour of Europe in 1959, but was an ever-present in Scotland's unbeaten home internationals in 1960. There then followed another spell in the wilderness before he was brought back for the visit to Wembley, on 15 April, 1961.

It is a little-known story, but McCann almost missed the horror show. He spent the Friday night in hospital in London, having a persistent nose bleed staunched. Replacing him was considered, but Scotland boss Ian McColl decided: “McCann at 70% was a better bet than a reserve”. It was a gamble that back-fired. McCann actually had to wear gloves to shake hands with HM the Queen before the game, his hands were still blood-stained from the nose bleed.

After that thrashing, five of the team – goalkeeper Frank Haffey, McCann and fellow wing-half Dave Mackay, Ian St John and Denis Law were dropped. Mackay, St John and Law were, in time, forgiven and reinstated, but McCann's international career was over after that humiliation – he did swap jerseys with Bobby Robson at the end. Mind you, the man who replaced him, Jim Baxter, was no mean player. McCann also played five games for the Scottish League XI, and here too, he was only on the losing side once.

He carried on with Motherwell, finally playing some 300 games, before moving on to run down his professional career with Hamilton Academical, where he finished the season as top scorer, back at inside-right. It was his proud claim, in that position, he was never once caught offside.

After hanging up his football boots, McCann was persuaded, by legendary Heriot's headteacher William “The Dome” Dewar, to switch to teacher training. He moved to Moray House Teacher Training College, where he became one of the pioneers of distance learning through the use of television. He participated, in 1966, in the first-ever television conference link-up, between Edinburgh, London and New York, going on to give long-service as senior lecturer at Moray House, and running the TV education department , within the college, part of his old university, until his retirement.

He was ahead of his time, but as a player was frustrated by the amateurish management of Scottish football; his was a voice crying in the wilderness for a more professional approach, a gym culture and greater consideration of nutrition and fitness. He also advocated footballers having another string to their bow and preparing better for life after the game.

He kept in touch with his old team mates, and was one of a squad of former Motherwell players who joined the Well Society, to help bring about fan ownership of the club.

In his younger days he had been a good wicket-keeper at cricket; in later life, he golfed, skied, and played a mean game of snooker. He also, in 1971, was recalled to “Scotland's” colours, for a Ford-sponsored veterans five-a-side tournament at Meadowbank, where, alongside his footballing hero, Gordon Smith, he locked horns with the likes of England's fooballing knights – Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney, and Ferenc Puskas, Gyula Grocics and Nandor Hidegkuti from the legendary Hungarian side.

His later years were bedevilled by ill health. He had heart problems, a kidney transplant, but, he managed his health well prior to his sudden final illness.

Bert McCann is survived by his wife Viv, son Simon, daughter Juliet and five grand-children.

MATT VALLANCE