Jocky Scott will celebrate 50 years in the game next summer and ahead of that landmark achievement the Aberdonian that became a hero in his home town and further down the east coast at Dundee has had his colourful career chartered in print.
‘Jocky’s Journey’ has recently been published to look back at Scott’s contribution to the game that started with the bright lights of Chelsea but shone brightest on this side of the border.
Scott was originally a schoolboy signing at Stamford Bridge before returning north to make his Dundee debut as a 16-year-old in a 6-0 League Cup sectional win over Motherwell at Dens Park. A fortnight later Scott scored the first goals of his Dark Blue career in a 4-1 derby win and that is a day that he remembers well.
The attacker then moved on to his home town team of Aberdeen in 1975 where his stay was to last 2 years and he is fondly remembered for a hat-trick in the 1976 League Cup 5-1 semi-final win over Rangers.
The now 64-year-old was also one of the pioneers of the game in America before becoming a coach and manager at Dundee and a double cup winning co-manager at the Dons as well as having stints at Dunfermline, Arbroath, Hibs, Dundee United, Notts County, Raith Rovers, Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle, Viborg FF, Stirling Albion and with the Scottish Football Association
Scott said: “I am delighted with the biography and I am pleased that the work that has gone into it over the past two years has given me a great reflection of my career. Peter Caproni, who I first met a long time ago when he was Alex Smith’s physio at Stirling Albion, asked if I would be interested in providing a written record of my career.”
“I said yes and that led to a lot of questions being asked and answered. That got us off to a cracking start, however Peter was ill for a while and Norrie Price who has written a few books about Dundee got us over the finishing line.”
Whilst Scott’s longevity in football is now close to 50 years his love of the game goes back further as he explained: “My love of the game goes back to when I was living in Aberdeen and my dad would take me to watch Aberdeen at Pittodrie. I reckon my first season of going to a lot of games was back in 1958/ 59. Football then took over my life as I moved on to Chelsea and then to Dundee. It was great to go over all the events that happened then and in my later career in the book.”
Scott’s career began with that 6-0 win over Motherwell and he said: “I never scored in that game but I did score my first couple of goals shortly afterwards. I hit a double against Dundee United in my first ever derby game and to make it all the better it was at Tannadice.”
“I really enjoyed that spell of my Dundee career that ran from 1964-1975. I played alongside great strikers in Alan Gilzean and John Duncan. The majority of the Dundee team that won the league in 1962 were still there as it was only Ian Ure and Gordon Smith who had left by the time I got there.”
Scott learned from the Champions saying: “The players at that time gave me a great education with great guys like Bobby Wishart and Bobby Sieth mixing playing in the first team with spells in the reserves. When they were there they passed on tips to willing youngsters like me.”
Scott was talking to the SPFL Newsletter the day after a special anniversary as last Sunday a Gala Dinner was held to mark the 40th anniversary of Dundee winning the League Cup with a 1-0 success over Celtic.
Scott said: “It was a great night on Sunday and it was terrific that we all got together.”
Three years later Scott was back at Hampden defeating Celtic 2-1 to lift the League Cup again, albeit this time it was with Aberdeen under the guidance of Ally MacLeod with the Dons’ place in the November 1976 showdown secured by Scott’s hat-trick against Rangers.
At the end of that season and the following year when the rest of Scotland headed to Argentina, Scott headed for North America where he played for Seattle Sounders. Scott said: “It was a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed it, playing against Pele, Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer. It was the very early days of league football in America and I would have loved to have stayed there for longer however it never happened.”
Scott returned to Dens after his time in the States and played until 1981 when he moved onto the coaching staff to begin a new career and he said: “I had started coaching at Dens in 1979 as my playing days were coming to a close. I worked with the reserves and then the first team before taking over from Archie Knox as first team manager in 1986.”
“We had a very good side at that that time in the top flight with guys like Jim Duffy and John Brown in it.”
He soon returned to Pittodrie for a second time and tasted success again as he advised: “I moved up to Aberdeen in 1988 to work as a co-manager with Alex Smith. After a disappointing League Cup Final defeat to Rangers just a few months into the job we won both Cups the next season.”
“We beat Rangers in the League Cup Final and then Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final. Charlie Nicholas always speaks fondly of his time playing in that side and that is always good to hear.”
After just missing out on a league title with the Dons, Scott headed for Dunfermline and took them in another League Cup Final, this time against Hibs however that one was to end in defeat.
The past 20 years has seen Scott return to Dundee to manage them twice, as well as managerial stints at other clubs. He also worked as the reserve team coach at Sunderland and Bobby Williamson’s assistant at Plymouth.
Scott’s last stint as a manager was at Stirling Albion which ended 2 years ago and he returned to Aberdeen for a third time for a coaching stint under Craig Brown last year.
He is no longer involved in the game as much as he would like to be as he explained: “I have had nearly 50 years in the game and thoroughly enjoyed it. I still want to be involved and I enjoying doing some scouting work for Rotherham but I would rather be coaching on a daily basis”
“I have got a lot to offer and coaching is something that I really enjoy.”
Scott looked back on his 50 years to pick out some of the highlights and he said: “The best team I ever played with was probably the Dundee side from 1970 to 1975. It was coached really well by John Prentice and Jim McLean and David White was a good manager when he took over.”
“However the best group of players I was with were the ones that were at Dundee in my first season – Alex Hamilton, Bobby Cox, Andy Penman and Alan Cousin were all terrific but I cannot say they were the best team I played in as I did not get long enough with those guys.”
As for management Scott said: “The best side I have managed was the Aberdeen one that I worked with alongside Alex Smith. The vast majority of them were internationalists with a lot of Scotland players and of course a few Dutch boys like Theo Snelders and Hans Gilhaus.”
“We had a solitary Englishman Paul Mason and he was pretty useful as well and scored twice when we beat Rangers in the League Cup Final.”
Scott was asked about his goals and he said: “I don’t have a favourite as all goals are good goals whether they are from 6 inches or 25 yards. I enjoyed every goal I scored the same way. If I was really pushed any goals that I scored in a derby game were just a wee bit more special.”
Asked who was the hardest player he faced, Scott said: “The hardest one is not easy to pick as I started in an era where every side had a hard man in it. Guys like Roy Barry, John Cushley, Billy McNeill, Jim Brogan and John Greig – everyone had one. Anything went back then and I would pick up a fair few bumps and bruises.”
And as for his international career Scott said jokingly: “I also got a couple of Scotland caps mind you that had a bit to do with some players that did not want to go to Denmark and Russia.”
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