Gerry Wolstenholme's Blog - Posts Tagged "dundee"
One of Dundee’s ‘Champions of Scotland’ at Blackpool
Bobby Waddell was born in Kirkcaldy on 5 September 1939. As a centre forward he had played his early football for St Andrews United where he had won a Scottish Juvenile Cup medal and scored over 100 goals for the club. He signed for Dundee in July 1959 and went on to score 46 goals in 85 games for The Dark Blues where he was initially the understudy to the legendary Alan Gilzean. He had also won a Scottish League Championship medal with Dundee in the 1961/62 season when he played his part with vital goals when called upon. However, he had asked for a transfer when Dundee signed Alex Harley from Birmingham City in November 1964 and he had lost his first team spot.
He was signed by Blackpool for a fee of £5,000 (some reports stated £10,000 but the £5,000 fee is from Blackpool official records) from Dundee on 12 March 1965. Manager Ronnie Suart, his assistant Eric Hayward and a director had watched Waddell play in a second XI Cup semi-final and his display encouraged Suart to make a bid for the player – said to be £8,000 (but see above). Waddell had only just previously turned down a move to Preston North End! He duly signed for the Seasiders.
He made his Blackpool debut for the Central League side and he made an impressive start, scoring after nine minutes in a 1 0 win over Manchester United reserves on 13 March 1965.
After that promising start, he made his League debut for the club on 20 March 1965 when he replaced the injured Ray Charnley who was missing his first game of the season. Again he impressed and he scored twice in a 3 0 defeat of West Bromwich Albion. It was reported, ‘He gave a hard working performance, capped with two goals in three minutes, the 37th and 40th, which finally put West Brom on the floor.’
This began a run of five successive League appearances with another goal coming in a 3-0 victory over Fulham on 3 April but injury against Arsenal in a 1-1 draw on 16 April ended his season, in which he played five League games, scoring three goals, and also played two Central League games, scoring one goal.
He was still injured as the 1965/66 season began and he was described as ‘Blackpool’s Mystery Man’ in September 1965 as he had only played seven games since his arrival, five in the first team and two in the Central League side. Recovering from his injury, the 26-year old was back in full time training by September. Blackpool manager Ronnie Suart commented, ’Bobby is feeling pretty fit again and looking forward to getting back into the game and making a mark for himself here in Blackpool.’ He had played centre forward in all his games to that date but Ray Charnley was then back to his best form so he occupied the number nine position but Suart commented, ‘He [Waddell] can play in any forward position.’
It took some time for him to get back in the League side but he returned to action at inside left in a 1 1 draw with Stoke City on 11 December 1965. Blackpool then had no games for two weeks but in a Christmas Day game (the last League game ever played on 25 December) he scored one of Blackpool’s goals in a convincing 4-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers. The other goals came from Charnley, Ball and Turner.
Thereafter he was in and out of the side, but after he had scored five goals in seven Central League games, he earned a recall to the League side for the game against Aston Villa on 26 February 1966 when Blackpool lost 1-0. Unfortunately he had to leave the field with an injury in the following game against Arsenal but he only missed one game before returning for a further three games.
But after a 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on 4 April, his lack of goals cost him his place and Jimmy Robson, who ironically was signed on the same day as Waddell, took over. He did return for the final four games of the season but once again he was unable to find the net. He finished the season with one goal in his 15 League and Cup games.
He started the 1966/67 season at inside let in the League side, appearing in the opening game, a 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on 20 August 1966. He was moved to inside right for the following game and held his place there for eight games in one of which he scored a ‘surprise equaliser’ against Liverpool on 5 September but Blackpool eventually lost 2-1.
But, despite being bottom of Division One, Blackpool defeated Manchester United 5-1 in the second round of the League Cup on 14 September 1966 and the inspiration for the victory was reported thus: ‘For Blackpool’s four Scots it was a memorable evening. The quartet are [sic] right half Hugh Fisher from Glasgow, right winger Ian Moir from Aberdeen, inside right Booby Waddell from Dundee and John McPhee from Motherwell.’ Waddell scored one of the goals, with Ray Charnley scoring a hat-trick and Leslie Lea scoring the other.
Playing in the Central League side, his time was running out at Blackpool, and he was transferred to Bradford Park Avenue for a fee of £5,500 on 4 November 1966. The fee was paid in three instalments, £4,000 on 4 November 1966, £500 on 3 January 1967 and the balance of £1,000 on 20 January 1967. He had played nine League games, scoring one goal, four Central League games, scoring one goal up to the time of his transfer in that 1955/57 season. Overall his Blackpool career encompassed 30 League and Cup games in which he scored six goals.
He played 20 League games and scored three goals in his one season at Bradford before the club released him and he returned to Scotland, joining East Fife, for who he was reported as playing ‘splendidly’ at right half, a role to which he had taken to ‘like a duck to water’ in August 1968.
He later played for Montrose before moving on to play for and then manage the then-amateur side Tayport.
In April 2012 he attended a 50th anniversary dinner to celebrate Dundee winning the Scottish League. By that time he had earned iconic status as one of Dundee’s ‘Champions of Scotland’.
He died on 25 August 2021.
He was signed by Blackpool for a fee of £5,000 (some reports stated £10,000 but the £5,000 fee is from Blackpool official records) from Dundee on 12 March 1965. Manager Ronnie Suart, his assistant Eric Hayward and a director had watched Waddell play in a second XI Cup semi-final and his display encouraged Suart to make a bid for the player – said to be £8,000 (but see above). Waddell had only just previously turned down a move to Preston North End! He duly signed for the Seasiders.
He made his Blackpool debut for the Central League side and he made an impressive start, scoring after nine minutes in a 1 0 win over Manchester United reserves on 13 March 1965.
After that promising start, he made his League debut for the club on 20 March 1965 when he replaced the injured Ray Charnley who was missing his first game of the season. Again he impressed and he scored twice in a 3 0 defeat of West Bromwich Albion. It was reported, ‘He gave a hard working performance, capped with two goals in three minutes, the 37th and 40th, which finally put West Brom on the floor.’
This began a run of five successive League appearances with another goal coming in a 3-0 victory over Fulham on 3 April but injury against Arsenal in a 1-1 draw on 16 April ended his season, in which he played five League games, scoring three goals, and also played two Central League games, scoring one goal.
He was still injured as the 1965/66 season began and he was described as ‘Blackpool’s Mystery Man’ in September 1965 as he had only played seven games since his arrival, five in the first team and two in the Central League side. Recovering from his injury, the 26-year old was back in full time training by September. Blackpool manager Ronnie Suart commented, ’Bobby is feeling pretty fit again and looking forward to getting back into the game and making a mark for himself here in Blackpool.’ He had played centre forward in all his games to that date but Ray Charnley was then back to his best form so he occupied the number nine position but Suart commented, ‘He [Waddell] can play in any forward position.’
It took some time for him to get back in the League side but he returned to action at inside left in a 1 1 draw with Stoke City on 11 December 1965. Blackpool then had no games for two weeks but in a Christmas Day game (the last League game ever played on 25 December) he scored one of Blackpool’s goals in a convincing 4-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers. The other goals came from Charnley, Ball and Turner.
Thereafter he was in and out of the side, but after he had scored five goals in seven Central League games, he earned a recall to the League side for the game against Aston Villa on 26 February 1966 when Blackpool lost 1-0. Unfortunately he had to leave the field with an injury in the following game against Arsenal but he only missed one game before returning for a further three games.
But after a 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on 4 April, his lack of goals cost him his place and Jimmy Robson, who ironically was signed on the same day as Waddell, took over. He did return for the final four games of the season but once again he was unable to find the net. He finished the season with one goal in his 15 League and Cup games.
He started the 1966/67 season at inside let in the League side, appearing in the opening game, a 3-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on 20 August 1966. He was moved to inside right for the following game and held his place there for eight games in one of which he scored a ‘surprise equaliser’ against Liverpool on 5 September but Blackpool eventually lost 2-1.
But, despite being bottom of Division One, Blackpool defeated Manchester United 5-1 in the second round of the League Cup on 14 September 1966 and the inspiration for the victory was reported thus: ‘For Blackpool’s four Scots it was a memorable evening. The quartet are [sic] right half Hugh Fisher from Glasgow, right winger Ian Moir from Aberdeen, inside right Booby Waddell from Dundee and John McPhee from Motherwell.’ Waddell scored one of the goals, with Ray Charnley scoring a hat-trick and Leslie Lea scoring the other.
Playing in the Central League side, his time was running out at Blackpool, and he was transferred to Bradford Park Avenue for a fee of £5,500 on 4 November 1966. The fee was paid in three instalments, £4,000 on 4 November 1966, £500 on 3 January 1967 and the balance of £1,000 on 20 January 1967. He had played nine League games, scoring one goal, four Central League games, scoring one goal up to the time of his transfer in that 1955/57 season. Overall his Blackpool career encompassed 30 League and Cup games in which he scored six goals.
He played 20 League games and scored three goals in his one season at Bradford before the club released him and he returned to Scotland, joining East Fife, for who he was reported as playing ‘splendidly’ at right half, a role to which he had taken to ‘like a duck to water’ in August 1968.
He later played for Montrose before moving on to play for and then manage the then-amateur side Tayport.
In April 2012 he attended a 50th anniversary dinner to celebrate Dundee winning the Scottish League. By that time he had earned iconic status as one of Dundee’s ‘Champions of Scotland’.
He died on 25 August 2021.
