Obituary - David Maclaren, former goalkeeper and coach

Died: 6 December, 2016

DAVE Maclaren, who has died aged 82, in his adopted homeland of Australia, was a journeyman Scottish goalkeeper whose globe-trotting career brought him into contact with several well-known clubs and players.

The Auchterarder-born player, whose brothers Jim and Roy were also professional goalkeepers, first went senior with Dundee, but, with the great Bill Brown cemented in as first choice, he only managed one top team appearance, before, in January 1957, he was transferred to Leicester City, where he succeeded another Scottish internationalist, Jock Anderson, as first-team custodian.

Prior to signing for Dundee, Maclaren had done his two years' national service, as a radar fitter in the Royal Air Force, mainly in the Far East. During this time he represented Hong Kong and won the Malaya Cup with Penang State. On his return to the UK, he was briefly attached to Chelsea as an amateur, before coming back to Scotland and joining Dundee.

He back-stopped the Foxes' second division title win in that season, holding onto the number one jersey in the top flight for some 100 games, until superceded by a youngster who Leicester signed from Chesterfield – his name was Gordon Banks.

With Banks on his way to immortality, Maclaren left Filbert Street for Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 1960. He would spend five seasons, making around 150 appearances for the Pilgrims, helping them to their highest league position, fifth in the second division (now the championship) in 1962, before he returned to the Midlands to sign for Wolverhampton.

He spent one season at Molineux, before returning to the South Coast, to join Southampton, in response to a goalkeeping crisis – Scotland internationalist Campbell Forsyth had sustained a broken leg and, with no seasoned back-up, manager Ted Bates bought Maclaren, who had impressed him the previous season, when Saints had stuck nine past Maclaren, then with Wolves. But, in the manager's opinion, Maclaren had prevented another nine goals. This meant a return to the old first division (the premiership today), and he wore the goalkeeper's jersey for 22 games, before giving way to another Anglo-Scot, Eric Martin.

He then, after some 300 senior games, spent 18 months in non-league football with Worcester City, and had a brief spell back at Molineux as a coach, before returning to the Far East, where he coached the Malaysian national team to the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

From there, he kept on going, to Sydney, where he spent six years as coach to Sydney City. He then took a break from football, moved to Melbourne and back into the game, as coach to the Greek ex-pats team Hellas. They had finished bottom of the league the previous season, but Maclaren recruited former Wolves team-mate and Scottish cap Frank Munro, and guided the team to the league title, before he fell out with the club owners and quit.

He spent a season as coach to another Victoria team, George Cross, then moved into the world of finance, setting up and running a successful company, managing superannuation funds, until his formal retirement.

Dave Maclaren and his wife Isobel then moved into the country, to a small farm near the small former gold rush town of Maldon, near Bendingo, Victoria, where he remained until ill health forced him into a nursing home in Castlemaine, where he died.

He is survived by Isobel, daughter Alison and her family.

MATT VALLANCE