Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alexander Young | ||
Date of birth | 3 February 1937 | ||
Place of birth | Loanhead, Midlothian, Scotland | ||
Date of death | 27 February 2017 | (aged 80)||
Place of death | Edinburgh, Scotland | ||
Playing position | Forward | ||
Youth career | |||
Newtongrange Star | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1955–1960 | Heart of Midlothian | 155 | (71) |
1960–1968 | Everton | 228 | (77) |
1968 | Glentoran | 6 | (1) |
1968–1969 | 23 | (5) | |
Total | 412 | (154) | |
National team | |||
1958–1960 | Scottish League | 2 | (2) |
1960–1966 | Scotland | 8 | (5) |
Teams managed | |||
1968 | Glentoran | ||
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
Alexander Young (3 February 1937 – 27 February 2017) was a Scottish international footballer. He played as a creative forward for Heart of Midlothian and Everton. He won league championship and cup titles with both clubs where he was also a regular goal scorer. Young later played for Glentoran and . Internationally he played for the Scottish League and the Scotland national football team. In football folklore he has become known as 'The Golden Vision'.
Young was born in Loanhead. He described himself as shy from an understandably over-watchful mother having to cope with the death of a son five years older than Alex being fatally hit by a car. Young grew up supporting Hibernian with winger Gordon Smith his favourite player. Young first played for Newtongrange Star in Midlothian, while he also worked as a colliery apprentice.
He joined Tommy Walker's Hearts in 1955 making his debut aged 18. This particular Hearts' side had won their breakthrough tournament the year before winning the 1954 Scottish League Cup Final. With Young they next won the 1956 Scottish Cup Final. With Hearts' 'Terrible Trio' forward line of Jimmy Wardhaugh, Willie Bauld and Alfie Conn, Sr at their peak, Young played at right wing.
Hearts led the Scottish League for most of the 1956–57 season. The title hinged on Rangers visit to Tynecastle on 13 April. A capacity crowd watched a tense game in which Rangers keeper, George Niven, was man of the match. Hearts could not beat him and the only goal came from Simpson of Rangers who scored on the break in 35 minutes. Rangers had games in hand which they won to overtake Hearts and lift the trophy.