Alex Brash

Forfar Athletic supporters especially of the seventies and eighties, a golden era in the club’s history will be extremely saddened as are club officials by the news of the passing earlier today in a Dundee nursing home of Alex Brash at the relatively young age of 69 after a lengthy battle with alzheimer’s.

The sympathies and best wishes at this time of all at Station Park are extended to Alex’s wife Jan and sons Mark and Kris in particular.

Those sympathies are also extended to many within the Forfar Athletic ‘family’ and especially the still very close knit group of former players and officials from Alex’s time at the club. It is unbelievable that two of the larger than life members of our first ever league title winning squad in 1984 have passed away this season, Jimmy Liddle having been laid to rest only two months back.

Alex was a proud Dundonian and was employed in the construction industry in his native city throughout his working life.

Alex was what could be described as a ‘no nonsense’ central defender and that would be putting it mildly! At the age of twenty he was signed by then manager Jerry Kerr in the spring of 1975 from the now defunct Elmwood Juniors.

Jerry a legend for the way he had built Dundee United up both on and off the park over a lengthy period in charge had come out of retirement to take over a struggling Station Park outfit at the time and it would be fair to say his tenure was not the most successful period in the club’s history. However what a signing he made on that March evening.

Alex made his debut for Forfar Athletic against Alloa Athletic in late April of ’75, no one at that fixture, not least Alex himself, realising at the time that he was to make his final appearance for the club nearly eleven years later.

He was in fact to go on to make 441 competitive starting appearances for the club, plus four from the bench, a record only beaten by another two players both from that same generation Ian McPhee and John Clark.

Alex also contributed 42 goals to the Sky Blues cause.

He served under five managers, Jerry Kerr, Archie Knox, Steve Murray albeit briefly, Alex Rae and Doug Houston.

Archie, Alex and Doug were like so many devastated to hear the news of his passing.

During the period he was with the club he played a major part in the success story that was played out on and off the park over a decade and more.

Sadly and by god it rankled him, he missed out on our epic 1978 League Cup semi final joust with Rangers at Hampden, having picked up an injury at Stenhousemuir the previous weekend. However he played a major role in the two Scottish Cup semi final clashes with the same opponent four years later, scoring the ‘Loons’ goal from the penalty spot in the midweek replay.

The ‘icing on the cake’ for all connected with the club at the time, especially Alex who was the longest serving member of the squad by then came with the clinching of the club’s first ever league title in early April of 1984.

The joy on Alex’s face in many of the after match photographs of that success summed up the feelings of many Forfarians from far and wide that day, although of course Alex was only an ‘adopted’ one himself.

Alex was part of the squad on both trips undertaken by the club in 1980 and 1985 to Canada, a special occasion for all who took up that amazing opportunity at the time.

Just under two years later Alex was to play his last game for the club, moving on with some reluctance from both the player and the club to Raith Rovers. After a short spell at Starks Park, Alex wore the colours of Brechin City before a spell as manager of Tayport Juniors.

Earlier today, the captain of the title winning side of ’84 Ian McPhee who also went on to manage the club paid the following tribute to Alex.

‘Although I was the captain on the day we finally got our hands on that silverware and Billy Bennett amongst others held that role during Alex’s time at the club, the true leader in the dressing room was always ‘Brasher.’ You could always count on Alex to be leading from the front, protective of all his playing colleagues. You could always be sure that if you were the victim of a rash challenge from an opponent, Alex would make every effort to exact retribution in the nicest possible way of course.’

On behalf of his fellow players and coaching staff of the time Ian also passed on sympathies of them all to Alex’s family at such a sad time

Club President David McGregor rates Alex to this day as one of the most committed players he has ever witnessed in a Forfar strip, in fact perhaps at any part time club.

‘I probably saw the vast majority of the 400 plus games that Alex played for the club. He never gave less than one hundred per cent in the ‘Loons’ cause, but woe betide any player even in some of the club’s darker days in the early part of his Station Park career who did not do likewise.’

‘Mind you the way yellow cards are dished out in the game today, he might have become the first player in history to be sent off in the warm up!’

Alex returned to Station Park for a handful of reunions of the various sides from his time with the club, always enjoying the camaraderie of his former colleagues. It would also be fair to say that when the players were introduced to the support on those occasions, one of loudest receptions was always reserved rightly so for Alex, a true Forfar Athletic legend in every sense of the word.

The club will officially mark Alex’s passing and his immense contribution to the ‘Loons’ prior to kick-off at the home fixture with Stranraer on January 25th.

By a twist of fate and coincidence it was Stranraer who were the defeated visitors back on April 6th, 1984 when the title was won. Let’s hope the current Forfar Athletic management and players can repeat that feat and pick up three points on Saturday week as a fitting tribute to the man himself.