Derek Grierson

Derek Dunlop Grierson (5 October 1931 – 7 September 2011)[2] was a Scottish football player best known for his time with Rangers and Falkirk.

Derek Grierson
Personal information
Full name Derek Dunlop Grierson
Date of birth (1931-10-05)5 October 1931
Place of birth Prestonpans,[1] Scotland
Date of death 7 September 2011(2011-09-07) (aged 79)
Place of death Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s) Striker
Youth career
Largs Thistle
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1948–1952 Queen's Park 83 (51)
1952–1956 Rangers 69 (42)
1956–1959 Falkirk 74 (23)
1959–1960 Arbroath 27 (8)
1960–1961 Stirling Albion 3 (1)
1960–1961 Forfar Athletic 16 (4)
1961–1962 Coleraine
1961–1962 Cowdenbeath 4 (0)
Total 276 (129)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Club

Grierson started out at Queen's Park before manager Bill Struth brought him to Rangers in 1952. He made his competitive debut in a 5–0 defeat against Heart of Midlothian on 9 August. He scored his first and second goals for the club a week later in a League Cup match against Aberdeen.

In his four seasons at Rangers, Grierson scored 59 goals in total. He won the Scottish league championship and Scottish Cup in his first season, and was the club's top scorer, with 31 goals. He also won a Glasgow Cup in 1953. He is noted as scoring the first ever live goal on Scottish television.

He left Rangers in 1956 and joined Falkirk, where he won the Scottish Cup in 1957. He scored 23 league goals for them before leaving in 1960 to join Arbroath. He later had short spells with Stirling Albion and Forfar Athletic, then with Coleraine in Northern Ireland, before ending his career at Cowdenbeath.

Grierson retired to Newton Mearns, in East Renfrewshire. He died on 7 September 2011, aged 79.[3] At the Falkirk v Rangers Scottish League Cup third round match on 21 September 2011, Grierson was remembered during a minute's silence at the beginning of the match, in memory of his contribution to both clubs.

International

He also played at Wembley for Scotland Amateurs and scored in a 2–1 win to clinch the British Championship. He won seven amateur caps. As an amateur, he was selected for trials for the Great Britain side that was to take part in the Helsinki Olympic Games of 1952. Manager Walter Winterbottom was duly impressed and Grierson made the squad - one of three Scots selected.

References
  1. "Death of double winner Grierson". Evening Times. Herald & Times Group. 13 September 2011.
  2. "Obituaries: Derek Dunlop Grierson". Herald. 13 September 2011.
  3. "Obituary: Derek Grierson, footballer". Scotsman. 13 September 2011.
  • Derek Grierson at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database
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