Davie Phillip

Many Forfarians, especially ‘Loons’ supporters of a certain era would have been saddened when the news broke yesterday of the relatively sudden death in Ninewells Hospital of Davie Phillip.

Davie a ‘weel kent’ face in the ‘toonie’ and a character to boot, had lived and worked in Forfar for five decades and more.

However his first connection with the county town came in Christmas week of 1967 when Jake Young the Athies manager of the time signed the then 19 year old Davie from his then hometown junior club Arbroath Vics where he had been earning rave 

reviews as a young goalkeeper of note.

Astonishingly Davie was to make his debut for the ‘Loons’ a week later on New Years Day of 1968 at Gayfield for a Forfar side who had not recorded a league victory since early October, while his hometown club under the stewardship of the legendary 

Albert Henderson were bidding for promotion to the old style First Division.

An astonishing ninety minutes followed with the visitors triumphing by an amazing final score line of 4-0, the beginning of one of the best run of results in a calendar year in the history of the club to that point.

Davie went on make 19 appearances that season, followed by further 36 the following campaign.

He then made 29 appearances in the 1969-70 season, one of the last the 7-0 defeat from Rangers in front of our record home attendance of 10,800.

The Forfar skipper against Rangers that day Archie Knox who of course was devastated by the death of Walter Smith earlier in the week, was also saddened to hear of Davie’s passing when told of the news this morning.

Davie is the second member of that side to pass away recently being preceded earlier in the year by his great friend John May.

He was in attendance at John’s funeral alongside his playing colleagues of that era Ally Carrie and Neill Wilson.

Wedding bells with Forfar lass Pat Taylor were to follow and with it a permanent move to live in Forfar in the early seventies, where he for many years ran his own one man Painting and Decorating business.

Pat passed away around three ago and it would be an understatement to say that Davie never recovered from that loss.

Davie retained a keen interest in the fortunes of his beloved ‘Loons’ and was a regular attendee at the Sportsman’s Dinner and other club events.

At this sad time we can only pass on our condolences to the remaining members of Davie’s family and his ‘army’ of close friends.