| Alex Hastings |
 Alexander Lamont Hastings was born on Friday, 2nd September 1938, in Galston, East Ayrshire. The 5' 8 (10st 6lbs) forward signed for Davie Meiklejohn's Thistle on Saturday, 10th December, 1955 (after a trial period), having most recently been with Troon. Aged 17, he made his debut appearance on Wednesday, 30th November, 1955, in a 4-3 friendly defeat at home to Royal Scots. That day, Alex became a member of our scoring debutant's club. He scored the last of his 4 goals on Saturday, 7th May, 1960, in a 4-0 friendly win away to Clachnacuddin / Inverness Thistle XI. He played his last game for the club on Thursday, 30th March, 1961, in a 7-1 friendly win away to East Stirlingshire, having appeared as a Jag on 17 occasions. His club-list included Troon, Rangers, Partick Thistle, Newcastle United, Ardeer Thistle, Airdrieonians and Stranraer. Alex died in 2014, in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, aged 76. *
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 He was a promising inside forward (scored on his Thistle debut at 17!), but never did quite make the big-time breakthrough despite flirtations at Ibrox, Firhill and St James' Park. National service was still a requirement for young British men of his era, and this is likely to have hindered his progress. It came to be that 20-year-old Alex found himself stationed at Catterick (North Yorkshire) in the autumn of 1958. A loan arrangement was in place between Thistle and Newcastle United towards the end of the year, and Alex played at least twice for United's reserves in the Central League (a 1-0 defeat at Burnley on 6-Dec-1958 and a 4-2 win at home to Everton a week later). "If he should impress he could well end by coming to Gallowgate when National Service is over" said the match programme, but that's as far as things went. He eventually hit his prime at Airdrie in 1963/64 with 6 goals in 20 top-flight games, before registering 8 goals in 11 second tier games with Stranraer in 1964/65. |
| (WS) |
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