The Thistle Archive

“the man with the elastic legs”… “as elegant as a giraffe, but with uncanny ball control”… “one of the most exciting players in New Zealand soccer”… “a one-man circus”. There was no shortage of press opinion of Alf Stamp as a footballer and there's no doubt that his comic-strip personna endeared him to fans as a cult hero wherever he went. Ultimately, not only was he an entertainer, but he could score goals and was a difference maker, and this is why he ultimately lasted 15 years in the game and won international caps as a naturalised New Zealander.

As a teenager, Alf studied as a chartered accountant and played his football at amateur level with Anniesland College and Elmdale United. The 20-year-old, who could play on either wing, advanced his footballing ambitions when he joined Queen's Park in April 1970. Even when starting out with the QP Strollers, his 6' 4 frame set him apart to the terracing wags right away; “how's the weather up there big yin?” was the standard patter. As the Sunday Post reported at the beginning of the 1971-72 season, Alf made a bit of history when he became the first QP player to benefit from made-to-measure jerseys and stockings as the regular gear simply did not fit! He got off to a decent start with the Spiders in his first full season as a senior, making 13 appearances and scoring 4 goals in the league. This was enough for Alf to earn his first professional contract and, in a double swoop on the QP talent, Partick Thistle manager Davie McParland brought both he and Colin Smith to Firhill in early May 1972. Both players were included in Thistle's touring party bound for Sweden several weeks later. Alf got his debut in the 'July Cup' against the tournament's host club, Västerhaninge, although he'd have been disappointed not to score in Thistle's 11-1 win!

There was much competition for wing slots at Firhill with guys like Johnny Gibson, Denis McQuade, Tommy Rae and Bobby Lawrie all vying for starts, so Alf found himself confined to the reserves, hoping an opportunity would arise. Thistle had excellent reserve sides in these early to mid 1970s years, and they often drew healthy crowds to the main stand at Firhill. Alf soon earned a reputation as an entertainer and was considered a draw in his own right, developing a certain cult status amongst those who bore witness to his dazzling, mazy runs and his unpredictable style. Alf scored regularly as Thistle Reserves finished 4th in their 18 team league, remaining unbeaten in 4 games against both Rangers and Celtic, winning 3. One year on from his first team debut, Alf did got a second (and final) outing for the first eleven, appearing in a pre-season friendly win at Stenhousemuir on 6 August 1973, the same night that a certain Alan Hansen was making his Thistle debut. Meanwhile, back in the reserves, it was a similar story in 1973-74 and, going into the New Year 1974, Thistle were top of the league, eventually settling on 5th. There was silverware for the reserves at the end of that campaign, as East Fife were defeated over 2 legs in the League Cup final. Somewhat poetically, one of Alf's last acts in a Partick Thistle jersey was to play and score in the 2-2 draw at Bayview which secured the cup for Thistle, a 3-2 win on aggregate.

Bertie Auld took over from Davie McParland in the summer of 1974 and it seemed as if Alf was set to stay and stake his claim for a place as, in early September, he appeared in the official team group photo. However, just one month later, the 24-year-old set off for a new life in New Zealand! Landing in Dunedin, Alf quickly got fixed up with a job as a chartered accountant. With no worries, he could now enjoy his football as a hobby sideline that could also put a few extra quid in his pocket. He joined Caversham for the 1975 season. By the springtime, Alf was delighting the New Zealand crowds with his ball wizardry and his characteristic mastery. In one report of a Caversham vs. Christchurch match in April 1975 (over 3,000 at the Caledonian Ground) he was said to have left defenders mesmerized, but never completely succeeded in clearing his way to goal; Denis McQuade says hello! Regional and national representative honours would be a recurring feature of Alf's footballing years in New Zealand and, on 4 June 1975, he turned out for the Canterbury Select that fought out an excellent 2-2 draw with the on-tour Glasgow Rangers in front of 8,000 at English Park, Christchurch (see 'Gallery' tab). Of course, successfully resisting Rangers was a regular occurrence for Alf, so it was nothing new there. Caversham finished 4th in the National Soccer League in 1975. They only lost 4 of their 18, but too many draws killed their title challenge. Such was Alf's immediate impact on the New Zealand soccer scene, that he was voted 'Personality of the Year' in 1975. Caversham challenged for the title again in 1976, but had to settle for 3rd place in the end. Caversham manager, Bill Fleming, a wee stocky guy, was also a bit of a character and he would win the same 'Personality of the Year' in 1976. The 1976 DB Soccer Annual drew a charicature accentuating the stark difference between the two!

Caversham fans were in mourning in late 1976 when it was announced that Alf, their star player, would be leaving the club, having accepted an accountant’s position with New Zealand Steel in Waiuku, a rural town 64km south of Auckland. Sure enough, Caversham would finish bottom of the league without Alf. Meanwhile, Alf's new team, Hamilton, ran close for the title, finishing just 4pts off the champions. Alf was a man at the top of his game and, brilliantly, was the proud recipient of the New Zealand Soccer Writers’ Association player of the year for 1977, one of the greatest accolades footballers in New Zealand can achieve. Hamilton's results fell away in the 1978 season and, that May, manager Kevin Fallon, looking for scapegoats, sensationally sacked Alf and one of his teammates, Alec Young. It all boiled down to some vague insinuation that they were missing training sessions. Alf strongly protested his innocence, saying that all of his arrangements were agreed in advance:

It was a big shock. I need to build up my ego again now. I have two worries — one is that this might jeopardise my New Zealand selection and the other is that people think I’d done something to deserve it. It seems everybody else at the club was told about this on Tuesday night except Alec and I. Fallon is the boss and he makes all the decisions. If players want to play for Hamilton it has to be under his rules.

Hamilton, responding to complaints from supporters, quickly and publicly had a change of heart and invited both players to return. Said Alf wryly: “I have no idea what I'll be doing on Saturday. Playing darts probably.” As Alf alluded to, the timing of this unfortunate episode was especially galling, as he was now in the reckoning for the New Zealand national team. Just a few weeks later, he did make his first appearances for New Zealand, turning out in two games against the touring 'England B'. He also played against New Caledonia that summer, although none of these three friendlies are considered “official” by the NZFA. Alf decided to leave Hamilton behind and there were no shortage of offers for his services; within weeks, he had signed up with Eastern Suburbs, in Auckland. Once again, it was a 4th place league finish for Alf! There was another international appearance for Alf in January 1979 when he turned out against the touring Norwich City, but, again, this is not considered an “official” cap. It wouldn't be too long until he was afforded the status as a bona-fide full internationalist though, and the 28-year-old Alf racked up 4 caps in a 6-week period in the summer of 1979, wins over Australia (1-0 at home) and New Caledonia (2-1 away) sandwiching 2 defeats in 3 days in Fiji (0-4, 0-3). Alf's official 1979 debut match against Australia was also notable for being the last international played at Auckland's Newmarket Park before a landslide led to the abandonment of the ground as the home of football. The match was a great boost to NZ soccer fans in general, a surefire sign that the gap between the Kiwis and the Socceroos was reducing. New Zealand, under coach John Adshead, would overcome Australia in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers that saw the All Whites reach the finals for the first time in 1982. Alf Stamp vs. Alan Hansen at the World Cup, now wouldn't THAT have been box office for Jags fans?!

Alf's on-field success story took a turn for the worse after his late recognition as an internationalist. There were back-to-back relegations from the top-flight with Eastern Suburbs in 1979 then Blockhouse Bay in 1980. He moved to Australia in 1981 and joined the footballing revolution which was taking place at Newcastle KB United of the National Soccer League (the top-flight). The 4-year-old club had really captured the imagination of the locals and crowds regularly surpassed 10,000 (they climaxed at 18,367 in the game against UTS Olympic in April 1979). Bobby Charlton played once for the club in 1978 and, in that same year (and again in 1982) one of Newcastle's favourite sons - FA cup goal-scorer Craig Johnston - returned home for playing stints with KB United. Their “ultras” (known as “The Rowdies”) had a reputation as fierce as the team, and Alf enjoyed playing there, making 32 league appearances and scoring 4 goals in his time. Alf had a short break from the game in 1983 but returned for one last hurrah with Newcastle Rosebud United in 1984, a brand new club which took over from KB United which finally crashed and burned after 7 rounds of league games in '84, too much spend and not enough success being the general consensus.

Alf is included in our feature piece, The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists →

1972 - JULY CUP