The story behind the picture – Spotted on the terraces

Whenever there is a managerial vacancy at a club, potential replacements are frequently spotted at matches in the interim.

There was one such instance in the late eighties when Reds were in one of their all too frequent manager-less phases. Ian Hodgson had stepped down after a year in the hot seat and the Board were in the process of appointing a successor.

Colin Meldrum and Mick Taylor had already been interviewed for the job and there was a former Manchester United player in the crowd on 24 October, 1987 to register his interest.

Brian Greenhoff (pictured, left, with former director, Eddie McDonnell) had made over 250 appearances for United, later spent three years with Leeds United and was capped for England on numerous occasions.

He had coached at lower levels after his playing days but had no experience at NPL level which, ultimately, worked against him. It didn’t even get to the formal interview stage with Reds eventually appointing Colin Meldrum as the new boss.

But Brian, who sadly passed away seven years ago, proved a lucky omen on the day as he watched Reds record their first win of the season (at the seventeenth attempt) – a 1-0 success over Witton Albion courtesy of a Kevin Rowntree goal.