Former Hibernian and Morton football player Allan McGraw dies aged 83

Morton have announced that club legend Allan McGraw has died at the age of 83.

As a former player, coach and manager, McGraw had a long association with the Cappielow club, with a stand at the stadium named in his honour earlier this year.

McGraw, who also played for Hibernian, Toronto City and Linfield, was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

A Morton statement read: “Everyone at Greenock Morton is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of club legend, Allan McGraw.

Known as ‘Mr Morton’, Allan has been a huge part of our club’s history, with the main stand at Cappielow recently named in his honour. Rest in peace Allan.”

McGraw began his playing career as a defender with Renfrew Juniors but made his name playing as a striker in army football while completing his national service in West Germany.

Morton won his signature ahead of a number of other clubs and the move proved to be a success for both sides. McGraw went on to score 146 goals over the next five seasons as Morton climbed from the bottom of the Second Division, earning promotion to the top flight and reaching the League Cup final.

In the 1963-64 season the striker scored 61 goals across league and cup competition, making him the top goalscorer in the UK and breaking a long-held record.

McGraw suffered knee problems and played through, taking regular cortisone injections, with the effect limiting his mobility. He played on and moved to Hibernian in 1966 and scored 21 goals from 63 games for the Easter Road club.

He had brief spells at Toronto City and Linfield and returned to Morton for a season before hanging up his boots.

McGraw then served as Morton manager for 12 years from 1985. In addition to bringing through a number of youth players, he delivered promotion to the top flight with a First Division title win in 1987 and later won the Second Division title in the 1994-95 season.

His service to the club was recognised by owners Morton Club Together when the main stand at Cappielow was named after him last month.

Speaking to the Greenock Telegraph at the unveiling, he said: “It was such a great honour for this to happen to me.

“It was very emotional, I had all my family there to see it as well, which was wonderful.

“I really never, ever expected something like this to happen and it means the world to me.

“I had a knee replacement in September last year so I am still recovering from that and this was a lovely surprise.

“I was so pleased when the director Graham McLennan called me to ask me how I felt about it.

“I have been associated with Morton since I was 21 years old, when I first signed as a player.

“I still love going to all the home games and I was at the recent Celtic cup tie in Glasgow.

“I was so proud of the Morton fans, they sang the whole game and cheered the team on despite losing.”