Colin Stein was my boyhood hero. I was lucky enough to see legends like Ralph Brand, Jimmy Millar, Jim Forrest etc, but Stein was a different kind of striker. A natural goal scorer, would cover every blade of grass for 90 minutes and had the heart of a lion. He never gave opposing defences a second of peace.
My Dad and I were at the league match against Clyde in 1969 (I was 13) when, right in front of us, a dirty bastard called Eddie Mulheron hacked him three times from behind. Any one of those fouls would have been a straight red today. A less honest player would have gone down right away and got Mulheron sent off. But Colin Stein being Colin Stein, didn't go down after the first hack, nor the second, but after the third, turned round and gave Mulheron a taste of his own medicine.
Referee runs over, red card for Stein. We were 6-0 up at the time! His subsequent suspension meant he missed the Scottish Cup Final where we got gubbed 4-0 by the tims.
I've related this story on here before, but I'll use any excuse to tell it again! I used to carry out Quality Assurance audits, and one audit I did was on a Coventry company. The guy who I was dealing with obviously thought a day-long audit was a waste of his valuable time. Every question I asked was like pulling teeth, with the legal minimum responses every time.
More out of protocol, rather than wanting to spend even more time with me, he invited me to a pub lunch at the wee pub next door. Once we got talking, and knowing I was from Glasgow, he asked me what team I supported. "Rangers," I replied.
His wee face lit up, and he started telling me that the best player Coventry ever had, came from Rangers. Simultaneously, we said, "Colin Stein." I went on to tell him that Colin Stein was my boyhood hero, that I was gutted when he left Rangers and, that when he came back, it was only fitting that his goal against Hibs in 1975 stopped their 10-in-a-row.
(Credit to Andy The Photo Doctor for the colourisation)
After lunch, the guy couldn't do enough for me, and I left with a new best buddy.
I was able to tell Colin Stein that story in Vancouver at the 2016 NARSA convention. I had just finished the story when Willie Johnston walked past. "Willie, come and listen to this," Stein said. I re-told the story and wee Wille pointed to my boyhood hero and said. "Whit, that useless bastard?"
P.S. He didn't say bastard.
P.P.S. The company failed the audit.
