Donald McLean

Career McLean was playing football before he can remember, but as a five-year-old in 1940 he recalled that the local lads would play before, during and after school in the streets of Rutherglen with newspaper-filled balls.

Organised football had a religious twist for Donald who as a 10-year-old joined the newly formed Sunday School team coached by Douglas who was also the Sunday School teacher. Of this period, Donny remarked, "Douglas let us play. That was the main thing." The uniforms were bought with a combination of clothing coupons and raised money, as rationing was still in effect.

He attended Farie Street Primary where as an 11-year-old he found his form as a midfielder and developed the style that would mark his career; making goals for others.

The local academy, Rutherglen, which had a strong football team, were impressed by his abilities and he was asked for a try out when he was of age. He passed the entrance exams and made the team.

The highlights of his stay at the Rutherglen Academy: playing for the Senior team as a 15-year-old in the Scottish Schoolboy Tournament, playing against Bradford at Hampden Park, Scotland's national stadium in front of between 7000–8000 fans and playing at Ibrox, home of Rangers, against a team of players selected from the rest of Scotland. One of his classmates was Niall Hopper, who also joined Queen's Park and went on to enjoy a long career with the club.

McLean once played in front of 60,000 people and regularly played for crowds of 25,000–30,000. He featured in the 1957 final of the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup (a minor trophy played between local clubs); the match at Ibrox was won 2–1 by Rangers. His time with the club coincided with some of its best-loved players, such as Hastie, Cromar and Hopper,

He was capped by Scotland at the amateur level for playing against Holland, Switzerland and Germany.

McLean retired from football in 1960.