Alex Young

Alex Young - 1960 - 1968:

Alex Young joined Everton from Hearts in November 1960 for a fee of £42,000, nobody knew the impact he would have on the club and to a greater extent the fans. He had helped Hearts to become the major force in Scottish football in the late 1950's with two league titles in 1957-58 and again in 1959-60 and was seen by the then Everton manager Johnny Carey as a fine addition to the squad.

He was not an immediate success and only played thirteen games in his first season, even though he did score six times. When Harry Catterick took over the reigns at Everton he saw to it that Young's partnership with Roy Vernon was to blossom, during their first full season playing together they netted forty times with Young scoring fourteen of them.

The following season saw Everton clinch their sixth league title with the Young , Vernon partnership scoring forty-six times, with twenty two from Young. The next two seasons saw the club finish third and fourth in the league with Young becoming more and more of a goal provider than scorer. In 1965-66 Young won his second medal when he was part of the Everton side that staged one on the greatest FA Cup comebacks when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 in the final.

Young suffered with severe blistering of the feet throughout his career but this did not detract from the his elegant style of play nor the breathtaking skills he possessed. He soon became one of the most exciting players of the 1960's and with his blonde hair and silky skills he earned the nickname "The Golden Vision" . In 1968 a BBC 'Play for Today' film was made using Young's nickname and centered around a group of Everton fans.

Alex Young left Everton in 1968 and joined Irish side Glentoran and later had a brief spell with Stockport County before a knee injury forced him to retire. After leaving football behind he ran his family's upholstery business in Edinburgh.

Everton playing record (figures in brackets are substitution appearances):

League appearances 227 (1), goals 99

FA Cup appearances 25 (2), goals 4

League Cup appearances 3, goals 3

European appearances 13, goals 3

Other appearances 4, goals 0