Hughie Gallacher

Queen of the South

In December 1920, Gallacher was picked for the Glasgow Junior League XI to play against the Irish Intermediate League XI at Shawfield. Gallacher hit the Glasgow equaliser with a fine header with two minutes remaining in the 1–1 draw. Among those at the game was James Jolly, secretary of Dumfries club Queen of the South. Jolly approached Gallacher after the game and offered him a trial at Queens, with the prospect of a £30 signing-on fee and £5 per week plus expenses should he do well in the trial. At the time Queens were in their second season after formation and, cup games aside, played only local fixtures. However it was professional football and that was good enough for Gallacher. His name on the team sheet replaced Ian Dickson who was on his way to Aston Villa (they were two of the four players to play in Queens' first three seasons before moving on to successful careers in England's top division, the others being Dave Halliday and Willie Ferguson). Rejecting the opportunity of an international trial game at Methil, Gallacher made his Queen of the South debut aged 17 against St Cuthbert Wanderers on 29 January 1921. He scored four goals in a 7–0 victory. The Herald and Courier wrote after the game, "Gallacher was the pick of the front line. He is only a young player but knows all that is required of him in the centre. He gathers the ball to perfection and possesses a first time shot of a deadly nature. His four goals were all well taken and it…

Gallacher represented Scotland 20 times, hitting 24 goals. Only two players, Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish with 30 each, have scored more goals for the full Scotland team than Gallacher, who averaged 1.2 goals per game from his 20 caps. He won his first cap on 1 March 1924 in a 2–0 victory against Ireland. Scotland won all six games when Gallacher and Alex James were both selected to play; this included the 1928 'Wembley Wizards' 5–1 defeat of England when James netted twice. In November 1925 Gallacher hit five goals in the Scottish League's 7–3 victory over the Irish League in Belfast. By coincidence in February 1929 he scored a record five times for Scotland in the same city and with the same final scoreline during the 1928–29 British Home Championship (having also scored three against Wales four months earlier in the same competition.) When the Scottish FA undertook a tour Canada & America in 1935, Gallacher scored ten times in six matches for an unofficial Scotland XI against club & representative sides.

Gallacher was born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire in 1903. He started "biffing a twopenny ball" almost as soon as he could walk. He began a long friendship with Alex James when both were students at Bellshill Academy. His Irish father had moved to Scotland in search of work in the vast coal mining areas the country had to offer. He soon settled and married a local woman, raising a family with a strict Protestant upbringing. This didn't stop the diminutive Gallacher son from having Catholic friends. He had been down the Hattonrig Pit at the age of 15, working 10-hour shifts. Aged 16, he left Lanarkshire junior league side Tannochside Athletic to join Hattonrigg Thistle. However fate played a part in his next move up the football ladder. As a spectator he attended to watch Bellshill Athletic (who had previously rejected Gallacher and James for being too small) playing St Mirren Juniors. Bellshill were a man short and Gallacher was asked to play. After hitting his side's goal in the 1–1 draw, he was asked to join the club. He was barely 17 when he met and married Annie McIlvaney, a girl who worked at the pit where he worked as a miner. The marriage broke up within a few years, although Annie refused to grant Hughie a divorce. Their dispute generated large legal fees, which contributed to his bankruptcy. During his early life Hughie had three children; Hughie (Jr), who died before his first birthday, Catherine (both to Annie McIllvaney) and Jackie Gallacher, who scored prolifically…

On 13 December 2021, a brick memorial tribute was unveiled to Gallacher at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium. On 22 February 2023, his grandson Andy Gallacher was present to unveil a further memorial plaque at Gateshead Redheugh F.C.; both tributes were organised by author and historian Kal Singh Dhindsa. Owing to his importance in the history of Newcastle United, it was suggested on Tyneside that a similar memorial could be erected at St James' Park.