Eric Bakie

Eric Bakie (6 January 1928 – 13 May 2015) was a Scottish footballer and civil servant.

Eric Bakie
Personal information
Date of birth (1928-01-06)6 January 1928
Place of birth Edinburgh, Scotland
Date of death 13 May 2015(2015-05-13) (aged 87)
Place of death Edinburgh, Scotland
Position(s) Left half
Youth career
North Merchiston Boys Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Hutchinson Vale
1949–1951 Aberdeen 3 (0)
1951–1957 Dunfermline Athletic 90 (3)
1957–1958 St Johnstone 28 (0)
1958–1963 Duns
Total 121 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early life

Bakie was born in Edinburgh and grew up supporting local club Heart of Midlothian.[1] One of his neighbours as a child was Lawrie Reilly, who later played for Scotland; the two remained lifelong friends.[1] He attended North Merchiston Primary School before winning a bursary to the Royal High School.[1] During his childhood he played for North Merchiston Boys Club, and he represented Scotland's Boys Clubs in matches against Wales and England.[1] After leaving school he joined the Ministry of Labour as a civil servant.[1] Bakie completed his national service in Cairo as a staff sergeant.[1]

Football career

After completing his national service Bakie joined Hutchinson Vale in Edinburgh.[1] He combined his football career with his job in the Ministry of Labour; in 1949 he was close to moving to London for work, and received interest from Arsenal.[1] However, he remained in Scotland and instead signed for Aberdeen.[1] He continued to live in Edinburgh, where he trained in the evenings at Hibernian's ground, and travelled to Aberdeen on Saturdays, the only time he saw his teammates.[1] His debut for Aberdeen came in a 5–0 victory against Motherwell on 17 December 1949.[1] Bakie struggled to secure a first-team place at Aberdeen due to his part-time status, and he was released on a free transfer in 1951.[1] He made only three appearances for Aberdeen in the Scottish Football League during his two years with the club.[2]

Bakie then signed for Dunfermline Athletic, still combining his football career with his civil service job.[1] His contract at Dunfermline in the 1950s was "a minimum of £4 per week."[1] He spent 6 seasons at Dunfermline and was their joint longest-serving player, alongside Ron Mailer.[1] During his time with Dunfermline he scored 3 goals in 90 appearances in the league.[2] After a season with St Johnstone, with whom he made 28 league appearances,[2] he then dropped out of the league system to play for Duns, winning the Scottish Qualifying Cup on two occasions with them.[1] He finally retired in 1963.[1] He made a total of 121 league appearances for Aberdeen, Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone,[2] and over 160 appearances for them in all competitions.[1]

Later life and death

Bakie remained at the Ministry of Labour throughout his working life.[1] After retiring, he played golf and bowls.[1] He died in Edinburgh on 13 May 2015, at the age of 87.[1] He left behind his wife, two children, and several grandchildren.[1]

References
  1. Jack Davidson (23 May 2015). "Obituary: Eric Bakie, footballer and civil servant". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. "Profile". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
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