David Narey

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David Narey
MBE
Personal information
Full name David Narey[1]
Date of birth (1956-06-12) 12 June 1956 (age 67)
Place of birth Dundee, Scotland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Central defender
Youth career
St Columba's BC
1972–1973 Dundee United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1973–1994 Dundee United 612 (22)
1994–1995 Raith Rovers 21 (1)
Total 633 (23)
International career
1977–1989 Scotland[2] 35 (1)
1978 Scottish League XI[3] 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

David Narey MBE (born 12 June 1956) is a former Scottish international footballer who spent 21 years with Dundee United. With Narey United were Scottish champions once and league cup winners twice. He also played in numerous cup runs in Europe including playing in the 1983-84 European Cup semi final and the 1987 UEFA Cup Final. Although best remembered as a central defender, he occasionally played in midfield.[4] After leaving United he won the 1994-95 Scottish League Cup with Raith Rovers.

He collected 35 full caps for Scotland including playing in two World Cups. Narey opened the scoring for Scotland against Brazil with a 20-yard drive in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He is a Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductee as he is also at Dundee United.

Early life[edit]

Narey was born and brought up in Dundee and attended St John's Roman Catholic High School. He played football for St Columba's Boys Club and signed schoolboy forms with Dundee United in January 1972.[5]

Playing career[edit]

Club[edit]

Narey signed professionally with Dundee United in 1973 and made his senior debut in a Scottish Football League match against Falkirk on 21 November that year, playing as an attacking midfielder.[6]

Narey won three trophies in his career with Dundee United, the Scottish League Cup in 1979 and again in 1980 and the Scottish Football League Premier Division title in 1983. He also captained United when they played in the 1987 UEFA Cup Final against IFK Gothenburg, which they lost 1–0 in the first leg in Sweden and drew the return leg at Tannadice 1-1, for a 2–1 defeat on aggregate.

Narey played in four Scottish Cup finals (as well as the 1981 Scottish Cup Final replay) while with United, but on each occasion the side failed to win the trophy.[7]

Upon leaving United, Narey joined Raith Rovers, who were playing in the Scottish Football League First Division. He was part of the Raith team that won promotion to the Premier Division as First Division champions. He also played in the Raith team that defeated Celtic in the 1994 Scottish League Cup Final, winning the Man-of-the-Match award for his performance in the game.

International[edit]

Narey made his international debut for Scotland against Sweden in April 1977, becoming the first Dundee United player to represent Scotland at full international level.[8] He played in both the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cups and scored his only international goal during the 1982 tournament, a long range shot against Brazil. Television pundit Jimmy Hill upset Scottish fans by describing the goal as a "toe poke".[9] By contrast The Glasgow Herald correspondent at the match, Jim Reynolds, described Narey's goal as "a wonderful right-foot shot which no goalkeeper in the world would have stopped."[10] In 2018 the BBC named the goal as number 16 in their 50 Great World Cup moments.[11] Narey made the last of his 35 appearances for Scotland in 1989.

After football[edit]

David Narey was one of the first inductees of the Dundee United Hall of Fame in January 2008.[12] He was also inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in November 2010.[13]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

Club Season League Cup Lg Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Dundee United 1973–74 12 0 - - - 12 0
1974–75 31 6 3 0 6 0 4 1 44 7
1975–76 33 0 1 0 6 1 3 2 43 3
1976–77 32 2 1 0 6 0 - 39 2
1977–78 35 0 4 0 8 1 2 0 49 1
1978–79 36 5 1 0 2 0 2 0 41 5
1979–80 35 1 1 0 9 0 4 0 49 1
1980–81 32 0 7 1 11 1 4 0 54 2
1981–82 34 1 5 0 11 0 8 2 58 3
1982–83 36 5 1 0 10 3 8 1 55 9
1983–84 34 1 4 0 9 0 7 0 54 1
1984–85 29 1 6 0 5 0 6 0 46 1
1985–86 35 0 5 0 5 0 6 0 51 0
1986–87 33 0 7 0 4 0 10 0 54 0
1987–88 39 0 9 0 3 0 3 0 54 0
1988–89 34 0 6 0 4 0 3 0 47 0
1989–90 31 0 5 0 2 0 3 0 41 0
1990–91 4 0 - - 2 0 6 0
1991–92 25 0 - 2 0 - 27 0
1992–93 28 0 1 0 2 0 - 31 0
1993–94 6 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 12 0
Total 612 22 69 1 108 6 76 6 865 35
Raith Rovers 1994–95 21 1 N/A N/A - 21 1
Total 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 1
Career total 633 23 69 1 108 6 76 6 886 36

International[edit]

Scotland[14]
Year Apps Goals
1977 1 0
1978 1 0
1979 2 0
1980 4 0
1981 2 0
1982 9 1
1983 6 0
1984 0 0
1985 0 0
1986 7 0
1987 1 0
1988 1 0
1989 1 0
Total 35 1
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.[15]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 18 June 1982 Estadio Benito Villamarín, Seville  Brazil 1–0 1–4 1982 FIFA World Cup

Honours[edit]

Dundee United

Raith Rovers

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ A Record of Post-war Scottish League Players 1946/47 to 2017/18. 7. John Litster and Scottish Football Historian magazine. 2018.
  2. ^ David Narey at the Scottish Football Association
  3. ^ "David Narey - Scotland Football League Record from 01 Nov 1978 to 01 Nov 1978 clubs - Dundee United".
  4. ^ "Dundee United FC Official Web Site - Legends - Dave Narey". Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
  5. ^ Gracie, p.163, 332
  6. ^ Gracie, p.174, 332
  7. ^ Robertson, Forrest H. C. (2014). How The Cup Was Won. The Scottish Cup Finals Story. Kirkcaldy: PM Publications. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-9534682-7-0.
  8. ^ Gracie, p.196, 332
  9. ^ Ronay, Barney (4 October 2013). "Jimmy Hill a football and media revolutionary hidden by those glasses". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. ^ Reynolds, Jim (19 June 1982). "Scots' bravery is not enough". The Glasgow Herald. p. 18. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  11. ^ "50 Great World Cup moments: Scotland's David Narey stuns Brazil - 1982". BBC Sport. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. ^ Gracie, p.333
  13. ^ "David Narey". Scottish Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  14. ^ National Football Teams profile
  15. ^ SFA profile
  16. ^ "1994-11-27: Celtic 2-2 Raith Rovers, League Cup Final". The Celtic Wiki. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
Sources

External links[edit]