A cup final medal won by a ‘mystery’ player nearly 100 years ago is finally back in the hands of his family.
The nine-carat gold medal is dated 1927-28, when Inverness Thistle FC triumphed in the Inverness Cup.
The inscription, which just has the initials R.F., has now been confirmed to refer to Roddy Fraser, Thistle’s left back in the late 1920s and 1930s.
He is also known to have been captain of the Jags’ team that lifted the Scottish Qualifying Cup (Northern Section) in 1932-33.
Why the mystery?
The search for the footballer’s family started when the medal came up for auction in London in May 2018.
It was sold together in one lot with another Inverness Cup medal, from season 1933-34, won by Thistle inside right, Jimmy Roy.
The starting bidding price for the medals was £350.
Both medals were bought by Mr Roy’s family who were then keen to hear from anyone who knew who R.F. was.
They enlisted the help of the Inverness Football Memories Project which holds monthly meetings at the Caledonian Stadium.
An appeal for help was answered by Roddy Dyce, great nephew of Roddy Fraser, who confirmed the identity of the medal winner and liaised with Jimmy Roy’s family over its return.
Roddy, who is steward at Hilton Community Centre, said: “We are delighted that the medal is back in the family.
“Roddy was a great player for Inverness Thistle, captaining them to many victories.
“Not only the Inverness Cup in 1927-28 but to the Scottish Qualifying Cup five years later when Jimmy Roy was a team-mate.
“We are grateful to the family of Mr Roy for giving us the opportunity to acquire it.”
Mr Roy’s daughter, Mrs Janet Fraser, who stays in Inverness, recalled that her late mother gifted one of her dad’s medals to a young friend.
She said: “We heard nothing more about the matter until my daughter Fiona McKinlay found out it was being sold at auction in London.
Medal back where it belongs
“Clearly, we were very keen to buy it and have it back in the family. The other Inverness Cup medal was included in the lot and that is how we have it.
“Someone else was bidding against us so we know there is interest in the medals.
“We are delighted that the mystery has been solved and that the medal is back where it belongs, with the family of Roddy Fraser.”
Mr Roy lived with his wife Jessie at MacEwen Drive, Inverness – a stone’s throw away from Thistle’s home ground at Kingsmills Park.
He had the distinction of winning the coveted Scottish Qualifying Cup (Northern Section) with both Inverness Thistle and Clachnacuddin.
As well as his footballing skills, he became known for his gardening and horticultural prowess, winning awards at the Highland Horticultural and Tomato Growers Society on more than 20 occasions since 1953.
The Inverness Football Memories project is a partnership between Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Trust, Clachnacuddin FC and High Life Highland.
It is recording the history of association football in Inverness since its beginnings in the 1880s. It is hosted on the Am Baile website.
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