Former Aberdeen winger Alex Kiddie has died at the age of 93.
He was believed to be the oldest surviving Aberdeen player and the last remaining player of the club’s first senior trophy win.
Kiddie helped the Dons to Southern League Cup success against Rangers at Hampden in 1946 in front of more than 130,000 spectators.
Kiddie, who lived in Dundee and had been a regular visitor to Pittodrie until recently, died peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The pacey, right winger made his debut in a 2-1 defeat by St Johnstone in the Dewar Shield in 1945 and went on to score 15 goals in 65 appearances for the Dons.
He was provisionally signed by Celtic in 1944 but the Hoops opted against taking up an option to retain Kiddie and he caught the eye of Aberdeen manager David Halliday while turning out for Forfarshire against Aberdeenshire in a county select match.
In 1945 he signed a three-year deal with the Dons as an amateur to allow him to continue studying maths and physics at St Andrews University.
Everyone at Aberdeen Football Club is deeply saddened to hear that Alex Kiddie has passed away at the age of 93.
To our knowledge Alex was the oldest surviving Dons player and the final link to the club’s first trophy.
RIP Alex
— Aberdeen FC (@AberdeenFC) March 27, 2021
He scored two goals in the Southern League Cup semi-final replay against Airdrie, which finished 5-3 to the Dons, and played a starring role in the 3-2 victory against Rangers in the final.
Kiddie provided the cross for Aberdeen’s dramatic late winner scored by George Taylor.
In an interview with the Aberdeen FC website, Kiddie said: “Playing at Hampden in front of a 130,000 crowd was a great experience and the highlight for me.
“I was not really aware of that at the time. It was only when I went over to take a corner kick that I noticed the crowd.
“When you are in the game you tend to be so wrapped up in that, you don’t really notice these things.
“Playing in front of the sea of faces at Hampden that day is something that has never left me. It really was quite amazing.”
‘We always believed we would win’
He added: “I was pretty pleased with how I played that day.
“Rangers had a terrific side but we got the better of them.
“I don’t think many people gave us a chance but we always believed we would win, even when Rangers pulled it back to 2-2. I did what I always did, got the ball, took it down the wing and crossed for George to score.
“It was a great achievement winning the cup that day. I remember stopping at the railway station to buy a paper to read the match report, I still have that newspaper!”
Kiddie was unable to receive a win bonus like the rest of his teammates due to his amateur status but was given a wristwatch to mark the occasion by Dons chairman William Mitchell.
He was transferred to Bob Shankly’s Falkirk in 1950 where he continued to build towards a career in teaching in Dundee. He later had spells at Dundee, Brechin City and Montrose.