Alfie Conn, Sr.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alfred Conn (born 2 October 1926, in Prestonpans, East Lothian) was a Scottish professional footballer, most commonly remembered as part of the 'Terrible Trio' of the Heart of Midlothian side of the 1950s, along with Willie Bauld and Jimmy Wardhaugh.
Conn joined Hearts from Inveresk Athletic in 1944, making his debut later that year in a 4-0 win over Dumbarton in a wartime Southern League match. He established himself in the first team in the 1948/49 season, when first combined with Bauld and Wardhaugh. Conn's energetic, tenacious style and powerful shooting perfectly complimented the cerebral play of Bauld and the dazzling dribbling of Wardhaugh, and their first match as a forward trio resulted in a 6-1 victory over East Fife.
The 'Terrible Trio' continued to score freely in the following 5 seasons, Conn notching 102 goals, as Hearts became regular top 4 finishers, yet defensive inconsistency ensured they failed to collect any silverware.
Conn eventually won his first medal in 1954, when Hearts defeated Motherwell 4-2 in the League Cup Final. The following season, Conn scored as Hearts defeated Celtic 3-1 in the Scottish Cup Final, their first triumph in that competition for 50 years. A mere 2 weeks later, Conn attained his only Scotland cap, scoring in a 1-1 draw with Austria.
This pinnacle was quickly followed by the nadir of a serious ankle injury, however, and Conn managed only 15 league appearances over the following 2 seasons. He played a bit-part role in Hearts League title success in 1957/58 before transferring to Raith Rovers in search of regular 1st team football.
He retired in 1960, and had a brief spell as manager of both Gala Fairydean and Raith Rovers. After his footballing days were over, Conn had the pleasure of watching his son, Alfie junior, establish a successful footballing career of his own, notably with both Rangers and Celtic.
 |
This biographical article related to Scottish football is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
