Johnny Crossan - but where?

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Hi All

Little teaser here and I'd love to know what you think.

A young-looking Johnny Crossan doing heading practice, signed also, but my questions are:- where is it, and who's the chap on the left?

Johnny had quite an exotic career, having been banned from football on one occasion when he left Derry City for Coleraine. He had a long list of clubs as follows:-

1954-8 Derry City
1958 Coleraine
1958-9 Bristol City
1959-61 Sparta Rotterdam
1961-2 Standard Liege
1962-5 Sunderland
1965-7 Manchester City
1967-70 Middlesbrough
1970-5 KSK Tongeren (Belgium)

Born in 1938 so 24 when he joined Sunderland.

On the back, it's stamped by Scotsman Photos of London & Edinburgh but sadly not dated.

It's been written:-

Crossan (Standard Liege) heading ball. The club has been crossed out and Sunderland inserted. That in turn has been crossed out and Manchester City inserted.



I thought originally it might have been in front of the Clock End at Roker Park, but the stand isn't big enough plus it has too many supporting columns. Could it be at Standard Liege's ground and the chap on the left a coach there? What I didn't know till now was that Crossan played for Liege in the European Cup semi finals of 1962 v Real Madrid. He also scored twice for Liege in the quarter finals v Rangers. Ibrox Maybe?

So, what do you reckon, please? Cheers, all.

[Texas Rangers]

Definitely not Ibrox and I don't believe it's Standard Lieges Stadium either per the link below.

http://youtu.be/09637s9fJsA

[Rocky]

The chap on the left may be Paul Bonga Bonga a Congolese footballer who played for Standard Liege at the same time as Crossan. If it is from that era, then that ground is more than likely situated somewhere in Belgium.

A few Liege team line ups can be viewed via this link.

http://tout-sur-le-standard-de-liege.blogspot.com/2013/08/1961-1962.html

Also see Wiki re Mr Bonga Bonga.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bonga_Bonga
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[Andy H]

It’s most definitely not the Clock Stand at Roker Park!

Andy

[Tynie Topics]

Standard Liege played Rangers in the 1961-62 European Cup, the ground does look distinctly British/Scottish, could it be where they trained prior to the game at Ibrox? It being a Scotsman pic perhaps underlines that.

Bonga Bonga and Crossan both played in that match.
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[marooned11]

Hi,
Many, many years ago I attended a Boys' Brigade Final at the Albion ground, Ibrox. The photograph certainly reminds me of that game - the same semi-derelict nature of the ground and the backdrop of inter-war Glasgow housing.
Rangers used the Albion as their training ground so it is highly likely that Standard Liege were accorded the use of the facility prior to their European Cup tie in season 1961-62. Paul Bonga Bonga had destroyed an excellent Hearts' side when the Tynecastle club made their European debut in 1958-59 but Rangers were to get the better of the Belgian champions- Bonga Bonga, Johnny Crossan et al- 3 years later.
The Albion is now gone, a car park in its place but, for older posters like myself, a memory of a place where Baxter, Henderson , McMillan and many others honed their skills.

[Rocky]

Good shout Tynie & Marooned regarding the possible Scottish ground connection. Here's a press snippet.


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[Tynie Topics]

Think the Albion was also the White City dog track, they were one and the same. Could very well be that, Rangers bought it in 1960.

https://greyhoundracingtimes.co.uk/2019/01/07/glasgow-albion/
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[Pete’s Picture Palace]

This is brilliant info, guys, just the sort of thing the FDC excels at. Thank you so much.

I'll put it down as Standard Liege, training at the Albion ground prior to their EC q/f 2nd leg match with Rangers, February 1962.

Paul Bonga Bonga was the first African footballer to be included in the World Soccer Magazine World XI in 1962. Could use a photo of him to prove it's him though, does anyone have the Rangers v Standard Liege programme with perhaps a Liege team photo?

Cheers guys.

[Rocky]

There's a few pics of him in this link I put up earlier in the thread. Not sure if this will suffice.

http://tout-sur-le-standard-de-liege.blogspot.com/2013/08/1961-1962.html
_________________
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/187311548@N07/albums

https://www.flickr.com/photos/117760314@N07/albums

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Again, brilliant, thank you, and sorry I didn't click on it before.

I would go with it being him.

Cheers

[seand]

Rocky wrote:

There's a few pics of him in this link I put up earlier in the thread. Not sure if this will suffice. http://tout-sur-le-standard-de-liege.blogspot.com/2013/08/1961-1962.html

Great blog that Rocky, thanks for sharing. There's a Paul Bonga-Bonga dedicated page there too

http://tout-sur-le-standard-de.....nchette%22

[LindsayH]

Just checked programme - there is a team photo but he's not in it! He is listed as playing though!
No photos of him in the 1st leg programme either.

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Thanks for checking!