Bobby joins great Scots

Bobby Johnstone in action for Latics in 1961

ATHLETIC legend Bobby Johnstone will be inducted into the Scottish Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The mercurial midfielder, who passed away in 2001, scored 10 times in 17 appearances for his country.

He joins the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Denis Law and Sir Matt Busby in the hall of fame.

Inductees are picked annually by fans, and a committee at the Scottish Football Museum selects the successful candidates.

More than 17,000 fans turned out for Johnstone’s debut at Boundary Park in a Fourth Division match, which was more than four times the club’s average attendance at the time.

After rising to prominence in the late 1940s and early 50s as one of the Hibernian ‘famous five’ front line - completed by Gordon Smith, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond - Johnstone scored in successive FA Cup finals for Manchester City.

A slightly less successful spell back at Hibs was followed in 1961 by his famous four-year stint at Athletic, where he finished his career.

City’s life president Bernard Halford, who was assistant club secretary at Athletic during the Johnstone era, described him as “the best passer of the ball I ever saw”.

Johnstone played 143 times for Athletic and scored 36 goals.