Everyone at Dundee Football Club was saddened to learn of the death of former player Ally Hill who died peacefully on Tuesday at Beech Manor Care Home in Blairgowrie. Ally, who was 84 years old spent two years at Dens Park between 1958 and 1960 and had been ill for some time after suffering a stroke in 2012.
Alastair Greenwood Hill was born in Glasgow on April 25th 1934 and started his football career with Junior side Jeanfield Swifts in Perth. Ally moved into the Senior ranks when he joined Clyde in 1952 and it was with the Bully Wee that he enjoyed his finest moment in football by winning the Scottish Cup in 1955.
Ally signed for Clyde just as they were crowned B Division champions and promoted back to the top flight and three years later, he was part of the side that faced Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final after defeating Aberdeen in the semis.
Ally who could play through the middle or out wide on the right, lined up at No. 9 at Hampden on April 23rd and after a 1-1 draw, had to do it all again at the National Stadium four days later. This time the Bully Wee were victorious and lifted the Cup after a 1-0 win over Celtic thanks to a Tommy Ring winner.
Three years later Ally left Shawfield to move to Dundee and made his Dark Blue debut, playing at centre-forward in the first league game of the 1958/59 season away at Falkirk. The Dee were victorious by five goals to two with Alan Cousin scoring a hat trick and Ally netted with first goal for the club in front of a crowd of 13,000 at Brockville.
Ally then scored in the next game; a League Cup match at Partick Thistle and made his Dens Park bow four days later in a sectional tie against Motherwell in which he scored a brace. A goal in the final League Cup tie; a 2-0 win over Queen of the South at Dens, made it five goals in his first four matches and the following month he scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Dens in front of 32,000.
By the end of his first season at Dens, Ally had scored seven times in 19 matches but found his chances restricted the following campaign and only featured 10 times, scoring twice. By then Bob Shankly had joined the club and was in the process of building the fabled 1962 title winning side and Ally would play alongside the likes of Pat Liney, Alex Hamilton, Bobby Cox, Andy Penman, Alan Gilzean and Alan Cousin.
With Gilzean and Cousin holding down the striking berths that season, Hill played mostly on the right wing but with first team chances restricted, left Dundee in 1960 and moved to Bristol City. In total Ally played 29 times for The Dee scoring 9 times with his last goal coming in a 3-0 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie on September 5th 1960.
His final appearance for the Dark Blues came on October 10th at home to Rangers and after that spell at Bristol City, returned north to Scotland to see out his career with Stirling Albion and Falkirk.
Whilst at Clyde Ally was capped once by the Scotland Under 23s against England at his home ground ground of Shawfield in 1955; the same year that he won the Scottish Cup and his medal is now the proud possession of his son Alan.
As well as Alan, Ally is survived by his daughter Margaret, brothers John, Ronald and Lawrence and grandson Allan and our thoughts are with them and Ally’s family and friends at this sad time.
