Aberdeen stalwart Ernie Winchester passes away

FORMER Aberdeen and Hearts striker Ernie Winchester has died at the age of 68, the Pittodrie club has announced. Winchester, nicknamed “The Gun”, passed away on Wednesday.

A local lad from Torry, he joined Aberdeen from school, made his debut on 25 April 1962 and went on to score 91 goals in 169 appearances.

One of his most famous matches was in a Scottish Cup replay against Hibernian in March 1967. In front of an estimated 44,000 spectators two goals from Winchester, recalled in place of Jimmy Smith, and one from recently signed striker Jim Storrie brushed aside the Leithers’ challenge.

In 1967, Winchester moved to the NASL in the USA. In his first season with Chicago Spurs he scored 13 goals in 13 games. The franchise moved to become the Kansas City Spurs, where he played in 1968 and scored ten goals in 27 games

Later that year he moved back to Scotland and joined Hearts, where he was less productive, scoring only six goals in 47 appearances. In spite of that poor record, he was a popular figure at Tynecastle, where the fans appreciated his tireless effort. He finished his career with Arbroath and retired in 1973.