Memories of Drew Rutherford run deep, a local legend and a Saint

Drew Rutherford had none of Jim Baxter's outrageous skills, he could not rival Frank McAvennie's taste for the high life, and unlike Graeme Souness he could not list Tottenham, Liverpool and Sampdoria among his employers.

He was carved from more reliable timber - he was what Scotland used to describe as a stalwart. In the era before Bosman and the rise of the mercenary he was content to play out the bulk of his career for one club, St Johnstone.

His choice was barely a step up from his first club, East Fife - both teams were waging ultimately successful battles against relegation from the First Division when he was transferred to Muirton in 1977 - and it may not have been the most inspired, because football in Perth guaranteed he would never be in the limelight. But for the few thousand die-hards who watch Fair City football, he was one of those people you instinctively and deeply admired.

Even his death, which was sudden and upsetting, did not attract the attention of the media. There was none of the flamboyance of his former team-mate Ally McCoist and none of the romantic drama of a current St Johnstone star Jason Scotland, who defied the vagaries of the work-permit lottery to become the first Perth-based player to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Drew Rutherford was beneath the radar of fame and that's why he was so enduringly popular with St Johnstone fans - it was as if he belonged to them and no one else; only they could really appreciate what he had done. Drew was an old-school defender, solid and understated. If comparisons are to be made, then the most likely is with another Fifer, Norrie McCathie, whose defensive dedication to Dunfermline marked him out as a club legend.

He signed for Saints in March 1977 and became a mainstay of the side in five consecutive seasons of unsuccessful attempts to get out of the Alcatraz of Scotland's toughest league. Reward came in 1982/83 when he was an ever-present in the team that won the league title, under manager Alex Rennie.

By summer 1980 Rutherford was club captain, and was elected to represent his squad in the usual pre-season bonus negotiations. Rutherford had always secured a bonus for Saints to avoid relegation. The new manager threw him out of the boardroom and told him only to return when he had players that wanted a bonus to win the league. He did and they did. By May 1983, Scotland's definitive 'yo-yo' team were champions of the First Division again and in the 121-year history of St Johnstone FC, nobody has made more appearances in a Saints jersey than the big central defender.

For ingrained St Johnstone fans, who grew up during the Seventies on housing schemes like Letham, Craigie or Muirton, there was only one real enemy and that was Dundee. Their name alone provokes a deep loathing that few outside Perth can begin to understand.

That was another reason Drew Rutherford was so loved. He was the captain at New Year in 1978 when an unfancied St Johnstone travelled to Dens to win a seven-goal thriller, scoring four unforgettable goals including a hat-trick by Derek O'Connor. To this day the game is remembered in song to the tune of Bye Bye Blackbird: "Then the crowd called out for more, so Derek made it number four - Dundee bye-bye."

The most famous graduates of Rutherford's era were the prolific striker John Brogan, the irrepressible talisman 'Super Ally' McCoist, and a man who was rushed on as a late entrant to the famous Dundee game with a raging New Year hangover, John 'Pele' Pelosi.

Last month, it was announced that Drew was seriously ill with cancer. Not for the first time, the fans' website 'Blue Heaven' rallied to support. Another club captain Don McVicar, who suffers from motor neuron disease, had already been helped out and the systems were in place to back Rutherford in his moment of need. A fundraiser was organised at the 208 bar opposite McDiarmid Park. Players from the Eighties, now heavier and less athletic, mingled with fans in one of those emotional nights that only the followers of wee teams can fully understand.

The organiser of the event, a Saints die-hard nicknamed Bear, lay on a massage table having his full body hair removed to raise funds for Drew and a cancer charity. Songs were sung, memories were revisited and, as always, big moments from the past were exaggerated.

But before the funds could be put to use Drew had died, aged 52.

The last party for him was held by friends and fans; people who knew the unsung role he had played in saving a proud club. Drew Rutherford will be remembered by a small band of fans but their memories are deep and will not be easily erased. He played 342 games for St Johnstone, a record that will probably never be surpassed.

At his fund-raising event the fans sang 'A Saintee Till I Die' - it was Drew Rutherford they had in mind.