Inverness Football Memories: The day Gary Lineker played a match at Telford Street

The star player appeared in a glamour friendly in 1983.

By John Ross

March 29 2023, 11:45 am

Leicester City came to Inverness in 1983 for a friendly match.

Back in the day when Gary Lineker troubled centre halves rather than governments or directors general, he made a memorable visit to Inverness.

Then a star striker with Leicester City, the Match of the Day presenter and controversial Twitter user appeared at Telford Street Park on March 28 1983.

The occasion was an end of season high-profile friendly at the home of Caledonian FC, and was due to an Invernessian.

The match was recalled as part of research into the Caledonian Invincibles of 1982-83, the team that won the Highland League undefeated.

Who won the match?

As the Press and Journal reported, Leicester ran out 4-0 winners with Lineker, who went on to play for Everton, Spurs and Barcelona, scoring twice.

The other two were scored by Alan Smith, later of Arsenal and now also a TV football pundit.

The Leicester team also featured former Caley midfielder Kevin MacDonald, who signed for the English side three years earlier.

The transfer deal, for a club record fee of £26,000, included the promise of Leicester coming north for a glamour game in Inverness.

The P&J reported on the match in which Lineker scored twice

Eighteen months later Kevin signed for Liverpool in a £400,000 deal.

In 1985-86, he was a key member of the Liverpool team that won the English Football League Division 1 and FA Cup double.

Kevin and Lineker met up again, but on opposite sides, in the 1986 FA Cup Final when Liverpool defeated Everton 3-1.

Kevin’s outstanding success at Liverpool, including winning the double, was marked with a civic reception at the Town House.

Sporting family in Inverness

The youngest son of Margaret and Donnie MacDonald, he grew up in a sporting household.

His father played for all three Inverness Highland League teams and was also an accomplished badminton player.

Older brothers Jeff played for Caledonian 2nd XI and Glasgow University, and Gordon was a goalkeeper for Inverness Thistle.

Gordon, now living in Perth, Australia, recently completed a 200km (more than 124 miles) sponsored cycle marathon which raised 22,071 Australian dollars (about £12,000) for the hospital where he receives treatment for terminal brain cancer.

Kevin started playing for Caledonian in their under-16 team. He later made 56 first team appearances before being signed by Leicester, then managed by Jock Wallace, the former Rangers boss.

He was made captain of Leicester aged 23. His mother recalls Wallace also helped him overcome early home sickness.

Gary Lineker in his Leicester City playing days.

“He recognised his ability and his desire to win. Kevin enjoyed his time at Leicester and when his playing career was over he returned for a spell as youth development officer.”

He also helped Leicester gain promotion to the top flight of English football and signed for Liverpool in 1984.

Black and white, head and shoulders photo of Kevin Macdonald — Kevin Macdonald. Image: Inverness Football Memories Project

The following year he was part of the squad in the European Cup Final when Liverpool lost 1-0 to Juventus at the Heysel Stadium, Brussels, when 39 fans died in riots before kick-off.

He later had a short loan spell at Rangers, under Graeme Souness, then moved to Coventry City and Walsall before moving into coaching.

While in charge of Aston Villa’s reserve team, he served as acting manager on three occasions. He also had a spell as assistant to Steve Staunton with the Republic of Ireland international side.

Lineker connection part of Inverness Football Memories project

Kevin still keeps his hand in at coaching with the Gordon Strachan Academy.

And his mother still keeps bags of newspaper cuttings about her late husband and all three sons, who all played a part in the sporting history of Inverness.