Ian St. John

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

St John was one of six children. Their father, Alex, a steelworker, died when Ian was six years old. Ian also showed talent for boxing as a boy, but his mother discouraged it. Having played football for youth sides and works teams as a teenager while working in local industry, including at the Colville steelworks, St John began his career at boyhood favourites Motherwell, signing as a professional in 1957 after a spell with affiliated junior team Douglas Water Thistle as a provisional signing; he continued a part-time engineering apprenticeship (work which he admitted he disliked and actively avoided as much as possible) for a further two years. He was managed by Bobby Ancell, and was part of a group of talented young players (also including Andy Weir, Willie Hunter, Pat Quinn and Sammy Reid) that were nicknamed the "Ancell Babes". His debut was against Dumfries side Queen of the South in an away fixture at Palmerston Park. St John scored a hat-trick for Motherwell in two minutes and 30 seconds against Hibernian in 1959, one of the fastest recorded in Scottish football history. He left Motherwell in 1961, having scored 105 goals in 144 appearances for the club in the three major Scottish domestic competitions. On 2 May 1961 he was transferred to Liverpool for a transfer fee of £37,500, setting a new club record. He was brought to the club by manager Bill Shankly, who was preparing for the 1961–62 season with the club still in the Second Division. Many years later, after Shankly's retirement as manager, he described St John's arrival at the club – along with that of Ron Yeats during the same summer – as the "turning point" for the club as they began their transformation into one of Europe's top footballing sides. St John made his debut for Liverpool in the Merseyside derby against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup. Although Liverpool lost 4–3, he announced his arrival in spectacular style by scoring all three of his side's goals. He scored a total of 18 goals in his first season for Liverpool, and played in all but two matches. His official debut came in a 2–0 league victory against Bristol Rovers at the Eastville Stadium on 19 August 1961, and his first official goals came 11 days later when he scored twice in a 4–1 win over Sunderland at Roker Park. His strike partner Roger Hunt got the other two goals. Along with Ron Yeats, St John was brought in to turn

In Their Own Story

Before joining Liverpool, St John began his career at Motherwell, where he scored a hat-trick against Hibernian in just two minutes and 30 seconds in 1959. After leaving for Liverpool, he made an immediate impact, scoring all three goals in his debut Merseyside derby against Everton in the Liverpool Senior Cup. His official league debut followed on 19 August 1961 against Bristol Rovers, with his first two official goals coming just 11 days later against Sunderland. As a player for Scotland, he earned 21 caps and scored nine goals, including a brace in a World Cup qualification playoff against Czechoslovakia in November 1961. Despite a dip in form as he entered his thirties, he remained a regular until leaving the club on 25 August 1971.

Reader's Guide

St John's transfer fee was £37,500, not £37,000. His official competitive debut was a league match against Bristol Rovers on 19 August 1961, not the Liverpool Senior Cup. His hat-trick for Motherwell against Hibernian in 1959 was scored in 2 minutes 30 seconds. His debut for Motherwell was against Queen of the South at Palmerston Park. He died on 1 March 2021 at Arrowe Park Hospital after a long illness, aged 82.

Did You Know?

• St John scored a hat-trick for Motherwell in 2 minutes 30 seconds against Hibernian in 1959.
• His transfer to Liverpool in 1961 set a new club record fee of £37,500.
• He scored the winning goal in the 1965 FA Cup Final, Liverpool's first FA Cup triumph.
• He co-presented the TV show Saint and Greavsie with Jimmy Greaves from 1985 to 1992.