Fellow Scot Keen To Honour Old Mate

Jimmy McCalliog is planning the long trip from Ayrshire to be present at the funeral of his old pal Frank Munro on Wednesday.

The popular former inside-forward caught up on the sad news in the Scottish press this week and has every intention of paying his respects.

“I very much hope to be there,” McCalliog said. “I’m going to catch the train from Glasgow, with my partner, because I obviously knew Frank well.

“I don’t think I ever played with him in any of the Scotland teams – our paths certainly didn’t cross with the seniors.

“I won five caps and I’m told he received nine but I was in the team in the 1960s and only played once for my country after I joined Wolves in 1969. Frank went into the side a year or two later.

“I was very upset to hear the news about him. You reach a certain age and all you seem to be doing is attending funerals of old friends.

“Frank was an inspirational figure around Molineux for many years and I want to be there to pay my respects.”

McCalliog, who also travelled south for the funeral of Derek Dougan in 2007, was in some ways a replacement for Munro in Bill McGarry’s team.

Wolves won their first four matches following his signing from Sheffield Wednesday shortly before the start of the 1969-70 season, Munro being switched to central defence at the same time.

“Bill no doubt also had wind of Peter Knowles’ plans to retire, so I suppose that’s why I was signed as an inside-forward,” added McCalliog, who is a year older than Frank at 64.

“Funnily enough, I had talks with Stan Cullis just before Bill came in for me. I was back from Wednesday’s pre-season tour of Ireland and I met him for a chat when he was Birmingham’s manager.

“He didn’t want to see me in Sheffield in case we were spotted, so I saw him in a hotel in Chesterfield.

“I suppose I was a bit in awe of him for everything he had achieved at Molineux but I had to tell him that I had no intention of dropping down to the Second Division, even for him. It was the same when Villa came in for me a year or two later.

“I was thrilled to join Wolves and had very happy times there which Frank was always at the centre of.”

Hugh Curran, to whom we at Wolves Heroes broke the news of Munro’s passing, is also checking his diary to see whether he can be present at St Anthony’s RC Church, Fordhouses, on Wednesday afternoon (3.15pm).

Curran was in the Scotland side at home to Northern Ireland in May, 1971, when Munro made his full international debut by going on as substitute for Frank McLintock. Derek Dougan was playing for the Irish. All three players were then playing for Wolves.

Four days later, Munro went on for Curran in the Scots’ 3-1 defeat against England at Wembley.

A host of 1960s and 1970s players will be leading the tributes to the defensive colossus at Wolves’ home Premier League game against Fulham tomorrow, when Mick McCarthy’s side will wear black armbands. A minute’s silence will be held before kick-off.