by Chris Wood
Ian's versatility was possibly the reason why he made only 68 first-team appearances for Liverpool in six seasons.
Sure, there were some excellent players around at the time which did make it hard for him to break through and claim a regular place but he never let the club down when called on and some of his best displays were when he was asked to do a specific man-marking job, like the time he stifled the great Franz Beckenbauer in a Fairs' cup quarter-final in Munich and even found time to stroll upfield and score the goal which earned Liverpool a draw on the night.
Ian was born in Glasgow in November 1947 and signed professional forms for Liverpool in August 1965 when he was 17 years old. Bill Shankly gave him a brief substitute debut at Sheffield Wednesday in the middle of January 1967 but he didn't figure in another League match until March 1968.
The only season in which he became anything like a regular was 1971-72, when he played in 21 First Division fixtures with a further 10 appearances in cup games.
Approaching his mid-20's, Ian decided to seek a move which would give him a better opportunity of regular first-team football and he moved to Villa Park in February 1972, where he enjoyed a certain amount of success.
After close on 200 League matches for Aston Villa, Ian went on loan to Notts. County & Northampton Town before signing permanently for Peterborough United, for whom he made 112 Football League appearances.
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