Street named in honour of Saints hero Lapsley

Sep 4 2010 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

A STREET sign which pays homage to St Mirren legend Davie Lapsley has finally gone up – more than a year after residents moved into a Paisley estate.

Lapsley captained the Saints team which won the Scottish Cup in 1959 and is regarded as one of the club’s all-time greats.

And Paisley South Councillor George Adam, who is an avid Saints supporter, helped convince bosses at Persimmon Homes – way back in June 2008 – to name a street Lapsley Avenue in memory of the talented late Buddie.

But it has taken them until now to get the sign up at their Bournebrooke Grange development at the site of the old Cadbury’s factory in Neilston Road.

Residents had complained to council bosses that the lack of a sign was creating major problems for delivery men who had no idea where to find them.

Now they are celebrating after the new sign was erected.

One resident said: “I have lived here for more than a year and others much longer and it has been a bit of a problem for us with no sign to let people know where we were.

“This will make it all the easier for families getting deliveries or waiting on workmen to arrive. I like the name.”

He added: “It’s a bonus for me because I’m a Saints fan.”

Another added: “My dad is a St Mirren fan, so he loves it.”

Lapsley was signed for St Mirren by manager Bobby Rankine and made his debut for the club in 1946. He started out as a forward but later switched positions and became a right back.

Lapsley earned a reputation as a tough-tackling full-back but also showed he had the ability to score goals and was top scorer for the Buddies for two successive seasons as he netted a total of 27 strikes, mainly from penalties and free-kicks.

Mr Adam decided to pay tribute to Lapsley when he was given the chance to name one of the streets in Persimmon’s Bournebrooke Grange development on the old Cadbury’s warehouse site in the South End of Paisley.

Mr Adam said: “In 2001, I attended the funeral of Davie Lapsley – a player I never watched playing for St Mirren and one which I had only heard about from older Saints fans. That alone shows the impact he had on Paisley.

“Everyone who attended that game against Aberdeen in May 1959 talks about the buzz and excitement that swept Paisley before and after the event.

“So, when an opportunity came along, I knew I wanted the name of St Mirren’s captain on that day to be a part of the town he represented for so many years. Many people have told me how that team of 1959 was one of the most entertaining teams ever to wear the black and white stripes.

“I have only seen old newsreel pictures of this and the fact that they beat Celtic in the semi-final and a very good Aberdeen team in the final shows how good they were.

“So it is only fitting that we remember Davie Lapsley as one of our town’s sporting heroes.”

Lapsley, who was born in Kirkintilloch and played a total of 393 games for the Buddies, was inducted into the St Mirren Hall of Fame.