News about Alan McInally

XCLUSIVE INTERVIEW By STEPHEN MCGOWAN: When strong drugs did not help Frank McGarvey's pain from pancreatic cancer, his son Sean discovered a treatment that had never been approved by the NHS. He turned on the television, opened YouTube, and took the old boy on a wandering memory lane. A whistle stop tour of his Celtic goals was a painkiller more potent than a shot of morphine. "I was always amazed when dad was alive because I would talk to him about games he played in with greater depth than he ever remembered," Sean says of Mail Sport.

PATEL AT VILLA PARK: In his programme notes, Unai Emery sent a strong message to followers, asking them not to be concerned with books or going to the top of the table.' However, all the supporters here had a skip in their step, with Villa Santa hats proving to be a big hit. Even former Villa striker Alan McInally was in the club shop! With almost every statement received rapt attention, Villan Lee Hendrie, another Villan from yesteryear, waxed lyrical about Emery's side in the packed fan zone pre-game. 'Winning would be the best Christmas gift ever,' Hendrie said. When asked if Villa was going to win the league, he replied, 'Yes, we should all be getting excited.'

JOHN MCGARRY: Frank McGarvey's skills were sharpened on Glasgow's streets at a time when the city's housing policies seemed to hardly attract footballers of a high quality. He was born in Easterhouse in the 1960s and may have enabled him to have a fruitful career in the corporate arena. However, it was his courage, tenacity, and perseverance that resulted in his somewhat unconventional playing style that earned him the larger audience it deserved.