Very sad to report that Malcolm Graham, the former Barnsley, Bristol City, Leyton Orient and QPR forward has passed away at the age of 81.
I saw him play a number of times for the R’s during the 1963/64 campaign including the bizarre 4-4 draw at Luton Town on the 23rd November 1963 when he scored one of our goals and more than played his part in the comeback from 4-1 down.
Unfortunately for both QPR FC and Malcolm himself, his short spell at Loftus Road was never the high point of his career.
In the 1963/64 season Rangers were a lowly Third Division side and by then his best playing days were behind him. Also, I recall that injury restricted his first team appearances to just 23 games wherein he scored 8 goals.
In his prime, Malcolm Graham was a star goal scoring forward for Barnsley and in particular Leyton Orient. When it came to putting the ball in the net his finishing was quicksilver and razor sharp.
In 1961/62 he was prominent in helping Leyton Orient reach the top flight of English football and in fact notched up the clinching goals in the O’s last match of the season, thus securing their promotion to Division One.
Malcolm Graham: Rest in Peace.
Bernard Lambert (Kerrins)
Malcolm Graham was born in Wakefield on 26th January 1934. He had worked as a miner at the Haigh Colliery whilst playing non-league football.
Malcolm was signed from Leyton Orient in July 1963 for £5,000. He made his first team debut a month later and scored in the 2-1 defeat at Oldham Athletic.
One other game to mention is the home friendly against Hibernian on 15th February 1963 when Malcolm scored the R’s final goal in the 5-1 win.
He and his wife Margaret purchased a nine-month old greyhound, which they named ‘I’m the Greatest’. I wonder whether it ever raced at the White City?
After making 23 league and cup appearances for the R’s, Malcolm returned to Barnsley, twelve months after his arrival in West London.
A long-standing knee injury forced him to retire whilst at Alfreton Town and he went on to work for the East Midlands Gas Board.
Rest in Peace.
Steve Russell
If only Malcolm Graham had been playing for us two years earlier!
but life is full of if onlys
You know its funny how odd little snippets tend to stick in the mind. Well my mind at least. My memory banks are simply overloaded with useless information.
In the final Leyton Orient match of the 1961/62 season when they beat Bury 2-0 and Malcolm scored both the goals to send the O’s up (A real sensation!)I will always remember listening to an excited radio reporter post match ending his summing up as follows
over came the cross…in went the ball…up went the hats(lol)….and up go a fine side.