1921-22 Dunky Walker was to make an immediate impact on the team the following season. Top scorer in 1920-21 was Love, with eight goals. Walker was
to equal that total in the first two matches of 1921-22! Two 5-0 victories over Queens Park and Hamilton saw Dunky hit four
in each match. Dunky Walker went on to claim 45 league goals that season creating a club record that still stands to this
day and making him the top scorer in top class European football. He also scored eleven in five Scottish Cup matches, to help
Saints erase the memories of the previous year, and claim an eighth place finish.At the end of the season they were invited to Spain at the request
of Barcelona, to help officially open their new stadium at Les Cortes.To make the trip worthwhile, seeing as there was no jet-liner to speed their
journey, they arranged some friendly matches. The first of these was supposed to be in Paris, but when they arrived there
they were informed that the match had been cancelled and so they continued onto Barcelona and played a couple of matches against
Barcelona/Catalan select teams, losing 1-2 and 0-1.
The third match of the tour was
on 25th May 1922 against Notts County and was the official match to open the new ground. In sweltering conditions,
they fought out a close first half which ended goalless.
During the interval, County sought
the sanctuary of the cool dressing room while Saints decided to remain on the pitch. This had a double effect of keeping the
players acclimatised and also won over the Spanish crowd who got behind the team for the second half. Their
support was rewarded when Dunky Walker put Saints in front ten minutes into the half and they were almost on time when County
equalised to take the match to extra time. Towards the end of extra time Saints got the winner, scored by, who else, Dunky
Walker. The team then moved on to Santander and played two Matches against a North Spain Select team winning
3-2 and drawing 2-2 . The second match gave Saints a taste of some bizarre refereeing! Leading 2-1 going into the final part
of the match, Saints conceded a penalty. Keeper Jock Bradford became a hero when he saved the kick to maintain the advantage.
The referee then began to give some strange decisions the way of the Spaniards, before the match went into injury time. In
the tenth minute of injury time the Select team were awarded another ‘soft’ penalty. Once again Bradford saved
the kick, but the referee awarded a re-take and this time it was converted. The final whistle went immediately afterwards.
After this Saints travelled to Gijon and played a match in which Dunky Walker claimed six in a 7-2 victory. The following
day however Gijon won a second match 4-1, but it could not dampen the satisfaction of an excellent tour and a much improved
season! |
