RAB BUCHAN
Rab Buchan
It
was
with
great
sadness
that
the
club
received
the
news
that
Rab
Buchan,
a
club
stalwart
had
passed
away after a period if ill health. Our sympathy goes to his family, friends, colleagues and all who knew him.
The
minute
book
of
31st
August,1969
records
“The
secretary
informed
the
meeting
that
the
club
had
signed
player
R.Buchan.”
A
Niddrie
boy,
Rab
played
juvenile
with
Portobello
Thistle
before
turning
junior
with
Bo’ness
United.
He
moved
on
to
Pumpherston
and
then
Musselburgh
Athletic
before
signing
for
Penicuik
Athletic
in
1969.
A
book
binder
to
trade
specialising
in
restoring
old
manuscripts
and
documents,
Rab loved his football in his spare time.
Famously,
he
was
a
member
of
Penicuik
Athletics’
Cup
final
team
of
1970,
gaining
a
reputation
as
a
combative,
energetic
midfield
player.
Indeed,
one
newspaper
report
of
the
time,
the
Edinburgh
Evening
News
Special
of
Thursday
14th
May,
1970,
described
Rab
in
its
individual
player
profiles
as
a
player
who
“revels
in
hard
work”.
The
Athletic
team
lost
out
to
the
only
goal
of
the
game
in
the
final
replay to Blantyre Victoria after knocking out seven West of Scotland teams on their way to the final.
After
his
playing
days
with
Penicuik
came
to
an
end
he
joined
Dunbar
United
for
a
short
spell.
It
was
not
long
before
he
returned
to
Penicuik
as
joint
manager
with
his
old
Penicuik
captain
Willie
Hume.
They
recruited
well
and
put
together
a
formidable
team.
Together
they
led
Penicuik
to
their
first
East
Region
Junior
title
flag
in
1978/79
and
again
in
1980/81.
The
season
in
between,
1979/80
saw
Penicuik pipped on goal difference on the last day of the season preventing a unique hat trick.
Rab
made
lifelong
friendships
with
his
team
mates
from
that
time
and
will
be
sadly
missed
by
all.
His
achievements
at
the
club
are
remembered by many and he kept in touch with the club over his later years. Well played, Rab.