Benburb Heroes No.2- Alex Forsyth

Or should that be No.1? For when the history of Benburb goalkeepers is written, the Number 1 will undoubtedly be Alex Forsyth.
When the Bens vice president Harry Lightfoot was asked in a small article, recalling his own 30 years service with the Bens, of 'the best players he had seen wearing the Benburb colours', he replied 'Ted Swift, Alex Forsyth (the present goalkeeper), John McFetridge and Alex Mathieson.'
This was in the Evening Times of 14 February 1953. Whether Alex had the chance to read it that Saturday evening is not known as he had a busy afternoon facing Ashfield, including one Tommy Douglas, at Saracen in the 5th Round of the Scottish Cup in front of a 20000 crowd.
This was unlikely to have fazed Alex who had seen most things in his Bens career which spanned three decades.
Born at the end of World War 1, Alex signed for the Bens in 1938. He had arrived at Tinto Park after spells with Glencairn and Camelon Juniors where performances had brought him to the attention of Rangers. Two trial games for the Ibrox club preceded his arrival at Bens but when a move to the Seniors didn't materialise he had no hesitation in committing himself to the Benburb cause.
And what a commitment it was for over 17 seasons.
He was called up in the war alongside a 'team' of Bens players, but on his return Bens began to see his enthusiasm and influence as he made the goalkeeper's jersey his own. Enthusiasm for the Bens spread through the Forsyth clan as Alex's son Alistair recalled, in e-mails to the Bens website, of his times as a youngster behind the Bens goal chatting to his dad and then being recruited to the pie stall as a safer distraction for the good of the Bens!
Chatting behind the goal was something that Alex was not averse to when it aided the Bens as Bens goalkeeper Stewart Mitchell who joined Newcastle United knew only too well. He had a nervy debut in the Tinto goal but Alex made his way round the terracing and wisely talked the youngster through the remaining minutes. Mitchell only had words of praise for his mentor on his promotion to St James' Park as did other young Tinto keepers over the years.
The early fifties was the era of massive crowds at Tinto Park and Alex Forsyth was a firm favourite with the faithful so it was a popular move when he was made Assistant Trainer of Benburb in 1955. The news in the Evening Times speculated Alex would have no problems in treating injuries as he had overcome broken wrists, cracked ribs and other ailments in his seventeen years as a Benburb record breaker.
It was with great sadness the club learned of the passing of a true Benburb great when Alex's son Alistair informed the club that his father had passed away on 16th January 2009 at the age of 90 years.