THE story of a talented Musselburgh footballer who died in his prime after being struck by lightning is being told at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
John White had played more than 180 games for Tottenham Hotspur and was capped 22 times for Scotland when he tragically died in July 1964 while sheltering under a tree at Crews Hill golf course in Enfield.
His son, Rob, was only six months old when his dad died and went on to pen The Ghost of White Hart Lane alongside Julie Welch.
Now, Martin Murphy and Bruised Sky Productions have transformed the story into a play, which is being enjoyed by visitors to Underbelly Bristo Square in Edinburgh.
Spurs fan Martin told the Courier what it meant to bring the play so close to John’s hometown of Musselburgh.
He said: “Rob completely considers himself Scottish.
“His accent is no different to mine.
“To listen to him he is a Londoner but he completely considers himself Scottish.
“Who is father is to him, it meant a huge amount to bring it here.”
White played for Alloa Athletic and Falkirk before making the move south of the border to Tottenham.
He would go on to complete a league and cup double in 1961 – lifting both the First Division title and the FA Cup.
The following year, Spurs retained the trophy and, in 1963, he scored at the Feijenoord Stadion in Rotterdam as the club lifted the European Cup Winners’ Cup with a 5-1 demolition of Atletico Madrid.
He was posthumously inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur’s Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Scottish Football Hall of Fame the following year.
The play not only explores the footballer's career but also looks at his life and also his son’s journey to discover the man he never met.
The play takes personal and career highlights, out of time order, to explore from John’s humble beginnings, growing up in Musselburgh, through to football fame and his tragic death.
Sharing John's cheeky sense of humour, the play mixes intimate and unique moments with the human experience of grief and loss, comparing parallel times in both men’s lives, almost 30 years apart.
Martin, 42, told the Courier about the honour of turning the successful book into a play.
He described it as “a fantastic complement” to be asked to write the play and said: “My uncle and mum were big Spurs fans and I was told the story as a kid.
“It was almost like a fairytale because it was such an unusual one – this great player in the 1960s, who was struck by lightning.
“I knew that detail and when the book came out I read that just as somebody who is interested in Spurs and Spurs players and knowing Rob a bit.
“I am a huge fan of Julie Welch as well and I had Those Glory Glory Days on VHS as a kid.
“I wore the tape out because I watched it so many times that it fell apart eventually.”
The one-man show received its premiere on July 21 – marking 60 years since the inside forward’s death – at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which became the club’s home after moving from White Hart Lane.
Martin was pleased to say that the reception in Edinburgh had been “absolutely fantastic”, with performances taking place until August 26.
He added: “I am absolutely chuffed with it.”
Tickets can be bought here
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