Back in the late 1880s, a player called R W (Bob) Mackie turned out for Montrose FC and he was the first of that side to turn professional when he signed for Newcastle West End in about 1890. There were no full time footballers in those days and Mackie tried his hand at a number of jobs before becoming a journalist, the career he followed virtually up until his death in 1957, aged 88. One of the tales he was fond of telling was as much about superstition as football.