FORMER Bradford Park Avenue inside-forward Ian Gibson has died aged 73.

Born at Newton Stewart, the ex-Scottish schoolboy international was snapped up by Walter Galbraith for Accrington Stanley when he was 15-years-old, and remained on the Peel Park ground-staff as an amateur until the summer of 1959, when Galbraith, then Bradford's manager, returned across the Pennines to sign his protégé amid a storm of protests from the Accrington club.

Gibson showed plenty of skill and confidence and was immediately upgraded to full time professional on his 17th birthday. His splendid form had not gone unnoticed, and when Middlesbrough came in with an offer of £20,000 for him in March 1962, Bradford had to let him go.

He had made 88 league appearances for Avenue, scoring 18 goals. He picked up two Scottish under-23 caps while at Ayresome Park in a four-year stay before joining Coventry City, where he won a Second Division championship medal.

He later played for Cardiff City under former Bradford boss Jimmy Scoular, before ending his League career at Bournemouth.