Malcolm Finlayson: Goalkeeper whose abilities helped the Wolves side of the 1950s win two League titles and the FA Cup

Finlayson was a confident, intelligent character who would later become a hugely successful businessman

It was both a mystery and an outrage to Wolverhampton Wanderers fans of the late 1950s that Malcolm Finlayson, whose commanding presence between their goalposts was a colossal factor in the winning of two League titles and the FA Cup, was never capped by Scotland.

The principal obstacle to a call-up for the burly, blond six-footer was the consistent excellence of Bill Brown, the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper, but given that others were handed their country's jersey in this era – the likes of George Farm, Lawrie Leslie and Frank Haffey – the Wolves keeper did appear unfortunate.

A confident, intelligent character who would later become a hugely successful businessman, Finlayson was sent into the Clydeside shipyards to work at 14 because his family couldn't afford to keep him at school, but he was always determined to make his way in the game, having excelled as a young player.

Trials with Celtic and Dumbarton came to nothing, but Millwall, impressed by the reputation he was forging in Scottish junior football, arranged a behind-closed-doors match with Charlton Athletic to put the rookie through his paces, then signed him as a 17-year-old in February 1948.

The Lions, toiling at the wrong end of the second tier, threw him straight into senior action and although he couldn't prevent their relegation that spring it was clear that they had unearthed a gem. Regulars at The Den loved Finlayson from the off, both for his precocious natural ability and his courage, which was exemplified at Walsall in November 1948 when he plunged at the feet of an onrushing attacker and suffered an ugly gash to his face. Hurried to hospital, he received multiple stitches, then raced back to Fellows Park midway through the second half only to find the gates locked. Still dazed but undaunted, he scaled them in an instant, rejoined the action and helped his team-mates, fired up by his heroic response to adversity, turn a 3-1 deficit into an unlikely 6-5 victory.

Over the next seven seasons Finlayson improved steadily, but despite several valiant near-misses Millwall, who also experienced some lowly finishes, could not rise from the Third Division South, and when Wolves were hunting for a promising understudy to their England keeper Bert Williams in August 1956, they beat several top-flight rivals to sign the 26-year-old Scot for £3,000.

When Williams retired in 1957 Finlayson came into his own. Though a tad less agile than his predecessor, the newcomer presented a formidable physical barrier. Particularly astute at positioning and a loudly vocal organiser of his rearguard, he was ideal for Stan Cullis's assertive, hard-running side, his long-raking kicks often turning defence into instant attack.

This was exemplified vividly in a 3-2 friendly victory over the European champions Real Madrid at Molineux in October 1957 when Finlayson's towering punt was nodded on by deft spearhead Jimmy Murray for the subtly skilful Peter Broadbent to score with a delectable lob.

The keeper missed only a handful of games as Wolves won the League championships of 1957-58 and 1958-59, and only failed to bag a title hat-trick on the last day of the 1959-60 campaign. They made up for that disappointment a week later by lifting the FA Cup, beating Blackburn Rovers 3-0 in the Wembley final after Finlayson had made a fabulous early save from Peter Dobing. With no substitutes allowed at the time, the contest was spoiled by a broken leg sustained by Dave Whelan, the controversial current chairman of Wigan Athletic, which reduced Rovers to 10 men for the second half.

Having entered his thirties, Finlayson lost his regular berth to the younger Fred Davies in 1962, and broke his finger during a 6-0 drubbing by Liverpool at Anfield in September 1963, which proved to be his farewell appearance.

He had planned shrewdly for his future beyond football, having preferred a business studies course as a youngster ahead of frequenting the local snooker halls with his peers, and he had also worked as a representative for a jam company during his playing days. The diligent Finlayson went on to succeed in industry, running steel foundries in the Midlands and assembling a collection of classic sports cars.

However, he always maintained close ties to Wolves and served a brief stint as vice-chairman during a period of boardroom upheaval in the early 1980s.

IVAN PONTING

Malcolm John Finlayson, footballer and businessman; born Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire, 14 June 1930; played for Millwall 1948-56, Wolverhampton Wanderers 1956-64; died Dudley, West Midlands, 26 November 2014.