Bert Slater
Goalkeeper (1959-1962)
Date of Birth: 5-5-1936
Birthplace: Musselburgh, Midlothian
Debut : 22nd August 1959 v Cardiff City (A) Football League Division Two: lost 2-3
1st team games: 111
1st team goals: 0
Other clubs: Falkirk, Dundee, Watford
Goalkeeper Bert Slater joined Liverpool in May 1959 from Falkirk, in an exchange deal with Tommy Younger.
He was 23 years old at the time and went straight into the first-team at the start of the 1959-60 season. However, he made a bad start at Liverpool, conceding eight goals in his first three matches and was quickly replaced by South African Doug Rudham, who played in the next 14 Second Division games.
A change of manager saw a change in Bert's fortunes and Bill Shankly kept faith with him from the day he arrived until the end of that season. Standing at just five foot eight inches Slater was rather small for a goalkeeper but he kept goal for the first 29 games of the Division Two Championship season in 1961-62 before being replaced by Jim Furnell.
He never did regain his place back at Anfield and eventually moved back to Scotland to play for Dundee, whom he helped reach the European Cup semi-final in 1963, before moving on to Watford where he got involved in coaching.
On his retirement from the game he became involved in a firm that developed and constructed golf courses.Bert died in Brechin on 21 July 2006.
Honours with Liverpool: Second Division Championship 1961/62.
Bert Slater