Alex Mathieson celebrated his 100th Birthday with family and friends at the Geelong Football Club on Tuesday.

Mathieson played seven games in the number 31 for Geelong in 1944.

He received a team signed guernsey from the man who currently wears his former number, Francis Evans.

Recruited from Newtown and Chilwell, Geelong’s 467th player made his debut in 1944, kicking a goal with his very first kick in league football.

He remembers the moment like it was yesterday.

“When I ran on the ground, I was on a half forward flank where I had never played any football.”

“The ball was in our forward line five minutes into the game, (Elton) ‘Duffy’ Plummer was playing in the back pocket for them, he got the ball and came racing out and I grabbed him about 48 yards out from goal holding the ball and got my first kick.

“I (then) lined up for goal and kicked the goal. At quarter time they moved me to centre half back.”

That was the first and only goal of Mathieson’s seven-game career, which was cut short by the war and Alex was transferred to Papua New Guinea where he spent 15 and a half months.

It was a challenging period for Mathieson. Within 10 days of his return, he went down with Malaria, which he had on and off for the next two years.

Alex followed in the footsteps of his uncle Jim Mathieson, who played 71 games for the club between 1920 and 1924.