If It Isn't The Old Firm, On Some Scottish Sports Desks It Isnae Fitba

LAST NIGHT I watched the BBC Alba coverage of the first leg of the Stranraer v Ayr United promotion play-off match, the winner of which will be promoted into next season's SPFL Championship. Arguably, this was the most-important game to be played in Scotland last night, but, strangely, the (Glasgow) Herald, which still sells a lot of papers in Ayr, principal town in what some call “God's Waiting Room” - the Ayrshire coastal retirement belt, did not deem this match worthy of coverage in its on-line edition. Still, that's just one reason why that once-great newspaper's circulation is going rapidly down the stank.

Mind you, the Herald did manage to have a sort of report on the Rangers Tribute Act's behind-closed-doors friendly against a Tottenham Hotspur reserve side – I suppose it's all about knowing your core readership and giving them what they want. The Scotsman – which sells a fair few copies among the “white settlers” along the still Tory “border belt” also failed to mention the Stair Park game – have the “serious” papers stopped treating Scottish football seriously?

Any way, given I never expect too-much from any meeting between two part-time Scottish teams, it wasn't a bad game. What wasn't to like: two good managers, who like their sides to play football, plus a leavening of once-promising boys, who never quite made it, getting a rare chance to strut their stuff on live TV.

I was particularly pleased to see Jamie Adams playing so well in the centre of the United defence. Young Jamie had a real chance of doing things, when he broke through as a youngster with Kilmarnock. I watched him regularly when he was loaned out to Queen of the South to gain experience, but, his career was almost ended by a cruciate ligament injury. He dropped out of the senior gam e, to play with his pals for Wigton and Bladenoch in the South of Scotland league, before finding his way to United, where, at 28, he is playing well, if picking-up, as he did last night, a lot of yellow cards.

Ayr United's Jamie Adams

Jamie could have been a contender, instead, he has overcome injury and is playing well himself in a team which is playing well. United left it late to grab an equaliser last night, now, with home advantage, at Somerset Park on Sunday, I expect them to march on and claim that promotion slot.

There were one or two others on-view at Stair Park last night, who had played at a higher level. The two United subs, Ryan Stevenson – he of the You Tube sensation which was a Maradonaesque wonder goal in his first Ayr United spell, and wee Brian Gilmour, not forgetting United goalkeeper Greg Fleming; while, on the Stranraer side, we had Willie Gibson, one of that lengthy list of Scottish wingers capable of bewitching and infuriating the fans in the same minute.

AT HALF-TIME at Stair Park, Alba ran their film of the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals. This was by way of a trailer for Alba's live coverage of the final between Beith and Pollok, which will be played at Rugby Park, on Sunday, 29 May.

I have a wee suspicion that Beith might sneak this one, if only because their manager, wee Johnny Miller, is something of a Scottish Junior Cup specialist. He scored a memorable winning goal for Glenafton, when they beat Tayport in the 1993 final at Firhill. Five years later, at Fir Park, he almost replicated that goal to set Arthurlie on their way to victory over Pollok – the last time 'Lok were in the final, so, who is to say he will not be celebrating again come the night of the 29^th.

Mind you, in a year when the absence of Talbot might somehow lessen the final, on the evidence of the semi-finals, Beith and Pollok are in some ways, lucky to be there. Both the losing semi-finalists, Kilwinning Rangers and Hurlford, squandered enough chances over their two-legged semi-finals, to win a couple of trophies. The fitba might not be great at Rugby Park at the end of the month, but, the game will be competitive, and, there will be black and white ribbons on the cup at the end.

RAY McKINNON, having resigned as Raith Rovers boss, is now Dundee United boss. Good luck Ray – you'll need it, with that Chairman.

  By the way: am I the only person who sees a resemblance between Ray and Claudio Ranieri?

THE GUARDIAN ran a piece this week about Adrian Doherty, the supposed “lost genius” of the Class of '92. Docherty was from Northern Ireland, and was therefore: “The next George Best”. Fast women and drink did for George, for Adrian, it was a severe cruciate ligament injury, from which he never recovered.

Of course, it is sad when a young player, seemingly touched with genius, fails to make it, either through personal demons, or injury. Doherty is not the only potential world-beater to have been crushed by injury. I can think as far back as Alick Jeffrey, the Doncaster Rovers forward of the mid-1950s. He made his first team debut as a 15-year-old, and was in the England Under-23 team as a 17-year-old in 1956.

A transfer to Manchester United (the Busby Babes team) had been agreed, when he broke a leg playing for the England Under-23 team. The youngster known as “The English Pele”, did recover, but, he was never the same player again.

So, over the past 60 years, there have been several “lost geniuses”. Each case is sad for the individual, but, it raises the question – does football do enough to prepare its failures for live after the game. In football, many are called, but, few succeed. Indeed, even the best Academy managers or Youth Development Managers, call them what they will – acknowledges, if the get one player into the first team, out of each year's intake of 16-year-old wannabees, they have done well.

The Class of '92 was exceptional – Beckham, Butt, Giggs, the Nevilles, Scholes all won international caps, as did Robbie Savage, one of the “failures”. The 1989 Scotland Under-16 team is known as: “The Lost Boys”, yet, Brian O'Neil, Paul Dickov and Andy McLaren went on to win full caps, while others such as Jim Beattie, Gary Bollan, Scott Marshall, Neil Murray, David Hagen, Craig Flanagan and skipper Kevin Bain enjoyed lengthy careers in the top flight. Jim Will, the goalkeeper, won Under-21 caps, before quitting to join the police.

 Paul Dickov in action v Saudi Arabia - one "Lost Boy" who made it to the full Scotland team

OK, they were never kept together, as a Scotland squad, to take us to the full FIFA World Cup final, and thus replicate their achievement in the Under-16 tournament, but, that demonstrates the vagaries of football.

Take my own wee Ayrshire village for instance. Billy Dodds, who was seemingly permanently on the bench for the school team, went on to play enough games for Scotland to receive the coveted SFA silver medal, for winning more than 25 caps. Yet, Doddsie, now doing well as assistant manager at Ross County and as a media pundit, will tell you – there were more-talented team-mates at school, who never made it.

Billy Dodds - not the most-talented at school, Chelsea gave him a chance, the rest is history

Talent-spotting is an inexact science, but, football could and should do more to prepare its kids for not achieving their dream.