TWO OR THREE editions of Ayrshire Magazine ago, a guy named David Milloy gave us his opinion on a Greatest-Ever Ayrshire Football XI. David's selection, however, limited itself to players who had played at Senior level. It wasn't a bad team either, although I would question how he could possibly leave out the great Eric Caldow.
However, the real heart of the beautiful game in God's County is not found at Somerset or Rugby Park, but at grounds such as Beechwood Park, Auchinleck, Meadow Park in Irvine or Valefield, in Kilbirnie, where, for all the clubs now play in the West of Scotland League – tier six of the SFA Football Pyramid, the game is still referred to as Junior Fitba.
Junior Football's heartland has always been in wee mining villages like New Cumnock, home of Glenafton Athletic, or former ironworks towns such as Kilbirnie, where the locals, after a week of toil in heavy industry, still had enough pith left of a Saturday afternoon to kick lumps out of each other. It is said of the typical Junior centre-half: “if it moves, he kicks it, if it doesn't move, he kicks it until it does”; while a good Junior full-back would: “maybe let the man past him, occasionally allow the ball to beat him, but, never allowed man and ball to get past him.”
Local loyalties are everything in the Junior game, so, this selection is sure to be contested, however, here is my Best-Ever Ayrshire Junior XI.
Goalkeeper: Cumnock fans swear by Girvan man Billy Bentley. Up in Kilbirnie, Tom McQueen, big Gordon's Dad, would get the vote, while in Irvine, they still worship Joe Cassidy, but for me, the Number One has to be my boyhood hero – Jock Fraser of Lugar Boswell Thistle. Big Jock played for Lugar for 20 years, signing-off with an appearance in the club's only Junior Cup Final, in 1956. I will draw a veil over the result that day – Jock deserved to go out a winner, but, it didn't happen.
Right-Back: Another of that Lugar team gets the nod here. Hughie Neil was a true Lugar boy, a Schoolboy international, although he played in midfield in the Cup team Wwhen he went senior he reverted to right-back, where he played through from the Fourth to the First Division (now the Premiership) with Carlisle United, before becoming the Cumbrian club's Chief Scout. He died following a crash on the A74 as he returned to Carlisle from a scouting trip to Scotland.
Left-Back: I could not leave out Talbot back and Club Captain Willie Young as the left-back. He was outstanding during Talbot's run of three successive Scottish Junior Cup wins.
Right-Half: Another easy selection. This player is widely-regarded as the hardest man ever to step onto a Junior pitch, the number four shirt goes to the legend that is Willie Frew, hard as nails, but could play a bit and also a wonderful singer.
Centre-Half: The man in the number five shirt has to be a McCulloch. I could have picked New Cumnock's Sam, another from that legendary Talbot team, but, instead I have gone back to the 1940s and 1950s and picked Jimmy “Maxie” McCulloch, the legendary Cumnock Juniors Captain.
Left-Half: Their was a brief interregnum after “Maxie” retired, before his son Bobby “Maxie2” McCulloch emerged to give even longer service to the Townhead club than his father had. Bobby twice led Cumnock to Scottish Cup glory, before running down his career at Ardrossan Winton Rovers.
Right-Winger: Wingers are meant to infuriate, entertain and set-up chances for others and few met all three accomplishments as another of those Talbot legends, my choice for the number seven shirt – Kenny Paterson. He could be a grumpy wee so-and-so, but, he could play a bit.
Inside-Right: I initially was going to go with Davie McIllroy, a key player when Kilbirnie Ladeside won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1977, unfortunately, he missed the final and had to wait years for the medal he deserved to get. Davie later played a major role at Winton Rovers and, in his day job as a PE teacher, he sent many a good youngster on the right football road. He was a great servant to the Junior game. But, for all my great respect for Davie, when push came to shove, I just could not leave out the great Ian “Stinker” Dick. Ian is one of several guys from the Cumnock area who, had he been wired properly, could easily have played for Scotland at senior level. He had skill in abundance, but, there was something lacking – like a functioning brain cell. The best “Stinker” story comes from the late Davie Macfarlane, ex-Rangers and Kilmarnock, who on his Glenafton debut, against Talbot, was fouled by Sam McCulloch, who helped him up and said: “That was your welcome to the Juniors Davie.” Macfarlane was then fouled three times in quick succession by “Stinker” and, after the third foul, he told Dick: “You're a fuckin' half-wit”. “Aye, Ah ken” was the response. That was Stinker.
Centre-Forward: He may be the most-decorated Manager in the history of the Junior game, have eclipsed the club records set by his illustrious predecessor, Willie Knox. But, as a player Tucker Sloan certainly knew where the goals were, scoring many in his career, so, he gets to wear the number nine shirt.
Inside-Left: The history of Glenafton Athletic has a few ups and downs, but, in the early 1960s, the club had a spell of real success. Only the Scottish Cup eluded them and the inspiration and mainstay of that team was a New Cumnock native, so that man, Danny “Puskas” McCulloch claims the number ten shirt.
Left-Winger: I was initially going to give the number 11 shirt to that Meadow legend “Hooky” Walker, a man who gave many years of sterling service to the club, but, in the end, my many years of living in New Cumnock told, and I opted instead for Andrew “Nick” Brown. George Burley, no less, told me, the most naturally-gifted player he ever played with was Andrew, a team mate at Cumnock Academy. Later, playing with Talbot, it was said, he would do nothing for 88 minutes, then win you the game in the last two.
Manager: I could always nominate Tucker Sloan as Player-Manager, but, if we have to have somebody running things from the technical area, there are only two men in contention, the great Willie Knox, or “Sconie” Davidson from Kilbirnie. We should maybe give them a half each. Or, to avoid disputes, I give you a left-field selection, man of many clubs Jamesie Kirkland.
Ends
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