I TRUST the Tartan Army has better luck in getting to Dublin today, than my youngest daughter had in her Irish trip. Due in Belfast this morning to show our Irish (red) Setter, she sat for one hour at the wrong ferry terminal at Cairnryan and missed her sailing!!
She just got back in time for breakfast, and is not happy.
I feel confident the TA will be happy when they get back from Dublin, and why not, even if we blow it spectacularly at the Aviva this afternoon, such are the joys of the Irish capital, so intoxicating (in more ways than the usual) is the craic in that fairest of fair cities, I am sure the lads and lassies will have a whale of a time.
About the game - I fancy given the combination of panache and discipline which WGS and his coaching team have managed to introduce and promote - I am confident we will win by one or two goals, but, these goals may not come until late in the game.
MEANWHILE, back at the ranch, the fun continues down Edmiston Drive way. I note, with court orders, injunctions and what not, my confident forecast in the continued ability of the beleagured Ibrox institution to provide a rich meal ticket for m'lerned friends, is being proven on a weekly basis.
The rest of us, those on the outside looking in, are, in the process, growing fat on the basis of the copious amounts of popcorn we are ingesting, as digest the twists and turns of the battle for control of the RTA.
We understand, a new manager might be installed within the week. Whoever is handed the poisoned chalice, will need all the luck in the world. This club truly is a basket case.
MY OWN wee team, Lugar Boswell Thistle had a wee announcement this week. The "Jaggy Bunnets" had their hey-day back in the late 1870s, early 1880s, before becoming a Junior, then a Juvenile team, prior to a return to the Juniors post WWII.
Our best Junior side emerged 60-years ago, when we had the wondrous Andy Kerr and the hugely under-rated Bertie Black, later to star for Killie, in our ranks. The team of season 1995-56, which reached the Junior Cup final: Jock Fraser, captain Davie Love, Charlie Cathie, Andy McEwan, Jim Baird, Jim Donnelly, Alex Bingham, Jimmy Collins, Sanny Sharpe, Hughie Neil and Eric Wilkie is the XI against which I judge all others.
That team crashed and burned against Petershill in what was my first exposure to match-day at Hampden, but, I still cherish the memories of that cup run - three games to get past Beith, another three to dispose of Thorniewood United, the semi-final at Firhill, when Jimmy Collins ran from half-way, chased by the entire Broxburn defence, to slot home the goal which took us to Hampden. Big Jim McMillan, the groundsman at Rosebank Park sprinting off the bench at the end to embrace his mucker Jock Fraser - two gnarled miners celebrating, priceless.
That was 60-years ago, where did time fly to? Since then, days to celebrate have been few and far between; I long ago feared the 'Well would have to close - th club, in fact, nearly did earlier this year, but, they are still there.
Boswell has had some terrific secretaries and committee-men: Geordie Affleck, THE undoubted expert on the Junior rule book of his time; Felix Wright, for so-long the voice of reason in the Ayrshire Juniors committee; long-serving Kenny Young; Bert Esquierdo - real fitba men who loved the club.
Now the baton has been passed to Lauchlan Miller, former team captain and manager and, this week it was announced that Boswell had agreed a tie-in with Ayr United, for whom Lachie played prior to a terrible leg break, which will see the best of Ian McColl's young players farmed-out to Lugar to gain experience.
This is a return to a system which used to work so-well in Scottish football, but has been discarded. After all, if Jock Stein thought Jinky Johnstone might benefit from a spell with Blantyre Celtic and Kenny Dalglish from turning-out with Cumbernauld United, what right have lesser managers to disregard a spell in the Juniors for their youngsters?
I hope it works for Boswell and for the Honest Men.
ONE of my favourite Juniors stories concerns Boswell. One Saturday night, as I returned from press box duty at Somerset Park, I had, in a moment of weakness, turned the car radio to West Sound, for its Junior football round-up.
The main story was of a "riot" at Rosebank Park, which had seen a meeting between Lugar and Dalry Thistle abandoned.
Details were sketchy and my first thought was that "Peachy" a notorious Lugar fan and probably, at that time - "the Village Idiot". As we all know, in Ayrshire Junior Football the Village Idiot was always given a place on the local club committee; except at Cumnock, where, for many years they made the VI the club president!!!
Enquiries made on Sunday came-up with the unexpected news, it had, apparently, had nothing to do with "Peachy". On Monday, I was in at Cumnock Academy on a story and I encountered then Janitor Billy "Bongo" Smith - a legend in Ayrshire football.
"What happened Bongo?" I asked.
"I don't know exactly, but here is somebody who was playing". Enter Lachie Miller, then a Sixth Year pupil at the Academy, a signed Ayr United player, farmed-out to Lugar.
We called Lachie over and asked: "What happened on Saturday?"
The explanation was priceless: "Well, the game was going ok, then they were awarded a foul in midfield and "Peachy"....."
Lachie got no further as Bongo and I dissolved in laughter.
I never did get the full story.
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