The Leap From Junior To Senior Isn't That Great

LAST SEASON saw a major stooshie in the junior game, with a whole raft of East Region sides, including such giants as Bo'ness United, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, Hill o' Beath Hawthorn, Linlithgow Rose and Newtongrange Star jumping ship to the East of Scotland League, which reformed to integrate the newcomers.

I appreciate, league campaigns are marathons, rather than sprints, but, a look at the latest tables shows the former junior sides are setting the pace at the top of the three League Conferences.

And, with Kelty Hearts, the team which ignited the departures from the junior game to the non-league senior, chasing Spartans at the top of the Lowland League, reality is at last biting in Scottish football – the juniors are on the rise.

There not being a West-Central Scotland equivalent of the East of Scotland League – the South of Scotland League is barely on-par with the lowest West Regional junior league, we are unlikely to see the likes of Talbot, Glenafton, Pollok or Beith taking the leap into “senior” football any time soon. Indeed, Henry Dumigan, the esteemed Talbot secretary has specifically ruled-out such a move for the Real Madrid of the junior game.

Mind you, should Talbot account for Cove Rangers in their upcoming Scottish Cup tie, Cove's own Alan Macrae, the President of the SFA, will have food for thought. And I would not rule out the chances of Tucker Sloan's Beechwood Battlers doing for Cove.

Of course, in the real world, where results trump hypothesis, Talbot and the other West teams are still adapting to their own new set-up, where the former Central and Ayrshire Leagues have been integrated into a new all-region four divisions.

Hurlford United are setting the pace in the Premier Division, but Talbot, like the league leaders, are unbeaten, while having three games-in-hand.

THE second round of the Macron Scottish Junior Cup was played on Saturday. Can I say here, well done to SFA Supremo Tom Johnston, who has finally bowed to my approaches and listed the games in alphabetical order.

There were the usual number of mis-matches: Hurlford stuck ten goals on Dufftown, without response, while Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Largs Thistle and Pollok each scored nine goals. Rutherglen Glencairn scored eight, while Harthill Royal and Thornton Hibs each hit seven goals.

Talbot, needless to say, went through to round three, after beating Forfar West End 4-2 at Beechwood, while in perhaps the tie of the round, The Buffs – Kilwinning Rangers, beat 2016 winners Beith 3-1.

My first team – Lugar Boswell Thistle, is, unfortunately – out, beaten 5-3 at Royal Albert, but, my home village team: Glenafton Athletic, is still involved, after winning 2-1 at Cumbernauld.

LAST week, the Celtic family lost an honoured member, with the death, following a lengthy battle against Dementia, of Jim Brogan. Jim was the epitome of that rare and honoured breed: “the fan on the park.”

Jim Brogan - a fan on the park

Every club benefits from such players, but, in Scottish football history, the Old Firm has probably benefited more than most. A majority of The Lisbon Lions were fans living the dream, Brogan was such a player in the 1970 European Cup Final. Roy Aitken, Paul McStay, Tommy Burns – such players were common-place last century. But, since the millennium, as Celtic has broadened the club's recruitment area, such players have become fewer.

Sure, “incomers” such as Henrik Larssen, Scott Brown and Leigh Griffiths have “bought-in” to the notion, but of today's squad, perhaps only Kieran Tierney comes into the category: “A Fan on the Park.” While, the Boss, Brendan Rogers is “A Fan in the Dug Out.”

Across the city, perhaps only Allan McGregor and Kyle Lafferty fit the label. But, while Steven Gerrard isn't “A Real Rangers Man,” he does know what it takes to be top dogs in a two-team city, and that includes a fan on the park.

But, I digress, while Jim Brogan was: “A Fan on the Park,” he was also a very good defender. He was one of the last of those players who endured a lengthy apprenticeship in the reserves, before making his mark in the first team – another type of player we have lost with today's demand for instant results. Not every player steps-up ready-made, some have to be moulded by a club, and that can take time.

By the way, while writing a Jim Brogan obituary, I discovered something, he is the answer to a tricky pub sports quiz question. That question is: Who succeeded Billy McNeill as Celtic Captain?

The unlikely answer is Brogan, who was handed the captaincy for his final Celtic game, in the Glasgow Cup Final – a week after McNeill's retirement following the 1975 Scottish Cup Final.

I QUITE like the look of the squad big Alex McLeish has named for the Europa Nations League clash with Israel and the following friendly against Portugal. He is, to my mind, trying to get a “club” ethos around the national side, refusing to try experiments and sticking to guys he has worked with before.

I feat Jordan Archer might be the latest recruit to the lengthy list of Scottish “one-cap wonders”, having lost his place as third goalkeeper behind Allan McGregor and Craig Gordon to Sunderland's Jon McLaughlin.

I still feel, however, if he could get a regular run in the Celtic team, Scott Bain could be the next undisputed Number One. However, to do that, he has to get past Craig Gordon, which is no easy task.

FINALLY, what a pleasure to see Julie Fleeting about to be inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, joining fellow Ayrshire lassie Rose Reilly in the esteemed gathering of the great and good.

Julie Fleeting - a Hall of Fame inductee

What Scotland would have given for a male striker able to match Julie's international record – 116 goals in 121 internationals. That works out as 0.96 goals per game. That's better than our best post-war strikers – Denis Law and Lawrie Reilly.

Ah kent her faither, and all I can say is: Julie's mother must have been a fantastic player!!

I stole that line from Craig Brown by the way. Father Jim was not a bad defender, and an even better coach and SFA administrator.