Hughie Hamill leads a pretty busy life, just as well because there is plenty to fit into it.
This is someone who, along with working out most mornings in a gymnasium close to his Cardross home, fills a large slice of his time managing the Vale of Leven Under 20’s development squad (Monday and Wednesday training sessions as well as Friday night matches) while also religiously taking in the Vale’s first team game at West of Scotland League Third Division level on Saturday afternoons.
And truth is, Hughie wouldn`t have it any other way as he’s been consumed with pouring his energies into the Alexandria club ever since their legendary former team boss Jimmy Brown persuaded him to make a return to Millburn Park on a transfer from Pollok in 1994.
Hughie recalled, “Jim George brought me to Newlandsfield from Shotts Bon Accord and he built a very strong side but I was never what you might call one of his regular picks and it took a 5-1 hammering of Petershill the week before Pollok were facing Largs Thistle in the Junior Cup quarter finals before I finally realized the writing was on the wall for me.
“Players don’t need to be told when they’ve played well and I was feeling particularly chuffed with how I’d performed against the Peasy yet I didn’t even get a place on the bench for the Cup game which we duly lost so understandably I had no hesitation whatsoever about signing for the Vale when the then gaffer Jimmy offered me signing terms.
Remarkable to think he is still to be found at Millburn coming up on close to three decades later…that first season back playing as a midfield playmaker followed by Dumbarton’s appointment of the highly regarded Brown as their new manager which in turn culminated in Hughie calling time on his own playing career to take up the Vale of Leven reins for the next 21 years and aid the development of Brian Wardle, Hugh Ward, Alex Gray, Paul McGrogan and George Coll among many others.
He finally stepped aside in 2017 to let the younger and more energetic pairing of Brian , his No 2 at the time, and Alan Brown (sons of ex-gaffer Jimmy) assume control of first team affairs and vowed in his own words “to still be about the place to help the club in whatever way they want me to.”.
Now, if the key to future success is understanding a club’s culture and traditions then Hughie is an ideal fit , along with assistant Scott McKernon, one of his former strikers, for bringing on the Vale’s Under 20 prospects, not least because the 63 year old is not after personal glory but rather sees it as his job to stay in the background and support the Brown brothers with a steady drip feed of up and coming talents .
He mused , “ I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else even if I could.”
HUGHIE SHOWS WAY FOR STARS OF FUTURE
Hughie, born in Helensburgh though raised in Dumbarton, first caught the eye in a footballing sense when playing for Leven Valley Boys Club where his outstanding displays brought him to be snapped up by local Senior outfit Dumbarton , managed back then by former Rangers and Scotland winger Davie Wilson , assisted by the legendary Stan Anderson , however by his own admission he struggled to establish himself in a Boghead dressing room containing notaries such as Johnny Graham, Murdo McLeod,Pat McLuskey,
Graham Fyfe, John Burke and the McAdam brothers Tom and Colin.
His lack of game time caused him to walk away, aged just 20, and revert to turning out with Balloch Juveniles, run by legendary character Alan Melville, but it was not long before his abilities were again attracting Senior clubs , one of whom Hibs, invited Hughie and goalkeeper Colin Kelly to play a couple of trial games, both against Partick Thistle, which resulted in then Easter Road manager Willie Ormond signing both of them.
Hughie’s well paid day-job working with Allied Distilleries in Dumbarton caused him to join up on a part –time basis which was not altogether to the liking of renowned Hibs boss Ormond whose constant badgering brought the youngster to momentously decide on a full time footballing career.
“I actually got to the stage of penning a resignation letter to the Bond bosses one Saturday morning but that very afternoon, Hibs played Ayr United at Somerset Park and I suffered a leg break in a tackle which kept me out of action for over three months.
“ Naturally, I didn’t hand in my letter , which was just as well because a bout of ill-health then caused Willie Ormond to step down and be replaced by Bertie Auld whose very definite ideas on how his Hibs midfield should set up did not include me and I ended up released at the end of the season.”
Legendary ex- Hibs captain and then Dunfermline manager Pat Stanton duly persuaded Hughie on a move to East End Park where he remembers being part of a dressing room containing Stevie Morrison , Jim Brown , Dougie Considine (father of current Scotland centreback Andy) and Sandy McNaughton ,however the departure of Stanton (back to Hibs) led to famed Rangers centreback Tom Forsyth having a short lived and unsuccessful stint in the manager’s chair which ended with him and Hughie being shown the door.
His travels …or should that be travails continued when another Dumbarton worthy Drew Busby persuaded Hughie there were merits on joining Queen of the South where the team, boasting Ted McMinn on the wing, came agonizingly close to winning promotion.
Said Hughie, “We needed only 3 points from our last 3 games but didn’t get them and Drew took it badly and resigned but he gave a glowing recommendation about me to the Partick Thistle management team of Benny Rooney/Mike Jackson so I ended up at Firhill where I played around 15-20 first team games until we suffered a 5-1 pasting away to Falkirk ….and the upshot was I never played for the first team ever again and was released when the season finished.
“That was when Jimmy Brown lured me to Vale of Leven for the first time and I played in a fabulous side containing Joe and Tom Carson, Davie Houston, Joe Coyle and Joe Rowan and we more than held our own in the old Central First Division back when all the big guns were part of it.
“If I remember right, we ended up third top one season and I thought to myself that if we couldn’t win a Cup or the title with this team then we’d never do it so there and then I made the most difficult decision of my entire career and opted to move away .”
Shotts Bon Accord boss John Jamieson won the race for his services and Hughie’s keep the ball playing style, so suited to the wide open spaces of Hannah Park, saw him remain for five “ very enjoyable” if not trophy laden seasons going by his vague rememberances..
“ Willie Devine was in goal, Andy Cunningham at the heart of our defence, big Pat Daly up front and our team also had the inspirational Sammy Miller so it defies belief to think our Shotts side won nothing of any note .” he said before adding .
“To be honest, we were always knocking at the door, 2nd or 3rd in the table or losing semi-finalists in the various Cups, but if you ask me there’s no difference between a mile of it and not being all that far away!”
Asking for the seasoned veteran’s take on whether the game nowadays is much changed from his own heyday brings a stark admission as his final note,
“The biggest challenge facing clubs is to give supporters a sense of pride in their team and you can aim for that like we do at Vale of Leven by rearing our own fully committed players.”
FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY 19th NOVEMBER (Kick Offs1.30 PM): P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Pollok v Petershill, Arthurlie v Beith, Rob Roy v Hurlford Utd.PDM Buildbase First Division. Thorniewood Utd v Benburb, Bonnyton Thistle v St Rochs, Kilbirnie Ladside v Cumbernauld Utd. PDM Buildbase Second Division. Ardeer Thistle v Glasgow Perthshire, Forth Wanderers v Greenock, St Anthonys v Muirkirk, Wishaw v Craigmark.PDM Buildbase Third Division. Girvan v Ardrossan Winton Rovers,Royal Albert v Dalry Thistle, ,Finnart v Carluke Rovers, Lugar Boswell Thistle v Lanark Utd, East Kilbride Thistle v Newmains Utd, Larkhall Thistle v Vale of Leven , Bellshill Athletic v Port Glasgow, Saltcoats Vics v Irvine Vics. PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. West Park Utd v Easterhouse F.A, BSC Glasgow v Rossvale Academy.St Peters v Thorn Athletic,Kilsyth Athletic v Campbelltown Pupils, Threave Rovers v Glenvale. South Challenge Cup.Rossvale v Johnstone Burgh, Maryhill v Ashfield,Maybole v Glenrothes, Lesmahagow v Whitletts Vics,The Spartans v Glasgow University, Renfrew v Cumnock, Glasgow Utd v Sauchie, Glenafton v Kinnoul, Kilwinning Rangers v Musselburgh Athletic, Cambuslang Rangers v Newton Stewart, Troon v St Cuthberts Wanderers ,Vale of Clyde v Irvine Meadow, Auchinleck Talbot v Neilston, Clydebank v Largs Thistle. Caledonian Braves v Rutherglen Glencairn, Shotts Bon Accord v Dundonald Bluebell, , Edinburgh South v St Cadocs, , Gartcairn v Dunbar Utd, Yoker Athletic v Drumchapel Utd,
Regards
Jim O’Donnell
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Great article on Hughie, great guy and an even better player to play alongside