MICK WAS WELL TRAVELLED

There is no question of split loyalties for Mick Dunlop whenever sons Michael and Ross are embroiled in WoSFL First Division action.

That’s because both are currently to be found on the books of Gartcairn…Michael, the elder of the pair, is the promotion challenging Airdrie based club’s team manager while 32 year old Ross is one of their first pick central defenders more often than not.

And the siblings have previous for not dividing their Dad’s allegiances after playing for a promotion winning Stenhousemuir side at one and the same time as well as hitherto more famously teaming up together as twin stoppers in the 2014 Albion Rovers team that was a mere 12 minutes away from a Scottish Cup quarter final victory over Rangers before a highly controversial Bilel Moshni equalizer earned Ally McCoist’s men a replay which they duly won 2-0.

No less than legendary Rangers and Scotland defender Richard Gough was commentating for T.V and when asked to name his Man of the Match? remarked “ I could give it to either of the Dunlop brothers “…he settled on Michael.

Dad Mick was looking on proudly at Ibrox that night and could have been excused for pondering over the origins of these acclaimed defensive genes considering his own playing career had been almost entirely spent playing as an out and out striker?

Govan born and bred Mick first caught the eye as a 14 year old playing for his school football team at St Gerards where one of his teachers was the Clyde defender John McHugh whose promptings persuaded the youngster to go along and train at Shawfield.

Said the nowadays 66 year old, “ The big snag was Clyde didn’t have a Youth set up back then so even though I signed schoolboy forms, they didn’t have a team for me to play in but thankfully Bob Innes who was running Harmony Row gave me plenty of game time.

“The former Rangers player Stan Anderson was the Clyde manager and he insisted I should continue to train there and mix with first teamers Billy Beattie , Brian Ahearn, Sam Miller , Willie McVie and Dom Sullivan while at various times the Reserves side contained Joe McGoldrick (later a Scottish Junior Cup winner with Kilbirnie Ladeside), Stevie Archibald, Willie Young (signed by Aston Villa from Arthurlie) and another Govan boy Andy Dailly, best known for his spells with Pollok, Petershill and Benburb.

Mick added “ Joe used to pick myself and Andy up on the Govan Road to take us to training and eventually at 16 years of age I got a first outing for the Reserves in a midweek Second X1 Cup tie against Airdrie at Broomfield where I believe my getting the nod was more to do with us being short of players than anything else given that the Clyde assistant manager Jimmy Rowan also played and he was well into his 40’s at the time.”

Around this time St Anthonys started up a Boys Club where Mick formed close bonds playing alongside Frank Docherty as well as a teammate who was to end up as Best Man at his wedding , John McGhee , still a close friend to this day , and he also recalls getting a rollicking on account of legendary Ants gaffer Felix `Faither` McKenna .

“It was Easter Monday and the Ants had several players posted missing for an away game against Rutherglen Glencairn so Felix thought nothing of calling up a trio from the Boys Club , myself included” recounted Mick,” I duly partnered Billy Milne up front on a heavy pitch where I scored an early goal and also hit the crossbar.

“Feeling gallus after my performance and because Shawfield was so handy, I just upped and walked down there after the game and naively explained my reasons for missing training to Stan Anderson only for him to go off his nut and let me know in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t allowed to play for any team other than Clyde.“

It was the first but not the last time the teenage Mick’s naivety about footballing regulations was to land him in a quandary because following a parting of the ways with Clyde just after turning 18, he was training with Benburb who were keen to sign him ahead of the 1974/75 season.

He added, “Negotiations were ongoing with the Bens but nothing had been agreed so an opportunity arose to fly out on a close season holiday to Spain which I took not knowing there was a reinstatement deadline in the Juniors which had passed by the time I returned home.

“Benburb’s interest had understandably cooled and I couldn’t join any other Junior club however I was working with the Royal Bank of Scotland so I reverted to playing for their team until one of the guys who was involved with Clydebank Juveniles Under 21’s talked me into going there.

“Ours was a better than decent team which was needed for going up against top sides like Campsie Black Watch and we actually reached the Under 21 Scottish Juveniles Cup Final but lost to a team from through in Harthill if memory serves me right.”

The following season 1976/77 saw his father-in-law John Dundas appointed manager at St Anthonys and his influence proved crucial in recruiting Mick for an emerging Moore Park side whose star turn at the time was midfielder Tam Niven later to join Arthurlie.

Mick recalled , “ John pestered me non-stop to come and play for him and I eventually caved in and agreed to join a strong Ants team that in my second season went all the way to the Scottish Junior Cup 5^th round.

“I remember St Rochs and Vale of Clyde being among the scalps we took during our Cup run and we fancied ourselves to go all the way even after we were drawn away in the last 16 to the East Region big guns Bonnyrigg Rose however on the day of the tie , everything that could go wrong went wrong in our journey through to New Dundas Park and our bus didn’t arrive there until ten minutes before kick-off.

“A quick change,no team talk and even less of a warm-up later saw us run out wearing our green and white hooped strips ,the sight of which had the Rose supporters going off their heads, but the hostile atmosphere in the ground didn’t affect our guys in the slightest and Bonnyrigg, the eventual trophy winners as it turned out , only got the better of us with a goal just ten minutes from the end.

“|They beat Stonehouse Violet in the Final and recognition of St Anthonys giving them their toughest game en-route to the Final came via an invite for our club officials to be their guests at Hampden Park. “

MICK AND JOHN McGHEE AS 19 YEAR OLDS FOR THE ANTS BEFORE A 1976 CUP TIE AGAINST POLLOK

Mick netted the only goal of the game as the Ants chalked up a Sectional League Cup triumph over near neighbours Benburb and his scoring a hat trick in the return game a week later had Tinto Park gaffer Tommy Douglas chasing his signature but Felix turned down this transfer approach and his resolve to keep hold of the developing Ants hitman was put to the test again at the start of the following campaign when Mick repeated his hat trick feat in yet another Govan derby.

But the infamous Ants leader knew he was beaten when his star striker’s work commitments intervened (He was by now a Printer to Trade with Waterlow & Son ) causing him to miss training and weekend games so Felix relented and agreed a deal with Arthurlie gaffer John Dove which saw Mick move to a Barrhead side containing worthies such as Bobby Skippen, Jackie Heeney, Billy Milne, John Redburn and John Thomson.

His stay proved to be all too brief …one season… mainly because Bens boss Tommy Douglas’ interest in Mick had never waned and he finally got his man when Mick put pen to paper prior to the onset of the 1980/81 season, a couple of months down the line from the Govan outfit’s replay defeat by Bailleston in the Scottish Junior Cup Final.

The revered forward line trio of Eddie McKim, Grant McIntosh and Stevie Whitehead had remained in-situ as had the likes of Ally Marshall, Ian Davis , Mick Livingstone and Jimmy Quigley however Mick didn’t shy away from competing for a jersey in this exalted company and he was holding down a regular place by the time the Tinto Park outfit had battled their way to the Scottish quarter finals for a second successive season.

The irony of lining up against former club Arthurlie was not lost on Mick and more so after the Barrhead men ran out 3-0 winners in a last eight replay following an epic 2-2 first game stalemate however his impressive performances had not gone unnoticed at Senior level and the start of the following season brought a signing swoop from Dumbarton whose ranks comprised of players of the ilk of the Coyle brothers Tommy and Joe, Mark Clougherty, and Graham Sinclair (later of Celtic), all under the management of Billy Lamont.

Mick takes up the story, “ I was initially asked to play as a trialist in a first team game against Hearts who had the former Celtic player Roddy McDonald at centre-half however I did reasonably well and was asked out again the following week against Ayr United at Somerset Park where I scored a goal and straight after the game was offered a two year contract.

Mick has wonderful memories of his two seasons with the Sons , the highlight notching a hat trick in a 5-2 win over a promotion challenging Hearts side for whom Willie Pettigrew and Peter Marinell were playing but he owns up to the manner of his Boghead Park departure rankling with him to this day.

He revealed , “I played close to 30 games in my second season but had a fall out with Billy Lamont after he and I had a heated exchange of views when he dropped me without rhyme or reason.

“There were only a few games until the season ended and Billy said I was to be released immediately so I thought that was it but the following week he named me in his team for facing Partick Thistle , playing alongside big John Bourke up front , and we won the game .

“The following Saturday we took on a title challenging Hearts and lost 3-0 when I was bizarrely picked to play in a position I’d never played before at Dumbarton, on the right side of midfield and directly up against their player manager Alex McDonald

“Our final game of the season against Falkirk was next and I didn’t know what to expect but this time I wasn’t even included among the 13 players listed ??? ”

Mick, then aged 26 and going through a `B` licence coaching course agreed to sign a reinstatement form for Pollok Match Secretary Tam McAllister but only on the proviso that the paperwork would be binned if a Senior club came in for him which is what happened when Queen of the South gaffer Drew Busby came calling and asked for him to be part of a Palmerston dressing room already boasting Ted McMinn, Jimmy Robertson and feted ex-Celtic defender Pat McLuskey.

“ Ours was a really good side and going into the second half of the season were looking a good bet for promotion “ mused Mick “ But we ran out of steam over our run-in which I put down to a lack of fitness due to us only training one night a week.

“I did another night at the Bens but not all the guys had similar arrangements so we ended up blowing our step up chances which led to Drew being sacked and the team breaking up.

“I briefly moved to Stenhousemuir but playing there did not sit well with my work commitments so I was more than willing to come back into the Juniors at Larkhall Thistle whose former player George Dickson was manager.

Dickson had put together a formidable playing mix which had the lively pair of Billy Thomas and Danny McGeoch up front as well as Gerry Hamilton in midfield and the added boost from Mick’s arrival on the Gasworks Park scene saw the Dryborough Cup won with a Final victory over Lanark United while the following season 1986/87 brought a stirring Scottish Junior Cup run ,ended by Kilbirnie Ladeside at the quarter final stage.

His former Benburb coach Jim Leckie landing the manager’s job at Tinto Park enticed a 31 year old Mick into a return to his Govan roots in a player/coach capacity and he found himself again sharing a dressing room with former Bens team mates Billy Peacock and Eddie McKim.

He walked away in the wake of Leckie’s dismissal despite club officials pleading for him to stay and returned to Larkhall initially as a coach under Dickson before taking up the managerial reins himself when the team boss tendered his resignation on personal grounds and he was at the helm when Thistle made it to the Newlandsfield staged 1989/90 West of Scotland Cup Final only to lose 4-1 against Irvine Meadow.

Mick recalled ,” Our striking pair Billy Holmes and Stevie Bulloch were a major part of that Thistle team’s success so it was a blow when Arbroath came in with a signing bid for both during the close season.

“ I was tasked with the responsibility of negotiating on Larkhall’s behalf and felt pleased at achieving a £10k sum knowing that players of a similar quality would not come cheap .

“Imagine then how I felt when discussions took place about my signing budget going into the new season and the club said I could only have £1k to replace them.

“ Relations were irreparably damaged in those talks so I was not in the least bit surprised when we were knocked out in an early round Scottish Cup tie by Tayport (after a replay), to receive a Monday night telephone call saying `I was being relieved of my duties`.

Former mentor Jim Leckie was assisting George Walker at Johnstone Burgh and Mick agreed to their request for him to play out the season at Keanie Park before coming onto Walker’s backroom team as a coach, a role he was to perform with no little silverware success over the next eight years doing his bit to extend the playing careers of old-stagers Peacock and McKim while helping the development of Burgh’s up and coming star turns John McLay, Michael Brogan, Andy Orr, and Davie Brolly among others.

He reminisced,“ I enjoyed so many good times at the Burgh and could happily have remained there but living in Renfrew, I would meet up with various people connected with their club and more often than not the question would be asked if I was prepared to take up their team manager’s post so I decided to give it a go in 1998 and brought in Billy Peacock as my No 2 and Matt McColl as coach. “

Taking over with the club down to their bare bones, Renfrew’s players didn’t even have training gear back then , did not prevent Dunlop setting his sights high and promotion was duly won that first season with a team rebuilt around twin defensive cornerstones Neil Shearer and Neil Farqhuarson which also included gifted and reliable types Alan Prentice, Scott Findlay, Andy Morrison and John Hammond.

Mick’s magic touch was even more to the fore in 2000 when he steered Renfrew to a historic first ever Scottish Junior Cup victory, with more or less the same bunch of playing charges (goalkeeper Scott Strang was a notable addition from Hearts), beating Carnoustie Panmure on a penalty shoot-out in the Final.

“A boring 0-0 draw against Carnoustie meant our guys never really got the credit they deserved for our Cup win.” admitted Mick.

“But they deserved their medals for just getting to the Final itself seeing as we had to beat teams of the calibre of Kelty Hearts , North Region champions Formartine , the Central League title winners Benburb(in a replay) and no less than Auchinleck Talbot in the semi-finals.

“Funnily enough I thought we had a better chance in the following season of getting our hands on the trophy but we were eliminated in a 5^th round replay against Tayport when their winning goal up there has to go down as dubious to say the least.”

His Tayside nemesis came back to haunt Mick again at the 2005 penultimate stage when his revamped Renfrew team comprising of Mick Brogan , Billy McLafferty, goalkeeper John Thomson and Colin Smith lost out to the eventual trophy winners (they were 2-0 winners over Lochee United ) in what proved to be Mick’s last involvement with his club.

MICK AS HE IS TODAY

“ Waterlow & Son had relocated down to Yorkshire and my staying in a Barnsley flat during the week and coming up home on a Friday night was not exactly conducive to running a football team” he scoffed .

“I can honestly say I’ve no regrets because freeing up my time has allowed me to watch my two boys growing into the game and they have both gone on to have long and wonderful playing careers.(better than mine I think)

“I’m retired now and have even more time on my hands which is maybe just as well because apart from taking in Gartcairn’s games , I have the next generation coming up fast with granddaughter Mia (10) playing for Renfrew and grandson Mikey(13) turning out for Renfrew Vics .

FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY 25^th MARCH 2023 Kick Offs 2 PM unless stated): P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Arthurlie v Irvine Meadow, Troon v Largs Thistle (Friday 7.30PM),Cambuslang Rangers v Hurlford Utd, Clydebank v Beith (Friday 7.30PM), Pollok v Darvel (Friday 7.30PM), Kilwinning Rangers v Cumnock (Friday 7.30PM), Glenafton v Auchinleck Talbot.PDM Buildbase First Division. Shotts Bon Accord v Johnstone Burgh, Cumbernauld Utd v Neilston, Thorniewood Utd v Gartcairn, Rossvale v Kilbirnie Ladeside, Drumchapel Utd v Blantyre Vics, Rutherglen Glencairn v Benburb, St Cadocs v St Rochs, Whitletts Vics v Bonnyton Thistle.PDM Buildbase Second Division. St Anthonys v Craigmark, Wishaw v Muirkirk, Forth Wanderers v Glasgow Utd, Ardeer Thistle v Yoker Athletic, Renfrew v Glasgow Perthshire, Ashfield v Maryhill, Glasgow University v Maybole, Greenock v Kilsyth Rangers.PDM Buildbase Third Division. Lanark Utd v Irvine Vics , Ardrossan Winton Rovers v Bellshill Athletic, Dalry Thistle v Girvan, East Kilbride Thistle v Kello Rovers,Vale of Leven v Larkhall Thistle,Newmains Utd v Lugar Boswell, Vale of Clyde v Royal Albert, Port Glasgow v Finnart. Carluke Rovers v Lesmahagow.PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. Kilsyth Athletic v Threave Rovers, Easterhouse v BSC Glasgow, Eglinton v St Peters Campbeltown Pupils v Glenvale, Thorn Athletic v West Park Utd.