THIS RENFREW FERRY ALSO OPERATED IN AYRSHIRE

MARTIN STILL GOING STRONG AT 61

Sir Alex Ferguson is reputed to have attempted to curb Roy Keane’s often rancorous tongue by telling him, “If you want to speak to someone, speak to your wife, if not then just be quiet “.

Former team mates of Martin Ferry and indeed the man himself (now that 61 years on the planet have mellowed him ) might nod knowingly upon reading this advice because the one time full back was arguably cut from the same `let the Referee know where he’s going wrong` cloth as the feted Irishman, albeit that’s where any similarities end.

Keane’s obduracy was easily glossed over by him going on to win almost every footballing prize possible whereas the silver lining to Martin’s playing career at his comparative level of the game amounted to solitary West of Scotland Cup and Ayrshire First Division title triumphs along with a Cunningham District Cup winners gong… a somewhat scant reward for nigh on 40 years selfless dedication as a player, coach and manager.

He played with no little distinction for five clubs all told (seven if you divide twin spells with Renfrew and Irvine Meadow into separates) and went on to take up various dugout roles with St Anthonys, Hurlford United, Arthurlie , Renfrew (again) and Kilbirnie Ladeside before assuming an “away from the coal face” position as part of Pollok’s scouting team towards the end of last season.

And it might come across as more than a tad ironic to discover that someone, whose capacity for voicing his displeasure towards match officials, caused him to endure so many early baths that team mates thought he’d some kind of soap fetish, is to be seen on various terracings nowadays in the company of former whistler Des Roach (even if he is his cousin)?

Martin was born and brought up in the Clydebank suburb of Drumry, near to where Kilbowie Park was located, and both he and twin brother James (known as Jig) attended St Columbas High School where they played for a fairly run of the mill school team , Martin operating in a wide right midfield role and Jig on the left.

Saturday afternoons they found to be infinitely more enjoyable turning out for a St Eunans Boys Guild team , run by their Dad Jimmy , whose star turns were Andy McFetters , Willie McConnell and Tom McGorm, the latter pair considered good enough to be future Clydebank signings particularly winger McGorm who also went on to display his talents for East Stirling and Albion Rovers.

And as if to demonstrate how their double dose of football was not all that tasking on them, the supremely fit brothers also ran on numerous Athletics occasions for their local Clydesdale Harriers Club.

When they got to Under 18 level, they both joined crack juvenile outfit Kilbowie Union and Martin’s tenacious, hard tackling and run all day qualities soon saw him drafted into the Under 21’s where he recalls playing in the same team as striker Brian Scott later of Yoker Athletic and Petershill renown as well as Pat Connor (he thinks) who initially stepped upstairs with Morton prior to joining St Johnstone..

He went on to reminisce, “ One of the coaches at Kilbowie named George Dyrell was the uncle of Asa Hartford ,who was up in Scotland not long after his big money move from West Bromwich Albion to to Manchester City and he facilitated a trip down to Maine Road for Kilbowie’s Under 18 and Under 21 sides with a view to playing Man City’s youth sides of the same age groups.

“The matches were supposed to take place at City’s training ground but someone got the arrangements horribly wrong and the two Kilbowie teams ended up facing each other however the game will forever be memorable for Jig and I because of Asa Hartford appearing in the younger guys` midfield , playing between the pair of us ..

“It was a fabulous experience and even better afterwards when Asa said that he would try and arrange for the two of us to go out on trial with West Brom but nothing ever came of it …unfortunately.”

Also during his time with Kilbowie Under 21’s , Martin was approached by Renfrew Juniors manager Ian Law wanting him to play as a trialist against Morton down at Cappielow Park in a team containing no-nonsense defender types Jimmy Quigley (Senior) and Jim Kilpatrick as well as Colin Lyndsay in midfield .

He takes up the story “If memory serves me right Renfrew also had a couple of real livewire forwards up front in Derek Lea ,later to win the Scottish Junior Cup with Pollok(1985) and Dougie Chisolm , a winner with Auchinleck (1987) but not unsurprisingly we ended up losing the game on account of Morton putting out an exceptionally strong side containing a host of first team regulars, Jim Duffy, Andy Ritchie, Tony Higgins and John McNeil among others.

“In charge of Renfrew’s team affairs was their coach Bobby Dick ,the former Johnstone Burgh great, and he picked me at right back (the first time I had ever played there) where my direct opponent was Morton’s left winger McNeil who was attracting a lot of rave notices around that time but I must have played him well because Ian Law asked me to sign after the game and I did.

He added, ”I was hardly going to turn him down because Renfrew were the club on my doorstep and for £1/week I only had a short walk to Western Park and a jump over the wall to be at our training sessions.”

Stepping up into the Junior arena turned out to have mixed blessings for Martin who won a Young Player of the Year award but found his Renfrew appearances extremely limited after Danny McAskill was appointed to look after playing matters so much so that 18 months down the line he was only too willing to agree on a move to the Jimmy Brown steered Vale of Leven whose playing ranks back then included the likes of Hughie Hammil, Davie Houston , Willie Howie, Vinnie Russell and goalkeeper Tom Carson(soon to join Dundee) .

By his own admission, Martin didn’t exactly set the heather on fire at Millburn Park but his one season stay could have been considerably longer had he not found himself head-hunted by Ossie Louden of Kilbirnie Ladeside.

He recounted, “ Ossie, who was very involved in the Under 21 Juveniles scene for a number of years and knew all about me from my time spent at Kilbowie Union put up a very persuasive argument for moving to Valefield and I was keen to do well under him but yet again my stay proved to be something of a short-lived one after my daughter Martine took unwell and I felt it best to concentrate on her recovery and pack the game in altogether.”

His daughter’s subsequent return to good health as a contributory factor to Martin agreeing to put pen to paper for Irvine Vics after a club official knocked on the door of his Renfrew home and he has fond memories of teaming up at various times with worthies such as John McLaughlin, Joe Wark (ex-Motherwell) , Archie Halley and John McCool.

“Playing highlights were few and far between as you might expect “ said Martin ” We did take Auchinleck Talbot in their heyday to three games in a Scottish Junior Cup tie but centre stage undoubtedly belongs to our Cunningham Cup Final victory over Dalry Thistle in what was my first ever silverware prize and in the Ayrshire Junior Football centenary season I believe.

“ Dalry’s team managed back then by Ian McQueen and Ian Johnstone contained an outstanding winger in Peter Curran and I was given the job of keeping him quiet which I did to great effect (even if I say so myself) while also managing to lay on a couple of our goals .

“Queen of the South were at the Final ,running the rule over Curran , and they were impressed enough to fix me up as a trialist in a couple of midweek Reserve games ,at least one of which also saw the Auchinleck Talbot pair of Tam McDonald and Kenny Paterson taking part.

“I was pleased with my performances in both outings but any hopes of earning a move into the Seniors were put to bed by the Queens manager ( I think it was Nobby Clark) getting the sack .”

Putting that bitter disappointment behind him was followed by Martin being invited to `guest` for Irvine Meadow in a pre-season tournament in the Warout Stadium up in Glenrothes where Medda gaffer Jock Minford’s liking for what he saw convinced him to unhesitatingly lay out a sizable transfer fee and seal a deal between the Irvine clubs.

“Moving to a big club like Irvine Meadow was undoubtedly the making of me so little wonder I stayed for the next ten years “revealed the forthright speaking full back.

“I always felt that playing alongside better players would improve my game no end and I certainly found there to be plenty around me at Meadow Park in the shape of Neilly Muggins, Nigel McCreath, Jock McNeil, goalkeeper Bomber Brown , Stevie Russell ,Derek Hamilton, a Scottish Cup winner with St Mirren and Gary Faulds to name but a few.

“Winning the West with a 4-1 Newlandsfield victory over Larkhall Thistle in 1990 will live with me forever but I’m not alone in thinking there should have been many more trophy prizes in the cabinet given the calibre of players at the club. “

MARTN (standing far left) WITH MEDDA’S WEST OF SCOTLAND CUP WINNING SIDE

Martin went on to establish himself as an Irvine Meadow first pick despite frequent managerial changes at the helm beginning with the McQueen/Johnstone duo assuming the reins from Minford and wreaking massive dressing room changes through the arrivals of the aforementioned Curran, Drew Walsh, Rothesay based Johnny Morrison, Mick McCabe, Cammy Stewart (father of Sunderland and Scotland striker Ross ) , Johnny Walker and Dougie Fontana among others.

He reflected , “The majority of those guys along with the likes of Ian Ashcroft ,Milton Thomson, George Redmond and Fraser Davidson were the backbone of our Ayrshire First Division Championship winning side in 1994 when an injury time Colin Johnstone goal (big C.J.) earned a 2-2 draw with our great rivals Kilwinning Rangers in our final league game of the season that saw us pip Auchinleck to the title by a solitary point.

“Great days spent with great guys but again though, I often look back and think that team could and should have won more!”

MARTIN(squatting far right) WITH A McQUEEN and JOHNSTONE LED IRVINE MEADOW LINE UP

Irvine Meadow duly rewarded Martin’s decade of commitment with a testimonial match against Kilmarnock which allowed supporters and many former team mates (able to make token appearances ) to show their appreciation for his renowned never-say-die qualities.

He quipped , “ Kilmarnock did me proud by fielding a side containing a few first teamers such as Alan McInally and for once I didn’t let the red mist come down and spoil the occasion.”

Unlike numerous other testimonial recipients , Martin had somewhere to go in the aftermath…back to Western Park for what proved to be a fairly uneventful 18 month playing stint under Ian McLeod and Jimmy Quigley (Senior) before returning to Meadow Park at the behest of the Irvine club’s then General Manager Ian McQueen and wizened team boss Ward White.

Martin laughed in recalling , “ Ward knew the game and put a lot of store in having an experienced back four and goalkeeper but I remember looking around our dressing room after a defeat and calculating our defence had a combined age of almost 200 so I told Ward that I was getting out of here when I turned 40 …and that’s exactly what happened in 2002.”

The early opportunities to harness his undoubted energy reserves in a backroom team capacity were all linked to Irvine Meadow as Martin discovered when brothers Andy and Davie Elliot enlisting his assistance at St Anthonys was followed by a cry for help from another ex-Medda team mate, Iain Ashcroft taking Martin back to Ayrshire …at Hurlford United.

“ Hurlford had decent players of the ilk of Scott McHarg , Stevie Aitchison and a young Chris Robertson before he signed for Ayr United and I thoroughly enjoyed a six month stint there but Gary Faulds came calling after he was appointed as Arthurlie’s new manager in 2006 and I was off on my travels again.” admitted Martin.

Getting to the 2007 Junior Cup semi-finals only to lose out against eventual trophy winners Linlithgow Rose was by far and away the highlight of his time at Dunterlie but Faulds resigning halfway through the following campaign brought about a parting of their ways after the one time Irvine Meadow striker took up the reins at Kilwinning Rangers.

Martin’s burgeoning desire to have a greater say in team matters was at the heart of him joining forces with Colin Clark in a co-management role at Renfrew where their coming together for the ensuing 12 years undeniably worked the oracle not least of all from finishing atop the 2016 First Division pile and gaining a first ever promotion into the Premier League ..

Scott Morton ,Danny McLeay, Davie Gordon , Jim Quigley (Junior),Paddy O’Keefe, Willie Sawyers, Ryan Borris and Davie McKenna were among the Frew notables behind this newly gained respectability though their success was to be marred by a relegation fate at the end of the following season which kicked off a downward spiral of events culminating in the close friends separately tendering their resignations.

Martin headed for the exit door first but only after getting a call from leading Kilbirnie Ladeside official Gordon Ronney inviting him down for talks about filling his club’s vacant manager’s position in the wake of previous incumbent Robert Scott’s quit decision.

He took up the story, “I ran things by Clarky first and we both agreed it was too good an opportunity to turn down however what we didn’t take into account was the ongoing Covid effect on football.

“ Kilbirnie as it turned out were one of the first clubs to announce they were not prepared to play competitive games( just 7 weeks into the season ) and I went from looking forward to working with players Liam Coogins, Jon Scullion, Martin McBryde , Corey Pearson , Roan Fitzpatrick and Joe Wilton to telling them about my plans during telephone calls .

“To say it was farcical would be putting it mildly and it summed up the whole sorry situation that my first competitive game in charge occurred fully 15 months after being appointed as manager.

“That said, we didn’t get away to a good start by losing our first six games but to be then shown the door came as a kick in the teeth even if I don’t hold any hard feelings towards anyone at Kilbirnie to this day.

He added succinctly ”Everyone has their rough and smooth moments in football and you won’t find me complaining about the hand I was dealt!”

MARTIN TAKING THE FIELD FOR HIS WELL DESERVED TESTIMONIAL

FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY12^th AUGUST (Kick Offs 2 PM unless stated): P.D.M HUWS GRAY Premier Division. Largs Thistle v Clydebank, Benburb v Pollok, Rob Roy v St Cadocs, Cumnock v Gartcairn, Auchinleck Talbot v Darvel, Irvine Meadow v Arthurlie, Hurlford Utd v Troon.

P.D.M HUWS GRAYFirst Division. Johnstone Burgh v Shotts Bon Accord, Ashfield v Blantyre Vics, Kilbirnie Ladeside v Cambuslang Rangers, St Rochs v Maybole, Drumchapel Utd v Kilwinning Rangers, Rutherglen Glencairn v Whitletts Vics, Neilston v Petershill, Thorniewood Utd v Renfrew. PDM HUWS GRAY Second Division. Glasgow Perthshire v Maryhill, Bonnyton Thistle,v St Anthonys, Forth Wanderers v Cumbernauld Utd, Yoker Athletic v Ardrossan Winton Rovers .Larkhall Thistle v Craigmark(Friday 7.15PM) ,Muirkirk v Kilsyth Rangers, Glasgow University v Vale of Clyde(Friday 8PM) Caledonian Locomotives v Wishaw. PDM HUWS GRAYThird Division. Vale of Leven v Lanark Utd, Bellshill Athletic v Irvine Vics, Girvan v Port Glasgow, Ardeer Thistle v West Park Utd, Kello Rovers v Greenock, Kilsyth Athletic v Lesmahagow, Dalry Thistle v Finnart, Glasgow Utd v Threave Rovers, Greenock v Kilsyth Athletic. PDM HUWS GRAYFourth Division. Glenvale v Royal Albert, Campbeltown Pupils v Easterhouse, Giffnock S.C v Thorn Athletic, Lugar Boswell v Eglinton,St Peters v BSC Glasgow ,East Kilbride Thistle v Saltcoats Vics, Rossvale v Knightswood, Carluke Rovers v Newmains Utd..

Regards

Jim O’Donnell