ROSS WAS RARELY SECOND BEST

A learned compatriot of the legendary Diego Maradona is recently reputed to have said, “It doesn’t matter what he did with his life but I must thank him for what he did with mine.”

A wonderful accolade and one that could easily have been attributable to a veritable host of Auchinleck Talbot supporters if overheard talking about former player Ross Findlay whose 14 years on the Beechwood Park books (1980- 1994) yielded up a remarkable 5 Scottish Junior Cup triumphs, 7 West of Scotland Cup victories and more than enough League titles and local Cup wins to shake a stick at.

Not bad going for someone born and bred in the Bellfield area of Kilmarnock and looked down upon as “a runt” playing as a midfielder for James Hamilton Academy under 15’s when he was just a 13 year old fresh into his first year at the Secondary School.

Having to tough it out against older boys at such an early age served Ross well in terms of acquiring a competitive edge for when he later turned out with distinction for Bellfield Boys Club Under 16’s, Fenwick Under 18’s, Bonnyton Under 18’s and Glenfield Under 18’s so it was no real surprise to have a number of Junior clubs competing for his signature …a race won by Annbank United.

Ross recalls,” Annbank were no great shakes back then but had players destined for greater things such as my later Talbot team mate Dennis Gray as well as John McMillan who was an integral part of Kilbirnie Ladeside’s 1977 Scottish Cup winning side so it was an ideal club to get a grounding in the Junior game.

“A bigger learning curve arrived the following season when Jim Wylie and John Somerville convinced me to join Darvel just after their Cup Final defeat by Bo’ness United and I found myself sharing a Recreation Park dressing room alongside big Willie Frew, Jim Gilmour, John Leckie Alex Walker and Tam Anderson among others.

“That team won promotion to the Ayrshire First Division but I was on the move at the start of the following season , after falling out with our new team boss Matt Fulton ,and signed for Whitletts Vics, managed by the ex-Ayr United midfielder Dougie Mitchell whom I have fond memories of as a terrific coach and a joy to play under.

“Dougie had very fixed ideas on how to set up his team and installed me as his captain at the age of 22 even though Tam McGill, John Joyce ex-Liverpool and Motherwell, Jim Ross and Hugh Jeffrey were far more experienced types but all went according to plan because we went on to lift the Second Division title at a canter.”

Ross went on, “ I loved my time at Whitletts and might have stayed there but for Auchinleck striker Gavin Goudie tapping me up during Cumnock goalkeeper Billy Bentley’s testimonial match( I was playing as a guest) to say his manager Willie Knox was keen on signing me.

“I felt flattered because Talbot, skippered by the hard as nails Cammy Hitchell and boasting the likes of Jack Collins, Brian Lannon and the attacking trio of Goudie, Dennis Gray and George Rattray were already emerging as a major force and had just beaten Rob Roy 2-1 to win the West of Scotland Cup as well as being crowned Ayrshire First Division champions so all it took was a brief chat with Knoxy afterwards for me to agree on a move that I’ve never had cause to regret ever since.”

In his first season wearing the black and gold stripes, what became very familiar West of Scotland Cup silverware was the first prize won by Ross through a 1-0 defeat of Cumnock in a 1980/81 replay, Gray scoring the only goal at Meadow Park, following a 1-1 first game stalemate at Dam Park.

Little did he know then that the next anything but unlucky 13 seasons were to derive trophy success after trophy success (some greater than others) as he and his Bot team mates exerted a near total dominance of the |Junior Football scene despite the need for a major improvisation to their line-up being required from 1988 onwards.

Derek McDicken’s leg break against Kilbirnie Ladeside in the Scottish Cup Final was initially plugged by veteran John McCool whose subsequent reverting to an assistant manager’s role under Knoxy led to pocket battleship midfielder Ross making such an excellent transition to a central defensive role that Evening Times columnist Graham Scott took to describing him as “the best uncapped player in the Juniors.”

The high energy and ultra-combative qualities were as much to the fore as ever and so too was his desire to be a winner which had Knoxy surmising more than once (in jest or maybe not ?),

“Ross would kick his granny if it looked like she was about to score a goal against us!”

Two further Junior Cups against Newtongrange Star and Glenafton, were among the conquests racked up by Ross playing at the back in tandem with powerful stopper Sam McCulloch and the full back pairing of George Gemmell and Billy Young but in 1994 he finally succumbed to an opponent he couldn’t get the better of …old Father Time .

Ross remembers,” Talbot losing to Tayport in the previous season’s Cup semi-final brought the breakup of our team with big Sam and Billy retiring, Millser(Gordon Mills) moving to Pollok and Jock Minford taking over from Knoxy in the dugout so it felt the right time for me to call it a day. ROSS AND HIS TALBOT FAMILY SILVERWARE

A 38 year old Ross might have reckoned his playing days were over but newly appointed Petershill boss Davie McKellar thought differently and persuaded him on the merits of a move to Springburn and forming an unlikely backroom team pairing with ex-Cumnock zealot Bobby McCulloch (Ross in a player/coach capacity).

The new management trio hit the ground running, nobody more than Ross, who played behind big stopper Joe Gallagher as the Sectional League Cup was lifted thanks to a 2-1 Fir Park victory over Larkhall Thistle but the wheels came off their bandwagon just three days later as the Peasy tumbled out of the Scottish , beaten 2-0 at home to Glenafton.

McKellar quit his post just a couple of months further down the line which left McCulloch at the helm with Ross as his assistant however their time in charge ended somewhat ignominiously as Ross was one of three players sent off , along with Jim Meechan and Stevie Walker, in a 3-1 Evening Times Cup Winners Cup Final defeat by Arthurlie.

Once more he opted to retire, even though Peasy followers awarded him their Player of the Year trophy but donned the boots again in answer to a call to arms from former gaffer Knoxy at Irvine Meadow where he ended up the recipient of another PoY honour following a season that ended on a bizarre note with Knoxy sacked and replaced by McKellar of all people.

A short coaching stint down at Maybole followed before the persuasive tongue ex-Rangers and Kilmarnock full back Hugh Burns enticed Ross to become his No 2 at Benburb however behind the scenes issues saw Burns walk away and leave Ross, assisted by goalkeeper Andy Smyth, at the helm until the appointment of Jim Sinnett to the Tinto Park hotseat.

He takes up the story,” Jim was happy for myself and Andy to stay on as his assistants and we went on to win the league title but then an offer to manage Linlithgow Rose, the club where he made his name as a player, saw him ship out and I agreed to take up the reins

“A few tweaks saw a terrific Bens team formed that had a core of experienced Juniors in Andy McFarlane, Dougie Fontana , Gary Graham, Tony McInally, and Frank O’Hara as well as up and coming talents Gavin Brown , Glen Miller and David Sharkey so I will forever maintain that we massively underachieved in only winning the West of Scotland Cup .”

Matters outwith the dressing room brought Ross to tender his resignation after one season and he was duly snapped up by Irvine Meadow where, assisted by Smyth and Macca, he found a solitary League Cup success over the next two seasons was not enough to avert mounting criticism and he decided to call a halt to his tenure. ROSS FRONT RIGHT AFTER THE 1987 CUP FINAL VICTORY OVER KILBIRNIE

Revealed the nowadays 66 year old, “ I count myself very lucky in the extreme to have encountered so many great players and streetwise characters during my time in the Juniors .

“I’m often asked what was my greatest achievement and the limited powers of recall I still have are split between two occasions playing for Talbot, .the 1986 Cup win over Pollok and the 1992 victory against Glenafton.

“The Pollok game will always be special and not just for being the Centenary Final and the last one ever played at Hampden Park because our 3-2 victory was so typical of the spirit in that Talbot team in coming from 0-2 down to lift the Cup.

“Running out 4-0 winners in 1992 also has special connotations because I’ve always felt the scoreline against what was a very good Glenafton side only acted to emphasize a gulf that existed between Auchinleck and the rest of Junior football back then.

“It was pleasing to get a goals reward for ruling the roost just as we threatened to do but didn’t in previous anything but narrow 1-0 Cup Final defeats of Kilbirnie, Petershill and Newtongrange Star .

Ross’s durability in the minds of Talbot’s fervent supporters is further enhanced by his role as a matchday representative of Beechwood Park hospitality and he is also regularly to be found taking in games involving Irvine Meadow where his son Martin is a player.

FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY 3^rd DECEMBER ( Kick Offs 1.30 PM unless stated): Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup.Fourth Round.Cumnock v Auchinleck Talbot, Bellshill Athletic v Kilbirnie Ladeside, Larkhall Thistle v Aberdeen East End, Hurlford Utd v Troon, Gartcairn v Rutherglen Glencairn, Carnoustie Panmure v Glenafton,Dundee East Craigie v St Rochs. Strathclyde Demolition Cup.Semi-Finals. St Cadocs v Renfrew, Thorn Athletic v Whitletts Vics.P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Petershill v Rob Roy, Beith v Largs Thistle, Cambuslang Rangers v Pollok, Irvine Meadow v Darvel(Friday 7.30PM), Clydebank v Kilwinning Rangers. PDM Buildbase First Division. Cumbernauld Utd v Blantyre Vics,Bonnyton Thistle v Neilston , Thorniewood Utd v Johnstone Burgh, Rossvale v Drumchapel Utd(Friday 8PM).PDM Buildbase Second Division.Greenock v Glasgow Utd, Wishaw v Kilsyth Rangers, Glasgow Perthshire v Maryhill, Forth Wanderers v Craigmark, Ashfield v Yoker Athletic,, Maybole v Glasgow University Ardeer Thistle v Muirkirk..PDM Buildbase Third Division. Lesmahagow v Kello Rovers , Irvine Vics v Dalry Thistle, Finnart v Vale of Leven (3PM), Royal Albert v East Kilbride Thistle, Saltcoats Vics v Port Glasgow, Carluke Rovers v Girvan, Newmains Utd v Lanark Utd, Lugar Boswell v Vale of Clyde.PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. Easterhouse FA v Glenvale,West Park Utd v Campbeltown Pupils, Threave Rovers v Rossvale Academy, BSC Glasgow v Harmony Row, Eglinton v Kilsyth Athletic.