ABOUT TIME TOO FOR ANDY

WAS THIS ANDY’S LAST SUPPER AS A JUNIOR

He took a while to sprout the arms and legs that were to make him a constant on the Junior football scene for more than 40 years and as a consequence, Andy Cunningham can never lay claim to being an overnight success.

But he certainly more than made up for lost time by hitting the ground running at various clubs, not least of all Shotts Bon Accord where supporters will forever hold him up as a club legend on account of Andy’s classy and never less than whole hearted performances while spending 11 of his 21 years playing career at Hannah Park.

That wonderfully dedicated stint was recognized by the North Lanarkshire outfit awarding him an enriching 1993 Testimonial Match against a Rangers X1 however the ever unassuming Andy, nowadays 64 years of age, has always insisted meeting people  who are still his friends to this day and playing alongside so many great team mates and characters was reward enough.

Born in the West Lothian outpost of Blackridge, football mad Andy attended Armadale Academy and has fond memories of playing as a left winger in his fledgling years for the school team and the Boys Brigade as well as little known Youth sides Whitburn Bluebell and East Calder Colts before joining the considerably more established Uphall Saints where at Under 16 level he recalls coming up against future Senior signings Derek Strickland (Rangers) and Jim Sinnett (Clydebank).

His own career path saw a 17 year old Andy turn out for Armadale Juveniles despite it being an Under 21 age group yet what he undoubtedly lacked in physicality was compensated for by his skill on the ball which were to attract the attention of Polkemmet Juniors (later to become Harthill Royal) whose team boss at the time, Willie Feeney, duly convinced the 19 year old into making a step-up .

Andy recalled “Trophy expectations at Polkemmet as you might expect were next to zilch however it was the perfect place for a youngster like myself to get bedded in at Junior level though that’s not to say our dressing room didn’t contain a few special talents because I remember brothers John and Jim Cummings in particular, had a bit about them and were constantly being linked with transfers to the so-called bigger clubs.”

Three seasons under the  Beechbank Park spotlight brought an  improving Andy a move of his own, to Armadale Thistle, where he played up front with Daniel Comiskey and the aforementioned Sinnett  in a side that also included Robert Butler(signed by Stenhousemuir) and Peter Duncan (St Johnstone).

His emergence as an exciting winger prospect also caught the eye of then Scotland Juniors coach George McKenzie who in 1982 capped Andy in matches against Wales and Northern Ireland (coming on as a substitute) where he thrived in the company of feted West of Scotland aces such as Ronnie Lowrie and Jackie Goodall (Bailleston), Tommy Reynolds(Cumnock),Lex Shields (Bo’ness Utd ) and Brian Mitchell (Blantyre Vics).

His interest in clubs and players through in the other side of the country was only further fueled by him and his Armadale team mates losing out (after a three game epic) to the eventual beaten finalists Bailleston in a Scottish Junior Cup quarter final tie so come the start of the 1983/84 season, the opportunity to sign on the dotted line for Shotts was eagerly snapped up by Andy.

He recounted his Hannah Park days in saying, “The team I initially joined was managed by a fellow Armadale man John Jamieson whose vast knowledge of  the Junior game had led to him bringing together stalwarts such as goalkeeper Willie Devine, Jim Brown, Danny Cunningham and Eddie Halford.

“John was someone who would leave no stone unturned to satisfy his craving  for success at Shotts and among the many changes he wrought was the decision that  I should convert to playing as an out and out sweeper.

“Mind you his passion for the club was more than matched by the desire shown by the Shotts club officials because throughout my stay at Hannah Park, they did not stint when it came to approving the signings of a seemingly never ending conveyor belt of top players .

“ Names that instantly trip of my tongue as having come through the doors at various times include Tam Ward, Francis Mulvanney and Brian Martin (ex-Motherwell), Pat Daly, Derek Lea ,Barry Burt, Alan Docherty,Jimmy Robertson,  Sammy Miller, Brian Mitchell, Robert Clark and Jim Gallagher but it’s no exaggeration to say there were many more of a similar ilk. .

Andy went on “It’s only when you start listing all these players that you realize a Central First Division title triumph along with a couple of Sectional League Cup victories…if memory serves me right we beat both Ashfield and Renfrew under the Fir Park lights… is nowhere near good enough considering the sheer quality of the guys who were holding down dressing room pegs .

“I did captain the Shotts team which made it through to the Junior Cup semi-finals in 1989 only to lose lost out to the eventual trophy winners Cumnock and then lined up with practically the same group of players at Rugby Park in the following year’s West of Scotland Cup Final however we suffered another dose of disappointment when Auchinleck Talbot beat us 1-0.

“Looking back now ,it will always be up there with my biggest regrets in the game to know I chapped the door twice yet ended up without getting hands on any of the game’s big silverware prizes”

Two years further down the line saw Jamieson tender his resignation and Andy, now an established Shotts cornerstone, found his defensive nous in demand at Linlithgow Rose but he opted to turn down a move to the East Region cracks as well as declining an offer from Jamieson’s assistant Billy Bishop to take up a player/coach role with Shotts.

He said “ I felt there was a need for me to fully concentrate on the playing side of things but little did I know the chopping and changing of our squad that would occur over the next few seasons.

“Neither did our dugout escape because Sid Sage , Peter Millar  and Jack McCartney were  just three of the managerial changes that come to mind  and eventually I could take no more of the constant ins and outs and decided to call it a day.”

Even at 35 years of age ,Andy retained the necessary sharpness and reserves of energy to do a turn for Armadale Thistle so he returned to his former club for what proved to be a short lived spell  before giving a positive response to his ex-Bon Accord gaffer Millar, then manager of Cambuslang Rangers, asking if he would lend some much needed experience to the young Somervell Park team he was putting together.

Andy went on to play an integral part at the heart of the Wee Gers backline while also aiding Millar to  develop up and coming star turns Billy Holmes, Gordon Young, Andy Noble Gary McGregor, John McCabe and goalkeeper Kenny Barnstaple.

He revealed “We could hold our own against the very best Junior sides when everyone clicked at the same time and I have fond memories of our team having a wonderful Scottish Junior Cup run in 1996 only halted at the Quarter Final stage when coming up against a very strong Tayport side that I think went on to lift the trophy.

“That was to prove my last hurrah because a couple of years later I played my very last Junior game in a victory over Lesmahagow…and would you believe on my 40^th birthday into the bargain“

One time Motherwell midfielder Millar shipping out not long afterwards compelled  Cambuslang Rangers club officials to turn to the vastly experienced pair of Andy and Gordon Young to ask if they would join forces and take up the reins as co-managers ?

“The club chairman Gordon Hendry (recently deceased) was initially taken aback when I said No“ revealed Andy “But he soon came around to my way of thinking when I explained the team would be better for having a single figurehead (not necessarily me I dare add ) and thankfully the decision was made easy for him when Youngy said the role of player/assistant manager was more to his liking .”

The pair combined to taste success with a 2000/01 Sectional League Cup triumph at Firhill …ironically against Shotts of all clubs …and were crowned First Division title winners two seasons later while their rebuilt side containing Mark Daisley,Martin Feeney, Billy Holmes, Gary McGregor (on his return from Pollok) and Paul Burns had another memorable highlight when yet again reaching the last eight in the Junior Cup only to be dealt another knockout blow by Tayside nemesis Tayport.

Youngy stepped upstairs to take up a coaching post at Motherwell and Andy took it upon himself to ring the changes with the introduction of new faces Paul Brown, Jim Kavanagh, Stewart Maxwell, Alan Wardlaw, John Richardson and Stuart Gauley as well as a new dugout assistant in Scott Archer however 2005 saw the rug literally pulled from under his feet.

He explained, “Cambuslang were sitting third in the table though  promotion was not even a distinct  possibility however it was still a bit of a shock to hear a ballot was being held among club members regarding my position as team manager.

“Gordon Hendry went to the trouble of canvassing opinion among the members prior to the ballot taking place and said there were only a couple of them saying they wanted me out yet the two became a majority when the votes were counted and I was sacked.

“The ballot was on a Monday night and we were due to play Petershill on the Wednesday so I was reluctantly granted permission to take the team for one last time (I hadn’t said my goodbyes to the players) but there was no glorious ending or finish on a high note because we lost the game 6-4.”

ANDY (WITH HAIR) IN HIS TESTIMONIAL PROGRAMME

A disgusted Andy took a few months out of football following his surprise dismissal but was enticed back by the opportunity to take charge of Fauldhouse United ,back then sitting mid-table in the East Region Second Division ,and his  approach and methods totally galvanized the Fauldhouse players , among them Ross McGeachie , Chris Dolan and larger than life goalkeeping character Jon Connolly, into a late title charge that saw them crowned champions at the season’s end .

Despite this marvelous triumph , Andy considered  an injection of fresh blood was essential if Fauldhouse were to do more than just face a battle for survival in the East Region top flight so he felt compelled to quit when club officials didn’t give their backing to his plans.

When further setbacks occurred after he unsuccessfully applied for vacant  management jobs at Shotts (Tam McDonald landed the post) and Kilsyth Rangers (Dunky Sinclair got the nod), Andy opted to turn his back on the Junior game in favour of Youth Team football but only after obtaining the necessary badges.

Kevin McGoldrick opened a door for him at Stenhousemuir and over the next three seasons Andy delighted in working with their budding Under 17’s and Scottish Youth Cup winning Under 19’s as well as assisting Graham Diamond in taking the Stenny Reserves side .

His strong calling for the Juniors surfaced again in 2014 when Armadale Thistle boss Jim Henderson appointed him to an assistant manager role that Andy held for a couple of years before answering a call for help from fallen giants Whitburn ,13 points adrift at the foot of the table and staring relegation in the face, .

His management worked something of a minor miracle in keeping the Burnie up however just four months into the new 2018/19 season, a now 60 year old Andy felt enough was enough and his last ever involvement in the Juniors was to hand over a resignation letter .

Any regrets?

“Not a bit “was the retiree’s immediate response this week before adding, “ I certainly don’t miss going out to training  on Monday and Wednesday nights in the pouring rain though I must admit to occasionally hankering  after the dressing room on Saturdays.

“But players are a different breed nowadays and I don’t like the idea of having to be a bit of a Social Worker to be their manager so much so that it’s much more to my liking and a lot less demanding if I look  after the grandkids in my spare time.”

FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY 4^th FEBRUARY 2023 ( Kick Offs 1.30 PM unless stated): South Challenge Cup.Gartcairn v Bo’ness Athletic, Auchinleck Talbot v Broxburn Athletic ,Tranent v Linlithgow Rose, Spartans v Dunipace, Newton Stewart v Stirling University, Lochar Thistle v Maryhill, Glenafton v Drumchapel Utd, Kilwinning Rangers v Lothian Thistle, Vale of Clyde v Thornton Hibs, Cumnock v Troon, Maybole v Clydebank, Threave Rovers v Whitletts Vics, Fauldhouse Utd v  Sauchie,  Dundonald Bluebell v Shotts Bon Accord, Caledonian Braves v Bo’ness Utd, Rossvale v East Kilbride F.C. P.D.M Buildbase Premier Division. Petershill v Largs Thistle (Friday 7.30PM),Cambuslang Rangers v Arthurlie, Rob Roy v Beith, Hurlford Utd v Pollok, Darvel v  Irvine Meadow.PDM Buildbase First Division. Whitletts Vics v Shotts Bon Accord, Thorniewood Utd v Cumbernauld Utd, Benburb  v Rutherglen Glencairn,  Bonnyton Thistle v Kilbirnie Ladeside, Johnstone Burgh v St Rochs,  Blantyre Vics v Neilston.PDM Buildbase Second Division. Craigmark v Muirkirk, Glasgow Utd v Kilsyth Rangers, Ashfield v Wishaw, Forth Wanderers v Renfrew,Yoker Athletic v Glasgow University. PDM Buildbase Third Division. Finnart v  Irvine Vics, Royal Albert v Bellshill Athletic, Kello Rovers v Ardrossan Winton Rovers, East Kilbride Thistle v Lanark Utd, Dalry Thistle v Vale of Leven, Girvan v Saltcoats Vics, Larkhall Thistle v Newmains Utd, Carluke Rovers v Lugar Boswell, Port Glasgow v  Lesmahagow. PDM Buildbase Fourth Division. Glenvale v St Peters, Harmony Row v  Campbeltown Pupils,.Threave Rovers v West Park Utd, Rossvale Academy v Thorn Athletic, Kilsyth Athletic v BSC Glasgow, Eglinton v Easterhouse F.A.

Regards   Jim O’Donnell

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