Happy memories of a young King Kenny as On The Road savours an intriguing clash in Cumbernauld

The path to a new season winds down some familiar ways. There were six goals and a penalty shoot-out in this final of the Cumbernauld Cup but there were the traditional On the Road staples of community, commitment and family involvement, which this week embraced a father and son making their debut for the Colts.

There was also a hark back to the past of United that included a threat to its very existence, a chat with a panda, and a reminder of the glory of Kenny Dalglish, who started his professional career in Cumbernauld.

George Watson is the driving force behind United. A paper merchant, he is surrounded by doughty volunteers at the club but he is well aware of the task he inherited when he and a colleague, now retired, took on at the club in May 1998. ‘They were closing the gates here and I was approached to help out,’ he says. ‘We put together a rescue package. We have just gone on from there.’

They certainly have. The key to the functioning of the club is Hat-Trix. ‘It’s the business that generates the money so the club does not have bills to pay,’ adds Watson. ‘We get the money through the five-a-side operation and through the bar that runs functions. This means the club has no bills to pay other than the wages for the players. And that is totally under control.’

Watson, a successful businessman, devotes much of his life to the club. Three hours before kick-off, he can admit it is three hours since he ventured into Guy’s Meadow.

Why? ‘It’s in your blood. Once it gets you, it keeps you.’

He admits that nothing can go on forever. ‘I am 63 next week so I suppose I must have an exit strategy. But we are not there yet,’ he says. There is still abundant life in the businessman who travels from office, to bar and even to turnstile where he does a wee stint of taking the fivers at the door.

‘You are only one game away from a crisis,’ he says with a smile. ‘But when you win … it’s worth everything, I can’t be here forever but I have a sellable asset and nobody will get a hold of this club unless they have the right intentions. But we are not at that point just yet.’

His immediate duty is to pick up the mascot for the final between United, a second division West of Scotland League side, and the Colts, a Lowland League club.

Ronauldo – see what they did there? - is making his debut as the United talisman or talispanda. His creation story, told in the programme, is unusual. Born in Sao Paulo to Chinese immigrants, Ronauldo visited Cumbernauld and was inevitably seduced by the glamour of the town centre. He tours the ground, having selfies taken with kids and collecting money in a bucket. He has taken to the local culture. At one point, the exotic creature is spotted having a swig of Irn Bru.

History sits at a table, surrounded by programmes. Eric Drever, 88, is focused and gently educational on the club. He has seen it all, mostly in Cumbernauld. ‘People ask me why I have lived so long,’ he says. ‘I reply that I walked a lot when I was younger. And being with United is a major contributor.’

He talks of how having an interest, doing so many jobs over the years, and meeting so many people has left his brain sharp and given his life a major interest. He was there at some of the historic moments. He recalls the Lisbon Lions coming to open the former stadium, Ravenswood, on May 13, 1967. He remembers, too, the visit of Manchester United in 1974 to christen Guy’s Meadow.

He is also enthused by recollections of Dalglish at the club. The photograph recording the visit of the Lions shows a young Dalglish in the front row in United colours. King Kenny, of course, went on to become a contender for that fabled laurel of Scotland’s greatest ever player. His loan period from Celtic in 1967 is recalled by Drever.

What was Dalglish like in the Juniors? ‘Perfect,’ replies Drever without a pause. ‘He had everything. You could see it right away, Left foot, right foot, header, work back, pass forward, finishing … he was simply perfect.’

But Drever also recalls Albert ‘Abie’ Monaghan. It is a tradition of Scottish football that every tale of a great must be complemented by the story of one who seemed as talented but never became a legend. ‘Abie went on to Hibs but they let him go,’ says Drever. Monaghan admitted in later years he did not have the dedication of Dalglish.

But Drever says: ‘Abie was simply outstanding too. He had everything that Kenny had but was taller and seemed stronger. But that’s football, for everyone that makes it...’

Football, too, has other defining characteristics. One is obsession. ‘I love it,’ says John Kirk, 70, who scuttles about the ground doing last-minute jobs. ‘I love it here, too. This is a great wee club with good people.’

His passion does grow to embrace other clubs. ‘I have developed a wee thing with Carlisle United,’ he says. ‘Me and a couple of friends regularly go down there to games. I really don’t know why, except it’s a great day out.’

He peers at his phone and relates in detail the exploits of last season. ‘Right,’ he says. ‘I was at 61 games involving 54 different teams and I saw 223 goals.’

The Cumbernauld Cup looms as his first of 2024-25.

Community lies at the heart of small clubs. It can seem a trite sentence but it is given substance by action. Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, appreciates this.

‘A lot of the goodness of football exists here. I am talking about both clubs,’ he says. ‘The commitment of both is remarkable and that is down to the people within them.’

The receipts from the final are destined for Cumbernauld Kilsyth Care. Its chairperson, Julie Hepburn, wife of the MSP, is immensely grateful. ‘We run four services for the community: a hygiene bank, a baby bank, a children’s clothing bank, and a school uniform bank,’ she says. ‘These are really good community football clubs who have been so supportive for years.’

The cash from the game will be used to help children in need, with more than 2,000 having been assisted over the past few years.

A child of another sort is finding it an educational day. Aiden Malcolm, 17, is making his debut for the Colts after leaving East Kilbride. He comes on as a substitute. As does his father, Craig, 37. Both score as the Colts come back from 3-1 down in normal time. ‘Aye, but we both missed penalties in the shoot- out,’ says dad, with a firm grasp of the realities of football.

Both admitted it was a thrill to be on the same park, with Aiden admitting he was still receiving the same sort of advice he was privy to when playing in the back garden as a boy. His father, signed from St Cadoc’s, has formed a solid career in football. He has played with such as Raith Rovers, Stranraer, Ayr United and Alloa as well as in the ‘Juniors’ with Arthurlie, St Roch’s and St Cadoc’s. He is now preparing for the rigours of the Lowland League in a Colts side who are regrouping after losing players to other sides. This, of course, is the price of success. Colts finished fourth in the league last season and rivals take notice of those sort of achievements.

Both Malcolms will help them push on. Craig offers experience and the drive that has sustained such a long and successful career. And Aiden? ‘I just want to keep improving and play at the highest level I can.’

For United, it was a day of unalloyed joy. There was even a post-match feast in Hat-Trix bar. And that, surely, wasn’t Ronauldo scoffing a pie? If so, it is probably nature’s way of telling us all that the fitba’ is back.