Community stalwart relives his 'goal-den' years as junior footballer

PORT Glasgow community stalwart Alastair Laing is well-known for fighting to improve his town as chair of the Slaemuir Tenants and Residents Group.

But back in the day he was a talented footballer and spent more than 10 years as a player and manager at Greenock Juniors.

Alastair's life in the beautiful game started when he was a pupil at Clune Park Primary and he never looked back from there.

(Image: George Munro)

He said: "It was a smashing school. I used to kick a ball around with a boy a couple of buildings away.

"I remember playing football in the playground and I missed the second sitting in the canteen and I was reprimanded and reported to the head mistress.

"I played a trial and started playing when I was 11 and the following year, I was captain of the team.

"Then after Clune Park, I played for Port Glasgow under 13s, under 14s, under 15s and under 21s and I was Port Glasgow Rangers at Greenock Juniors for more than 10 years.

"Some people didn't get the chances I did, I was lucky."

(Image: public) "I was football daft. I was born on Rothesay, Port Bannantyne, my father took us there during the blitz.

"I remember I had a bad ankle and I was in a convalescent home in Millport."

After his family returned to Port Glasgow when he was three, Alastair started kicking a ball to build up the strength in his ankle.

Alastair's mother used to keep a scrapbook with cuttings the Telegraph detailing his footballing achievements as well as treasured school photographs.

The 83-year-old treasures the McLean Cup Medal which he won as part of the Clune Park Primary football team in 1954.

In his working life, the Port resident was a shipyard plumber and juggled this with his footballing career. Even when he worked for a spell in Liverpool, he would return at weekends to play.

Alastair tragically lost his beloved wife Judy at the age of just 65 in 2009.

Together they had two sons, Alastair and Kenneth, and a daughter, Alison, as well as five grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

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(Image: George Munro)

As a former Clune Park Primary pupil, Alastair was saddened to see it fall into disrepair in recent years.

The school was engulfed by a large blaze last year and is now set for demolition.

Alastair spent more than 10 years at Greenock Juniors out at Ravenscraig, which he says was a top semi-professional team in the 1960s and 1970s that had huge support in the town.

He added: "I was still playing with Port Glasgow Juniors and there were 20 bus loads to go to watch the Scottish Cup Junior Final at Hampden and when I signed 18 months later we had a crowd of 6,000 at a club tie against Johnstone Burgh at Ravenscraig.

"They were the glory days. I remember we had five cup finals in six days and two games in one day.

"Our last games was at night and we were beaten 4-0, were were exhausted."

Juniors players were frequently sought by scouts to play for bigger teams and Alastair was no exception.

Alastair said: "People came from all over Scotland to play for the juniors from Greenock, Glasgow and Falkirk. I met a lot of people, sometimes I wonder how many are still here. I would love to hear from them.

"My friend George O'Neill who was best man at my wedding, signed for Celtic and Patrick Thistle and then he went to America.

"I was well treated at Ravenscraig, it was a semi-professional club at the time. It was a good time, I was lucky.

"I did a trial for Airdrie, they asked me to play left back because the normal player was at a wedding, so the players didn't want you to come in their team instead of their teammate.

"They asked me back for another trial but I didn't go, I didn't like the way I was treated and the juniors always treated me well.

"I was also asked by a scout to go for a week's trial at Notts County but I told him I couldn't come down because I was getting married."

When he was asked if he regretted not trying to play in the top flight, he quipped: "I don't think I had the temperament. I was a wee bit of a rascal at times."

Alastair also helped save the iconic club from folding when some believed they could not afford to keep going.

He said: "I received a call at 10pm that night from the secretary of the central league saying the team couldn't be disbanded because only me as match secretary could do that.

"The players said they would play to the end of the season for nothing and we sold tickets and then the council gave us the ground for free.

"I had a good committee and we managed to keep club going."

Alastair resigned from the club in 1978 but says looks back on those days, and his footballing career, with great fondness.

He said: "I loved, it was brilliant. It was a really good top semi-professional club."