Football: First Person with Owen Coyle; VETERAN striker Owen Coyle is in his fourth spell at Airdrie and has also played for Dundee United, Dumbarton, Clydebank, Bolton, Ross County Falkirk, Dunfermline and Motherwell. Here he tells SCOTT McDERMOTT about the notable firsts that have helped shape his life.
Byline: SCOTT McDERMOTTFOOTBALL STRIP: It was a green and white hoops Celtic strip I got in 1974. I can't remember much about the jersey but it certainly wouldn't have been new.
My brother John would have handed it down to me - that's how it worked in my family. I was the youngest of six boys and got all my older brothers' cast-offs. That probably means the strip would have been around since the 1950s!
RED CARD: Myself and Andy Smith were sent off while playing for Dunfermline against our old club Airdrie in 1999. The fact we were ex-Diamonds helped to make it a bit of a tousy affair.
I walked for two bookings - neither of which was justified. Andy had been sent off in the first 20 minutes and the referee got a bit caught up in it all.
Most people will tell you I CAN'T tackle so there must have been something wrong somewhere for me to get two yellows. I've only had one other red card in my career.
MATCH ATTENDED: Celtic v Hibs in the 1972 Scottish Cup Final which the Hoops won 6-1. My dad Owen took me to the game and what I remember most is the huge crowd - over 106,000 - and the incredible atmosphere at Hampden.
I don't recall too much but the goals and some of the players on show were special. It was an amazing game to call your first and I was hooked. Dixie Deans, right, got a hat-trick and became my hero because I loved guys who scored goals.
GIRLFRIEND: I had one or two kid-on girlfriends at John Bosco Secondary in the Gorbals district of Glasgow but I'll take pelters if I don't say my wife Kerry.
She was my first real love - we met when I was 16 and she was 17. Even at that age I was going for the older women!
BOYS' HOLIDAY: That was Magaluf in 1992 with the Airdrie squad. It was the team's annual trip but this one was special because it doubled up as big Andy Smith's stag do.
Being a non-drinker I spent most of my time trying to keep an eye on all the boys and steer them away from mischief. Inevitably a few ended up the worse for wear and it was my job to get them back to the hotel without trouble.
CAR: A blue Austin Allegro but when I bought it I couldn't even drive! I was taking lessons at the time so one of my brothers would drive me to training in it. That car didn't cost much but got me from A to B. I eventually passed my test first time at 18.
TRAINING GROUND BUST-UP: I've never been involved in any fights but I started a few! That's normally my ploy - I start the rammy and get right out of the road.
I leave it to my mates to sort out. I remember one in particular at Motherwell when Harri Kampman was manager.
I started an argument with Brian Martin but then my pal Tommy Coyne stepped in. Brian is a big guy to mess with and wasn't going to back down but Tommy can also look after himself. Let's just say a few exchanges took place and I felt a wee bit remorseful afterwards!
BRUSH WITH THE LAW: Thankfully I haven't had any major bust-ups with the police - just a couple of parking tickets and speeding fines.
WIND-UP: I've played with a few wind-up merchants in my time but the first real classic came early on in my career. I was lucky enough to train with Dumbarton from the age of 13.
My brothers Joe and Tommy played for them so I used to go along and mix with the Sons first team. On the way to training we usually picked up Tommy McGrain - brother of Celtic legend Danny. Usually Tommy would have just finished his work at Govan shipyard and be filthy.
After training my brothers dropped him at Central Station to get a train home. But as he got out of the car they'd throw a handful of pennies and shout: 'Away you go ya tramp - don't come begging to us.' It got to the stage that every time Tommy stepped out of the car he'd have to sprint into the station!
CAP: My one and only match for Ireland was against Holland in 1994 just before the World Cup in America. We beat them 1-0 in Tilburg and Tommy Coyne scored the goal. Even though I only got one cap it's something I cherish.
It would have been a major regret had I not won one. I played right through the Irish set-up from under-21s to under-23s so it was special when I made the big team. A fantastic experience.
WAGE: That was at Dumbarton - pounds 36 basic and pounds 15 appearance money. We might even have got pounds 40 win bonus so it was a decent part-time wage. I was only a kid but the senior players had other jobs so if we won they had a few quid for the weekend. I could certainly live on it easily. CUP SUCCESS: I won a few with boys' teams but my first as a pro took a while. It was the Bell's Challenge Cup with Airdrie under Ian McCall in 2001-02.
I had won a play-off final and lost out in the Scottish Cup Final previously but beating Alloa 2-1 at Broadwood was a great day. I had waited a long time so when it came it was all the more special. We had some boys on month-to-month contracts and the whole team could have walked away at any time. What spirit.
SERIOUS INJURY: Touch wood I've only had ONE - and it was my own keeper who did it. It was in September 1990 and John Martin, below, did my medial ligament.
We were training on astroturf and I went to knock the ball in and John came out to block me. A freak accident but it put me out for four months. Ironically I had been in the best scoring form of my career - 17 in Airdrie's first seven games. But when you get success you have to enjoy it - there is always a kick in the teeth around the corner. But I realise I'm lucky to still be playing at the age of 38.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | Sport |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Sunday Mail (Glasgow, Scotland) |
| Date: | Sep 26, 2004 |
| Words: | 1069 |
| Previous Article: | DNA TESTS IN SOLDIER SEX CLAIM; EXCLUSIVE. |
| Next Article: | Psychic postbag. |