THE INTERVIEW – JOHN MCAULAY

Career History? I started out at Clyde as a youngster and was there for five years.  They offered me full-time but I didn’t take it, mainly because I had a decent job outside football, and that’s when John Brogan signed me for Arbroath.  I had ten years at Gayfield and then moved to Pollok for six months.  John Brogan then signed me again for East Kilbride Thistle and I spent 18 months there then I retired. 

Are you involved in football at all at the moment?I had a season out and I enjoyed spending Saturdays with my family, then during the summer, completely out of the blue,  John Brogan called me and asked if I’d consider being his assistant at his new club.  He had left East Kilbride and taken the job at Yoker Athletic.  His long standing assistant had decided it was time to retire and John turned to me.  I thought about it overnight and then accepted the job.  I’m really enjoying it.  We had our first league game last Saturday and won and if we win our next game we’ll be in the quarter finals of the Central League Cup.

Is there a huge difference in standard between the third division and the juniors? I would say that when I left Arbroath and went to Yoker, who play in the Super League there was very little difference and that a lot of the teams in that league would hold there own in the third division.  Some of the teams get bigger crowds than teams in the third.  Once you move down into the Super League first division the standard is not the same.

Although you only had two senior teams, you’ve worked under a few different managers.  Who do you think you learnt most from now you are in management yourself? Every one of the managers I played for was very different, did things their own way, and I’d say I learnt something from every one of them.  However, I’d have to say I probably learnt most from Alex Smith at Clyde.  Alex always did his homework; he knew the opposition really well and was able to tell you so many things about the player you would be playing against.  He was always very well prepared and I think that is important.

Who, in your opinion was the best player you played with at Arbroath?That’s a really difficult question!  There were quite a few very good players at Arbroath during my time and I don’t think I could narrow it to just one.  I think that in terms of goal scorers I’d have to say that Dibble, (Colin McGlashan), was the best.  When it comes to goalkeepers, obviously Craig Hinchcliffe, and I think Craig Cooper was a very decent player when he could keep the head!

You had ten seasons at Gayfield, what was the happiest spell for you? The happiest spell lasted about three or four years and it came right off the back of the lowest point.  Finishing bottom of the third division under Tommy Campbell was the very lowest point.  Then the very next season we got promoted, we consolidated in the second then got promotion to the first division, and managed to stay there for a season, which as a part-time team was a fantastic achievement.  Those years when we were on the up were all happy.  There was a great bunch of boys and we had a great team.

Do you still look for Arbroath’s result on a Saturday? Always.  It’s in, my blood, I can’t help it!  I was delighted to see the club get promoted in May. 

 Is there anything you’d have done differently if you had to do it all again? No.  I was asked this question not so long ago by someone from the Clyde programme, who were doing a “Where are they now?” piece and called me.  I gave him the very same answer, I wouldn’t change a thing.  I’ve enjoyed every minute of my football career and I have a lot of fantastic memories.

Karen Fleming