Welcome to Issue 35
You can order it here

Warming up
By Daniel Gray

A Fitbatweets story
Football metric for numpties.

The Nutmeg Interview: Alan Rough
Alan Rough’s enthusiasm for football is undiminished by the passing years. The goalkeeping great reflects on a life happily spent playing and watching, from gravel pitches to Glenafton via Bertie Auld’s flying pie.
By Teddy Jamieson

A season with Ayr United: Part 3
Rejigged Ayr flourishing on several fronts
Behind the scenes at Somerset Park for insight into the rehab process, the women’s team and a viral social post, not to mention Ayr storming up the table earlier in the season after a tactical reboot.
By Scott Fleming

Mesmeric genius who was great by any measure
The sad passing of Denis Law sparks reflection on his captivating brilliance.
He was a lifelong hero to so many.
By Hugh MacDonald

Glory hunter in a time before training shoes
Faded photographs throw me back to a world of plimsols, piledrivers from behind the settee and choosing which team to support.
By Alastair McKay

Borders’ French connection
In 1966, Peebles became an unlikely stage for World Cup drama as the French national team stayed in the town and played three local fixtures. But gruelling drills and an overbearing coach left players embittered and unprepared for the tournament ahead.
By Harry Pearson

The day the Doonhamers dispatched the Dons
Queen of the South’s thrilling Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen at Hampden is one of those rare matches where reality far exceeded hopes and dreams.
By Giancarlo Rinaldi

Fair City’s Turkish delight
When St Johnstone and Eskisehirspor were drawn together in a 2012 Europa League tie, fans of both sides knew nothing of each other. Yet that summer an unlikely friendship across thousands of miles blossomed.
By David Martin

The Tin Man and the Sheriff of Sevilla
In the late 1980s Ted McMinn and Jock Wallace reprised their Rangers roles and made an improbable duo in La Liga. It couldn’t last.
By Stephen Walsh

From goals to bowls
Steven MacLean played centre-forward for a dozen clubs, managed St Johnstone and is now a coach at Queen’s Park. Yet he has also cultivated a new sporting love on the tranquil bowling lawns of the Scottish Borders.
By Dominic Picksley

How Agathe defied doctors and defenders
If the Frenchman had taken medical advice, he would never have kicked a ball after the age of 23 or won the treble in his first season at Martin O’Neil’s Celtic.
By Paul Murphy

Ballad of a thin man
Wiry and toothless centre-forward Matt Tees became something of a Grimsby Town legend after joining from Airdrie in 1963. To many of us, the Johnstone man was a god.
By Phil Ball

Patrick McCluskey, son of Celtic
Having recently become a father for the first time, I named my son Patrick – forever linking him to a tough and devoted Celtic legend whose story I am only now discovering.
By Ronnie McCluskey

Photo essay: The Nutmeg Match Report
Fishing in troubled waters
A sluggish afternoon by the Forth and Clyde Canal transformed into a frantic
Firhill finale as football’s chaos once again defied the odds.
Photographs by Alan McCredie Words By Daniel Gray

Kerr comes full circle to help build future at Hearts
The vastly experienced former player and coach is back at the club she has supported since her teenage years. A key part of her job is to find ways of giving youth a proper chance.
By Moira Gordon

Ultra-positive lessons to be learned
Kneejerk dismissal of raucous fan groups often misses the point – maybe they can help progressives find ways to engage young people in politics and community.
By Patricia-Ann Young

Set-piece bonanzas are there to be taken
As Arsenal and others have shown, free-kicks and corners can offer a bountiful haul of goals. Scottish clubs with fewer resources would do well to hire specialist coaches in this area.
By Paul Grech

How Wardrop quit the game and got into football
The former Celtic player followed his intuition and quit a promising career in his early twenties. Now he is travelling the world and sharing his love of the game via a hit YouTube series.
By Chris Collins

Sean McKirdy still adept at stretching himself
From a Hearts debut at 16 to the end of his football dream by 25, the former midfielder is level-headed about his old career – and grateful for how it has shaped his new one.
By Kenny Millar

The rise and rise of Kelty Hearts
The Fife club have gone from Junior sensations to Championship promotion contenders, knocking out the Scottish Cup holders along the way.
By Andy Ross

Life cycle
Young Highland League footballer Ethan Walker suffered horrific injuries when he was struck by a car while on a college scholarship in New York. Yet heroic perseverance saw him bike to Germany for last summer’s Euros, a feat captured in a new film.
By Ginny Clark

How Hot-Shot Hamish hit the big time
The burly hero is among the nation’s most popular comic book footballers of all time. His editor at Tiger looks back on a dream team of writer and artist.
By Tom Brogan

The secret past of Andrew Hargrave
A venerable Scottish journalist who died in Glasgow 25 years ago spent his youth as a Hungarian in Central Europe, the Budapest son of a footballing legend and sporting pioneer.
By Peterjon Cresswell

Edmonton Scottish rekindle original rivalry
The Alberta club’s upcoming game against provincial foes Cavalry will evoke memories of a bygone era as well as highlighting their current ambitions.
By Danny Lewis

Origin stories of Scottish superheroes
Scanning the birth places of Scotland internationals reveals which regions produce the most caps, which areas fall short and uncovers the truth about the SFA’s perceived west coast bias.
By Mark Poole

A dream team cure for Scotland’s international blues
To ease our collective despair, I’ve assembled a North Lanarkshire fantasy side – a blend of grit, skill, and the unbreakable spirit of a bygone era.
By Andy Bollen

Italian job that left Kilmarnock blues joyless
Angelo Alessio arrived in Ayrshire as a high-pedigree successor to Steve Clarke. Yet things had gone somewhat awry even before Killie’s infamous defeat to Welsh part-timers Connah’s Quay Nomads.
By Andrew Smith

A chip off the old block
In the first of a new series on footballing fathers and sons, Derek Parlane reflects on how his father, fellow Rangers player Jimmy, ignited his love for the game and helped shape his career’s proudest moments.
By Craig Millar

Switching it up
Basketball unexpectedly crept into my life through late-night NBA games, Netflix documentaries and shooting hoops with my son. As my enthusiasm for the sport grew, I began to question my long, complicated history with football – and with my beloved Dundee.
By Grant Hill

Rough guide to becoming a globetrotting footballer
Keep the ultras on side. Just say no to the electronic tag. Don’t worry, you’ll get paid eventually. Brechin City’s much-travelled (eight countries and counting…) Irish forward on playing abroad.
By Cillian Sheridan

From the Chairman to the Tea Lady…
Look Blues Talking
No 5: Laurence Nelson and Brian Martin, Stranraer commentators

By the way…
Ready the eagle
The Lazio bird of prey handler’s misdemeanours have rightfully resulted in his dismissal. But what next for his hapless employee, Olympia?
By Liam Kirkaldy

Record appearances
In tune with survival
The Tynecastle anthem evolved via Paisley music hall great Hector Nicol, who borrowed the melody from a US folk song covered by Johnny Cash.
By David Pollock

Poetry
Back to the game. By Kevin Graham
DOGSO. By Andy Jackson
The Conference League Poet. By Stuart Kenny