ONE village. Two Scottish Cups. There’s heat reflection on an invigorating Saturday because the solar bears down on Blair Park.
The park is nestled within the coronary heart of Hurlford, a village of some 4,000 souls that has a unprecedented, virtually actually distinctive, sporting historical past. In the summertime of 2014, the Thistle Bar had two cups above the gantry: the Scottish Junior Cup and the Scottish Newbie Cup. Each had been received by native groups. The primary by Hurlford United, the latter by Hurlford Thistle. Survivors of each victories had been at Blair Park on Saturday as United face tribulation slightly than triumph.
Thistle now not exist, sharing the destiny of so many newbie golf equipment. United battle on within the West of Scotland League Premier Division, conscious that success could also be to outlive the storm slightly than win trophies within the quick time period with so many higher funded opponents.
Hurlford United tackle Troon within the serene environment of Blair Park
Hurlford United supporters get pleasure from a half-time refreshment in Maggie’s bar
Ross Robertson bundles dwelling a late comfort for Hurlford United
Wullie Hamilton stands behind the targets. He seems unprepossessing, he doesn’t shout to declare his presence. However his actions communicate louder than any phrases. He and his spouse, Morean, personal Hamilton Tarmac. They each, too, personal the Thistle Bar the place the trophies as soon as graced the gantry. Their sponsorship was very important to Thistle and now sustains United. There are tales within the clubhouse of how it’s troublesome to go to a sporting occasion within the space and discover no proof of Hamilton’s largesse.
He shrugs this off quietly. His solely enterprise into the realms of sporting glamour is to inform the story of how he watched that Thistle victory within the closing of the 2014 Scottish Newbie Cup.
‘I’m an enormous F1 fan,’ he says. ‘So I used to be in Monaco. I obtained cameras arrange at Rugby Park and so they streamed the motion to me there.’
Every week later he was at Rugby Park to see United defeat Glenafton 3-0 to win the Scottish Junior Cup. ‘Aye, it was again to the bar and the 2 cups had been on show,’ he says. ‘That may by no means be overwhelmed for an evening, a minimum of what I keep in mind of it.’
At 60 years of age, he explains his motivation for his generosity: ‘I’m Hurlford born and bred. That is the place I come from. If you’re in a lucky place then you definately give again to the village.’
His significance to the village extends past enjoying fields or the gyms of assorted sports activities that he sponsors, together with weightlifting.
‘We make use of fairly lots of people, 90 plus. However a minimum of 20 to 30 are from the village. I like the truth that you may get a boy from the village and 20 years on he’s nonetheless with you.’
His subsequent journey shall be to show the village library right into a group hub. ‘I at all times have one thing on the go,’ he says.
DOWN on the sidelines, Darren Henderson has a lot on the go. The Hurlford supervisor is solely a neighborhood hero. Within the 2013-14 season, he joined the membership from Glenafton and ended the season beating his erstwhile employers within the Scottish Cup closing.
‘The primary yr was loopy,’ he admits. ‘But it surely has been a little bit of a rollercoaster since then.’ Hurlford subsequently reached one other Scottish closing, being overwhelmed by Auchinleck Talbot in 2018, and have been in six semis of the nationwide competitors beneath Hendersons reign.
However the pyramid system has been accompanied by an inflow of cash into what was as soon as known as the Juniors. ‘It has been a wee bit troublesome the final couple of years,’ Henderson concedes. ‘This job was as soon as purely about getting a staff collectively to win leagues and cups. It’s now about making an attempt to outlive on the high degree. I’ve misplaced a couple of gamers. I don’t blame the boys. What some Junior boys are getting now I didn’t get after I was enjoying.’
Hurlford supervisor Darren Henderson in his workplace earlier than kick-off
Danielle (left) and Roberta get pleasure from a second of calm earlier than the storm within the Blair Park pie stall
Maggie Minford behind the supporters bar at Blair Park, Hurlford
Henderson, who received titles with each Ayr United and Stranraer as a participant, provides: ‘When a boy can go away and earn two or 300 per week, you simply should want them nicely.’
He factors out that there are gamers within the Premier Division of the WoFL who may play within the SPFL Championship. He doesn’t shrink back from the problem and admits he nonetheless loves the job.
‘Once I got here right here at first I assumed it may take 10 or 12 years to get a aspect that would win the Scottish. We received it right away. I hope it might change as shortly once more.’
His father was at that cup closing. ‘He mentioned it was the perfect day of his life,’ says Henderson who factors out that Jay, his son who’s now at Ayr United, was additionally at Rugby Park. ‘That sort of day stays with you,’ he says. However he’s not content material to bask prior to now.
‘I cherished a battle as a participant,’ he says. ‘This yr would be the greatest battle since I got here right here however there’s nonetheless fireplace in my stomach.’
THE ardour burns on for others, too. Maggie and Billy Minford are two volunteers who’re essential to the working of the membership. Maggie pokes her head out of the trailer that doubles as a bar and graciously affords a couple of minutes for chat.
‘9 years in the past I used to be requested to assist out on the pie hut and right here I’m,’ she says. At 66, she arrives on the floor on matchday at 8.30am and leaves about 6pm. ‘I do the bar, a little bit of cleansing, I’ve accomplished a little bit of portray and I typically do the strips,’ she says. ‘I do all the things bar decide the staff.’
Her husband, Billy, is the groundsman. ‘There have been as soon as about six of us however I’m the final man standing,’ he says. He took up the job within the Scottish Cup-winning season and, at 69, he’s on the park a minimum of 5 days at week.
The pitch is a credit score to him and his labors. ‘It offers me loads of satisfaction,’ he says. He was an engineer and says all the things he has realized about conserving a pitch has come by means of recommendation from others or by means of searches on the web.
His motivation is straightforward. ‘I’m a Hurlford man, my dad was on the committee, my brother performed for Hurlford. I used to come back right here as a boy to look at video games earlier than I began enjoying myself.
Clark Nicol additionally first got here to the bottom as a boy. He’s now membership secretary and treasurer. ‘I used to be about six or seven after I first got here down right here,’ he says. ‘These had been less complicated occasions when younger boys may merely depart their homes on a Saturday and are available to the soccer alone the place they’d meet up with buddies.’
Nicol moved away from the village at 17 to review after which to work in Germany. At 62, he’s now retired after a profession in IT and devotes a lot of his time to Hurlford United.
The committee is small, consisting of 4 males. ‘You’ll be able to ask and ask and ask however you’ll be able to’t drive folks that will help you. Should you persuade somebody, then they solely final a yr as a result of they didn’t actually need to do it within the first place.’
Considered one of his fellow committee members is John Bracki who beforehand had a historical past with Thistle. ‘Willie Hamilton requested me to assist out with Thistle in 2007 and we received the Scottish Cup twice,’ he says. ‘I keep in mind 2014 vividly. One week the village was blue and yellow for the Thistle after which it was crimson and white for United. You simply always remember that.’
It’s recent, too, for John Garroch. He was assistant to Henderson when United received the Scottish however has now taken a step again. ‘You want new blood and they’re doing a smashing job,’ he says of the teaching set-up. ‘However I keep in mind the nice days very nicely.’
He now does a little bit of scouting for the membership however is content material on matchdays to assist out serving teas and low. He’s emblematic of the lifeblood of soccer within the village. Heroes typically don’t rating the dramatic winners however include sponsorship, a mower, a paint brush or a kettle and a plate of sandwiches.
