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The
Rampant Ballboy Interviews - dave mcgovern
 Our
vitim this time is Dave McGovern who captained Cowden
to promotion in 1992. Dave hails from Tranent so
I had to don a disguise when I met him due to the
fact that I aroused the interest of every female
in a local hostelry there a few months ago which
did not go down well with the male natives who became
very restless asking me politely to leave the town
pronto. I'm sure 'The Guvnor', who is now manager
of Musselburgh Athletic, was bemused at me wearing
a fake beard and glasses.
How
did your football career come about?
I began playing juvenile then signed as a schoolboy
for Celtic. I was knocked down by a car when I was
15 so my playing was hindered at an early age. Celtic
then released me and I joined Tynecastle Boys Club
from where Harry Melrose signed me for Dunfermline
in 1980.
Did
you break through to the Townies first team?
I broke through to the first team after Pat Stanton
took over as boss but only played 10 or 11 games.
Unfortunately I was involved in a car crash and
broke my femur. I was out of action for 16 months
having spent 3 months in hospital. I was freed by
Dunfermline in 1983 when they got relegated and
had a big clear out.
Was
that when you joined Berwick?
Not straight away. I went junior with Ormiston Primrose
for 1½ seasons before Eric Tait signed me for Berwick.
I was 1½ seasons with Berwick before falling out
with Eric Tait (who didn't). It was then in 1986
that Joe Craig signed me for Cowden. I had 7 seasons
with Cowdenbeath before leaving in March 1993.
Why
did you leave?
I was told by Andy Harrow that I was making way
for a youth policy. To be fair to Andy Harrow had
told me some time prior that he was going to let
me go and it was not a surprise although I was obviously
disappointed to leave the club.
What
were your high points with the Blue Brazil?
It goes without saying that the Alloa game to clinch
promotion will live with me forever. The atmosphere
in the town even before the game was terrific as
was the crowd and the celebrations afterwards. The
game at Ibrox against Rangers in 1991 and the 2
games against Hibs in 1993 were also unforgettable.
It's just a pity that the referee had no bottle
in the first game and failed to give us a penalty
in the last minute when Billy Herd was brought down.
Any
major disappointments?
I think my biggest disappointment was the break
up of the promotion winning team after only the
first game in the first division. We drew 3-3 with
Clydebank that day losing a goal in the last minute.
It was never the same after that.
How
did you rate Andy Harrow?
The step up from junior football to first division
football proved to be too much for him particularly
as he had no previous managerial experience at senior
level. He tried his best but unfortunately it did
not work out for him.
How
did the players react to John Brownlie's departure?
It came as a shock to a certain extent but it wasn't
totally unexpected. The players knew that the manager
and the chairman didn't get on. You could sense
an atmosphere between them. I don't know all the
ins and outs of why Brownlie was sacked but we all
knew he was after money for new players.
Which
Cowden players did you enjoy playing with most?
Players like Roddy Grant, Paul Cherry and Colin
McGlashan stick in my mind. I've played with many
characters such as Raymie Allan and Eric Archibald,
both forthright Fifers with a tremendous dry sense
of humour. I enjoyed playing alongside Eric although
when the red mist came down he was uncontrollable
as the incident with George McCluskey typified.
From memory, Eric was digusted with McCluskey's
parentage and religion. Musselburgh are pushing
for promotion to the John Walker Premier league
next season. If we make it I'm looking forward to
seeing Eric when we play Newtongrange Star.
Did
you join Musselburgh direct from Cowden?
No, Stenhousemuir were interested in signing me
but it fell through and I ended up at Linlithgow
Rose. I stayed there for 9 months before moving
to Musselburgh where I subsequently became manager.
We have had Kevin Bowmaker, Alistair Hamilton and
Graham Chapman farmed out to us from Cowdenbeath.
All have potential and will hopefully do a good
job for Cowden.
Any
amazing stories from your Cowden playing days that
we can print?
We used to go pre-season to the North East of England
quite a lot. Guys like Billy Paxton and Keith 'Mad
Dog' McCulloch were outrageous on these trips. We
had some laughs. On a recent trip the Tranent trio
of Davie Watt, Shug Douglas and I were walking in
our tracksuits down a main street in Whitley Bay
when a police car screeched to a halt beside us.
The police got out and asked us what we were up
to as they had had a report that guys dressed in
tracksuits had been attempting to break into cars.
The police would not let us go until the woman who
had lodged the complaint arrived and conducted a
mini identity parade in the street. Luckily she
said it was not us so we were allow to go on our
way.
We're
always on the lookout for Blue Brazilians from yesteryear.
If you should know of anyone who is worthy of a
mention, drop an email to webmaster@blue-brazil.co.uk
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