The founder of one of the first Inverness Street League sides has been recalling his love of the game from an early age in the Highland capital.
Andy Smith, who is now chairman of the Scottish Football Supporters’ Association, was a recent guest at the monthly Football Memories meeting in the city.
And he is also a contributor to the recently-launched fans’ book ‘Back O The Net!’, where supporters write about their team and say why they followed their clubs.
Andy grew up in Dalneigh, which was only a 15-minute walk to Caley’s home at Telford Street Park, and he was hooked as a fan from the age of seven.
Won over on first Telford Street visit
Andy has detailed why and how he became a Caley fan.
He said: “On my first visit to Telford Street, we not only won, but I learnt three swear words, the names of some of our players, met new friends for life and got to run on to the park each time we scored and again at half time when there was a mass, impromptu, juvenile kickabout till the groundsman was summoned to chase us off.
“To top it all, I made enough money to buy a Mars bar by picking up empty lemonade bottles (and the three penny deposit) that some older fans had left on the ground. I was there. I was also hooked for life.
“Having long been deemed too young to go to the match, even with my older cousin who lived nearby and was a regular, my first opportunity came when a pal’s ninth birthday treat saw his dad take half a dozen of us.
“So, Saturday morning saw a trip into town, first to Treasurer’s the barbers in the Market Hall for a haircut then next door to Johnstone’s and I had acquired a shiny new ‘official’ Caley scarf and became the first Caley fan in our family.
“After that first visit, I became a regular, usually with my cousin and others, for home matches every second Saturday from August till April.
“It wasn’t just about football or the result, although Caley were mostly successful and won the league in my first season, the match experience was about walking to the ground with friends, ‘jupping’ in to save the entrance money, buying sweets and then standing behind the opposition goalie, running on to the park when we scored and moving ends at half-time.”
Following successful Caley teams
Andy recalls the formation of the Caley Supporters Club in 1965, being member number 4, and receiving a wee blue book with, among other things, the Caley song.
To the tune of Marie’s Wedding the words of the first verse were:
Caledonian – that’s the name
Champions of the football game
Shout it loud increase their fame
Come away the Caley
He never ever actually heard it being sung even though as he says “Years and seasons came and passed, Caley won more than their share, and more often than not I was there.”
Street league debut as primary pupil
Older brother of famous author, playwright, academic and journalist, Ali Smith CBE, Andy formed and managed the all-conquering Dalneigh Dynamos who debuted in the first season of the Inverness Street League while in his last year in primary school in 1968.
Dalneigh Dynamos played for free at the Bught, without nets or proper refs against other top sides including Planefield Panthers, Broom United, Burgh United and Springfield.
Panthers even had proper football strips and their players included Billy Urquhart who played more than 600 games for Caley and the three Macdonald brothers, Jeff (Caley), Gordon, (Thistle) and Kevin (Caley, Leicester, and Liverpool).
Later as a member of successful Inverness Royal Academy sides under Eddie Hutcheon from 1968-74, Andy played mostly up front with IRA’s record goalscorer Dave Milroy, who himself went on to play 900 games for Thistle as a defender.
Andy went on to play for Spartans
Andy had a spell as an S form with his beloved Caley before heading to university in Aberdeen with various welfare league sides including Legion and River House along the way. Then 14 years playing for Spartans in Edinburgh.
His Spartans’ debut saw him as the sub against Postal United (now Edinburgh City).
Playing in the old East of Scotland League he found out that ‘subbies also ran the line’.
A long-time Tartan Army fan, Andy never really thanked Billy Urquhart for a “2×2” of hallowed turf in 1977 which was planted in St Valery Avenue with two blue and one white crocus bulbs for an annual reminder of the score.
Need to see the ‘bigger picture’
In his role as chairman of the SFSA, Andy believes that football for all kids should be free, like it was back in the day, and that football has to escape from the current stranglehold of self -interest that dominates at the expense of the common good.
A major reset is needed.
He said: “We all know that fans individually want everything for their own club but when we come together we see the bigger picture and the need for common good practices”.
You can read his weekly blog on the SFSA website, ‘Andy’s Sting in the Tale’.