Dreams do come true in football, with events of the past seven days proving the case time and again.
At the start of the week, Mail Sport’s Hugh MacDonald went On The Road and found star quality on the sidelines watching East Kilbride reach the SPFL for the first time.
In attendance to see the Lowland League champions complete the job in the League Two play-off final against Bonnyrigg Rose and hit the big time were Celtic icons John Hartson and Neil Lennon, as well as Hearts legend Gary Locke.
While seeing the Rosey Posey relegated back to the Lowland League after three seasons in the SPFL would have been a tough watch for hometown hero Locke and Lennon, whose son, Gallagher, is on the books of Bonnyrigg, it was a far happier experience for Welshman Hartson.
Involved with the club since their launch in 2010, the former Celtic striker told our man Hugh that he feels the sky is the limit for Kilby, who harbour serious ambitions of climbing to the Premiership and mixing it with the big boys in Scottish football.
None are currently bigger than Celtic, who continue to dominate the domestic landscape, Saturday’s cup final aside. It was, however, a rather different picture two decades ago.
East Kilbride celebrate after beating Bonnyrigg Rose to seal promotion to League Two
Rangers players celebrate winning the 2004-05 title on ‘Helicopter Sunday’
On Thursday, it was the 20th anniversary of Helicopter Sunday… when Rangers pipped the Hoops to the title on a dramatic final day of the season. John McGarry looked back on that remarkable season — a far cry from the recent title processions we’ve had to endure — when two late goals from then-Motherwell striker Scott McDonald, who went to play for Celtic, handed Rangers the league trophy.
Fans of the Ibrox club will undoubtedly be hoping that the expected takeover by American investors, including the 49ers Enterprises investment arm, will herald the kind of sweeping changes which will usher in a new era of greater domestic competitiveness.
Mail Sport’s Calum Crowe has urged Steve Clarke to make Lewis Ferguson central to his plans
As the domestic season draws towards a conclusion, a couple of international friendlies loom on the horizon. While a Hampden clash against Iceland and a trip to face little Liechtenstein will hardly set pulses racing, they do provide an opportunity for Steve Clarke to assess his options ahead of the World Cup qualifiers this autumn.
Chief among those, insisted Mail Sport’s Calum Crowe in his gripping column on Wednesday, is to find a system that ensures midfielder Lewis Ferguson’s involvement. Calum powerfully argued that Ferguson, who has just captained Bologna to Coppa Italia glory, has been criminally under-used by the national team boss and MUST be part of the road map that the Tartan Army will hope leads all the way to the World Cup Finals in North America next summer.
Of course, Ferguson isn’t the only Scotland star walking on air this week, with Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour having played pivotal roles in helping Napoli pip Inter Milan to become Serie A champions, as they beat Cagliari on Friday night.
Fittingly in what has been an exceptional season since his £25.7million move from Manchester United, McTominay set his side on their way to victory with a sensational opening goal.
While both are in Clarke’s squad for the upcoming friendlies, it would be no surprise to see one or both granted leave to continue their celebrations.
With the Italian top-flight proving a fertile league in which Scottish talent can thrive, with Che Adams, Josh Doig and, previously, Aaron Hickey, also flourishing, it’s little surprise that Clarke suggested this week that it would be the perfect platform for in-demand Lennon Miller, with the Motherwell midfielder not likely to be short of suitors this summer.
Dundee manager Tony Docherty was sacked after finishing tenth in the Premiership
Sione Tuipulotu said it was a dream come true to be selected for the British and Irish Lions
Sadly, the recent rise in unsavoury incidents in Scottish football shows no sign of abating, with Ross County boss Don Cowie claiming a Livingston supporter spat in the face of his assistant Carl Tremarco in Thursday night’s Premiership play-off first leg at Almondvale.
In a powerful Mail Sport exclusive on Tuesday, Calum Crowe revealed research has shown rising levels of cocaine abuse are helping fuel the recent violence and disorder witnessed throughout Scottish football, with fears being raised that we are heading towards a point where someone is going to be killed inside a stadium in this country.
With First Minister John Swinney condemning the violence blighting the game as ‘utterly unacceptable’, the Scottish government and footballing authorities must wrestle with how best to combat the growing scourge of football disorder.
It was also a week of managerial upheaval, with Tony Docherty’s failure to fix a hapless defence coming home to roost as ruthless Dundee demand better, while Michael Wimmer stunned Motherwell by quitting after just 12 games in charge to return to his native Germany and a job at third-tier SSV Jahn Regensburg.
Switching sports to rugby union, and Sione Tuipulotu insisted this week that, despite his Australian accent, he is ‘all in’ on securing a Tour victory for the Lions Down Under.
The Scotland captain, recently back in action with Glasgow Warriors after months of injury torment, spoke passionately about his pride at being selected to represent the Lions as they head to the land of his birth this summer.
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