Annan Athletic head for Cowdenbeath

Aug 1 2008 By Craig Robertson

WHERE’S Cowdenbeath?

That was the question posed by an official at Annan Athletic this week as the club prepared for its historic opening in the Scottish Football League Third Division match in the Fife town tomorrow.

Well, Cowdenbeath is just up the M9, across the Firth of Forth, near Dunfermline.

It may only have been said in jest, but that question represents the huge transformation Annan Athletic are about to go through after being admitted to the SFL.

“I don’t think we need to go quite as far as getting an A-Z map,” chairman Henry McClelland joked.

“But we need to make sure we get our timings right to get the players to the matches on time as we will be travelling all over Scotland instead of just to the teams in the East of Scotland league.

“I leave things on the park to our manager Harry Cairney but we need make it all run smoothly for him.

“That means getting our preparations right and there is a lot of things to do that people don’t realise.

“There’s things like sorting out the matchday programme, organising the press and getting players complimentary tickets.

“We also need to make sure we have facilities in place for directors on the hospitality side and organise segregation for the fans as we’ve never really had a need for that before.

“But we already have good systems in place that have stood the test of time and this year will be all about stepping them up a gear.”

Speaking to McClelland, his ‘to-do list’ sounds about as long as his arm.

And for a man whose mobile rings constantly during our conversation and is, at the same time, organising interview with Sky TV, overseeing the erection of the new floodlights at Galabank as well as doing his day job in a local pharmaceutical company, you would be forgiven for thinking stress was a major factor.

But for McClelland, who has been with the club since the 1970’s, helped build the social club and once sold the pies, there is no stress, because everything is done for sheer enjoyment and love for Annan Athletic.

And he’s even basking in the club’s new found celebrity status with the BBC’s Football Focus programme following Annan on the road to Cowdenbeath.

McClelland added: “The workload is delegated out and we have a good spread of people with different skills.

“But to be honest, I have been so busy, I haven’t actually had to time to sit down and contemplate the season ahead.

“But that’s all part of my job to worry about these things and leave it to Harry to focus on the season.”