SHANKILL TRIBUTE TO BERTIE

THE greater Shankill area will play tribute to one of its favourite sons when players of yesteryear clash in a charity match at Paisley Park this Sunday.

Billed as a “day in support and appreciation of Distillery and Shankill United legend Bertie Mcminn”, two legends select sides comprised of the team Mcminn guided to the 2A title alongside

Tommy Leeman in 2008, and the squad Hugh Sinclair led to the

Premier Division title back in

2007, will lock horns in a fundraising get-together.

Stephen Young, chairman of Foundry and a member of their title-winning side, never got the privilege of watching Mcminn in his Whites prime, but he says his reputation as a baller in his day – and even more importantly as a thoroughly decent and genuine guy off the pitch – has always preceded him, with the showpiece a fitting testimonial while he remains seriously ill in hospital.

Young said: “It will be Bertie and Leeper’s Shankill team that they won 2A with, and then ones from our league-winning team, with Digger Whiteside managing our team and Mark Clegg managing Shankill.

“Bertie is well thought of all over the Shankill, and at times like this, regardless of football rivalries or whatever it may be, at the end of the day we are just one community and we want to help each other out whenever we can.

“I wasn’t fortunate enough to see him play football but apparently he was a smasher and should have been away across the water.”

The game kicks off at 1pm this

Sunday at Paisley Park

Sportsplex, with all proceeds raised going to Mcminn and his family.