Swifts can’t wait for Rovers friendly
Hannah Colyer came off the bench against Partick. Photos: Stuart Cowper
Jeanfield Swifts over-35s return to the field of play on Friday evening.
A team packed full of former players and current managers will line-up for a friendly fixture at Bertha Park against Raith Rovers.
Names including Gavin Price, Ross Gunnion, Craig Mailer and Robbie Holden are set to roll back the years and pull on the boots.
Manager of Swifts’over-35s Scott Brown realises legs across the squad will not produce the same amount of running as years gone by.
But it’s all about getting out there for the love of the beautiful game.
“There’s a lot of big characters in the team,”Scott said.“I might be the manager, but we all manage ourselves.
“We have a lot of good ex players. Craig Mailer is the oldest at 53 but he is a machine.
“He took his top off last week and it was like a 21-year-old’s body! And football-wise he has still got it.
“A lot of us still know how to play the game.
“The brain still works but maybe the legs aren’t quite what they used to be.
“We’re all just enjoying a renaissance with the over-35 team.
“Some more than others have kept themselves relatively fit.”
Swifts are awaiting confirmation as to when league fixtures will be taking place but Scott knows the standard will be high.
“It’s a great standard and the other week we played AM Soccer,”he told the PA.
“We got a doing for the first 25 to 30 minutes and were all over the place.
“We were 2-0 down and that was a good scoreline for us at the time but we did eventually peg them back.
“Now it’s Raith Rovers and I think they are the top team in Fife. I was looking at their squad and they have a lot of experienced players.
“It will be another tough assignment but our guys know their way around a football pitch. It’s just a buzz for the boys getting together.
“You come up against old foes who you played in your younger days. Now it’s more of a friendly banter than an aggressive banter.
“We regress back into our childhood for that 90 minutes on the pitch - and at the end of the day you want to win.
“Whether you are 12 or 42, if you have a competitive streak you still want to get a result. That will be the same on Friday.”