AFGHANISTAN HELL
again. Going in at Sauchie, it was a decent standard. Theyhad just been promoted to the Superleague and with it being the local junior team it was the one I wanted to tr y to get in. “I fancied a crack at the juniors so my old gaffer at my Sunday team phoned Fraz. I wasn’t ready to be fair. “I hadn’t been playing at a great standard and it took me a while with training and friendlies. “I don’t know whether Fraser even thought I would stick it out because I wasn’t playing with the team much and it was quite frustrating. “But looking back I can see. I was just a young guy and had never really played at that level. “Really you want your experienced guys – probably your better players – playing and at the time I wasn’t one of them. “It just took me a wee while to find my feet at that level and I took it from there. I was quite proud of myself to overcome injuries and play at that level – it’s a decent standard.” The defender was part of the Sauchie side relegated from the East Superleague last summer only to bounce back up to the first tier straight away. Iain is now one of t he more experienced players in the Beechwood Park dressing room. And after a slow start to the league campaign, he admits he would take simply staying in the top f light together with a good run in cup competitions. He said: “Because I was there when we got relegated two years ago, it is still quite raw. I don’t want to be going through that again, getting relegated and playing in a play-off.
“Theseasons before that we were finishing fifth, sixth in the league, won a cup, got to a cup final – they were good times.”
His biggest fan is two-year-old daughter Emily, who already has both home and away strips. And Syme intends to still be starting i n defence when his seven-week-old son Charlie is ready to cheer on his old man. He said: “A few mates have lost legs and arms and a few guys I was close to died – one of the guys I played in the 45 [Commando] football team with lost his life. “Just to sur vive the IED, overcome my injuries, get back fit and healthy, playing football and working, got a family and two kids, life couldn’t be any happier really. I feel blessed.”