BIG INTERVIEW

Paul Lawson learned his trade among the best at Celtic Park, chasing the teenage dream he never could quite catch.

Turns out it was actually his days as an ankle-biter at Christie Park that set him up better for what lies ahead.

Forget the 60,000 seats at Parkhead and towering stands that shake to their foundations on European nights.

The little 270-seat ground in Huntly was Lawson’s football utopia when he was a boy growing up.

He was a permanent fixture at the ground as the Aberdeenshire side swept all before them up north in the 90s with his dad Willie at Stevie Paterson’s side in the dugout.

Now he’s taking his first seat in a Highland League dugout himself at 33, exactly a decade after leaving the Hoops.

Lawson has taken on the manager’s job at Formartine United.

He has been a part-time player at United for the past two seasons and will be assisted by his brother-in-law and Aberdeen legend Russell Anderson.

And despite a 10-year career as a full-time pro with St Johnstone, Ross County, St Mirren and Motherwell, Lawson is right where he always thought he would be in the end.

A little early with the arrival time maybe – but with no less ambition than he ever had.

Lawson, who earned 10 Scotland Under-21 caps, said: “I was brought up watching the Highland League.

“I’ve always said I wanted to play in the league even if I did think that would be in my late 30s.