Younger Young set to miss out on his big brother’s big day in the Cup
Derek Young will miss what could be elder brother Darren’s finest moment this afternoon.
The siblings are exceptionally close. As young players, they spent nearly a decade together, first at Aberdeen, then Dunfermline.
However, on the day Darren pits his managerial wits against Steven Gerrard in East Fife’s Betfred Cup tie with Rangers, Derek will be leading his Aberdeen Under-16 side against Fife Elite Academy up in the North-east.
“It is a nightmare,” said 39-year-old Derek.
“My wife, kids and all my extended family are heading down to Bayview. But I’ll need to make do with the telly.
“When I first checked the fixtures, I thought it was going to work out beautifully, as I could take the team on the Saturday and then head down to Fife for Darren’s game.
“We are very close, and I have always been proud to see him standing in the dugout as a manager for any match.
“Since his mid-20s, earlier even, it was always what he wanted to do. He would go on and on about it when we were players.
“He got where he wanted to be and has done really well. He won the League Two title with Albion Rovers in 2015 and did well in the cups, too.
“Now he is carrying on in the same vein with East Fife, who are on a great run in the Betfred Cup so far this season.
“They beat Dundee United at Tannadice, then got a draw at home to Hearts, plus
they picked up the extra point for winning the penalty shoot-out.
“Rangers are going to be a different proposition – no one would argue against that. They have some tremendous footballers. We saw that last year, and they have added a lot of quality again this summer.
“At the same time, you want these games, not only because they are great occasions, but because of the opportunity they offer you to do something special.”
Bookmakers offering odds of up to 35/1 against a Fifers win puts the scale of their task in perspective.
One of the reasons cup upsets go down in history is because they do not come along very often.
The younger Young – and there is only a year between them – insists the possibility should not be discounted.
“They will have a chance. Knowing Darren, he will be doing everything in his power to make sure they do everything to make it happen,” Derek continued.
“It is a football match, and there are going to be plenty of times when the team with the better players is going to win.
“What you can do as underdogs, however, is make them work hard by forcing them to use all their skills to beat you.
“Do that, and then there is always the possibility they will have an off day, where their players aren’t right on it for whatever reason.
“Or they could just be unlucky. You never know. The likelihood is that East Fife will get opportunities to counter-attack, which they have shown they can do really well. “A shock could happen.” Meanwhile, Derek is content to occupy a lower-profile role in the game.
“Working with young players was something I always wanted to do, and it has been every bit as enjoyable as I expected,” he said.
“I have not long finished playing the game myself and, because the kids know you have got to the level they are desperate to reach, they soak up everything you are trying to pass on to them.
“At the same time, I know I have loads to learn as a coach myself .
“Neil Simpson, who heads the Aberdeen Academy, has been a tremendous help to me in that regard.
“I have had offers from a couple of lower-league clubs to go out on my own, but I am happy where I am.
“Might I one day end up working alongside Darren? Well, we see the game exactly the same way and we speak about football at least a couple of times a day, so there is an obvious fit there.”
Like the chance of a shock at Bayview, it should not be ruled out.