Tommy was always the leader at training
Modern-day footballers are among the fittest athletes on the planet.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was the fastest man in last season’s Champions League with a sprint time of 34.5km per hour.
But has he ever tried a fast- walking session round the pitch?
It was a training regime described as “bloody murder” by Sir Alex Ferguson in his book, Managing My Life.
He recalled training with Airdrie while a St Johnstone player, and being amazed by the way Diamonds winger, Tommy Duncan, could beat all-comers when it came to walking.
Tommy believes his fitness was a big help in prospering in top-level football.
He said: “Our trainer, Bobby Reid, introduced fast walking as part of our routine, and it was tougher than it sounds.
“I was always the leader at training. I was the oldest player at that time, and took responsibility for maintaining a high standard. “A lot of the players hated it.
“We had some people, like Alex Ferguson, come along to training and they could do their own thing or join in with us.
“Although I was a part-time player throughout my career, I was always as fit as the full-timers.” This weekend in 1959, Tommy was returning to Broomfield after finishing his stint in the RAF. He trained with Newport County during his National Service, and played one league match for the Welsh team.
“I mostly turned out for the County reserves,” said Tommy. “I was desperate to get back to Airdrie and my teaching career.”
Airdrie was a club that captured Tommy’s heart when he was still a schoolboy.
They spotted him during a tour of the Highlands in 1952.
He said: “I was born in Portsoy on Scotland’s north- east coast. The two other footballers from there are Peter Bain of Partick Thistle and Aberdeen’s Eoin Jess.
“I was 15 years old when I was asked to play for Buckie Thistle against Airdrie.
“I was normally an outside- right, but I was asked to play on the left- wing. Fortunately, I was able to kick with both feet.
“Airdrie liked what they saw, fancied me as a player, and took me back to Lanarkshire.
“I finished my education at Airdrie Academy and then went to college to become a PE teacher. I was well looked after by a local family.” Tommy became a fans’ favour i te at Broomfield, and is a member of the club’s Hall Of Fame.
Hitting 63 goals in 211 appearances is an impressive strike rate for a winger.
He said: “I would have quite liked to be an inside-forward, but I was taken to the club as a winger and got stuck with that label.
“It means I got to play in front of the great Ian Mcmillan. I did play inside now and again. That was my position when I scored my first hat-trick in a 9-1 win over East Fife. Tommy, now 83, had spent 10 years with Airdrie when injury cut his career short. He said: “In a midweek game against Aberdeen, my knee just collapsed under me. “I underwent surgery but was unable to get back playing for Airdrie.
“I worked on my own, trying to regain my fitness over the next couple of years.
“The surgeon gave me the OK to try playing football again, and Bob Shankly had me on a month’s trial at Dundee.
“I then played a few games for Falkirk, and once for Stirling Albion.
“I should maybe have gone back to Airdrie, but things had changed at the club.” Tommy continued working as a PE teacher, and spent five years as Queen’s Park coach. He said: “I enjoyed my time at Queen’s. We had Derek Parlane in the reserves before Rangers stepped in to sign him.
“My favourite was club captain, Eddie Hunter. He always gave 100% and if everyone had worked as hard as him, then we might have got promotion.”