Ziggy checked out of life as a chess champ
SPFL PREMIERSHIP
THERE comes a moment in any aspiring sportsman’s life when a decision must be made about his future.
At a young age, often even prior to those plooky teenage years, some kids are asked to make a life-changing call about the career path they wish to wander down.
Famously, Andy Murray faced just such a dilemma as a boy when he was forced to pick between playing football or tennis, with the latter option thankfully working out well for the Wimbledon champ and Olympic gold medal winner.
For Hamilton Accies right back Ziggy Gordon, the choice he faced was between life as a trainee footballer or, bizarrely, as a potential grandmaster.
Born in Glasgow but boasting Polish descent, he grew up with two passions in life: the beautiful game – and chess.
He was chasing checkmates from his earliest schoolboy days at Jordanhill Primary, even reaching the heights of being Scottish champion.
However, there was no endgame for Ziggy as Scotland’s answer to Garry Kasparov.
At the age of 11 the pieces fell into place for him at New Douglas Park, with the offer of a place in their youth set-up.
After some deliberation, Ziggy decided he would have to pack away his chessboard to join the ranks at Accies.
He revealed to SportTimes: “When I was younger I was really passionate about chess but eventually my love of football took over.
“There was a point at which I had to make a final decision between the two because at that point I was the best chess player in Scotland at my age.
“The thing was, my football games were on a Sunday and chess tournaments were also on a Sunday. I had to pick one.
“Back then I just thought to myself, ‘What is more cool: Playing football or chess?’
“So I signed as a schoolboy for Hamilton. Hopefully it was the right decision.”
There seems little evidence to suggest otherwise.
The maturity of the 21-year-
‘ I thought: What is more cool…playing football or chess? So I signed for Hamilton
old defender has rarely been questioned during a sustained run in the Accies first team over the last two seasons.
Gordon was one of the most reliable defenders in the SPFL Championship last campaign and has continued to impress in the top flight this term.
Despite his Glasgow roots, the Scotland Under-19 cap has spent his entire career with Hamilton. He was only 17 when he made his first-team debut against St Johnstone in 2011 in the SPL.
Now that Accies are back in the top flight, with two wins from three matches, Gordon admits he is enjoying the high life in Lanarkshire. He said: “I’ve been at the club 11 years and was a full-time player the last time we were in the top flight four years ago.
“I played two games but that wasn’t a season to remember. Hopefully this one will be.
“Speaking for myself, I’m not really here to prove anyone wrong. We all know how good a team we are but we like being the underdogs.
“In terms of resources and finances, we are the smallest team in the Premiership by quite a margin, but we’re here for each other. We don’t care what anyone else thinks.
“I’ve been here for so long I don’t know anything different. The boys are so close, and that helps us. We all have one goal and that’s to push in the same direction and do the best for Hamilton. It’s the right formula to do well.”
According to Gordon, one of the key ingredients to that successful concoction is their player/manager Alex Neil.
He added: “The gaffer is huge for us. Since he took over we’ve improved massively.
“That is no disrespect to his predecessor, Billy Reid. The gaffer’s ethos is brilliant.
“We get the ball down and try to play, while also making ourselves hard to beat.
“The gaffer just instils so much confidence in you. When he’s playing instead of being in the dugout he pushes you to the limit and makes sure he gets the best out of you.
“He lets you know if you are doing something wrong – it’s generally me on the end of it!”