Flashback No brotherly love in this cup clash
Kenny Gillies and his younger brother Ricky were reared on a diet of total football.
They were once partners in crime as they binned the homework and sneaked off to the park to hone their skills for hours on end.
Football became their lifeblood and they were thick as thieves once again when both became pros at St Mirren.
But in January, 1997, they were set to go head-to-head, as they lined up AGAINST one another when Saints drew Clyde in the Scottish Cup.
The battle lines were drawn as Kenny prepared to line up on one side for Clyde, while £500,000-rated super-kid Ricky fired the bullets for the Buddies.
There was no one prouder than
So talented
St Mirren FC is a club with a proud tradition — and a history to match. They have been at the centre of the Scottish game since their formation in 1877.
Today, we look back at the careers of the Gillies brothers .
Kenny of Ricky’s rise to soccer fame – but he was set to run through fire to put the shackles on his kid brother at Broadwood.
Midfielder Kenny, who was 26, said: “Ricky’s a brilliant player and he deserves all the praise he’s getting because he’s worked hard to get there. I just hope he doesn’t turn it on too much against us or else we will really be up against it.
“Then again, if he does, I will be the first to congratulate him because I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of whatever success comes his way.
“I’m right up for it because St Mirren are my old team and it’s always nice to put one over them.
“We have good players in every position, especially up front, where Eddie Annand is capable of scoring in any company.”
Ricky, 20, had been linked with clubs all over Europe, including Rangers, Celtic and Twente Enschede.
But his only concern back then was getting the better of his brother, although he was gutted that they weren’t still playing in the same St Mirren side.
He said: “Kenny always got the better of me when we were kids.
“Now I have a chance of getting my own back but I won’t rub it in if we win, which I think we will do.
“Anyway, I reckon we should still be together at Love Street – Jimmy Bone never gave Kenny a real chance and he had to move on.
“It was always me who got the publicity, and Kenny was often overlooked, but he shouldn’t have been because he is an excellent player.”
In the tie at Broadwood, StephenMcNulty fired Clyde ahead midway through the first-half. A half-time roasting from boss Tony Fitzpatrick did the trick and Ricky equalised when he headed home a Junior Mendes cross.
But Paul Brownlie put Clyde back in front and it was big brother Kenny who was celebrating when Andy Gibson scored late on to clinch a 3-1 win for Clyde.