Brother I lost will be proud of my big day at Wembley
AT the crack of dawn tomorrow morning, a plane will jet from Edinburgh bound for London, crammed with more than 50 of Stefan Scougall’s relatives and close friends. Upon their arrival in the capital, they will excitedly head off to Wembley to cheer on their boy in the biggest match of his young life.
For the 21-year-old Sheffield United midfielder, however, his biggest inspiration to beat Hull City and reach next month’s FA Cup Final will stem from the one family member whom he dearly wishes could be there among their number to witness his big day.
A talented footballer in his own right, young Alex Scougall was a trainee at East Fife, days away from an Under-19s Cup Final appearance against Livingston, when his car collided with a van and plunged down an embankment in Lasswade, Midlothian.
The death of the 18- year- old apprentice electrician in May 2007 was a crushing blow to 14-year-old brother Stefan, who had hero-worshipped his sibling throughout their formative years, which were spent honing their football skills together on a patch of grass near their home in Gilmerton, Edinburgh.
Since the family tragedy, Scougall has vowed to dedicate everything he achieves to Alex. And while his brother sadly can’t be part of the 50-strong travelling squad he calls ‘Sheffield United’s very own Tartan Army’, the f ormer Livingston midfielder is certain his brother will be looking out for him at Wembley.
‘I believe Alex is always up there, looking down on whatever I do,’ said Scougall.
‘It’s something that drives me on and I hope he is as proud as punch that I am playing at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final this weekend.
‘I looked up to Alex so much when we were younger. He was a central midfielder and we used to kick a ball about together. Where I stay, there is a wee wall from which we would jump down to a grassy area and play football.
‘I’d join in with his friends. It was good for me to experience that and it helped me a lot.
‘He was at Dunfermline and then at East Fife but, sadly, he didn’t get the chance to go any further in the game because his life was cut short. It’s something I’ve had to learn to deal with and it has been hard. But I’m doing this for him now and I know he will be proud.
‘I want to make all of my family proud, too. They have always been there for me through everything.
‘A lot of them travelled down for the quarter-final when we beat Charlton and now there are 50 of them coming down on the plane to London. I suppose they are Sheffield United’s own Tartan Army.’
As well as personal tragedy, the bubbly and likeable Scougall has had to negotiate the hurdle of career rejection. He was let go by Hibs after six years as a trainee, with the Easter Road club informing the 5ft 7in midfielder he was too small to make the grade.
That staggering news came around roughly at the same time pocket dynamos Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were showing, via a thrilling Champions League Final victory for Barcelona over Manchester United in Rome, that small could be beautiful.
For Scougall, however, it meant being cut loose to a period of introspection, not to mention a spell working in Sainsbury’s, while spending a year playing part-time at Dunfermline.
His time at East End Park duly saw him offered a two-year contract at Livingston which, in turn, has proved a stepping stone to English football.
Ultimately, the Scotland Under-21 international is not bitter at his treatment by Hibs, given he could not be happier with life just now. Nor is he keen to gloat, despite the Easter Road club remaining mired i n mediocrity amid a grim battle for survival in the Scottish Premiership.
Scougall does concede that being let go left him envisioning a life outside full-time football, working as a road labourer with his dad Alex. And he is keen to share his tale with any other young players who may be enduring a crisis of faith in their abilities.
‘ It’s five years ago now and I don’t really like to talk about it,’ said Scougall, speaking at Sheffield United’s Redtooth Academy training base at Shirecliffe.
‘But I suppose it’s their loss and Sheffield United’s gain. Don’t get me wrong, it does take a lot out of you when you get knockbacks, when you are rejected like that. But I chose to get my head down, work hard and take the chances that came my way.
‘When I was released by Hibs, I decided I was going to give football one more chance. I got taken on by Dunfermline part-time and that meant I took on a job part-time in Sainsbury’s in Edinburgh.
‘I didn’t stack shelves, it was more behind the tills work. The experience gave me a dded motivation to knuckle down in my
football career and try to make the best of it. ‘If football hadn’ t worked out for me, my dad works on the roads for Edinburgh Council and I had decided to get the f orms to apply f or a j ob alongside him. That was the plan, anyway. But I got my head down and my football career took off. It’s amazing how things work out in life.
‘I do think that Scottish football is changing for the better, though. There are a lot more youngsters getting the chance to come through to the first team.
I looked up to Alex so much. I’m doing this for him now
‘But if there are any young kids out there who have been released and are thinking of quitting the game, I would tell them not to give up on football, to get their heads down and just see what can happen.’
Rangers fan Scougall, who rates former Ibrox and Scotland captain Barry Ferguson as his ultimate footballing role model, is certainly a fine example for hard- working young kids of how a football career can swiftly turn from the mundane to the magnificent.
Former Livingston director of football John Collins tipped him 15 months ago as a player with Champions League potential. But the words of Collins, who reached the last four of Europe’s blueriband tournament with Monaco, fell on deaf ears as concrete bids failed to materialise despite rave reviews for his performances.
Just a few weeks ago, Scougall was playing Scottish championship football for Livingston, running out in front of just 363 people at Central Park, Cowdenbeath. Contrastingly, by Friday night, Sheffield United fans had snapped up 100 times that crowd figure — 30,000 tickets and counting — with one f an so desperate to see his beloved Blades reach the final he is forgoing treatment on a kidney dialysis machine to make it to Wembley.
Scougall, who made his United debut i n the FA Cup against Fulham and has not looked back since, can’t wait to walk out to the deafening din tomorrow.
And it is little wonder he can’t stop smiling ahead of facing a Hull City side likely to feature Scotland international George Boyd and former Rangers and Aberdeen attacker Sone Aluko — but, sadly for Scougall, not injured ex-Ibrox keeper Allan McGregor.
‘I never expected to play as much when I first came down from Livingston,’ he said. ‘But I’ve hit the ground running. Even still, I couldn’t imagine running out at Wembley in the first 12 weeks of my Sheffield United career. It’s just been incredible. I’ve had to pinch myself to make sure it’s really happening.
‘I’ve never been to Wembley before but then I’ve never come close to playing at Hampden either.
‘So to be playing at Wembley this weekend is j ust phenomenal, incredible. It’s night and day to what I’m used to at Livingston.
‘But nothing really fazes me, not even Wembley. I’m looking forward to it. It’s excitement nerves more than scared nerves. I just can’t wait to be there.
‘It’s been a rollercoaster for me, but what has happened since January has shown me I made the right choice in coming down to Sheffield.’
That Scougall has settled in so quickly to life in the Steel City is largely down to the presence of five other Scots in the League One side. They have all thrived under Nigel Clough, who replaced David Weir as manager late last year after a disastrous first managerial post for the ex-Rangers captain.
The Bramall Lane squad features ex- Motherwell striker Jamie Murphy, former Falkirk winger Ryan Flynn, ex- Queen of the South full-back Bob Harris, former St Mirren midfielder Stephen McGinn and ex-Dumbarton and Wolves defender Neill Collins.
All are gelling under the watchful eye of Clough, whose admiration for Scottish players stretches back to watching his dad’s tartan-trimmed Nottingham Forest si de lift back-to-back European Cups.
Clough j unior bought Craig Bryson from Kilmarnock for Derby County and melded him into a full Scotland international. He has designs on doing the same with Scougall and the midfielder’s first impressions of his new boss are similarly effusive.
‘The manager’s been brilliant,’ he said. ‘He gives us all the belief and confidence to express ourselves. He’s the best manager I’ve worked under and I’ve learned every minute under him.
‘I must admit I don’t know a lot about Brian Clough but I’ve been reading up on everything he did in his career. People say he was the Jose Mourinho of his day and I think the gaffer has a bit of his father in him. That will stand us in good stead for Sunday.
‘It would be great to win and make everyone proud. And it would be great to do it for Alex.’