The oldest w inger in town
...well, midfielder, as manager, 50, puts himself on as sub to compete with players 33 years younger
‘I keep myself really fit for my age’
MOST men his age would be happy to take part in a kickabout with their children – or a quick five-a-side game.
But Clyde manager Danny Lennon, 50, turned the clock back against opposition on average three decades younger when he returned to the field as a player.
The former Raith Rovers midfielder, who hung up his boots 11 years ago, came out of retirement on Monday against Celtic Colts.
And following his 14-minute cameo in the second half, the Scottish League One team walked away with a 3-1 win in the Glasgow Cup fixture.
Speaking about his return, Lennon, a former Northern Ireland B international, said: ‘I can’t believe the attention this has stirred up.
‘There was never any intention to become the talk of the town. It was purely a last resort thing just in the way that the rules of the cup competition and the eligibility of players at our disposal worked.
‘We’ve got a few injuries and were really stretched so could only name two subs.’
The victory comes despite Lennon being up against the likes of teenager Armstrong Okoflex, who at 17 is three decades younger and a rising star in the Celtic Colts side, the developmental counterpart of the Premier League champions.
However, the manager, from Whitburn, West Lothian, said he would not be making a permanent return to the game. He added: ‘I’m feeling grand the morning after. I keep myself really fit for my age – I go to the gym every day. It was a last resort.
‘When you’re about to cross that white line, ready to come on, then the adrenaline gets going and the butterflies are still there. It’s great that you never lose that. I used to have it every game as a player.
‘I won’t be considering a career change, though. I’m hoping that is just a one-off. Hopefully, come the next cup game we’ll be in a healthier position.’
Lennon joins a host of players who didn’t let advancing years get in the way of their sporting careers.
Sir Stanley Matthews became the oldest man to play in the top flight of English football when he lined up for Stoke City, five days after his 50th birthday.
It came at the end of a 33-year playing career which lasted from 1932-1965 in which he won 52 caps for England.
His last match at the age of 42 years and 102 days made him the oldest player to play for the national side.
Sir Stanley is also the only player to be knighted before his retirement from the game.
England goalkeeper Peter Shilton also refused to retire young, playing until the grand old age of 47, clocking up more than 1,000 matches with 11 clubs as well as on the international stage.
He is most often remembered as the goalkeeper who was beaten by Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal at the 1986 World Cup.
Despite not matching them in age, Manchester United striker Ryan Giggs scored in 21 seasons with the club until his retirement at the age of 39 in 2014.
Giggs, 45, also holds the record for the most Premier League winners medals (13) and most topflight appearances (672).
North of the Border, Jim Leighton, now 61, takes the title as oldest top-flight player. He was inducted into the Scotland Hall of Fame following a career that spanned 23 years. He retired at the age of 40 in 1998.
The goalkeeper, from Johnstone, Renfrewshire, was capped for Scotland 91 times and made 382 appearances for Aberdeen over two spells, and 151 for Hibernian.
He was Scotland’s oldest player until 2010, when his record was broken by David Weir. The former Rangers and Everton defender, now 49, took the record after appearing for Scotland against Lithuania in September 2010 aged 40 years and 116 days.
Lennon began his playing career at Hibernian and went on to play for Raith Rovers – where he amassed more than 150 appearances.
In 2008 he began his career in management, beginning with a stint with Cowdenbeath.