Striker John Boyle began his senior career on the east coast of the country before having to rebuild it in the Juniors on the west and now he has his feet firmly placed in the centre of the country as he plays for his SFL Second Division home town team of Airdrie United.
Boyle said; “I started off at Townhead Amateurs before I got picked up by Raith Rovers when I was 14. Townhead played their games at Airdrie and Coatbridge so I am not sure how Rovers heard of me but I can only presume that a scout was at one of our games and was picked out from that.
“I left school and joined them and managed to get a few first team games in season 2003/04. I made my League debut against Falkirk when Antonio Calderon was the Manager and who was a really a good guy.
Calderon was not unfortunately there for much longer as Boyle said: “Claude Anelka came in at the end of that season and it went a bit pear shaped for me at Stark's Park. Mind you, it went a bit pear shaped for a few people at that time.”
Boyle started four games that season and he did not start any more as he explained: “I went out on loan to East Fife and played in the Third Division there for Jim Moffat. I went back to Raith at the end of the season and was released. It was disappointing as I had never really had a chance to establish myself and also I had never broken my scoring duck at senior level.
“I was only 18 at the time but I was picked up by Auchinleck Talbot at the other side of the country and they are one of the biggest clubs in the Junior game. It was a tough learning ground, really tough because you have a bit of pace then you can stand out. At best, defenders will look to talk you off your game and at worst, they use other means to slow you down.”
Boyle blossomed as he explained: “It was a successful time and we beat Bathgate Thistle 2-1 in the Junior Cup Final at the end of my first season in 2006 and I scored the winner. It was a great feeling and it was the last time the Final of the Junior Cup was sponsored by OVD Rum and also the last time it appeared live on STV so it has a decent place in the history of the Juniors.”
Boyle missed out through a knock when the Ayrshire side lifted the Scottish Junior Cup for an eighth time in their history in 2009 when Clydebank were defeated 2-1 however, he was the Man-of-the-Match last May at Rugby Park when Musselburgh were defeated by the same score.
He said: “That was a really good game and Musselburgh played really well but we just edged it.
“It was great to be involved in a cup winning team twice and I had a brilliant time there. They certainly know how to party down in Auchinleck when they win something.”
The striker’s form during his six seasons at Beechwood had attracted senior interest several times however, no concrete offer ever came as he explained: “I spoke to a few teams but nothing definite ever happened so I just got on with playing my football.”
That changed in the summer when Airdrie United boss, Jimmy Boyle, asked if he wanted to join his Diamonds with Boyle saying: “Even then, I had to be patient as Jimmy and I had spoken but it then went quiet. Thankfully, after the Junior season finished, he got in touch and we agreed a deal.
“I am from Airdrie as are five or six of the team with Jamie Bain, Ryan Donnelly, Jamie Stevenson and Kieron Stallard all living close by. I did go to their old Broomfield ground when I was younger but I did not visit the Excelsior that often as I was concentrating on my own football career on a Saturday by then.”
The gap to SFL Second Division football from the Juniors has been bridged by Boyle who said: “I don’t think the gap is that big apart from in one area and that is fitness. The players in the Second Division are fitter but there are a lot of guys in the Juniors who have the quality to play at a higher level.”
One of the other differences from the Juniors to the SFL is in the quality of pitches with Boyle saying: “We have a fantastic artificial playing surface at the Excelsior which is a pleasure to play on. We can also train on it at a very high tempo and the surface is probably the reason we play such an attacking game. It is certainly a lot better than some of the surfaces in the Ayrshire Juniors!”
That surface saw Boyle score his first senior goals as he explained: “I got my first one against Stirling Albion in September and it was a good feeling to finally get off the mark in the senior game.
"On a personal level, I am happy with my first year at this level and I am up to nine goals for the season. One of my goals was up for SFL Goal of the Month for January and it was a right good hit ironically against Stirling again.”
The 25-year-old added: “I want to get into double figures as soon as possible and get 12 to 15 before the end of the season. I am a wee bit behind Ryan Donnelly who has scored 25 times.”
Boyle is an admirer of his free scoring team-mate as he said: “Ryan may have grabbed a lot of headlines this season but he is a really level headed guy and a good team player. I was surprised and pleased that he never got a move in January but I am sure something big will happen for him soon.”
Despite their goals, Boyle does however admit that The Diamonds' season has not shone as brightly as it could as he said: “As a team, we could be doing better because despite it being a tight division, we are looking to be involved in the push for promotion.
"We have nine games left in the season and we have to win the majority of them to get there. The fans seem to like our brand of attacking football but understandably, they want us to stop conceding them.”
The first of those nine games takes place this weekend and it promises to be a cracker as Airdrie visit Albion Rovers for the last Lanarkshire League derby of the season. Their last visit to Cliftonhill was not a good one as Boyle said: “They turned us over 7-2 in our visit there in November. They were good that day and we had a really bad day but we are looking forward to going there again.
“Our fans were majorly disappointed with that game and let us know about it. We did not help ourselves with a few bad mistakes and we want to put that right this time. We are aiming still to be involved in the promotion Play-offs and a win in Coatbridge would help us get there.”
