A considerable volume of words have been written since last Sunday's Scottish Communities League Cup Final as everyone connected with football went through a range of emotions after seeing underdogs Kilmarnock win 1-0 over Celtic before hearing of the tragic passing of Killie player Liam Kelly’s father, Jack.
One man who found himself a close range witness to the happenings at Hampden was Ronnie McIntosh, the winner of the 2011 Sunday Mail and Sport Scotland Disability Sports Award, who had been asked to present the trophy over to the winning captain by The Scottish Football League and the Scottish Government.
If anyone could find the spirit to handle life’s dramatic twists and turns, it is McIntosh, who was given the honour of being in the presentation party due to the remarkable courage he has displayed during his life.
McIntosh talked us through his Cup Final day saying: “Gordon Waddell of The Sunday Mail called me last Wednesday to say I was going to be asked to hand over the League Cup. I met Gordon when I picked up my Sunday Mail Award but I thought he was winding me up and I asked him why me?
“Gordon assured me it was no wind up and for a massive football fan like me, it was a huge honour. I have watched football since 1960, saw Dundee win the become Scottish League Champions in season 1961/62 as a 12-year-old and also saw them lift the League Cup in 1973 at Hampden when they beat Celtic.”
The now 62-year-old was also a player when he was younger however, fate got in the way as he explained: “I was due to sign for Junior side, Arbroath Vics, but a car driver hit me when I was on my motorbike. I needed 75 stitches in my foot and I was told I would always walk with a limp and not play football again.
“I have always been stubborn and I was back running a 5 minute mile a wee while afterwards and went back to playing amateur football when I was 32.”
McIntosh’s involvement in running and playing for Auchterhouse Hearts saw him complete his first marathon although his name does not appear on the record books as he explained: “One of the players had signed up for the Glasgow marathon but pulled out because the training was too much so I took his place and his name. I did a half marathon in Blairgowrie in preparation and I got round Glasgow in 3 hours 17 minutes which was pretty good.”
The 1983 Dundee marathon was completed in two hours and 57 minutes before an Aberdeen one was done in two hours and 51 minutes before a time of two hours and 47 minutes was completed again in Dundee.
Unfortunately, progress was halted as McIntosh explained: “I have suffered from various illnesses throughout my life, including meningitis twice when I was younger, but when I was unwell in 1985, I eventually suffered kidney failure.”
Various complications, including an unprovoked and fairly vicious assault on McIntosh, eventually led to amputation of both his legs as he explained: “My right leg was amputated in May 2008 and my left one in the August of the same year and throughout all this time, I had been waiting for a transplant. One of my running pals came forward the following year and offered to make a living transplant and we were told on 13th May, 2009 that this was going to happen.”
Two days later fate stepped in again as McIntosh explained: “Just two days later, I got a phone call telling me to get down to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary as a kidney had become available due to the sad death of a 40-year-old man. I got myself down there however, initially, I faced a problem.
“The surgical team had a look at a 59-year-old man with two missing legs and decided that they were sorry but it was too big a risk to put me through and that the operation was off. That was devastating to hear but unknown to me, my wife had got speaking to the Head of Transplant Surgery, Dr Lorna Marson, at the hospital and told her that I would survive it as I had survived everything else.
“Lorna took over and decided that she was going to take the risk and within half a minute of the kidney going in, it was working. I had been on dialysis for years but everything was working immediately although I made myself sick with the amount of water I had to drink in the ward afterwards.”
McIntosh’s stay in the capital was short as he explained: “I got moved back to Dundee after two weeks and I was allowed home a week after that. Six months on, everything was still good so I decided to take up Race Walking and I took part in the Balmoral Road Race in 2010. That led to the British Transport games where I was the only double amputee and I completed the 5k event in 48 and a half minutes.
“I was the first double amputee British Record holder and I reckon I am the only major organ donor double amputee athlete in the world.”
The athletics events are not restricted to the Transplant Games with McIntosh adding: “I did the Glasgow 10k with Lorna last year to raise awareness of organ donation – we went round in one hour and 51 minutes which is a bit slower than I used to do it in!”
All McIntosh’s endeavours and fundraising led to the Sunday Mail Award and the request of him to present The Scottish Communities League Cup at Hampden last weekend.
“I would have dropped anything in the world to do that,” said McIntosh before adding, “It was a once in a million opportunity.
“I left Dundee at quarter to ten in the morning with my step-son Richard Diamond and arrived at Hampden at half past eleven. We were an hour early, mind you, I had not slept since I was asked on the Wednesday. The SFL Chief Executive, David Longmuir, met us after we had been allowed to park in the underground car park at the National Stadium.”
McIntosh added: “Richard and I had been thinking like fans and thought we would have to park a good distance away from the ground and walk the rest of the way. David then took us to have a look at the pitch and it was in fantastic condition. I am a greenkeeper to trade so I could appreciate the surface. It was the best I have seen of a football pitch, it was like a billiard table.”
After the pitch side stop, McIntosh said: “We went for lunch and were sat at a table with Roddy Forsyth, Ewing Grahame, John McGarry and Craig Stewart, who are all members of the Scottish Football Writers' Association and we had a right good chat about football.
“It was great to hear their views on things such as why Barry Smith would have been a good choice as Manager of the Year last season and how well Ross County should do in the SPL. The Chief Executive of the SFA, Stewart Regan, came over for a chat as did Henry McLeish. I know some members of the Scottish Government through some of the events I have supported so I chatted away to him as well.”
McIntosh watched the game from the best seats in the house and he joked: “Imagine me sitting where the King of Spain watched Real Madrid win the Champions League.”
Ten minutes before the end, McIntosh made his way to the presentation area and he had just settled there when Dieter van Tornhout notched the goal that won Kilmarnock the trophy.
The former runner for Hawkhill Harriers continued: “If Celtic had equalised, we would have watched the extra-time and any penalty shoot-out from there but after a few minutes of injury time, Kilmarnock had won it.
“David Longmuir joked that I was the best dressed presenter of a cup as not many people put on a kilt to do it.”
McIntosh was then called on to perform his duties and he said: “The Celtic players came up first and you could sense how disappointed they were. There was very little conversation and then the referee and his assistants came up.”
The arrival of the Kilmarnock players led by injured captain Manuel Pascali brought about an emotional reunion for McIntosh who said: “I knew Gary Harkins from his time at Dundee and the first thing he said was that it was great to see me. When Dundee were in Administration last season, I did a race walk for them that finished at Dens Park and it raised over £4,000 and I got to meet some of the players.
“He remembered that and we spoke about it briefly and he gave me such a big cuddle that my kilt jacket is away to the dry cleaners as his shirt was soaking in sweat. He was a big hero up here but not as big as Alan Gilzean who I also got to meet recently.”
Pascali’s gathering of his team-mates around him was the unconventional way to pick up an award and it had an unfortunate consequence for McIntosh who said: “As soon as we had handed over the trophy, one of the SFL employees apologised saying that it shouldn’t have happened that way. The players gathering there and some of them jumping up on the barrier in front of me meant I was not in any of the photos. There was no need to apologise as it never ruined anything for me and as it transpired, more critical things were happening at the same time.
“I am not going to say I didn’t see Mr Kelly being tended to after I had handed over the medals as I did but the players were not fully aware at the time. Having done First Aid courses myself, I knew it was serious and what was a fantastic day for me will now always be tinged with sadness. It is something you never expect to happen at a game of football.”
McIntosh arrived home at 7.15 p.m. and having had a few days to reflect on his involvement at Hampden, he said: “You know at one stage of my life, I spent over 11 months in hospital. I was unable to walk for two years but I am proud to say I have handed over The Scottish Communities League Cup. I have always been stubborn and I firmly believe that anyone can do anything if they want to and perhaps that was my reward for being like that.”
Despite his Hampden day being a once in a lifetime experience, McIntosh is going to have another once in a lifetime experience in the summer as he explained: “I have just found out that I am going to be carrying the Olympic flame when it comes to Scotland on 12th June. It is a good job that didn’t clash with the Cup Final. To be honest, I would have chosen the football.”
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