The fog may have denied fans the chance to see Cowdenbeath pull off a fine win over promotion chasing Partick Thistle in midweek however, the good form of Blue Brazil defender or midfielder Scott Linton has been shining bright recently.
Tuesday night’s game at Central Park was abandoned with the Fifers 2-1 ahead and 20 minutes to play but Colin Cameron’s side will dust themselves down and move on to Dumbarton this weekend.
Linton has no doubt that his team-mates will shrug off their disappointment at not finishing the job and ensure that his football journey reads 2-3-2-1-2-1-1 and not 2-3-2-1-2-1-2.
The 23-year-old said: “The Dumbarton game is a really big one in what is a massive period for us as it is for most of the First Division clubs. Our home form has been good and whilst we have not won away recently, we have had a couple of decent results in our last couple of games at Dumbarton.”
A three point haul and a four point advantage would be a good day’s work in the west with Linton adding: “We won 4-0 at this stage last season and then 3-0 earlier this season so we are confident of getting a good result. What happened against Thistle happened and we will just get on with things.
“Dumbarton were flying recently but we are going there knowing that our ability as First Division players is not in question and out to show that we have no doubts that we are in the right division.”
Player/Manager Colin Cameron’s work in instilling self-belief has had an impact on his squad with Linton adding: “The Manager talks about having the belief in us that we can win games in the First Division and that we can stay in it. He has been shown to be correct as we now believe that we can do that.
“The gaffer has great experience as a player from playing at the top level and you can tell he has quality. In saying that, when he is playing, he is a player and he takes the good and the bad that goes along with that for the 90 minutes. Sometimes he has to take stuff on the chin but he does it.”
The 2-3-2-1-2-1-1 and 2-3-2-1-2-1-2 sequences are the IRN-BRU SFL divisions that Linton has been involved in since joining the club in May, 2007 after graduating from two well known Edinburgh clubs.
Linton said: “I started off at Salvesen Boys Club and then moved onto Spartans. Salvesen gave me a good grounding and they have produced other players including Calum Elliot, who joined Alloa this week, and Allan McGregor, who has been the Scotland goalkeeper over recent years. However, I reckon I am the only one from my year that is playing professionally.
“From there, I went to Spartans which was a good set up as well and it was from there that I was picked up by Cowdenbeath. They signed me when I was 17 when Brian Welsh was the Manager and Danny Lennon was his assistant.
“I am still here 150 games later.”
Linton started to get involved in first team action just as 2008 was being ushered in as he explained saying: “I had made a very brief appearance as a substitute in a 2-0 win over Ayr United but my biggest memory from that period was that within a short time of joining, I was playing in a Fife derby against Raith Rovers from the start. It was a bit different to what I was used to.
“That was a great game to be involved in and a great game to make your first senior start in.”
That season was to end in disappointment however, as Cowdenbeath were relegated to the Third Division after finishing ninth in the table with Linton saying: “I played in the Semi-Final first leg at Arbroath that we drew 1-1 and I came on as a substitute in the second leg when we lost 2-1 in extra-time.
“That took us down a division and Brian left after that. Danny took over as Manager and started moving us back up the way again.”
The following season, the Blue Brazil defeated East Stirlingshire in the promotion Play-Off Semi-Final and faced Stenhousemuir in the Final. Linton played in the first leg which ended goalless but he was unavailable for the second meeting as a dead leg injury ruled him out.
The second leg also finished without the net being troubled with the Warriors edging through on a penalty shoot-out and anyone who has seen Linton’s left footed use of a dead ball would no doubt agree that his absence was felt in the finale from 12 yards.
He said: “I would have been well up for taking a spot-kick but it just wasn’t to be.”
Linton and his colleagues ended up joining Stenhousemuir in the Second Division just less than three months later after Livingston were placed in the Third Division after well documented financial problems albeit that it was a late decision.
“Danny had built a team for the Third Division and it was mainly kids with guys like me, Jon Robertson, Paul McQuade and Darren McGregor along with other boys that had come through at a young age,” said Linton before adding, “The late move up the division, I think it was just a couple of days before the League started when it was confirmed, has probably helped our careers.
“Danny had no choice but to play us so we got lots of games whereas if he had been given a longer period of notice, he may well have brought in more experienced players. That had happened earlier in my career when Brian Welsh brought in guys like John O’Neil, who were terrific players, but their inclusion meant that a younger player would not get a game.
“That can be frustrating when you are breaking through and just want to play games.”
Despite their late introduction, the young Cowdenbeath side took the Second Division by storm and they settled into top spot in October and they held on to it for three months. They finished in third place behind Champions Stirling Albion and an Alloa Athletic side they defeated in the Play-Off Semi-Finals.
Linton said: “To be honest, we should have won the League. We had a good lead at one point but had a disappointing run in. We got it together again in the Play-Offs and won up at Brechin to gain promotion in a game that was live on BBC ALBA.”
It was to be a time of change in Fife with Linton saying: “Danny got a move to St. Mirren and he deserved it as he did everything at the club including helping out the groundsman. As well as being a good Manager, I played alongside him in reserve games and would learn a lot from him that way.
“I was a full-timer at the club at that time and playing football full-time is a great occupation and I am thankful that I had that spell.”
The vastly experienced Jimmy Nicholl came in and Linton continued his progress with the 23-year-old saying: “Under Jimmy, I played over 30 games and whilst it was a great experience to play in the First Division, we were not strong enough to stay up. We never really had the belief that the Manager talks about now.
“We had too many draws and we also were badly affected by the bad weather of that winter which left us going for a long spell without a game and then playing catch up.”
He added: “We made a great start but then slipped away and were eventually relegated in the Play-Offs by Brechin. Whilst that was disappointing, undoubtedly the experience we gained that season has helped us in this one.”
Nicholl moved on to Kilmarnock and Colin Cameron, who was Nicholl’s playing assistant, took over as Manager and Cowdenbeath bounced straight back by winning the title by eight points from Arbroath which was a far better experience.
Linton said: “Winning the League Championship was fantastic especially as we had a young squad again. Jon was the captain aged 22 and we stood up to the pressure put on us by Arbroath extremely well. In fact, we thought that they would match us all the way but every time we seemed to drop points, they did as well.
“We ended 2011 in good form and then had a strong run at the start of 2012 and that set us up for the title win as we moved ahead and stayed ahead. I have my League Championship medal and I am very proud of it.”
Cowdenbeath and Linton have had their ups and downs this season with Linton saying: “Being back in the First Division has been mixed as we have enjoyed some good form, went on a long run without a win and I had 12 weeks out after having keyhole surgery on my knee.”
“We won three of our first four games and whilst our form was decent after that, we never won another game until earlier this month when we played Falkirk. We got ahead in a run of games but never saw them out. Beating Falkirk 4-1 and then Dunfermline 4-2 recently was fantastic as was coming back to get a draw with Raith Rovers.”
Those results showed the promise that Cameron has always spoken about as Linton explained: “These results give you confidence and, of course, our first win over Dunfermline in 36 years was a bit special especially as I scored two that night at Central Park. I got two goals in a game playing in centre midfield last season at Airdrie in the Second Division so to get a double in the First Division was great.
“The Dunfermline game was a bit crazy as we had been playing really well and were a goal ahead. We switched off for five minutes and found ourselves 2-1 down with 15 minutes left and then I equalised. Kane Hemmings put us in front and I managed to make it 4-2 and it would have been really unfair if we had not won that game.”
Linton concluded by saying: “It was my first goal from a free kick and as you can imagine, I had been getting stick from the boys for that. Now that I have one, I will be aiming for more starting at Dumbarton.”
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