Happy Xmas, Snow Is Over?

As Bens go into the Christmas week without kicking a ball in December, I thought the perfect gift would be some articles from when the sun shone metaphorically on Tinto Park.
The match programme this year has included some articles from the Govan Press of 1980 when the Bens last featured in a Scottish Junior Cup Final. The following was a pre-match visit to Hampden Park by team manager Tommy Douglas and Tommy Dearie, the matchwinner when Bens last won the Scottish Cup in 1936. The accompanying photograph shows them in the Hampden goalmouth holding aloft a Bens no. 11 shirt with the uncovered terraces behind.

'Ants reject ... Bens hero

Nostalgia goes hand in hand with Hampden Park and when Govan man Tommy Dearie stepped on to the hallowed turf recently it was an occasion for the memories to come flooding back.
For Tommy was the man who scored the goal that brought the 1936 Scottish Junior Cup to Tinto Park in the replay against Yoker Athletic.
After drawing the first game 1-1, Tommy's goal was enough to take the Cup to Govan.
However, on this return visit to Hampden, there was no crowd, no noise and there weren't even nets on the famous goals. But nevertheless it was a proud Tommy as he showed Benburb's team boss, Tommy Douglas, the very spot where he scored his winner 44 years ago.
"I remember it all very clearly" said Tommy. "There was a bit of a goalmouth scramble and I got a foot to the ball and prodded it into the net."
Tommy was wearing the number 11 jersey that day and by coincidence Bens boss Tommy Douglas wore the shirt in his playing days at Tinto Park.
The football writers of that time predicted "Dearie will be the man Yoker will have to watch." Unfortunately for the Holm Park side, they let Tommy prove his press was right.
St Anthony's unwittingly played a big part in Bens'1936 Cup win, without realising it at the time.
It was the Moore Park club which discarded Tommy and he switched his allegiance to Govan's other Junior side.
It was just a year after the Cup Final that Tommy was selected to play in a trial for the national Junior side and his instructions were: "If you want to play a trial for Scotland, bring your boots, white knickers, towel and hose."
The match was held at Council Park, Campbeltown, and Tommy had to meet the bus in the centre of Glasgow at 7.30 in the morning. Kick-off was at 3.30 and poor Tommy didn't get home until 7pm the following evening!
Forty years later, Bens will still be pinning their hopes on the no.11 jersey.
This time it's Eddie McKim, the most prolific scorer in the Junior game, who Bens will be looking for to put the ball in the net.
And no one will jump for joy like Tommy Dearie, who will be the Bens' guest at Hampden, if the number 11 jersey again helps to bring the Scottish Junior Cup back to Govan.'