Midlothian are aiming to retain the prestigious Walking Football Scottish Cup at the Glasgow Green Football Centre on Saturday June 23rd.
The squad won the tournament last year, beating Gretna in the final with 85-year-old goalkeeper Peter Collins performing heroics between the sticks as Scottish football legend Archie McPherson commentated from the sidelines.
The tournament is organised by the newly formed charity Walking Football Scotland in partnership with Glasgow Sport, The Scottish Football Partnership Trust and Paths for All.
A record number of teams will take part in the event which this year incudes non-competitive element where clubs can participate in either the Scottish Cup or take part in the friendly Festival.
This year will be the fourth Scottish Cup, with previous winners including Hibernian FC Football Fans in Training and Montrose at events held at Ainslie Park, home of The Spartans. An increase in popularity of the sport has resulted in the tournament moving to the larger facility in Glasgow.
Midlothian face some stiff opposition from Hearts who last year won the inaugural Scottish Walking Football League held at Ravenscraig.
The team who play weekly at the Bayne Memorial Hall in Loanhead and the Ladywood Leisure Centre in Penicuik will be without former player of the year Bob Blaikie who sadly passed away recently, one month short of his 87th birthday.
Bob was one of the founder members of the team and a regular players well into his eighties.
Midlothian Ageing Well Co-ordinator Vivian Wallace who also plays for the team said: “Bob won our very first player of the year award and continued to entertain us with his mouth organ every week even when he wasn’t able to play. His ‘name that tune’ always caused a laugh and he enjoyed the banter each week. Bob will be greatly missed by everyone at Loanhead.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
