Ronnie Ross (82), of Station Road, Lochgelly, began his long-standing relationship with junior football back in 1956, when he was asked to take over as secretary for Lochgelly Albert.

Since then, he has also worked as secretary for the Fife region of the SJFA and the Fife and Lothian JFA, as well as running the Fife and Lothians Cup for many years.

After the summer, he decided to step down from his involvement with junior football set-up, which spans many decades.

“After the Second World War ended, the crowds started to go back to watch the juniors,” Ronnie explained.

“Lochgelly Albert were my local team and I supported them, I never missed a game apart from two years when I was in national service with the RAF. I played a bit of football myself when I was in the RAF, but I always preferred to watch the Albert.

“It just seems like yesterday that they asked me to take over as secretary - it was on the road right outside my house here. When you look back, the time flies so quickly.” Some of Ronnie’s favourite memories of junior football are with the Lochgelly team, and he still has mementos and keepsakes from the years gone by. “I kept the programme from the quarter-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup, played on Saturday 13th March 1948,” he said.

“The attendance was 11,645, and that was a record. It was a great day - the only disappointing thing was we got beat by a very good Bo’ness team.

“In 1974 we had another great team which went on to win the Scottish Dryburgh Cup, which was a feat in those days. Bert Paton, who had previously played for Dunfermline, was the manager for that.” Ronnie also fondly remembers two Fife sides winning the Holy Grail of the junior grade, the Scottish Junior Cup, with Glenrothes capturing the trophy in the 1974-75 season and Hill of Beath Hawthorn in ‘89-’90.

Junior football has changed a lot over the years, and Ronnie thinks it’s a shame that crowds aren’t what they used to be. “You used to get bigger crowds back then because there were no TVs or anything, people just had to go outside and watch their local team,” he said.

“Nowadays it’s harder to fill shoes and keep people interested, so the clubs have more problems. Not as many youngsters play these days, but the juniors is still going and gives people an opportunity.” Apart from his two-year spell in the RAF and a few years’ break when he got married and moved to Dunfermline, Ronnie has dedicated the better part of 60 years to junior football, but felt it was finally time to step back.

“There’s been a lot of travelling and meetings over the years but you do miss it,” he said. “I have to thank the wife for putting up with it for 52 years!

“I’ve got sons who are football minded too - one works in Holland and comes back every few weeks to watch Aberdeen!” After spending more than half a century working with the juniors, Ronnie has a lot to be proud of, including being made honorary vice-president of the SJFA.

Despite his retirement, he’ll never be too far away from a match on a Saturday. “I still go to different places to watch the football,” he added. “I just keep an eye for what looks like will be a good game.”