SIXTY years on from accepting the ‘offer’ of ball boy at Cowdenbeath instead of a police charge, Alex Anderson is stepping back from life at Central Park. 

From collecting wayward shots to becoming chief executive, it’s been a labour of love for the Blue Brazil fan who helped save the club from financial oblivion. 

Anderson, 72, retired from his position as chief executive, secretary and director of Cowdenbeath FC on Saturday, the last day of the league season. 

He told the Times: “I was a Cowdenbeath fan and so was my father before me. I was a ball boy at 12. 

“I got caught sneaking in under the fence and marched down to the office by a policeman from Crossgates. 

“They asked why I sneaked in and why I hadn’t paid. I said I wanted to see the team and I didn’t get any pocket money to go through the turnstiles.” 

Anderson laughed: “They said they weren’t going to charge me, but they’d make me a ball boy, I’d get two and six, a cup of tea and a pie. They said ‘Are you interested or do you want charged?’

"I said ‘I’ll be a ball boy!’

“It’s been a long association with the club, in many ways, but all good things have to come to an end.”

He added: “The time is right for me, but I’m disappointed in myself as I feel I’m letting Donald Findlay down. 

“It’s been an honour to work with him. We’ve not always agreed, but to me he’s ‘The Don of Cowdenbeath’ who saved the club. 

“No one else could have done what he did.”

With Findlay and a group of like-minded supporters, Anderson stepped in at a crucial time when Cowdenbeath FC was on the brink. 

He said: “The club was going to be closed down six years ago by the current owners and the fans decided to run it on their behalf, which they have now done for the past six seasons. 

“At that time we had no manager, no balls, no nets, no doctor, no physio, no kitman and no cash in the bank. The club belongs to the fans and the board are all fans who are unpaid and put in money to keep it going.

“But that’s how dire the situation was. In the six seasons we’ve had highs and lows, I just felt now is the time for me to take a seat in the stand and just watch the games without worrying about the turnstiles, the hospitality or the visiting directors.”

Anderson, a family man with kids, as well as seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, said: “It was a very hard decision and it hurts to take that decision, but I can’t go on forever. The workload is too much.  

“I’ll be 73 in August. We used to have a fantastic team of volunteers. We called ourselves the Blues Brothers, but one by one they’ve disappeared and the workload just falls on those who are left.  

“I’ve also still got a full time job as a marine division manager for a German company with an office in the UK, which involves a lot of travelling, and a family. I’m not short of things to do.”

He fulfilled a number of roles at Central Park and said: “Every Saturday was a 10-hour shift, home or away. In the winter, I’d get a call at 7am from the SPFL asking what the ground was like and did we need a pitch inspection. 

“I’d say I’m just out of the shower and they’d say, ‘Well can you get there as soon as possible and let us know?’

“So from 8am, I’d still be there at 6pm. Those days are gone now. Now I just want to relax and watch the team.” 

That won’t be so relaxing right now as the team fight for their League One survival. Ahead of the play-off matches with Queen’s Park, he said: “I just hope they can pull through.

"They’ve got the players to do it, but it’s going to be hard.”

Anderson reckoned relegation would cost Cowdenbeath at least £20,000 straight away. 

He said: “Travelling to the likes of Elgin, Annan and Berwick, it’s £6,000 for buses and pre-match meals before you even kick off. 

“It’s a worrying time as going down would take £20,000 off the budget. They’re healthy enough in terms of cash flow and a lot of other clubs would like to be in Cowdenbeath’s financial position, but we need to stay up.”

A board statement on behalf of the players, management and fans paid tribute to Alex's dedication to his work at Cowdenbeath.   

Chairman Donald Findlay said: "Over the past six seasons, Alex has made an enormous contribution to the club and it is in no small measure due to his hard work that we have kept the club going and enjoyed success along the way.  

"He has given vast amounts of his time despite having to deal with a highly responsible full-time job which demands considerable travel.  

"How he has managed to do this is, frankly, beyond me.  He is held in the highest regard in Scottish Football by clubs, the SFA and the SPFL.  

"That we have secured and maintained Bronze SFA licensing status is a substantial tribute to him.  

"We have had our disagreements but his love for the club has been unswerving and I have never known him to do anything other than what he thought was in the best interests of Cowdenbeath FC, heedless of his own personal feelings.  

"That is a rare quality.  More than this, he is my friend and I will miss his company and counsel."