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Meet the Players – Steve Fleming

Steve Fleming
Age group: Over 50s

Steve

What is your footballing history?
School team, Kirkcaldy YM juvenile, amateur Sunday league.

What was your introduction to walking football?
I attended Raith Rovers FFit (Football Fans in Training) in 2015.

What were your first impressions of walking football?
Originally found it hard not to run and found the sessions a much harder workout than I thought they would be.

What do you get (if anything) from walking football?
Increased fitness and friendship.

Funniest thing you’ve seen (or experienced) in walking football?
So many, but missing the net from the goal line takes some beating, Charles.

WFS – Over 50’s Champions League Preview

Raith head through to Toryglen Regional Football Centre on the 6th February for the inaugural WFS – Over 50’s Champions League. There are 6 teams in the finals, two from each of the regional leagues. Each team will play one game against all other teams for a total of five games, the winner being the team with the most league points after five games.

The teams:
St, James.
St James from Dundee are two times winners of the East league pipping Raith to first place in 2021 and losing semi finalists in last year’s Raith Christmas cup and the Oriam Tournament. In the league free-scoring St James had a 100% record scoring an average of just under five goals per game while conceding just over one goal per game.

Giffnock SC Auld Timers
Giffnock SC Auld Timers were winners of the West league winning five and drawing one of their league games to finish ahead of Townhead Strollers and Pollok Utd with identical records. The league was decided on goals scored as Giffnock and Townhead had an identical goal difference. Giffnock averaged three goals a game conceding only one.

Hearts 56′
Hearts 56′ from Edinburgh were runners up in the Central league two points behind North Lanarkshire and two points ahead of Hearts 98′. In a less free-scoring league than the East league they scored more than the league winners while only conceding just over a goal a game.

North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire ran out winners in the Central league with a stingy defence conceding an average of one goal per game while scoring just under three goals per game.

Townhead Strollers
Townhead Strollers from Cumnock finished second in the West league with a very impressive defence conceding just a goal a game. Taking away the three goals they conceded to league winners Giffnock they only conceded one goal in their other three games.

Meet the Players – John Cunningham

John Cunningham
Age group: Over 50s

John

What is your footballing history?
I played Saturday amateur and Sunday pub league at a relatively low level. I also played five’s till I was 59. COVID stopped me playing until I was 60.

What was your introduction to walking football?
I played amateur with Willie Carroll and he mentioned walking football.   I said, “That’s for old boys” but he got me in the pub later when I had had a few and I grudgingly said, “OK I will be there next week”.
Loved it immediately.

What were your first impressions of walking football?
It was great to get back to a football environment, the banter was brilliant.

What do you get (if anything) from walking football?
I have made many new friends.  There were 25 guys at our recent Christmas night out and 3 years ago I only knew two of them.

Funniest thing you have seen (or experienced) in walking football?
The funniest bits about the sessions are the one-liners and of course the shooting.

Outside of walking football, do you have interests in any other sport?
I play golf every week, I played squash pre COVID but would be a bit wary about going back to it.

Who are your football/sporting heroes?
Heroes, Kenny Dalglish, Sandy Lyle, and more recently Andries Iniesta is a favourite of mine.