Millen's tale of derbies on both sides of Greenock-Paisley divide

Published on Sunday 25 September 2005 00:22

ST MIRREN'S Andy Millen has played for as many clubs as he has fingers and relished as many different derbies as he has decades.

"Yes, I've played in a few derbies," says Millen. "They are always passionate affairs. St Mirren versus Morton is no different. That's always an intensified affair. They're both well supported clubs and both sets of fans are looking for the same outcome. It would have made a wonderful final but hopefully there will be a large crowd for this semi-final on Tuesday and the game will be played in the proper manner."

A great deal of the St Mirren supporters' repertoire of match day compositions concern Morton and these songs are not intended to be complimentary. The Morton fans hardly indulge in flattering their rivals either. There is unequivocal enmity when Gus McPherson's side meet Morton and it shall be no different midweek. In a previous spell at Morton, Millen tasted four of these derbies and was never on the winning side (he was sent off once). But those were bad days at Morton a few years back.

"Unfortunately, I was at Morton during turbulent times, for the players, the manager and the supporters," explains Millen. "I'm happy that Morton are going in the right direction now and that their outlook is more positive. You have to give their manager Jim McInally lots of credit. He had a wonderful work ethic as a player and his team typifies his attitude. His players respond to him just as our manager is a good pro as well. Gus strives for certain standards and our players are willing to listen and learn."

Millen was listening when McPherson called him at the beginning of last year with a managerial proposition. "I had played with Gus at Kilmarnock," says Millen. "He phoned me up and gave me this opportunity. I was player-coach at Clyde but have more responsibility now and it's a wonderful experience. I am learning so much here. I get a real buzz. Management is a road I want to go down."

Meanwhile St Mirren are on the up thanks to the McPherson and Millen double act. The Paisley club have made a bold start to their First Division campaign and were unfortunate to be dumped from the CIS Cup by Motherwell midweek after extra time, Millen striking the woodwork at one point in that match. The sceptics have been won over and there was extra good news for St Mirren with the acceptance of their joint planning application for Love Street to make way for a supermarket and the new stadium to be built at Westfield.

Things aren't too shabby for Morton on the field either. Though a division below their bitter rivals, the Greenock side are doing well domestically and cannot be written off in terms of proving troublesome on Tuesday. Regarding St Mirren's long-term ambitions, Millen chooses circumspection over naked confidence. "We are working as hard as we can. The manager and I won't talk about progress so we will leave that for other people to decide."

St Mirren's assistant manager played nearly every minute of last season and has been known to turn out in reserve matches too. Soon he will reach the 800 mark for senior appearances in Scottish football. That will be a remarkable feat, but Millen does not wish to broach that subject either, preferring to get on with his game and contributing to one of the meanest defences in the country.

It might seem a touch mean that one St Mirren website made Millen their 'Old Player of the Season' last summer, but the award is tongue-in-cheek and the fans speak of Millen's positive contribution on the pitch as well as behind the scenes at Love Street. A time-served welder, Millen only turned full-time in football at the age of 26. He's still had 14 years at it mind you, featuring in two Scottish Cup semi-finals, for Hibernian against Celtic and Kilmarnock against Rangers, and there's no end yet in sight for Millen's tale.

He discusses St Mirren's threat at the other end of the field from where he is normally standing. "The teams that win leagues are those that regularly find the net and we have added to our strike force. We have John Sutton, Billy Mehmet and Charlie Adam on loan from Rangers. He's only 19 and he's learning here how real football is. He's come from a good schooling and hopefully his time here at St Mirren will inspire him when he returns to Rangers."

Tuesday will see the first competitive encounter between St Mirren and Morton since the 2002 CIS Cup meeting when the Paisley club defeated their Greenock rivals 3-2. The last time Morton got the better of St Mirren was six years ago when the Cappielow side triumphed 5-1 at Love Street. Let battle commence, then. Andy Millen is certain to be in the thick of the derby action.