Bob + passion + devotion = success

Rarely has a mathematician made such an impact in the world of football than Bob Wilson.

While the players at Lothians amateur outfit Roslin Da Vinci, for example, are unlikely to display the same prowess in geometry as their club's namesake Leonardo, Wilson combines the expertise he applies as a teacher in the maths department of Forrester High School with a commitment to Edinburgh youth football that has spanned more than 30 years.

A hundred or more Forrester teams have emerged under his tutelage, he has administered the running of the Edinburgh schools' regional select teams for three decades, and is a seasoned referee within juvenile football. He has taken charge of teams - often up to three or four a year - since arriving at school in 1973, even co-managing eight teams in his first term there.

"Most teachers would have moved on by now, but I'm happy teaching classes and taking football teams," he says. "The pupils see you in a different light on the football park - relations with them are different. I've had a lot out of the game, and I'm happy to put something back in.

"I know a lot of people think that I run Edinburgh schools football because I'm the contact, but you can't run an association on your own."

As a maths-obsessed youngster, Bob developed a fascination with football league tables and cricket, a sport whose games are heavily-laden with statistics. These days, he can be found on any given weekend attending matches at the Grange or Myreside.

His proudest moment came as a teacher, when he guided Forrester to Scottish Cup success in the mid-1990s with a team featuring not one, but two current Scotland goalkeepers: Allan McGregor claimed the No.?1 shirt, while a young Craig Gordon struggling to grow was a handy backup to say the least. It's no coincidence that, under such an enthusiastic and hands-on mentor, many more star names from Forrester have followed. "I never put pressure on winning," admits Wilson. "Good behaviour at school always comes first."

Mark Munro, the South East Regional Manager of the Scottish FA, says: "Bob has been key to the ongoing success of Edinburgh schools football. Bob is a role model and if the next generation is half as committed to grassroots football then it will be in safe hands."