Motherwell’s Ricki Lamie says ‘small teams’ were making of him

Defender recalls schooldays with new team-mate

New Motherwell signing Ricki Lamie, who has played in all four divisions, in action for Livingston against Hamilton. Picture: Alan Rennie/SNS

Earwigging on the conversations Ricki Lamie is sure soon to be having with his new Motherwell team-mates would demonstrate to Gordon Strachan the contribution the Scottish lower leagues continue to make at the top end.

The 26-year-old defender this week became the Fir Park club’s first summer signing in joining from Livingston.

That means Lamie will again be sharing a dressing room with Declan Gallagher, who made that switch last year and soon afterwards earned senior Scotland recognition.

Then there is the Lanarkshire club’s striker Tony Watt, below. Lamie attended the same secondary school as the much-travelled forward – they won the Lanarkshire Cup with St Andrew’s in Coatbridge – and both started their careers at Aidrie, Lamie arriving just after Watt had left for Celtic.

The slow burning nature of the Shotts-born centre-back’s career means he has played in all four senior divisions, through loan spells with Clyde, Queen’s Park and East Stirlingshire while at New Broomfield, before he won promotion to the Championship with Morton in 2015-16. Not until he signed for Livingston two years ago had it ever seemed possible he would play top-flight football. He did so with a West Lothian squad which transformed the club from third tier scuffers to Premiership over-achievers in the three years.

Former Scotland manager Strachan might not see merit in lower league sides, but the progress that Lamie has made, and witnessed in others from his circle, proves their value.

He said: “I think it’s stood me in good stead that I wasn’t fortunate enough to work my way through an academy system.

“It has been a great last eight years and I enjoyed my loan spells in the juniors and lower leagues in my younger days. It was a great experience and has helped build character along the way.

“It’s been a great learning curve for myself, taking it step by step and working my way up. It really makes you feel grateful for the chances and the opportunities I am given, allied to the hard work that I have put in along the way.

“Small teams have their place, 100 per cent. I definitely wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for the opportunities I had to play at a lower level. I read a great piece by Jim Duffy last week and he was spot on about myself and Declan 
Gallagher playing at Clyde.

“That kind of shaped myt pathway into full-time football. I only played a handful of games for Jim at Clyde before being called back to Airdrie. That gave me the opportunity to know Jim and he then took me to Morton and full-time football.”

Lamie has made all his opportunities since count. It is questionable whether you could say the same of his teenage team-mate Watt. What is in not in any doubt is that the spiky forward will have plenty to say when the pair hook up when Motherwell return to training for the new season.

“Unfortunately, I need to speak to a certain Anthony Watt quite regularly. I get his patter daily,” Lamie said. “At school he great lad and a great character, larger than life. You maybe wouldn’t guess it but academically he was not too shabby as well. It is amazing how life’s gone full circle.”

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