‘I think he scared a lot of players s***less’ - Queen’s Park reunion stirs great memories for Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall

Mention the name Eddie Hunter to Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall and he will almost jump out of his managerial seat at Firhill with fright.

The Jags manager was given a rude awakening into life as a professional player with today’s Championship visitors Queen’s Park who were the first club to offer him a platform to first-team football that would act as a springboard for his entire career.

The Spiders will always hold a special place in McCall’s heart who survived the wrath of notoriously angry head coach Hunter on more than one occasion, insiting his spell at the club gave him the kick up the backside he needed.

Table-toppers Thistle welcome Owen’s Coyle’s promotion hopefuls in Maryhill this afternoon as they look to strengthen their grip at the top.

Reflecting back to the start of his playing days, McCall said: “I was toying with the idea of doing something else and I went up to live with my friend in the west end of Glasgow. I was going to go to university – to be a sports writer, believe it or not!

“Eventually I started playing for the uni team and I got myself really fit. I wrote a letter to Hamilton, Thistle and Queens Park. Queens wrote back to me and said to come in for training and a week later I was in the first team. I had two magnificently enjoyable seasons there.

“I don’t doubt that Eddie gave me the career I had. I’m not saying it was great, it was mediocre, but he gave my career because he provided me with that hunger. I’m not daft enough to know he didn’t have that effect on everybody, I think he scared a lot of players s***-less, but he was great for me.

McCall continued: “Eddie Hunter, goodness me. I remember after 17 minutes against Stirling Albion at Hampden, Eddie came out of the dugout. I was itching because it was a wet pitch and he shouted ‘McCall, ya f******* wee allergic b******, stop scratching!’. He also told me I could be the quickest substitution ever and I was, I was taken off after 42 minutes.

“I made some great friends there. Actually one of my neighbours is Jimmy Nicholson – the last year of his career was the first of mine. I’ve got a lot of great, great memories from my time at Queens. It feels a long time ago. I think Jimmy encapsulated what Queens were. He was a very erudite and professional man but on the pitch he was an absolute thug!

“I spoke at their dinner and I think they had to do what they did, but everybody was still a bit sad that they had to move away from their amateur status because it was a pretty unique thing. I got to tour the world – I was selected for a team called the Middlesex Wanderers, which was a Great Britain amateur select. We got to go to Indonesia, Sumatra. I have got fabulous memories and there was sadness when they turned professional but I think it was probably the right call.”

Queen’s Park have enjoyed a steady rise up through the SPFL pyramid in recent seasons, earning promotion back to Scottish football’s second tier via the Championship Play-Off final last term after beating Dunfermline over two legs.

Their off-field progress has been well documented but has led to comparisons to Gretna’s unsustainable charge up to the Premiership over a decade ago. However, McCall believes the project taking place won’t mirror Gretna’s ill-fated demise.

He added: “I hear a lot of people giving it the Gretna stuff about Queens but it’s a club very dear to my heart. Yes, the budget that they’re spending is a lot more than a lot of teams but I think they are trying to do it properly. I think they are building an infrastructure – the chief executive, the director of football, the manager, the assistant manager. So I don’t think it’s that type of thing.

“The challenge for Queens, obviously, is to increase their fanbase. They won’t be able to do that until they get Lesser Hampden up and running and I’m not sure how that’s going. I think what they are trying to do is great. I don’t think it’s a Gretna-type story in any way. I know that’s been labelled at them.”