Hugh Allan was first drafted in to help with the Scotland youth team in 1973 and was then promoted to the full side for the World Cup in the then West Germany the following year.... AND he's been there ever since...! (Article dated Aug 2001)

"I still want to qualify for the World Cup finals next year," said the veteran Scotland physio at training this morning.

"I have always tried to look after myself and am still quite fit. It would be my seventh finals if we made it. There is no way I would want to spend next summer at home doing the gardening."

 "I am a High-lander through and through. I love everything Scottish from traditional music to ceilidh dancing.

"I loved supporting my country when I was a lad. The first Scotland game I saw was when I was doing my National Service in the Army. It was against England at Wembley in 1957. Those games were magical.

"Alan Hodgkinson was in goals for them that day. He let in a goal in the first minute. Little did I know then that we would one day be working together for the same team. He is the goalkeeping coach with Scotland now and we still wind each other up about that from time to time."

"Playing in the juniors was tough going and there were a lot of good teams around

"I played with Ronnie McKinnon at Dunipace when he was starting out.

"He always looked comfortable on the ball even then and it was no surprise that he enjoyed such success.

"I had a chance to go to East Stirling but, if I am honest, I didn't think I was good enough. Plus, I was urged to stay until we had been knocked out of that season's Scottish Junior Cup.

"I was happy to continue with my studies to become a physio. I became trainer with Kilsyth in 1963 and things took off from there."

 "Sammy was coach at Stirling Albion and he asked me to join them as their physio in 1966. It was a good start. Sammy was a big strong chap and did well with them.

"And we had one great tour while I was there. He phoned me one day and said: 'Do you fancy a wee holiday to Japan?' I thought: 'What!' Clubs just didn't do that sort of thing in those days.

"But, right enough, we went to Japan, Iran and Greece. It was a great experience. I have never found out how on earth he managed it."

Those appointments, however, were just brief stopping points on the road to his ultimate destination.

"Walter McRae was the physio at Kilmarnock back in 1968, but when he took over as manager he asked me to take over his former role. And here I am 33 years later.

"I have had offers to go elsewhere, but my family were growing up and were settled at school and I was loathe to uproot them. I have always been happy here."

"We had a great team to begin with. We finished third that first season (1968) and had about 13 draws. If we had won two or three of them we would have taken the league again.

"It has been nice to see Killie get back to that level in recent years. I remember Bobby Fleeting showing me a plan of a new stadium. I thought: 'That will be right!'

"I can also recall Jim Fleeting talking about going full-time. I thought: 'That will never happen.'

"But they were right and I was wrong. Right enough, here we are in this fantastic ground with a fully professional team. And back in Europe, too."

Given his family background and personal loyalties, though, it is perhaps his involvement in the Scotland set-up that has given him the most personal satisfaction.

"Tommy Docherty left and Willie Ormond took over as manager and thought he would have to increase the staff.

'So he brought me in. That meant we had manager, physio and doctor. We did a bit of everything then.

"It is amazing now to think of the preparation we put in to that competition.