'Huge honour' as ex-Aberdeen stars take part in Thurso coaching weekend
Organisers of a kids' coaching weekend in Thurso said it was a "huge honour" to have three former Aberdeen stars taking part.
Billy Dodds, Duncan Shearer and Brian Irvine travelled north for the first major event of 2024 for AG Coaching, run by Alyn Gunn who is widely known for his work as head of coaching at Thurso Football Academy.
Sessions were held on Saturday and Sunday at the Naver all-weather pitch – but they could only go ahead after volunteers joined forces to clear the playing surface of snow.
More than 90 children took part across two age groups, 5-10 and 11-15.
The Red Pepper at the Holborn Hotel was the venue for a question-and-answer event on Saturday evening.
The weekend events were sponsored by the Holborn Hotel, Reids Bakery and MLG Electrical Contractor.
It took four hours on Friday to get a section of the pitch playable by clearing it of snow up to three inches deep. Suleiman Makhouli, Jake Dunnet, Lynsey Mackay, John Gunn, Phillip Sinclair, Rick Norburn, Gordon Anderson, Steven O'Brien and Stevie Elder were all willing helpers.
Alyn said: "Firstly I'd like to thank all the volunteers who helped with clearing the pitch as without them we wouldn't have been able to hold the event. It was touch and go even as late as 9pm on Friday, with the ex-pros well on their way up the road.
"After a 7am pitch check we were good to go. With over 90 children attending across the age groups, a great time was had despite the poor weather we had.
"It was great seeing the youngsters learn from Billy, Brian and Duncan. These guys have won a number of trophies throughout their careers so it was a huge honour to have them up in Thurso.
"The Q&A in the evening went down very well and I think everyone enjoyed the stories that were told. All in all it was a very worthwhile event."
Billy Dodds was head coach of Inverness Caledonian Thistle for two years, leading the Championship club to the play-off final in 2022 and the Scottish Cup final last season.
He said: "It was a pleasure to be up helping out AG Coaching in Thurso. It was great just to see the kids' smiling faces and to hopefully find the next Gary Mackay-Steven.
"I was very impressed by the standard, right throughout the age groups, and hopefully a few will turn up in professional football in years to come. It was a very well set-up event.
"The Aberdeen Q&A on Saturday night was tremendous, with so many laughs shared. Brian, Duncan and I loved the interaction from the audience which made it even more special.
"The hospitality we received was second to none, but it didn't really surprise me as I know how welcoming the Highlanders can be. From the hotel and food and even a tour and goodies received from Reids Bakery, it was incredible."
Brian Irvine said: "It was a really great weekend with AG Coaching along with Billy and Duncan. We were really impressed by the youngsters we coached – all the age groups were fantastic."
Dodds and Shearer were the goalscorers in the 1995 League Cup final when the Dons beat Dundee 2-0. In the 1990 Scottish Cup final, Irvine slotted home the decisive spot-kick as Aberdeen defeated Celtic 9-8 on penalties.
AG Coaching got off to a successful start with an event involving Ross County and a visit by Marvin Andrews, who played for Rangers, Raith Rovers and Livingston among other clubs and earned 101 caps for Trinidad and Tobago.
