Interview: Scott Linton

“While I’ve been here we’ve had a couple of relegations, but also a couple of promotions and to have played in the First Division which was a fantastic opportunity. So there’s been plenty of highs and lows, but thankfully more highs in the last two or three years. I’ve really enjoyed it” is how 22-year-old Scott Linton sums up his career at Central Park to date. The talented left-sided player has been at the club for approaching five years now and in the coming weeks hopes to help edge the Blue Brazil over the finish line in winning the Second Division Championship.

A young Scotty signed up in 2007 and was given his first opportunity under then coach Brian Welsh: “Brian Welsh called me up into the first team from the under 19’s about two weeks after I joined. Then he put me on the bench for a derby game against Raith, and I was absolutely bricking myself because I’d never been around the first team players really before and there I was on the bench in the middle of a Fife derby. He played me a few times that season which gave me lots of valuable first team experience, so I’ve always got good things to say about Brian Welsh for giving me that chance.”

In his time at the club, Linton has played under four managers and he is grateful to each one for giving him the chance to prove he was good enough: “Danny Lennon, Jimmy Nicholl and Colin Cameron have all been really great with me, I’ve played the majority of the season under them all. So they’ve all given me a chance and they’ve all trusted me and I appreciate that.”

Cowdenbeath have enjoyed a high element of success since Linton has been part of the first team as the side won back-to-back promotions under Danny Lennon, before a respectable showing in the First Division last season was followed by this campaign where Cowden have led the way for almost all of the season. Linton believes a large part of that success is down to the atmosphere in the dressing room: “Ever since I’ve been at the club, the dressing room has always been brilliant, there’s never really been any cliques or any massive arguments or that, everyone gets on with everyone and that’s gone a long way to how the team has performed the last few years because we’re all such good mates and you notice that as soon as you walk into the dressing room.”

He had to miss a recent night out in Glasgow with the team, but was able to make it to a team bonding session last week: “The gaffer took us for go-karting last Tuesday which was a good chance for us to get our minds off training and get the team bonding back up again really, and it was really good fun. We all got two races and our times got posted to go into a winner’s final and a loser’s final. Big shock, the gaffer won in the winner’s final and in the loser’s final big Yossi came last. Big Yossi you can imagine was like Donkey Kong going around the laps in Mario-Kart! I think I came third last in the winner’s final. I didn’t have a good lap, I think I must have bottled under the pressure!”

Next season’s team bonding sessions will have the current Cowden captain Jon Robertson missing as he will be playing in the SPL with Danny Lennon’s St. Mirren side, and Linton couldn’t be happier for him in getting his big move: “I came through with Robbo, and we’ve been best mates for a few years so I would say I’m closest to him in the dressing room. He deserves the move to St. Mirren more than anybody and I’m so happy for him and I know he will be brilliant there and really give it his all. Playing in the SPL with better players and against better teams means he will only get better. He’s one of my best mates and even though he’ll have left Cowdenbeath I’ll always be there for him if he needs me, and hopefully he’ll be able to get me some free tickets for when they play at Ibrox!”

In recent weeks Linton has had to cover for the injured David Cowan and Dean Brett by playing in the unfamiliar right back role, but it is something the left-footed player takes in his stride: “I’m happy that I’m playing in a team that’s top of the league rather than being on the bench. I’ll play wherever I’m asked to and hopefully we get the three points. When I first got asked to play right-back I was a bit nervous because I’d never played there before, but I’m quite confident in using my right foot and after my first game playing there it gave me a lot of confidence and hopefully the gaffer knows now I’m reliable enough to play at right-back if he ever needs me to play there again”

But looking towards the final run in, Linton says the squad are quietly confident of achieving their goal of promotion: “We’re taking it every game as it comes, but we’ve led the table all season and we’ve worked so hard to get here and don’t want to slip up now. Every team in this league has a bit of quality, like Ryan Donnelly at Airdrie or Scott Agnew at Dumbarton, but in my opinion we have the most quality of any team and we’ve proved that with being top of the league for the majority of the season.”

Interview by Ross Cunningham.