Irvine Meadow: Arthur Paterson recalls 1963 Junior Scottish Cup win

It came only four years on from their first, in 1959, when they defeated Shettleston 2-1, and 10 years before their third and most recent, in 1973, when they bettered Cambuslang Rangers after a second replay.

Now, in 2023, the Times has taken a trip down memory land with one of goalscorers from 1963, Arthur Paterson.

Aged just 23 at the time, Paterson still holds many fond memories from that rainy day at Hamdpen Park, Glasgow.

He joined the club at the beginning of that 1962/63 season, having left Aberdeen in 1960 to complete his national service.

After completing his service, Paterson moved to Glasgow with his parents and he was brought to Meadow Park by the legendary "Mr Irvine Meadow" Bob Alexander, who managed the club to all three Junior Cup triumphs during his 29 year spell in charge.

He told the Times: “I didn’t know anyone from Glasgow and I didn’t know anyone from Ayrshire.

“So I arrived down at Meadow Park and just started the season – and we had a great season leading up to the cup final.”

And what a day that cup final was, to bring silerware back to Irvine to end that season.

In front of over 21,000 fans at Hampden Park, The Medda came from behind and won 2-1.

The cup final programme from that day in 1963. (Image: Pinterest)

Billy Moffat had put the East Ayrshire outfit ahead before Paterson scored his goal to level the tie before half time.

Then with two minutes left to play, Irvine boy, club captain and Meadow legend, the late Johnny McIntyre notched the winning goal.

Recalling the game, Paterson said: “I scored a lot of goals that season, I can’t remember how many, probably about 30 or something like that – for a left winger that was quite a lot.

“I didn’t expect to score, I think Johnny McIntyre laid it one for me and I had an easy chance.

“The game itself, we were a wee bit lucky – Glenafton missed a penalty at 1-1 as well, the fella knocked it past the post – so to score two minutes from time was absolutely brilliant.

“It was raining and it was two Ayrshire teams playing in Glasgow. The crowd was still over 20,000 which you don’t get for a junior game now – you hardly get that for a senior game!

“That was the sort of following you got.”

It is a day that Paterson remembers with ease, even after all this time.

“I can remember the full team that played that day,” he said without hestitation. “Prentice, Miller, McVean, Dickie, Curran, Murray, Walker, Bingham, Garvie, McIntyre, Paterson.

“After 60 years it’s still imprinted in your brain.”

And, of course, he recalls the joy that followed the match too.

The Times report from 60 years ago when Irvine Meadow came home with the Scottish Junior Cup. (Image: Archive)

Paterson said: “I can remember the day pretty well, we went up in a special bus from Glasgow to Hampden.

“We managed to win, got presented with the cup, went for a meal at Shawlands Cross then went back down to Irvine.

“We were up in the town hall and had the usual jumping about all over the place.

“When we came back to Irvine there were crowds from Girdle Toll right back into the town. It was a good night and a good day.

“The next Saturday we went to a special do on Kilwinning Road somewhere and had a good night there.

“Me, a couple of my pals and their wives, stayed with a couple of committee folk for the night so it was quite exciting at the time, especially as I didn’t really know anybody.”

Arthur Paterson would go on to spend one more season at Meadow Park in which he was capped for Junior Scotland playing in Ireland and they nearly went back to back losing out in the cup semi-final to Cambuslang Rangers.

From there, he moved to Ayr United, where at times he dazzled the Somerset Park crowd in the same way he would at Irvine.

He scored the winning goal at Arbroath to get promoted to First Division when there was only two leagues.

Arthur Paterson (bottom right) during his time at Ayr United. (Image: Ayr United)

He then faced off against the Goliaths of Scottish football, "but we were absolutely bloody rubbish then and got relegated at the end of that year,” he joked.

And though he had left Medda at this stage, Paterson's work as an insurance inspector with the commercial union saw him look after Irvine and other North Ayrshire businesses.

“Once I was in Irvine, I was never away from it after that,” he added.

The rest of his playing career saw Paterson feature for Clydebank and Cambuslang Rangers.

At the latter, he got his hands on three more Junior cup trophies, as he played in each year between 1971-1974 when they made four consecutive finals.

He scored again in the 1971 showpiece match - and the one final his new side lost happened to be against Irvine Meadow.

Though Paterson still says his fondest memories are at Irvine Meadow, who he described as “the best junior club in Scotland".

He even recalled more memories than just their Scottish Cup win.

He told of how he remembers how good the park was. Recalling a time in 1962 when Scotland was blitzed by the weather for about eight weeks.

Medda managed to get game played at home one of the weeks and they were on the television that night as they defeat Carluke Rovers 5-0.

“It was a bit slippy but other than that it was interesting,” he commented.

“Junior teams didn’t get on the television at that time, that was quite a first for junior football.”

And now, he says he still looks out for how his old team are doing.

Paterson said: “I look at their score every Sunday. I don’t go to games but I’m still very interested in how they’re getting on."

And he is glad to know he is still remembered fondly at Meadow Park too.

He is still in contact with the father of current squad player Neil Slooves - as they are both members at Prestqick St. Nicholas Golf Club.

He added: “He brought me the programme from last year and I had four of the centre pages – that was the anniversary when they were due to play Glenafton that weekend.”

So it is fair to say Arthur Paterson will forever remain in Irvine Meadow history, and the club will always remain very close to his heart.