SPARK A TURNAROUND IN FORTUNE

For Euan Spark Life at Station Park may seem a world away from the glamour of top flight football.  Sitting among freshly laundered strips in the kit room, the venue for this interview, it would be easy to assume the nineteen year old full back, signed on loan from Dundee United until the end of the season, sees the move as a step back in his career. Within a few minutes it becomes clear that such an assumption is an injustice to Euan’s obvious commitment and determination to furthering his footballing education. It also underestimates Forfar’s reputation as an excellent place for young talent to jump start their career.

“I see the loan period as a great opportunity to gain regular first team experience so I can develop as a footballer. I want to go back to United a better player. I also want to help Forfar get out of our current league positon and back to securing results like the ones earlier in the season. I spoke to Ryan (Dow) at United and he said Forfar was a great place to learn your trade and so I am very happy to be here.”

Euan comes across as level headed and quietly confident, attributes that are not always apparent in young footballers who secure professional contracts at a young age.  This maturity no doubt stems from the support of his family and also certainly from his traditional farming roots; his mother, Isabel, a farmer’s daughter, is an accountant at a farm in Laurencekirk. Along with his mum and granny, Lily, his other greatest fan is older sister, Ashley, who is currently completing a primary school teaching degree at Glasgow University.

Despite having a famous football name in the family (his uncle, a local farmer, shares a name with one of Scotland’s greatest players, Davie Cooper) Euan is the first in his family to play football at a high level.   “I didn’t really think about anything other than being a footballer when I was young – it was all that I wanted to do. I have been fortunate so far to have a career playing the game I love.  I was the first in my family to play football so I suppose it was a leap into the unknown breaking away from the family farming tradition. My family is very supportive - although my choice of career was new to them as well. My mum never used to like football until I started playing but now she goes everywhere and even if I am not playing she will be there up in the stand!  My gran had never watched a game of football before but now she’s on the internet every week to see if I have played and to find out the results.”

Almost as soon as he started primary school Euan, from Inchbare near Edzell, was playing in the Dundee United J League. After three years it became obvious to those on the side-lines that Euan had potential and he was advised to join a boys’ club set-up. Little would the young Euan realise back then but this move to the then Brechin City Boys Club would make him part of a group of talented players from the Laurencekirk area who would go on to become household names in Scottish football. His teammates at Brechin, and like him graduating through the United youth set up, were Ryan Guald, nicknamed ‘Mini Messi’ who moved to Sporting Clube de Portugal in 2014, and John Souttar who recently joined Hearts.  Time will tell if this crop of talent will prove to be the most successful to come out of the Mearns since its most famous son Lewis Grassic Gibbon but the signs are encouraging.  

For Euan the move to the boys club set up was well advised. Within a season Dundee United were calling. Impressed by the nine year old they signed him up to their youth programme. For the next six years Euan worked his way through each age group level from U’10s to U’15’s  and for a period he was under the watchful eye of coach Ian Cathro who would go onto work at Valencia and is now at Newcastle United.  In his first year of the U’17s, Euan was offered a professional contract in 2012. During his progression, as well as witnessing the success enjoyed by the likes of his friend Ryan Guald, Euan saw teammates fall by the wayside as the harsh realities of making it as a professional footballer took its toll. “I worked hard while moving up through the ranks but I do feel fortunate to have achieved a professional contract when many others didn’t make it. That’s football – it’s a tough business.”

With a professional contract in hand Euan packed up his belongings and made the short trip along the A90 to the bright lights of Dundee. Moving from the relative quiet of rural Angus village life of Inchbare and studies at Mearns Academy to sharing with 15 other young aspiring footballers was quite an adventure. Life in the digs was at times a ‘crazy but fun place to spend your first time away from home”.  Life is a bit quieter now on the home front with Euan living in a flat on the up and coming waterfront in Dundee although one detects a hint of regret at leaving behind the mad times of the shared digs.

Within 18 months Euan moved up to United’s first team squad, training in St Andrews with the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven and Andrew Robertson.  Euan still trains with United most week-days although he no longer has the luxury of a Thursday break like his fellow United players. Instead he joins the Forfar squad to train at Station Park in the evening. 

All three of Euan’s first team appearances for United have been away from Tannadice. He made his debut as a substitute against St Mirren in 2014 with a further substitute appearance against Kilmarnock in 2015 and made his full debut against Partick Thistle last October. Euan’s best football moment came in his debut. “I am always buzzing on match day. The whole week builds up to Saturday so making my debut really sticks out as a highlight.  We won three nil and I remember that Blair (Spittal) scored a wonder goal and the United fans erupted. Celebrating a goal with my teammates on my first run out was incredible.” 

Euan is still eligible to play in the Youth Cup for United who have reached the semi-final stage. Manager Mixu Paatelainen is keen for him to help the team secure silverware.

So why has his United career faltered so far?

“I’ve been unfortunate with injuries and was in and out of the squad. When Jackie (McNamara) left Dave Bowman took over and he gave me my first start but I pulled my hamstring in that game. That put me out until after Mixu came in and since then I have been playing catch up”.

Scottish football is a small world and a number of connections to Forfar and manager, Gary Bollan, persuaded Euan that a loan move to Station Park was the right one for him. United teammate Scott Fraser played under Gary when on loan at Airdrie and talked highly of him as did Dave Bowman, Euan’s United youth coach.   Euan came through the youth ranks at United with Kerr Hay and has played against fellow recent signings Gareth Rodger and Andy Ryan when at St Johnstone and Hamilton respectively. Euan is very aware that he follows in some pretty illustrious stud marks in terms of loanees from United to the Loons including Johnny Russell, his friend Ryan Dow, Scott Allan and Dale Hilson.

“Seeing guys like Scottie (Fraser) going out on loan and now doing really well is great. I have tried to get out on loan to get more experience but I wasn’t able to leave United before now because they needed depth on the bench. Now the United manager and I have managed to make it work to let me come to Forfar”.

Having now played four games Euan has settled in well and believes there is a good feel about the club especially with the convincing win away to Cowdenbeath earlier this week ending a long spell without a win.  “So far everyone has been very friendly and welcomed me. Many people told me before I came what a great club Forfar is on and off the park and that is definitely how it has been for me so far.”

Euan is well placed to comment on the full-time versus part-time debate and doesn’t believe there is a huge difference other than the time available to full-time clubs.  “At United we have all week to train so we have more time to work on things. Out there training with the Forfar guys you wouldn’t know they are part-time in terms of their fitness levels and commitment; it is really fast and intense and you have to be sharp. When you see the way Gary, Stuart, Ian and Barry put us through our paces you can see there is an excellent bunch of lads here and I am sure we can turn things around”.

Turning to one of football’s current hot topics it is refreshing to hear Euan offering a genuine rather than diplomatic voice of support for artificial surfaces.  “I’m happy to play on the astro because I am used to training all week on a similar surface at Gussie Park. I’m part of a new generation of young players who are more used to this type of surface. The surfaces keep improving and the one here at Forfar is really good. I think you play better football especially at this time of the year when many grass pitches are struggling with the weather”.

Euan’s polite and quietly spoken approach off the pitch belies his own description of his match day persona. He laughs when mention is made of an article in a local paper which described him as a ‘”marauding full back” but he does concede he can be “loud and maybe at times a bit aggressive”.  He puts this down to thriving on the pressure of match day and admits this has led to him picking up the odd booking. His, not so constructive, questioning of officials has not only earned him bookings on the pitch but secured a few off-field, and no doubt more uncomfortable, reprimands from an unimpressed mum.

While the names of Chris Templeman and Gary Neville may rarely, if ever, feature in the same sentence Euan cites both as having a huge influence on his footballing career. A Brechin City fan growing up, Euan had the privilege of watching Chris Templeman at Glebe Park and confesses to being a bit disappointed in narrowly missing out on the chance to line up in the same side as his boyhood hero due to the timing of the loan move.  
“When you are growing up you enjoy watching and learning from the best players. I joined United as a striker and so watching Brechin, Chris Templeman was my big hero. I remember watching him score many brilliant goals and that is who I wanted to be like. Then I started to get moved back and back in the team and so then I would say my inspiration was Gary Neville”.

While too polite to groan at puns about his surname Euan hopes his time at Forfar will spark a new era for him and see him return to feature regularly in the first team at Tannadice. Whether that is in the Championship remains to be seen as United face a difficult relegation battle, but one thing is for sure, Euan is determined to play his part in Forfar’s own fight to avoid the drop.

“I know from coming here over the years that there is a good support at Station Park and so I really hope I can do myself justice and help Forfar out of this situation for the fans”.   When it comes to the last game of the season against Brechin, Euan is clear that there will be no room for sentiment.  “As a Forfar player I will do my best to win the game. I’ve played against Brechin when at United and like any game I play in I want to win.”

A close knit family and farming background appear to have kept Euan’s feet on the ground – ironically at present the ground being an artificial pitch rather than lush grass parkland. For a club such as Forfar so closely tied to its rural hinterland there should be a lot of support for this local lad as he works hard to spark new energy into both his career and Forfar’s season in the weeks ahead.

Euan Spark was in conversation with Louise Huggan for the FAFC match day programme v Albion Rovers on 27 February 2016