Ian Cameron

Name: Ian Cameron

DOB: 24/08/66

POB: Glasgow

Position: Centre midfield, left midfield

Clubs: St Mirren, Aberdeen,
Partick Thistle, Hibernian, Raith Rovers, Clyde, Clydebank.
Airdrieonians

Ian Cameron can have a legitimate claim to be one of the
last true out of contract rebels. At the beginning of his final year with
Partick Thistle the former Jags’ hero had saw his former deal run down and no
suitable offer from the club come his way. Nowadays, of course, he would walk
away from the club and be free to sign with someone else, but this was five
months before the Bosman ruling came into effect. The club still held his
registration and had the right to do so until someone made a suitable offer for
his services. In the meantime they asked that the player take to the field in
an Intertoto game despite the fact that because he was without a contract he
would not be paid. The midfielder refused. Hearts were close with a bid but
ultimately found Thistle’s asking price too high for a want-away player and
their interest dropped. With nobody willing to meet the club’s demands the
player decided against football limbo and negotiated to stay at Firhill.

Another quirky tale from Cameron’s life in football occurred
in its’ infancy and coincided with the greatest achievement of his career. The
20-year old was a second half substitute in St Mirren’s 1987 Scottish Cup Final
victory over Dundee United, a match that he participated in a few hours after
taking his economics exam at Glasgow
University. Even in the
comparably modest world of Scottish football it’s difficult to imagine any
player being asked to do something similar in today’s game. It also highlights
the intelligence of the former midfielder, and his approach to life off the
field was similar to the way in which he played on it; often admired for his
ranging passing abilities and understanding of the game.

St Mirren were the beneficiaries of such qualities for a
three year spell where the youngster was a mainstay in the Love Street midfield. His performances
and clear potential were noted by Aberdeen
who snapped him up in 1989. However, over the next three years he would make
only 27 league appearances after struggling to cope with the pressures of
playing for a bigger club and failing to make an impact on the first team.
Though the move wasn’t regarded as a total failure; Cameron scored the winning
goal in the League Cup semi-final to dispose of Celtic and received a winners’
medal for the club capturing the trophy despite him missing the final through
injury.

He would have to drop back down the Scottish Premier
Division table in order to find a suitable platform in which to showcase his
talents, finding such an environment with John Lambie’s Partick Thistle. For
three seasons he was a vital part of the Thistle team that continued to defy
expectations and remain in the top tier of Scottish football. In fact, they
were a minute away from doing it for the fourth season running with Cameron’s
goal giving the Glasgow
outfit a 1-0 advantage over Dundee United in the playoff final. Unfortunately,
Brian Welsh would equalise for United deep into stoppage time and Owen Coyle
would win the match in extra time, relegating Thistle and sending Cameron in
search of pastures new.

He would land himself a new job at Easter Road in a swap
deal for Gareth Evans and David Farrell. Ironically, Cameron was paraded to
fans and the national media at the same time as fellow new signing Brian Welsh,
the man who’d been so instrumental in inflicting relegation upon him less than
a month previous. It was not to be a happy time for the midfielder who
struggled with his form and watched several of his teammates do likewise as
Hibs battled against relegation. Again Cameron found himself in the playoffs
but this time Cameron’s side prevailed with a win over Airdrieonians.

The next summer saw another move, this time being a part of
the package as he and Keith Wright travelled with £250,000 to Starks Park
in exchange for Tony Rougier. In Kirkcaldy, Cameron found solace in a level
he’d been fighting against dropping into since 1992. In the 1997/98 season he
was a regular in the first team squad before age finally begun to catch up with
him and he found his opportunities limited in the next season.

Clydebank and a brief
return to Firhill were his next ports of call before he retired following a
brief stay with Airdrie in the 2001/02 season. Surprisingly he would pull on
the boots two more times in the 2005 season at the age of 39 after returning to
Thistle. After an injury crisis he was asked to put on hold his role as youth
team coach and assist the first team for a couple of games. He would remain at
the club, eventually becoming assistant manager under Ian McCall and only
vacated the role once the former manager left the club.

Where is he now? Cameron has now fallen back on the reason
why he wasn’t solely concentrated on football the day of the 1987 Scottish Cup
Final. His degree helped him become a qualified accountant and it is a vocation
he currently undertakes along with some youth football coaching duties.

Show: Save The Last Pie