HE scoops up the ball and with a flick and a grin, Hearts legend Bobby Kirk rolls back the years for an energetic spot of keepie-uppie.
The ball bounces at his feet and he easily swoops to pick it up. He might be heading for his 81st birthday, home might be a room in a Lasswade care home, but physically he's just champion.
He even manages a hearty laugh as he dismisses today's pampered and overpaid young players – "Don't make me swear," he warns, "I could play them today, aye, and I'd beat them."
One thing's certain: they don't make players like him any more. He can remember much from a playing career that spanned an incredible 35 years: of how, as a teenager, he emerged from Arniston's Emily pit, coal dust seeping through his sweat-drenched clothes, allowed off shift early because he had a game to play.
A few years later saw him rolling home with the victorious Hearts squad in May 1956, the Scottish Cup in their clutches for the first time in 50 years.
There were the dressing room laughs, the training ground demands and the steak his wife religiously cooked for Saturday tea after a gruelling day on the pitch. If he closes his eyes and thinks hard, he can probably taste it.
But remembering how many grandchildren he has – that's just a little harder.
Today Bobby sits, smartly turned out in a crisp white shirt with a delicate pink stripe – the perfect accompaniment to the maroon and white tie with the Heart of Midlothian crest – in the comfortable lounge of Drummond Grange Care Home.
Here his celebrity status might be recognised but doesn't necessarily afford him any special treatment. "I can't get to see the football on the television," he grumbles. "I switch it on and then someone comes along after five minutes and changes the channel."
He's there partly because he, like his wife Tina, is among a growing number of Scots affected by mild dementia. The condition affects around 8300 over-65s in Lothian and brings good days and not so good days. It means Bobby can remember that lovingly prepared steak and the times left back Tam McKenzie would cause dressing room mayhem by tying everyone's socks together.
Remembering the fine detail of his grandchildren's names and wife Tina's age – "She's 50," he says, confidently, but around 30 years out – is harder.
"I forget things a bit. It's a wee bit of a struggle," he nods. "Aye, it gets you down a little bit."
His short-term memory might not be perfect, but it's the old days – the ones that today's Hearts fans yearn for a return to – that Bobby remembers best.
There was that sleepless night before the 1956 Scottish Cup Final against on-form Celtic; the tumbling feeling in his stomach as he stood in the tunnel at Hampden waiting to appear in front of 133,000 fans; then the unbridled euphoria that accompanied the victorious Hearts side – with the "terrible trio", Alfie Conn, Jimmy Wardhaugh and Willie Bauld in its midst – on a journey back to Edinburgh.
In between it all were four goals – one to Celtic and three for Hearts – the last in the 80th minute courtesy of the legendary Conn. "It was a wee bit of a scramble and then Alfie got it in the back of the net," Bobby recalls. "It was relief we felt more than anything. When that final whistle went it was an incredible feeling."
It was just the start, however. Bobby might struggle to recall how many grandchildren he has – he has six and two sons – but 52 years haven't faded the memory of that glorious journey from Hampden to Tynecastle.
"There wasn't any drink in the cup in those days," he says, "but we didn't need any. Every wee village we passed through people were out. There were flags and people were cheering us on.
"By the time the bus was at Haymarket, the streets were packed. At Tynecastle, the bus could hardly get moving. It was brilliant.
"We were a real strong band of lads," says Bobby.
"We trained hard and then we asked the trainers to make it even harder – we wanted to win."
It all seems a long way from the nursing home, which the couple moved to a year ago. But Bobby still ventures along to Tynecastle now and again – his 80th birthday last August was marked with a trip to the club and a memorable stroll on to the turf to the acclaim of the gathered Jambos.
Forty years on and the game has certainly changed – no-one in the Sixties could have imagined Hearts would one day be owned by a Lithuanian and have far more foreign players than Scots on their books.
As for today's wages, Bobby might not have seen the sums that some of today's stars pocket, but the £8 a week salary in 1955 was much appreciated – a small fortune compared with the 12 shillings he took as a frightened 14-year-old on his first trip underground.
After what he experienced in the pits, the life of a footballer was a dream come true. He says: "I remember men in the cage with me shaking with fear going down. It was dark and hot and all they wanted was to get back up again.
"The highlight was when they installed new showers at the pithead. Oh, to finish a shift and get washed before going home – it was great." Back then Bobby was following in his father's footsteps, but with his dad working nights and he on days, their paths rarely crossed. It didn't matter though, the father-son bond would never be broken.
"My dad would nearly choke me when he put his arms around me," Bobby says softly, with tears welling in his eyes. "The night we won the cup he didn't say much – he just raised his glass.
"Later my sister and I ended up putting him to bed. He never went to many games but he always knew about the match."
Bobby left Hearts in May 1962, and while he could have continued at senior level he chose instead to head to the Borders to play with Gala Fairydean and pursue a career in physiotherapy that would see him open a practice in Morningside.
With roots in junior football from his days at Newtongrange Star, he was destined to end his career at the likes of Arniston Rangers, Dalkeith Thistle, Lintlithgow Rose and eventually retiring from Musselburgh in 1975.
Now heading for his 81st birthday at the Lasswade home, the mild dementia might be stealing Bobby's recent memories, but there are some it will never shift.
That Scottish Cup victory is definitely one. "It was a great day," Bobby nods, glancing at a photograph of the winning squad. "I'll never forget it."
BOBBY'S RECORDBOBBY KIRK was a member of a classic Hearts squad which included heroes whose achievements have gone down in club history.
He joined the club in August 1955, going on to win every honour on the domestic front, including the Scottish Cup in his first season.
Alongside the "terrible trio" of Alfie Conn, Willie Bauld and Jimmy Wardaugh, the Tynecastle side entered a glory period: they were crowned Scottish Champions in 1957-58 and 1959-60, and runners up in 1956-57, 1958-59 and 1964-65. In addition, they won the League Cup in 1958-59, 1959-60 and 1962-63.
NUMBER OF SUFFERERS ON THE RISEIT is estimated that between 59,000 and 66,000 people have dementia in Scotland of which between 1350 and 1600 are under 65.
The numbers of people with dementia in Scotland are expected to rise by 75 per cent to between 102,000 and 114,000 by 2031.
Alzheimer Scotland figures predict the number of cases in the city to rise from 5508 this year to 7067 in 2024. Further increases are expected in East Lothian, from 1260 to 2443; Midlothian, from 900 to 1376 and West Lothian, from 1397 to 2857. Dementia costs Scotland £1.4 billion. The condition causes memory loss, delusions, speech difficulties and mood changes.
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Dementia Awareness Week begins on June 1. For details visit www.alzscot.org. The full article contains 1409 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
