Perthshire’s World Cup hero David Wotherspoon is helping to inspire the next generation in the village he grew up.
The former Perth High School pupil is being used as the prime example at Bridge of Earn Community Football Club of what can be achieved in the game.
Wotherspoon played for Bridge of Earn as a youngster and has moved on to carve out a wonderful career which recently peaked with a call-up to represent Canada at the World Cup.
The St Johnstone midfielder qualifies to play for them through his mum Sheila and has been preparing for Wednesday’s group opener against Belgium in Qatar.
Bruce Latta has coached for many years at Bridge of Earn and continues to be a familiar face at the club and in the village.
“David is held in such high regard,” he explained to the PA. “He came through the youth team at Bridge of Earn.
“There is pride in everything he has managed to do throughout his career - whether his wee turn in the cup final or this World Cup. Being a village, everyone makes sure to say: ‘He’s a Bridge of Earn boy’.
“He is on the biggest stage in the world and for him to be involved in any capacity is amazing.”
Bruce, although not sure how, actually still has one of Wotherspoon’s Bridge of Earn kit bags from years gone by.
It provides further evidence of where a Scottish Premiership and now World Cup star’s journey started.
“I don’t know how it fell into my possession,” Bruce laughed.
“Parents can often be unrealistic in football where they think you can turn everyone into playing for Man United.
“But I would always say that it is not outwith the realms of possibility that they can make it to professional football.
“I would always point to the bag and say that it belongs to Spoony. We could use it as an example.
“He played on the same pitch and sat in the same changing room. So there is an opportunity to make it from grassroots football all the way through. You can do it from clubs around Perthshire.
“When I was coaching, I always used him as the marker. Look, there is a guy playing for St Johnstone and going on to international football. He is an inspiration.
“It really is a good thing when you have someone like Spoony who is living the dream. You can point to him and say he wore that jersey.”
Bruce remembers watching Wotherspoon from a young age and could see instantly that there was talent in his boots.
He added: “Maybe what people didn’t realise when he was younger was that he worked harder than anyone else.
“That is not to say he was not gifted, because he absolutely 100 per cent was.
“But you could see within him as a young player that this is what he wanted to do.
“I would play in the Sunday amateur football and, when our game finished, you would get the chance to watch one of the age groups after it. The team David was in was brilliant.”
