Cambuslang Rangers and East Kilbride Thistle will honour tragic former player and boss

East Kilbride Thistle and Cambuslang Rangers will come together to remember their former player and manager, Alan Paterson, with a memorial match next month.

Paterson, who hailed from The Murray, tragically passed away in September at the age of just 44.

The father of two’s sudden death shocked the community and tributes from across the amateur game and the West of Scotland Football League flooded in for the Royal Mail postal worker.

Now a team of Thistle and Camby legends will face each other at the Showpark on Saturday, June 10, kick-off 2pm, for the Alan Paterson Memorial Cup, where funds raised will go towards grassroots football.

Jags legend John Brogan will take the home team, while former Thistle gaffer and current Cambuslang Rangers co-boss Billy Campbell will manage the visitors.

Ryan Kelly, David Roome, Martin Fellowes Snr, Alan McRae, Paul Bain and Alan’s former assistant at EK Thistle, Billy Dolan, are among those set to join the Jags’ squad.

For Cambuslang, Billy Holmes, Derek Watson, Gary McGregor, Stewart Maxwell, Paul Burns and Paul Brown are among the ex-Camby men to take part.

Ex-Jags boss and striker Steven McClung, who is helping organise the match, said: “Alan was such a popular figure and a big character within football and out of it as well.

“The proceeds will be going to grassroots football, which was something Alan was very passionate about.

“He was helping out with his kids’ football teams around the time he died. He loved to help out young boys in the game. It’s still hard to believe that he’s gone and it will be an emotional day.

“But it will be a good day to catch up with everyone who knew him and talk about the good times we had with Alan.

“It would be great to see as many people as possible