Paisley pupils help A View from the Terrace star to show bigotry the red card

Budding young Paisley footballers showed the Scotland men’s national team how it’s done by finding the back of the net in a challenge against the stars of the ‘A View From The Terrace’ football show.

Pupils from Glencoats and St Fergus primary schools showed bigotry the red card and warmed up for the European Championships by taking part in a special equality event alongside anti-sectarian campaigners Nil by Mouth.

It involved workshops, their own mini Euros and a special penalty shootout contest with Duncan McKay – who hosts the popular ‘Putting in a Shift’ feature on the BBC Scotland show.

The event took place just hours before Scotland kicked off their Euro 2024 campaign in Germany and it’s fair to say the children have stolen the show after the Dark Blues were knocked out last Sunday night.

As part of the build-up to the tournament, the schools staged their own football competition with pupils representing some of the big names competing at the finals.

Duncan then bravely donned the gloves to face more than 50 spot-kicks from pupils as they sought to help their teams win bonus points.

It’s the latest initiative between the Ferguslie Park schools designed to make pupils better aware of different faiths and cultures as well as celebrate the strong community spirit in the area.

Last year, the schools unveiled a mural with local graffiti artist David Knox which was designed with help from pupils.

In May, the classes took a bus tour of Glasgow sights made famous by the ‘Divided City’ novel used in schools to help tackle sectarian attitudes.

Duncan has featured on A View From The Terrace since its launch in 2019. Viewers have enjoyed his efforts at different football clubs across the country which have seen him be a ballboy at Hampden Park, commentate on an Airdrie fixture, run the line at an East of Scotland League match and spend a matchday dressed up as a club mascot.

He said: “At least we had a better start to the Euros off the pitch than on it with an amazing afternoon in Paisley.

“It was clear a lot of effort had gone into making the event a success and it was lovely to see families come along to watch the kids take part. I made a few saves but the general standard of penalty-taking was very high.

“This is a brilliant partnership that shows the level of community spirit and togetherness in the area and I am happy to come back if Scotland qualify for the World Cup to hopefully save a few more than I did here.”

Nil by Mouth partnership manager Emma Alexander said: “Glencoats and St Fergus have been working together over the last number of years on a range of projects linked to equality and celebrating their community and it is always a pleasure to be invited along to work with them.

“We ran a workshop at the Tannahill Centre looking at identity, difference and discrimination. Mixed teams from both schools participated in a range of activities aimed at helping them explore their opinions.

“There is a strong commitment from staff and pupils to the project and through things such as the bus tours and mural project firm friendships have developed.

“We are also grateful to Duncan for offering to put himself in the line of fire for the shoot-out facing more than 50 penalties is no mean feat and the kids loved pitting their skills against him.

“The message we want people to take from this day is Ferguslie Park is bigger, better and bolder than bigotry and that football can be something that can bring people together.”

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