HENRY McLAUGHLIN (Drumoyne) - The sportswriters awarded the Young Player of the Year award for 2006/07 to Scott Brown (Hibs). I don't remember the sportswriters awarding a Young Player of the Year award before, is this the first time it has been awarded? If not, could you tell me previous winners. THE Scottish Football Writers first presented a young player award in 2002. Winners from that year are James McFadden (Motherwell), Zurab Khizanishvili (Dundee) in 2003, Craig Gordon (Hearts) in 2004, Derek Riordan (Hibernian) in 2005, Steven Naismith (Kilmarnock) in 2006 and, as you say Scott Brown (Hibernian) in 2007.

AULD CHUCKY LAWN (Carmyle) - Could you settle a family argument? Could you confirm that the late miners' president, Mike McGahey, played in goal for Vale of Clyde Juniors sometime in the 1940s? Also, did Joe McInnes, who played for Third Lanark, Partick Thistle and Accrington Stanley, sign for Kilmarnock from Vale of Clyde aged just 16? And legend has it Kilmarnock signed eight players from Vale of Clyde in the 1940s. I believe Malcolm McKay was one of them, who later played for Falkirk when John Prentice was the manager. A BIT of a tricky one this. However I can confirm that M. McGahey registered as an amateur with Vale of Clyde on February 28, 1944 and as there is no further reference to him in the Registration books it would appear that he only played for the remaining weeks of 1943/44 season. Only four players, namely, William Paterson, Jack Calder, Tom Douglas and Alistair McKay from Vale of Clyde joined Killie in 1949. Joe McInnes played only one game for Vale of Clyde before joining Kilmarnock. He was placed on the ground staff but when Malcolm McDonald took over as manager all the ground staff were released and McInnes did not play for Killie. He then spent a year back at Junior level with Larkhall Thistle before joining Partick Thistle. McInnes later played for Accrington Stanley and Third Lanark and after a brief spell in Ireland he came back to manage Vale of Clyde and Shettleston Juniors.

J. HARVEY (Troon) - I recently read about Scotland beating Spain 6-2 in an away match sometime in the 1960s. This was quite a scoreline. Can you please provide me with the details? THIS comprehensive win was played at the Bernabeu in Madrid on June 13, 1963. The Scotland team was Adam Blacklaw, Billy McNeill, Davie Holt, Frank McLintock, Ian Ure, Jim Baxter, Willie Henderson, Davie Gibson, Ian St John, Denis Law and Davie Wilson. Remarkably the six goals were scored by six different players - Law, Gibson, McLintock, Wilson, Henderson and St John.

KEANO FAN (Castlemilk) - Can you settle a pub debate - was Sunderland founded by a Scotsman or an Irishman? THE club was founded by Scottish school teacher James Allan. Educated at Glasgow University he arrived on Wearside in 1877 to take up the post of assistant master at Hendon Board school. He initially joined Sunderland Rovers Rugby Club but realised that in Scotland association football was becoming very popular. In 1879 he returned from a holiday in Scotland with a round ball and encouraged his fellow teachers to form "the Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club." On October 16, 1880 it was decided to open up the club to members from outwith the teaching profession. This meant that the words "and District Teachers" were dropped and the club's name became Sunderland Association Football Club.