Abbot without Costello. Jack without Victor. Pie without Bovril. Sometimes, it can be hard to imagine one thing without the other. In junior football, there is no greater example of this than Clydebank without Billy ‘Budgie’ McGhie.

From playing with the Bankies at the highest level of the Scottish game at Kilbowie against huge names like Graeme Souness and Davie Cooper as a player in the 1980s, to dragging the club up from the brink of oblivion and into the higher reaches of the junior ranks in almost 14 years as manager, McGhie has devoted his footballing life to Clydebank.

But no more. McGhie made a decision which he regards as one of the toughest of his life over the festive season, when he decided to step away from the club he loves for what he felt would be to both his own and Clydebank’s long-term benefit.

There is little doubt though that his name will forever be woven into the fabric of Clydebank’s story, wherever the journey that he started them out on may lead in the future.

“I am proud of what was achieved, but I didn’t achieve that single-handed,” said McGhie in typically modest fashion. “There was a lot of hard work by not just the management teams and playing staff, but by the people behind the scenes as well.

“The last 13 and a half years has been a great experience from a football point of view, but also from a personal point of view. You meet a lot of people and it’s not just a matter of dealing with then through football, a lot of them become really good friends.

“I’ve had some absolutely brilliant memories, but a lot of tough times as well. It’s been a great experience in general with a lot of ups and downs along the way, and I’ve got nothing but respect for the club and I really, really hope they do well.

“It was really hard in the beginning to establish how far Clydebank could go. It was a really hard journey.

“I don’t think you could actually imagine the progress that has been made. There was a lot of promise and a lot of people would have been hoping that Clydebank would sail through the leagues and end up as a top junior team.

“There was a realisation though that becoming a top junior club doesn’t just come overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and junior clubs are no different to senior clubs in that finances play a huge part in it. I know for a fact that there was an awful lot of hard work has gone into raising money for the club, and that doesn’t get any easier for the people of Clydebank.”

Despite the financial handicaps McGhie faced, he managed to steer Clydebank to the Super League Premier Division at one stage, picking up silverware along the way and leading his side to the final of the Scottish Junior Cup, where some 3500 Clydebank supporters watched their side push Auchinleck Talbot all the way before finally succumbing to a narrow defeat.

For their older supporters, it must have felt like a throwback to the glory days, and it is the treasure trove of memories that he leaves behind for the fans that McGhie prizes above all else from his time at the helm.

“There have been a lot of special moments,” he said. “We’ve won a few cups, we’ve had promotions, and of course, the cup final.

“The first year we won the league was special. It was the bottom league in the juniors so there might have been people who didn’t think it was that great an achievement, but when you actually live through it and with the fact we only started trying to put a team together on a small budget and had to attract them through the name of Clydebank, the fact we managed to do all that and win the league meant so much.

“It was an emotional time at the club, because the supporters had been through a lot with how the club had finished in the senior ranks, and there was a huge desire to get the club up and running again in a junior form.”

It is not too much of an exaggeration to make that if it were not for the dedication shown by the likes of McGhie, the name of Clydebank may have disappeared from the Scottish football lexicon forever.

Now, they have a bright future ahead with the redevelopment of Holm Park in the offing, and look set to remain at the heart of the town for many years to come.

“I think the club is really important to the community,” McGhie added. “Over the past 13 years I think figures would tell you, and I’m not saying the novelty has worn off, but the numbers have probably tailed off since the romance of coming back faded a little.

“That’s disappointing, and it would be great if the new development helps to change that and attracts more people to come along.

“I’m excited about the new facility and I would have loved to have something like that during my time in charge. I hope it all goes through quickly and it’s a real benefit to the club, I can’t see it being anything other than that.

“Knowing a lot of people involved in the club, I’m very excited for them and hopefully it all works out well for them.”