Interview: Makel's high-flying Cowdenbeath aiming to shoot down Hibernian

Sports Writer

Wednesday 4 January 2012

LEE MAKEL no longer gets the chance to play in Edinburgh derbies but Saturday's showdown with Hibernian in the William Hill Scottish Cup promises to be the next best thing.

Custom byline text:

Stewart Fisher

The former Hearts and Livingston midfielder is one of the unsung heroes behind Cowdenbeath's elevation to the top of the Irn-Bru second division table, an assistant manager who calls the shots from the sideline while player/manager Colin Cameron engages himself in the heat of midfield battle. With Easter Road manager Pat Fenlon still awaiting his first victory in charge, Makel and his men may have it in their power to inflict further misery on Hibs by extending their trophyless run in Scotland's premier cup competition into its 110th year.

In many ways, it is unsurprising that Makel should make such a perfect foil for the Fife club's young player-coach. Not only do the two men have a close relationship stretching back to their days under Jim Jefferies (and Billy Brown) at Hearts at the turn of the millennium, but the Englishman knows first hand the pitfalls of taking charge of a team while pulling on your own pair of boots each Saturday. Until last January, the 38-year-old was fulfilling that dual function for Swedish team Ostersunds FK, where he followed in the footsteps of another Hearts 'legend' – Hans Eskilsson. Although he took over weil-kent Scottish faces such as Morton's Michael Tidser, suffice to say Makel's time there wasn't entirely successful."Everyone says being player manager is a difficult task, but Mickey [Cameron] has taken it on perfectly," Makel told Herald Sport. "When he goes out on the pitch he can just concentrate on the game, while when I was in Sweden I was trying to do both jobs and it is impossible. You need to have someone you can trust on the sidelines – that is why it seems to be working well with me and Mickey."I found it quite difficult in Sweden," he added. "It was a different language and my family were still over here. But I knew long term it would do me good and that is one of the reasons I went. The culture is completely different. I adjusted to that quite well but the mindset of players I found hard to grasp. Me and Mickey are both winners, we try to instil that into the players at Cowdenbeath and by and large they take that on board, but in Sweden it was a little bit more laid-back and you had to bite your tongue a little bit now and then. We brought a few Scottish boys over but it was hard to attract the better Swedish players because we were so far north. When I got back I asked Mickey and Jimmy Nicholl if it was okay if I came in to do some training. But Mickey got the job and asked me if I wanted to be his assistant. Obviously the buck stops with him but we have discussions about formations and personnel, and nine times out of 10 we think along the same lines."Cowdenbeath will be deprived of Jordan Morton and Kal Naismith on Saturday, whose loan spells from Hearts and Rangers respectively have come to an end, but the Fife team have not lost at Central Park all season and have only lost one league game during the entire campaign. The TV companies may not have opted for it as a live game but there should be drama aplenty. "We were disappointed it wasn't getting shown live but I think the cameras will be there for the evening programme," Makel said. "In fact, Mickey is going to be on the panel with Pat Nevin. It is a great chance for the boys to show how well they are playing and how well they are progressing. We have a good record at home and I don't think the Hibs players will be looking forward to coming to Central Park. We have got the habit of winning games just now while Hibs are searching for the habit."Makel's connections are not limited to the maroon half of Edinburgh. Not only did he work under Billy Brown at Hearts and Bradford, when at Almondvale he shared a dressing room with Leigh Griffiths, who will play the final game of his loan spell from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Another former Hibs manager, Bobby Williamson, took him to Plymouth. Makel is a boyhood Sunderland fan whose mood has been enhanced by the late winner Martin O'Neill's side got against Manchester City on New Year's Day. His brother Gavin, who runs football camps for City, was at the game, even though he is a Newcastle fan or "on the dark side" as Makel calls it. "To say I was jumping up and down and screaming like a lunatic when the goal went in would be an understatement," he said. A similar underdog victory on Saturday would provide further cause for wild celebration.

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

Interview: Makel's high-flying Cowdenbeath aiming to shoot down Hibernian

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED