Dundee then Boulding... two City victories in one night
12:19pm Friday 25th July 2008
The Scottish tourist board have commissioned a special tartan for Barcelona.
But City’s St Andrews training neighbours will return south of the border with a far more precious reward.
The seemingly never-ending Michael Boulding transfer saga reached its conclusion on the Dundee pitch of all places.
At 10pm on Wednesday, half an hour after watching City win 1-0 at Dens Park, Stuart McCall stood in the centre circle on his mobile.
In front of a deserted stadium, he finally heard the words from Boulding that we had been waiting for all summer: Yes, gaffer, I’m coming.
It was a bizarre venue for a moment that had been anticipated by, what seemed like, supporters of virtually every club in the lower divisions.
After such a tale of transfer intrigue, it was fitting that there should be one final twist in the tale.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Cheltenham had been convinced they’d got their man. Personal terms had been agreed and Boulding – as well as brother Rory – was about to up sticks for the south-west and the shot at a higher division.
City, having briefly had him in their grasp in training, believed Boulding had slipped through their fingers.
McCall himself had admitted defeat – until a chance remark after a limbering-up session on the morning of the Dundee game.
Peter Thorne, who played with Boulding at Cardiff, asked the manager what was happening with him.
“Both Bouldings are going to Cheltenham,” replied McCall.
“That’s a shame,” said Thorne, “because we still need another one up top. He would have been a great player for us.”
McCall thought nothing more of it until he got to his room in the university complex. Then it started nagging away.
He believed Cheltenham had done the deal but had not read anything to confirm it. There was no 100 per cent proof that the move had gone through.
Just maybe it was worth one last phone call to their dad, who was doing all the negotiations on behalf of his sons.
Boulding senior confirmed that both were back in Yorkshire. Michael was in Leeds for a medical check on the ankle he injured at Apperley Bridge and nothing had been signed as yet.
Still no decision had been made. McCall saw a chink of light.
He trotted out City’s offer once more and left it with their dad. Forty minutes before kick-off, he was in the dressing room when the strains of Scotland the Brave chirruped on his phone.
It was a Sheffield number – the Bouldings’ number.
Dad had spoken to Michael and the player had promised to ring McCall after the game with his answer. After the effort ploughed into striking the deal, waiting for Boulding’s verdict must have been a massive distraction during the 90 minutes.
But if there were a few tingles inside, McCall betrayed no emotion – don’t challenge him to a game of poker!
The deal was agreed in the Dens Park gloom later than night and contracts were signed 24 hours later in St Andrews after both Bouldings had joined their new team-mates in a session of rough and tumble at an indoor assault course.
Cheltenham, trying to put a brave face on it, insist geography swung it because the players could remain near their south Yorkshire roots.
Whatever the reasons behind Boulding’s apparent change of heart, City have got their man. Better than a designer kilt any day of the week.