People call us the Manchester City of Scottish football lower leagues
but it's far from it
I'm John Gall, managing director of Brownings the Bakers in Kilmarnock
and I'm also president of Darvel Football Club
I've been in the baking industry all my life
It was my gran and grandfather which started the company in 1945
and it's just went from there
And over the years
when I started supplying Kilmarnock Football Club with pies
and so came the famous Killie pie
I went from baking to football
but football's always been in my blood, you know?
My son played wae Darvel
so I went and started to watch them playing every week
and it was great I started to love it
Darvel for years and years were one of the worst clubs in Ayrshire
or the West region of junior football
One day the owner of the club came up and handed me the keys
and he says I'm not doing this any longer
and it's just went from there
When I was in school
it was always my dream to be a footballer
and I started at Queen of the South and I moved to Ross County
and then moved to St Mirren and then Falkirk
Aye, my phone was a going a bit mad
Had a few people asking me
what you doing and stuff like that but
I just want tae enjoy it and
I didnae want tae just stay senior just for the sake ae it
Obviously there's gonna be people
that talk about money and stuff like that but
I mean it's no just about money
We're all are on the same boat here
We're all wanting to try and move up the leagues
I think...
we've got the squad that we can achieve that
I'm Ian McShane, I play centre midfield for Darvel
Browning's investment in Darvel is only for the infrastructure of the club
It's for the facilities, to upgrade the facilities at the club
A lot of people think
that they're trying tae buy their way to win the league
A lot of rubbish
Och it's a lot of rubbish int it?
I mean, I feel like I've been at other clubs
I know what other teams have been paying and...
It's no different
Allan Mackenzie, striker for Darvel
It's the best of stuff
It's the best of gear, it's the best of parks
Well I'd seen them on Twitter the changing rooms
so I knew what they looked like
I mean probably there's nothing better in Scotland at the moment
The home dressing room is the envy of Scottish football now
It's actually better than Kilmarnock's
It's better than Hamilton's, it's better than Motherwell's
It's better than most Championship teams
I've been junior all my life so I'm used to wee dark rooms but
it's a different level
It's got a charging station for the players' phones
so when they're out on the park
they come back and their phone's charged fully
And that's one of the selling points that we give them, you know
I had offers fae League One and League Two
but it's probably gonna be more mid-table clubs
where you're no really fighting for anything
I'd rather come here and you're challenging every week
up the top end ae the table
A player like Ian signs you've heard ae
Just aw these big name players
who have played senior all their days
coming tae Darvel, it can only be good for your team
for my progression, for everybody else's progressions
Work getting round on that side Jordan
Get round that left hand side
Alright, just get... do that intensity
The manager who's got his budget
Michael works within his budget
So I have no input in any players coming in
but he does send me the odd text to say
guess who's signing tomorrow
and I'll say oh who's that, who's that, you know
and I'm going wow
Where do we stop?
What's the dream of every club?
To go as far as you can
Years ago it was one man and his dog, you know
Next year we're looking for crowds between 400 and 1500
Obviously we want to win the league
I want to win the league
I'm 29 noo so I'm hoping another few years
by that time we're in League Two
Just want tae enjoy it now and
hopefully I can still play for the next six, seven years
and I'm no here just tae stay a season and then leave it's
hopefully part ae a...
tae something that's gonnae be successful and move up
The club is self-sufficient
If I was to walk away tomorrow
the club would still go forward
and that's the way I have to keep it
Everything is in progress
and it's working exactly the way we want it to work
Could Darvel get European football?
Well there's a thing