A FORMER goalkeeper who is writing a new book about his beloved local club says the words of an Inverclyde councillor spurred him on to kick-off the project.

Jim Barr, who is best known in Inverclyde for his work with the Inverclyde Enterprise Trust over the years, is penning a history of Kilmacolm FC. 

The goalie got the idea for the book when he was in the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Glasgow recovering from a knee replacement back in 2016. 

Jim, 89, said: "I read an article where Councillor David Wilson was praising Birkmyre Rugby Club for their promotion. 

"I realised that Kilmacolm FC didn't have anyone praising them for their success. 

"It made me determined to try to write about them and get them the credit they deserved."

Kilmacolm FC played as part of the Scottish Amateur Football League set-up. 

In the 1958-59 season, they won the West of Scotland Cup, the Coronation Cup and the Scottish Amateur second division championship. 

The following campaign, they won the Scottish Amateur first division championship.

That win, straight after winning the second division the previous season, had only been achieved by four other clubs in the history of the amateur game. 

Jim joined the club in the 1957-58, not long after he married wife Mary, and his first game in goal came as a bit of a surprise. 

He said: "I had promised Mary that I would take her shopping in Glasgow and we were on the way to get the bus. 

"Tom McGarver from the club came racing up to us on his bike, and said he was just coming to the house to tell me that I had to play that afternoon as the first team goalie had dropped out. 

"I looked at Mary and she said 'on you go'. 

"I had to go and buy boots. 

"That was the start of my love affair with the club."

Jim played for the club until 1976 and after his stint as a goalie, he was a juvenile football referee for 23 years. 

He said his motivation for joining Kilmacolm FC when he moved to the village with Mary was keeping fit. 

Jim, who has run 13 marathons, added: "I've always been a fitness freak and loved cricket and tennis as well as football. 

"Mary has always supported me in my fitness. She was a champion runner in Kilmacolm. 

"The fitness side of it was one of the best things about the club."

Jim's research into the club has revealed that it ran from around 1890 until around 1988. 

While he has found out a lot about its history, he still doesn't know why the club folded.

As part of his research he's been in touch with Morton in the Community, and is also hoping to tap into resources held by the Scottish Football Association at Hampden Park. 

Jim is urging any former Kilmacolm FC players to come forward with information about what led to the club's demise. 

He said: "I feel the story has to be told. 

"The club was a big part of my life for many years and I really enjoyed my time there. 

"It would be great to find out how it all ended so that I can finish off the story and get it out there to people."

If you have any information on Kilmacolm Football Club you would like to share with Jim, email bjimmygolf@aol.com