Andy Auld: How footballer went from Ardeer to America

But one thing that has always famously eluded them is victory at a major tournament.

In fact, the Tartan Army have yet to make it past a group stage of any senior competition.

But what if you were to be told that a man from Stevenston had earned silverware at a World Cup?

That is exactly the tale that Saltcoats filmmaker Aidan Lynn has told, as he covers the remarkable story of Andy Auld.

Andy Auld was born in Stevenston in the year 1900. He played football for Stevenston in 1911, playing there for a number of years before being drafted into the military.

Aged just 16, Andy fought in the infamous Battle of the Somme before leaving the military in 1919.

He began plying his trade on the football pitch with Ardeer Thistle for two years, before moving to Glasgow to sign with Parkhead FC.

Andy and his wife Margaret would later emigrate to North America - though they tried to return to Scotland.

On their way home, the Aulds made a step at Margaret's sister's home near Niagra Falls, and it was here Andy's life and footballing career changed forever.

Andy would feature in a friendly match here, where he was spotted by a scout for the Providence Clamdiggers of Rhode Island.

After speaking with the club, the Aulds opted not to move back to Scotland, and Andy signed, and moved to, Providence in the American Soccer League. He would go onto spend the rest of his career playing in the States.

In a time before international allegiance rules were as strict as they are now, Andy was then selected for the USA national team in 1926 - scoring two goals on his debut against Canada.

Andy Auld (Image: Submitted)

He would be left out of the team for years that followed, until he was selected to play at the first ever World Cup in Uruguay back in 1930.

He was one of five native Scots who were part of the USA squad of 16 for the tournament, coached by another Scottish man.

The USA won both their group matches against Paraguay and Belgium 3-0, and earned their spot in the knockout stages - the semi-final.

The American side, including regular starter Andy Auld, would lose this fixture 6-1 in a dirty match which saw a number of US players injured - including Auld, who lost four teeth after taking a blow to the face.

In a time before third placed play-offs, the result meant that the USA finished in joint third place at the World Cup, alongside Yugoslavia.

Andy would play only one international friendly after the tournament, though when he retired in 1935, the Stevenston man would forever be a player who finished in third place at a World Cup.

He lived out the rest of his days in the USA, with many a trip to Stevenston in between, before his death in 1977.

Andy was buried in the USA, and was inducted into the national soccer hall of fame in 1986.

Aidan's documentary covers all of these details and more in the remarlable tale of Andy Auld.

The film saw the Saltcoats man earn a nomination for the Young Scottish Filmmaker's Prize at Glasgow Short Film Festival 2023 - where the film was screened.

For more information, you can watch the film in full at: youtu.be/UZXA7P2QAqM/.