GARRY HAY saw 18 years service to Kilmarnock ended with a five-minute phone call from chairman Michael Johnston.
The 35-year-old fans’ favourite grew up supporting his hometown club and was devastated to be told he wasn’t wanted any more.
But Hay last night admitted that breaking the news to his five-year-old, Killie-daft son Blake will be even harder.
He said the fact he will no longer be a part of the Ayrshire club only really hit home yesterday when he checked the newly-published fixture list for next season.
Hay said: “I automatically checked the list to see who Killie got on the opening day, saw it was Aberdeen away — and then realised that I wouldn’t be involved.
“That’s bad enough but I really don’t know how I’m going to be able to tell my son that his daddy won’t be playing for Kilmarnock again.
“Blake is five and he supports the club because it’s in his blood, the same way it was in mine.
“Kids are impressionable but he never really had a choice over his team.”
It’s been an emotional roller-coaster of a summer for Hay, who has had a variety of roles at Rugby Park dangled in front of him only to have them snatched away by under-fire chairman Johnston.
He revealed: “Before the last game of the season — a 3-1 home defeat by St Mirren — I asked Kenny Shiels whether or not that was likely to be my last appearance for the club.
“My contract was due to expire and we hadn’t discussed a new one at that stage.
“Kenny told me that, as far as he was concerned, I’d still be in the squad for next season and that he wanted to use me as a player-coach.
“That would have been brilliant for me.
“I’ve been doing coaching work, along with James Fowler, with our youth teams for the last couple of years and I recently passed my ‘A’ licence.
“Of course, that all went up in the air when Kenny was sacked, which happened while I was on holiday.
“Then I spoke to Jimmy Nicholl, who told me that he wanted me to be his No2 if he was given the manager’s job.
“I was thrilled by that prospect because I’ve always supported Kilmarnock.
“I have been on the books since 1995 and I still live in the town.
“However, when I got back from holiday Jimmy hadn’t been offered anything and he left to become Pat Fenlon’s assistant at Hibs.
“I had half an idea then that I might be leaving.
“I had met Michael Johnston once the season had finished but nothing had been decided.
“Then I spoke to him on the phone and he told me that there was nothing there for me.”
After 394 games — and nine goals — for the club that was hard to take and Hay is still coming to terms with a future without his beloved Kilmarnock. He said: “It will be really odd not going back into that changing room and seeing the same old familiar, ugly faces.
“That’s why it’s so disappointing that it ended the way that it did.
“In that game against St Mirren I came off the bench for the last five minutes but, at that time, I expected to be back again next season.
“Unfortunately, the way that it’s turned out, I wasn’t able to say goodbye to the fans or the people at the club.
“It’s a low point but there were plenty of highs — playing in Europe and, best of all, beating Celtic in the League Cup Final last year.
“That memory will stay with me forever.”
Hay was granted a testimonial by the Rugby Park club three years ago — a 4-1 win over fierce local rivals Ayr United — but he’s not yet ready, or able, to retire.
He said: “I reckon I can still play for a couple of years yet.
“A player-coach job somewhere would be the best of both worlds for me because I intend to go into management eventually. However, if I was offered a straight coaching job then I would take it because, long term, that’s where my future lies.
“In the meantime, I could still be involved at Kilmarnock coaching the youngsters.
“But that’s not something which could sustain me, in terms of a wage.
“Hopefully, I’ll get the chance sometime to say goodbye properly to all the people at Rugby Park.
“I would also like to thank all the guys I ever played with at Killie because it meant so much to me.”
Read more:
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What disgraceful way to treat a club legend.
