THE playing career of Billy McLafferty has entered its final furlong.

The gnarled veteran, who turns 40 in July, has decided to hang up the well-worn boots after memorable service at Petershill (two spells), Shotts, Kilwinning, Renfrew (three spells), Pollok, Maryhill, Clydebank and current employers Yoker (two spells).

But for the Holm Park outfit's continuing involvement in this season's Central League Cup, where they are through to the last 16, Claff would have signed off in his last-ever league match against Lanark last Monday.

And what a fitting send off that would have provided after he turned back the clock in best Roy of the Rovers mode to bag a hat-trick in the Whe Ho's 3-2 victory.

But, has his man-of-the-match performance given rise to second thoughts about calling it a day? "Not at all," retorted the bricklayer to trade." The Juniors has been a large slice of my life for close on 20 years but once this season is by then so am I."

He continued: "The motivation is still there for playing, but the necessary commitment for putting my body through twice weekly training sessions has definitely fallen by the wayside.

"And I'm not willing to give it anything but my all, especially with the game nowadays demanding players are in the best possible shape.

"The thought has been in my head for some time now, however I had to laugh when Fudgy (manager Jim George) took me aside and said I was doing the right thing because everyone could see I had lost half a yard of pace.

"He was only stating the obvious for someone almost 40 years of age, yet I still got annoyed at the thought of people thinking I was done so it gave me a real boost to go out and score a hat-trick.

"With hindsight, though, I believe Fudgy was playing mind games to psyche me up because, over the years, he has certainly had the knack for getting the best out of me."

Claff went on to reminisce fondly of playing alongside and against Junior characters of old such as John Paisley, Gordon Mills, Frank Loughran, George Gemmell, Robert Anderson, Stevie Campbell and Ian Spittal.

He said: "Coming into the Juniors my mentor was big Pat Cairney, who was as good a centre-half as I've seen, though some of my toughest games were going up against the Shettleston pairing of Ian Ashcroft and Brian Smith.

"And I've teamed up with a lot of quality strikers down the years but, with all due respect, the best of them all was Charlie Gibson, whose head flicks created so many goals for me."

"No manager has ever handled me better than Fudgy, however I also enjoyed playing under the likes of Mick Dunlop and Neil Watt."

So, does the seasoned front man have any regrets?

"The red mist coming down more often than not," he responded without hesitation.

He added: "Most strikers tend to get asked how many goals have they scored in their careers, but the question always put to me is: How many times were you sent off?' "Too many if truth be told, but it was difficult for me to keep a lid on things when aggression was one of my main attributes.

"Unfortunately, mine was not the controlled variety, and a lot of red cards came my way for nothing other than sheer stupidity.

"Some were deserved, some unwarranted, but the one thing I will say is they were all avoidable if I could only have kept my temperament in check as in recent years. I now enjoy a laugh and a joke with referees and that would definitely never have happened in bygone days."

Claff also bemoans his meagre medal collection.

He said: "To win championships at Kilwinning and Renfrew, as well as picking up two Whyte & Mackay Cup gongs is a poor reward for all my efforts. And even more so when I think back to some great teams I had the good fortune to play in and the many top players who were team-mates.

"That said, my trophy cab-inet is currently full with the match ball from the game against Lanark which the officials at Yoker presented to me as a keepsake.

"Fudgy and all the players have signed it, which is their way of saying I have no chance of netting another treble against whoever we meet in the Central League Cup."

Don't bet against it!