One of the best known faces around Glebe Park – local Courier reporter Chris Hardy, retired last Friday after forty years of service with D.C. Thomson.

However, Chris will still be a regular visitor to the Glebe and will now adopt a more partisan approach as he lends the team his support from the terraces.

“ My 40 years reporting at the Glebe have been a delight and to prove it I fully intend in "retirement" to become a season ticket holder,” said Chris.
“ Although brought up in Montrose and based there throughout my years as reporter covering Angus and the Mearns, I have a soft spot for Brechin.”
“ My gran and grandpa lived in Chanonry Wynd where he and another chap had a market garden, my cousins went to Brechin High in St Andrew's Lane and my aunt was a sister at Brechin Infirmary. I spent many happy holidays playing on the banks of Skinners Burn.”
“ When I began reporting Brechin's matches for the now defunct Sporting Post we were kindly loaned the office and phone at Bert Eggo's shop, a short sprint from the press box. Then we got a phone line at the ground and now its mobiles and laptops.”
“ I enjoy going to the Glebe -it never seems like work. It's not just the entertainment on the park, it's the warm welcome whatever the league position.”
“ Great games and characters over the past 40 years are too many to name. After all that time I think I know less about the game than when I started. However, the managers whose teams have given me most entertainment are Ian Stewart, Dick Campbell and Michael O'Neill. There are signs that Jim Weir's team will join the list.”
“ I have Tommy Gilmartin to thank for living my life without a limp. One frosty night coming out of the gate I did an involuntary triple salco - arms, legs, bunnet, in all directions. I was helped back into the treatment room and expertly put back together without any visible cracks. His contribution towards keeping City on the road must be immeasurable.”
“ Best wishes for the future to everyone at Glebe Park - management, players and supporters.”
City chairman Ken Ferguson said,

" On behalf of everyone at Brechin City I wish to extend our best wishes to Chris Hardy on his retirement from DC Thomson and the Courier and Advertiser. Chris has been an ever present at Brechin City fixtures for longer than I care to remember and his reports were always an accurate assessment of the game without being too unkind. Chris has had to try and extract a quote from many a manager at the end of each game, using his diplomatic, gentlemanly chat when the result did not go quite as planned.”

“ Now that Chris has put his pencil and notebook away in the drawer we hope to see him back at the Glebe where a warm welcome and a new vantage point awaits away from the usual press seats.