The date was May 13, 1995 and Maurice Malpas, the then United captain now managing Motherwell, led the side out with Cameron for the final match of the season against Celtic. United needed to win to have any chance of staying in the Premier Division. They lost 1-0. “I wasn’t the luckiest mascot of all-time was I?” laughs Cameron. “I didn’t bring them the best of fortune. I hope I don’t bring the same bad luck when I play. Maurice was great with me that day, there was a lot of pressure on the team, a full house against Celtic, but he laughed and joked with me. When the team lost and went down everyone else was miserable afterwards, but I’d loved the day. I was just so happy to get out on the park, I didn’t mind.”
Born in April 1988, Cameron picked a bad era to start being a United fan. In 1993-94, United had won the Scottish Cup with a winning goal against Rangers by the now United manager, Craig Brewster, but Cameron was adjudged too young to attend. “I missed the glory years,” he says. “The first season I’ve really strong memories of is the 1997-98 season with players like Kjell Olofsson and Erik Pedersen, they were favourites of mine. My biggest idol, though, was Dave Bowman. With him going on to coach the United youth team, I’ve known him for ages now.”
When Cameron was nine he went to the first session of the newly-opened Jim McLean Coaching School. “I was in the first group of youngsters they took on, it was Tuesday and Thursday nights down at Gussie Park. Me and Garry Kenneth (the United central defender) both went, we started out at the same time. The coach that spotted me was John Holt and it went from there. I first played for United at under-12s level in the Youth Initiative League and a couple of years ago I went full-time. I’d given up the season ticket by that point. Once you sign S-forms you get into games for nothing. Most of our games were Sundays. After watching United on the Saturday, I was just dying for Sunday to come to get out on the park.”
It was Ian McCall that gave him his United debut. Cameron was brought on for Grant Brebner in the 86th minute of a 3-0 win over Kilmarnock on December 11, 2004, depriving Christian Dailly of his previous status as United’s youngest ever. “I knew I was making history, but it wasn’t on my mind at the time,” says Cameron. “I was quite nervous, but loved every minute of it. It was one of the best days of my life. I don’t think Christian would’ve been too happy at me taking his record, but it was always going to be broken someday. David Goodwillie almost beat mine when he came on against Rangers last season, there was only a month in it. There’s a lot of young players at this club good enough for the first team. The manager has been brilliant. He’s said from day one that if we do well, we’ll get our chance. If we take it, we’ll stay there.”
Cameron is the type of player Dundee United used to make. Time was when much of their team was packed with local produce. In recent years only Mark Wilson, now with Celtic but at least sold for £500,000, has emerged from the ranks to lasting effect. Cameron feels that United should use today’s opponents, Hibernian, as a template for changing that. “Their youngsters have become the nucleus of the team. United were the ones that used to be famous for that and hopefully we can do it again,” he says. “That’s what the fans want to see as well, the young boys doing well.”
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What the fans haven’t necessarily wanted to see is a summer which has seen several of the club’s leading players depart, the latest being Lee Miller on a surprise free transfer to Aberdeen. So bad was last season that the club’s end-of-term review dvd, ‘Fresh Brew’, was marketed as a preview to this one instead. “I want to do well for the fans because I’m one of them and know what it’s like,” says Cameron.
“I’ve been frustrated as well, it’s been hard at times, but with a bit of support I think the team we have now can do really well over the next couple of seasons. Being a fan myself I think you want it more, definitely, you don’t want to let them down. I think they understand the situation and they’re starting to back the team a bit more now.”
Brewster has described Cameron’s progress as “an example to all the other young players at the club to show what can be done”. Cameron’s profile has risen since his involvement in Scotland’s under-19s reaching of the European Championships final in Poland. “I was kind of aware of the reaction the team got over there with the amount of messages I was getting,” says Cameron. “The positive press about me personally is good to hear, but you’ve got to live up to expectations when they’re created. It puts a lot of pressure on me, but that’s what happens and in a way it’s good because it must mean I’m doing well for the club that as a young boy I always wanted to play for.”
The hope justifies the hype, according to Brewster. “I’m not afraid to say that we missed him when he was away in Poland,” says the United manager. “He has been excellent for us. For a young boy, he’s got a good head. When I first came to the club people said to me, ‘He’s a decent player’, though when I saw him I thought he was passing the ball sideways too often. I’ve encouraged him to think more positively and always try to get it forward. I think the game that really impressed me, and showed he’d listened, was a reserve game against Aberdeen when he was outstanding. For his age, he’s got incredible composure on the ball. I’ve placed my trust in him and he’s produced for me.”
Cameron is unlikely to be returning to the stands anytime soon. Not that his father and brother will mind that. “They’re delighted for me,” says Cameron. “My dad is so proud. He goes to every away game as well now. He used to play junior football, he was decent, but he was a bit of a dirty player.”
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Nobody is about to demand Cameron jnr cleans up his act. Already a polished performer, he has the potential to really shine for United. He is that all too rare thing at Tannadice lately: a good news story.