A few years back McBride was tipped for greatness as an up-and-coming young player on the fringes of the Celtic squad.
Managers Wim Jansen and Jo Venglos would usher him on, usually as a late sub to join a First XI which included Henrik Larsson, Craig Burley and Alan Stubbs.
But McBride’s place at Parkhead was not to be. Freed by the club in 1999, he was offered a hand-up by Billy Stark as St Johnstone battled for survival in the SPL.
Again, a new dawn failed to materialise in terms of McBride’s career. Saints were relegated and failed to bounce back. The young midfielder ended up out of the frying pan and into the fire at Partick Thistle.
McBride is recognised as a midfield flair player, someone who can create chances and even score goals. But he failed to hold down a regular place at Firhill, and Thistle were relegated at the end of last season. While he has admirers, some believe he has too slightly built to compete at the highest level. Others say an attitude problem has prevented him from reaching the heights of Celtic’s current crop of youth players including Maloney, McGeady, Wallace and Beattie.
Stenhousemuir offers a chance to McBride to find his way back into higher-level football. He has shone in his first few games. The question is whether he will play an important role in getting the Warriors back into a higher league. Will he rise to the challenge? Only time will tell.