Fraserburgh forward Scott Barbour has insisted the Highland League side "did the town proud" in front of a "surreal" Ibrox crowd in Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie with Rangers.
Despite falling to a 5-0 defeat in the competition’s fourth round, the northeast outfit put in a spirited first-half display with almost 1500 travelling fans in tow.
It took nearly half an hour for Philippe Clement’s men to break down the Broch defence through Cyriel Dessers, before Barbour came agonisingly close to finding an equaliser.
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An error from debutant Gers keeper Mason Munn saw him spill the ball straight to the Fraserburgh striker – but his shot flashed inches past the far post. “I didn't expect it to come,” the 33-year-old said. “My legs felt like they were gone before I’d even hit it.
“I was actually away celebrating, once it went past the post you can see my knee sliding.
“I thought it was in, it was through his legs, and it’s just come off his groin and it’s put it away for the corner. Well, it should have been a corner.”
A second-half flurry ultimately saw Clement’s side breeze through to the last 16, with Dessers completing a hat-trick alongside strikes from Clinton Nsiala and Ross McCausland.
Barbour confessed it was "surreal" experience for the part-time team to play in front of over 36,000 fans - an occasion that will long live in the club's memory.
He said: “The amount of fans at Ibrox today… for a club our size in the Highland League to play in front of a crowd like that was surreal.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet. The boys did well though, the boys did the town proud. The amount of fans that were there, I couldn't ask for any more.”
“It's a dream,” he continued. “I'm not a Rangers fan but it's a dream for myself. There's a few Rangers fans in the team, and I can only imagine what it feels like for them.
“You see the amount of fans that came down, it's crazy. The amount of photos in the media this week. It was surreal, I don’t think it'll hit everybody until after the day.”
