Yoker Athletic's shocktroops have been in sharp focus for the television cameras this week as they gear up for a first Junior Cup Final in 89 YEARS.
But goalkeeper Scott Uquhart insists it’s the stalwarts behind the scenes that deserve the glory - and nobody more so than their hands-on chairman whose love for the club stretches so far he still washes the strips.
The Whe Ho are huge outsiders for Saturday’s live televised clash against cup specialists Auchinleck Talbot but Urquhart insists they won’t be hung out to dry come kick off time in Ayrshire.
And by the end of the 90 minutes he would love nothing more than to see club chief Campbell Bissland lifting silverware instead of the usual bag of stinking kit.
Gordon Robertson’s side have stormed to the final past Girvan, Ashfield, Dyce and hotly-tipped Petershill and are gunning for only a second ever success in the competition.
That last one came in 1933 when Tranent were beaten 4-2 in a replay at Hampden.
And Urquhart said: “What’s happened this season is nothing short of phenomenal and has really put the club back on the map.
“The TV cameras have been down at training and it’s been incredible.
“I only came in the door last summer but we’ve got guys like the chairman Campbell Bissland who has been involved with the club for decades.
“He even still washes the strips after every game .. how many chairman do that?
“You don’t expect the guy at the top of the club to be running around making sure boys are kitted out right but that’s what he does.
“It’s the same with the secretary Alan Millmine. They can’t do enough for you. There’s a real family feel to the club, a proper community club, and it’s for those guys that we’d all love to win this cup.
“They are just genuinely good people who you want to play football for and hopefully we make them proud.”
Despite the cameras rocking up at training there’s no danger of Urquhart’s team mates thinking they’re big shots.
Not after a shooting drill for the BBC crew left the cameramen and passing motorists diving for cover.
The keeper is confident his mates will have their sights back on target in the biggest game of their lives today though.
The 35-year-old former amateur Scotland international said: “The BBC have been down at training and it’s felt a bit different this week.
“Some might say it feels big time but if you watched the shooting drills that they got on film you’d think a bit different.
“If Talbot see that they’ll be rubbing their hands.. I think there were windows smashed on two passing motors and the cameramen were running for cover!
“Maybe that could lull them into a false sense of security.
“But in all seriousness I’m just trying to keep all that stuff on the backburner for now.
“The worst thing that could happen would be boys trying to play the occasion rather than the game. Talbot are used to this, we aren’t. So it would be easy to be a bit shellshocked with a big crowd and live TV.
“We don’t want to take our eye off what we could possibly do here.
“The performance against Petershill in the semi final was massive and we were thoroughly deserving of the win.
“Now we have a free shot really. Nobody expects us to win.
“But we have a quiet confidence that if we all perform to our capabilities then we have a chance.
“We know it’s been a long, long time since this club even got to the final so we want to give it our best shot.”
Despite being the elder statesman of the squad Urquhart is in his first season at junior level having spent his entire career playing amateur.
His two Scotland caps remain the highlight. But he won’t be getting caught short on the big occasion this afternoon after learning from his last international outing.
The keeper said: “This is my first season at juniors so to get to the final of the Junior Cup is a bit of a dream. I've got Gordon to thank for giving me this opportunity.
“I got two international caps at amateur level. I played against Republic of Ireland a couple of years ago and then we faced Northern Ireland at home.
“I never started that one, maybe I was too honest with the manager when I told him I’d had the runs before I showed up! I learned a lesson there.
“This is the biggest game of my life though. I’ve got 30 friends and family going down.
“A few of them travelled up to Dyce to watch the quarter final too. That’s commitment! But it’s their local team aswell and they’re buzzing for it.
“We’d love to give Yoker a night to remember after all these years.”
Meanwhile boss Robertson insists there’s no way his Yoker underdogs will lie down and have their belly tickled by the giants of junior football Auchinleck.
The Glasgow side are preparing for only their second appearance in a Junior Cup Final and the first since 1933.
In that time Talbot have won the competition a record 13 times.
But Robertson, who has guided Yoker to promotion into the second tier of the West of Scotland League as well as this afternoon’s showpiece final, said: “We’ll not be having our bellies tickled by anyone.
“Nobody has more respect for what Auchinleck have achieved over the years than me. They are a fantastic club not just on the park but behind the scenes as well.
“But there’s absolutely no point us turning up just to make up the numbers. We will have a game plan and are as prepared as we possibly could be.
“Mark my words, we will be going all out to win the game. I 100 per cent believe we are capable of it.”
