Scottish Cup: Can Stephen King-inspired Buckie Thistle stun Celtic in fourth round?
- Published
Buckie Thistle count Stephen King among their fans
Scottish Cup: Celtic v Buckie Thistle |
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Venue: Celtic Park, Glasgow Date: Sunday, 21 January Kick-off: 16:00 GMT |
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland & BBC Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app, highlights on BBC Scotland from 19:15 |
When Buckie Thistle travel to Celtic Park for Sunday's Scottish Cup tie, they will not only be drawing the attention of up to 60,000 fans and a sizeable television audience, they will also pique the interest of one of the world's literary giants.
In 2020, Stephen King, best-selling writer of works including Carrie and The Shining, brought worldwide attention to the Highland League club by featuring them in his anthology, If It Bleeds.
And King has kept up his affinity for Buckie.
"He knows about the game and he has sent his best wishes to the club against Celtic," club chairman Garry Farquhar told BBC Breakfast this week.
"We've always said to him if he's ever in this part of the pond he'd be more than welcome to come to Buckie, so if we got a replay, it'd be an ideal opportunity for him to turn up."
The tie will mark Celtic's first competitive game against Buckie - and the first meeting between the clubs since Celtic visited Victoria Park in 1989 for Thistle's centenary celebrations.
"Judging by the amount of buses that are apparently heading down to Glasgow I think Buckie's going to be a quiet place," Farquhar said.
"It's really special. It's what dreams are made of. Getting into the fourth round - that was an achievement in itself, so this is the icing on the cake to get a draw against such a big team and the current holders."
'My guys are all fit - they're ripped'
Graeme Stewart's Buckie finished second in last season's Highland League
Reaching the fourth round was achieved via a last-minute equaliser, a late extra-time leveller and penalty-shootout win against Broxburn Athletic in November.
Buckie also scored a last-gasp winner to beat Huntly last weekend, the latest in a series of nerve-wracking results as they challenge for SPFL promotion.
And manager Graeme Stewart suggests his side's habit of scoring late goals could be their surprise weapon in Glasgow.
"We've done that a lot over the last year, which is a good skill to have," he told the Scottish Football Podcast.
"You've got to be realistic, you can't sound foolish, but I'd be lying if I said I'm not dreaming or thinking of ways how we can get a result.
"It's different from maybe 10 years ago in the Highland League, when you had a few guys on the team who weren't proper athletes.
"Now, especially at the level where we're playing, with the top three or four clubs, my guys are all fit - they're ripped - so physically I'm hoping they're going to be able to put in a good shift.
"We're going to need that to have any chance. It's nothing like we've ever faced before and we're going to have to be focused - if we're not prepared, it could get silly.
"We've got to be honest, we've won already. In term of finances for the club, of exposure, it has been fantastic. We've taken in new fans, sponsorship, all that has been absolutely amazing."