Scottish Cup | Russell sets sights on Road to Hampden success

Posted on Tuesday, September 13th, 2022

The Spartans head West this weekend as they begin the perennial ‘Road to Hampden’ journey. 

Saturday sees a trip to Holm Park, Clydebank for the first meeting between the sides in Round 1 of the Scottish Cup.

The tie will be the 70^th in the tournament for Spartans who will be keen to advance beyond the first hurdle and embark upon a run similar to those halcyon cup days of 2014/15 and a hat-trick of 4^th Round escapades the decade before.

Standing in their way are West of Scotland outfit Clydebank. The ‘romance of the cup’ may be one of the most overused clichés in sport however it rings true.  Whilst it’s a pleasant treat to be drawn against opposition from other leagues, the disadvantage of course is knowing little about them other than the odd social media snippet or bite-sized highlights of varying quality.

Our hosts have played half the league games so far in their WOS Premier League competition than Spartans have in the Lowland League however both sides sit mid-place in their respective tables, setting up what should be an intriguing East v West fixture.

One man with Scottish Cup experience under his belt is playmaker Cammy Russell.  The attacking midfielder has had stints in the tournament with Airdrie, East Kilbride and Kelty before his move to Ainslie Park exactly one year ago.

That magic of playing in ‘the Scottish’ is a perennial pleasure for Cammy and this year is set to be no different.

“Playing in the Scottish Cup gives us all a big buzz.  I think everyone kind of hopes that you get that big tie come out the bag and you could probably say that we’ve got that this round. Clydebank were quite a well-known side in the Junior set-up previously, have been going well in their league and had a good run in the Scottish last season too.”

“I think it’ll be a typically tough physical battle and anyone who watched the highlights of their cup games last year will know that it’s not an easy place to go.  That’s what we need to expect and be ready for that.”

Spartans pedigree in the Cup has seen previous successful runs over the years which have truly captured the imagination of many, from the sombrero wearing days at City Park to treacherous trips to the Highlands.

Russell added, “A good cup run is important.  It builds team morale and a winning mentality is a healthy one.  Hopefully this is something we can not only achieve in the Scottish, but in other cups too. 

“However, on the day it’s really down to who turns up and wants it more.”

Tickets for the game are priced at £9 Adults & £5 Concessions and kick off at Holm Park will be 3pm.  You can get your tickets in advance if possible.   https://app.fanbaseclub.com/Fan/Tickets/SelectType?fixtureId=1993

This week, as a mark of respect and in keeping with the period of National Mourning, home clubs may wish to hold a period of silence and/or play the National Anthem just ahead of kick-off, and players may wish to wear black armbands.