Source: FOOTYMAD
East Meets West In The Cup
Saltire Thistle have some way to go to catch up on their Edinburgh rivals but are confident they have the game to do just that. Glasgow’s Saltire Thistle host Edinburgh Hotscots in the GFSN UK Round 1 cup game on Saturday at 2pm and it’s the first time the sides have met. The derby match has captured the imagination of the LGBT community and over 100 spectators are expected to head to Toryglen Regional Football Centre to catch the action. Edinburgh Hotscots won the competition in 2009 and must go into the game as favourites. However Saltire Thistle, despite being set up only 6 months ago, will be trying their hardest to upset the form book in what promises to be a great derby match between the sides.Ross McClung, co-founder and chairman of Saltire Thistle, can’t wait to see the action unfold. He said: “Edinburgh Hotscots are indeed our benchmark, being set up in 2007 and winning this competition in 2009. While our primary aim as a club is to fight homophobia in football by creating a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for gay people and their friends, it’s also about playing as a team and winning on the park. We believe we have the players within our squad to cause an upset on Saturday by winning, but we have to be at our very best individually, and as a team on the day."The prospect of beating the cup holders is a tough ask of a team who only started having open kickabout sessions in March. However, the future looks good for Saltire Thistle, having already had 40 different people attend the sessions. Manager and co-founder Colin Sinclair is looking to carry on improving the team. He said: “I’m delighted with numbers so far and as a manager my job is made easy by the attitude and determination shown by the members we have already. I’m always on the lookout for new players to add in though, and as people see the club grow in numbers as well as developing the skills of our current members, we should be a side that makes people sit up and notice us, and want to play for us. For now though I’m concentrating on the game in hand to ensure we give a good account of ourselves” Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is ScottishFitba Net
