Albion Rovers aim to leave Celtic fan Rod Stewart reeling

Rod Stewart will be a famous face in the crowd when Albion Rovers take on Celtic in the Scottish Cup fourth round at Airdries Excelsior Stadium on Sunday. Picture: Jane Barlow

Sunday’s Scottish Cup fourth-round tie, switched to Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium, is a sell-out but Rovers have managed to accommodate a late request for tickets from veteran singer Stewart.

For retired schoolteacher Boyd, the occasion also places a slight strain on family relations as his wife and daughter are both committed Celtic supporters.

But Boyd, pictured, whose loyalties have been firmly with Rovers since he was a youngster, has no qualms about the outcome he desires.

“I have to be careful what I say here because my wife and daughter are both Celtic season-ticket holders and their wish is we get a draw – and Celtic go on to win the treble,” said Boyd with a wry smile.

“But, if we win, I will be delighted. We have Rod Stewart plus two coming to the match. We’d heard the rumour on Facebook but Celtic confirmed it with us today that he is coming. It adds to the glamour of the occasion.

“Am I a fan of Rod Stewart? I liked his early stuff! I suppose he gives us A Reason To Believe obviously. I could go on?

“I’ve been to see him in concert. It was in Glasgow a long time ago. We will make him very welcome when he comes to the game. Will I be hoping for a repeat of Rod’s tears after Celtic beat Barcelona in 2012? We will treat Rod with the utmost respect and, hopefully, it will be a great day.

“We are going for the victory and if Rod is disappointed at the end of the game, then that is just one of those things.”

Rovers can expect to earn around £100,000 from the sell-out tie which is being televised live on Sky Sports. Boyd has relished the hype surrounding it since the Coatbridge club upset the odds against Championship side Queen of the South in the last round to earn their date with the Scottish champions.

“It’s been a wonderful seven weeks since the draw was made, but we have sold all our tickets and our hospitality,” added Boyd. “It’s been a lot of work but it’s been a brilliant problem to have. It’s not every week that Albion Rovers have a sell-out crowd of 9,500 to prepare for. It’s normally 350-400. It’s going to be a wonderful occasion for the club but also for the community.

“We’ve sold 1,500 tickets and Celtic could have sold out their allocation many times over.

“When we beat Queen of the South to get here, we earned the grand total of £834. That’s all we banked from that game. We will bank a lot more this weekend.

“The money we earn will help us go from a weekly  battle for survival to a bit of stability. It won’t revolutionise the club. We’re not going to put down a 3G pitch or build a 60,000-seater stadium. But it will help stabilise us and help us build for the future.

“It’s like winning the lottery for a club our size. Clubs this size struggle and there are lots of us struggling. I’m not criticising the SFA or Celtic but I’d like to see a bigger slice of the pie coming down to the lower leagues. Then you wouldn’t be relying on a lottery win like facing Celtic in the Scottish Cup.”