East Kilbride support to outnumber Celtic fans in cup tie
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East Kilbride’s William Hill Scottish Cup fifth-round clash with Celtic at the Excelsior Stadium on Sunday appears to be heading for a sell-out.
The Lowland League club’s K-Park ground, which has a 500 capacity, was deemed unsuitable for the game against the Ladbrokes Premiership leaders and thus moved to Airdrie’s stadium which can hold just over 10,000.
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Hide AdEast Kilbride chairman Mark Horner revealed preparations and organisation since the draw have been “hectic but enjoyable” and is particularly pleased that 350 local disabled kids will be in attendance.
He said: “We will be selling tickets this week and I think we will get rid of them all.
“Celtic have just under 5,000 tickets and we have just over 5,000. Both sets of supporters will be accommodated, that is the main thing and the special bit for us is the disabled factor.
“We are bringing over 350 disabled kids from throughout East Kilbride and their carers - I think there will be something like 750 people coming along - and the Excelsior Stadium is 100 per cent disabled friendly.
“That was a big tick for us to do that.
“I was talking to the owners of the stadium and they said they have only sold it out three or four times so they are looking forward to it as well.”
Horner insists East Kilbride are not going there “just to make up the numbers” against a Celtic side who were sensationally beaten 3-1 by Ross County in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Sunday.
He said: “We are there to do ourselves proud.
“If we are on our game, I am not saying we will give Celtic a game, but we will do ourselves proud and hopefully we can show the nation what we can do.
“And football is football, after five or 10 minutes on Sunday you would have thought it was going to be a runaway score but events changed and Ross County came back into it and became deserved winners. You really never know.”
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