Fraserburgh midfielder Paul Young may not clock up more than 600 appearances for the Broch like his father, former Broch central defender Jimmy Young, but he will have something on his CV his dad does not – a Scottish Cup appearance against Rangers.
Young knows his proud dad will have mixed emotions at the prospect of watching him against Graeme Murty’s side at Bellslea Park tonight.
He said: “My dad made 637 appearances for Fraserburgh, a club record for an outfield player. Only his long-time teammate, goalkeeper Billy Gordon, has made more appearances for the Broch. I’m pretty sure my dad would have loved the chance to play against Rangers during his time at Bellslea but he’ll be there watching.
“He’ll be my number one fan on the night and I know he’s really happy for everyone involved at the club.”
The fourth-round tie has been delayed following a postponement of the original game on January 21 but 25-year-old engineer Young, grandson of former Peterhead stalwart Jimmy Wedderburn, insists the wait has only whetted the appetite of the players for their big game.
He said: “Playing against Rangers or Celtic in the Scottish Cup is what every part-time player dreams about and hopefully for myself that dream is about to come true. It is a massive game for all the guys, but especially for some of the people who have been at the club for many years, like our chairman Finlay Noble.
“I think the Broch are well-known for having people around for a long time and it’s good for them to finally get something like this to enjoy, especially an occasion as big as this one.
“I played for Turriff United a couple of seasons ago against Hibs at the Haughs, a game which was shown live but of course this one is on a different scale altogether as it’s going to be beamed across the world.
“It will be surreal to watch the game back on Thursday morning and see yourself on the television. It’s the first time this has happened to a Highland League team.”
The Broch have relished the chance to put themselves in the national spotlight but Young knows when it comes to tonight’s game few give the Highland League team a chance.
The midfielder, however, is daring to dream.
He said: “Nobody gives us a chance. We really do need to have a huge slice of luck and Rangers need to have an off night.
“But it’s 11 against 11 and we’ve nothing to lose.
“We need to go out there, enjoy the occasion and see where that takes us.
“This is an occasion the whole club will embrace and enjoy. We have all had our chance in the media spotlight since the draw was made.
“But it’s probably not going to happen again in our career so we might as well make the most of it now while we can.”