Fort William manager Russell MacMorran admits he has been overwhelmed by the response to his side ending their long wait for a first win.
The Claggan Park side defeated Nairn County 5-2 in the first round of the North of Scotland Cup for their first competitive victory since August 23 2017.
Their victory came a day after the club had featured on a BBC documentary, charting their progress throughout the 2018-19 season when they finished bottom of the Highland League with minus seven points, having suffered a nine-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player on three occasions.
The team were trending on Twitter on Wednesday following the win with their number of followers on the social media website more than doubling from 7,000 to more than 16,000.
The club will now turn their attention to claiming their first Highland League win since April 2017. They have a chance to do that when Inverurie Locos visit Claggan Park today.
MacMorran said: “In the changing room after the game were scenes of genuine joy and relief showing that it definitely meant so much to all the lads, including our nine new recruits on loan from Caley Thistle.
“I felt humbled by the whole experience.
“The reaction to that long-awaited victory is exactly what I would have liked. The players were applauded off the pitch on Wednesday night by a crowd in the region of 200 when we usually only get around 60 to 80 people.”
He added: “I spent the whole of Thursday trying answering emails and text messages.
“As soon as I emptied one lot it filled up again.”
Fort face a tougher task against Inverurie Locos at home today.
Cove Rangers midfielder Sam Burnett could make his Locos debut after joining on a season-long loan.
Locos boss Neil Cooper said: “We don’t know much about this new-look Fort William side so we will give their young side the same respect we give every other opposition team.
“We need to put on the same type of performance we showed in beating Keith 3-0 in the Aberdeenshire Cup on Wednesday night.”
