Dale Wood wants his idols to know they’ve been in a game when Buckie Thistle tackle Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
Midfielder Wood is a Celtic supporter, but won’t be standing back admiring his heroes.
The 26-year-old is eager to get stuck in as Buckie attempt take a huge cup scalp.
When asked who stood out for him in the Hoops squad, Wood said: “Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley would be my two favourite Celtic players.
“For the past seven or eight years, McGregor has been one of the top players and – when he retires – I think he’ll be remembered as a legend.
“I think O’Riley has a great career ahead of him, but sadly it doesn’t seem like Celtic will be able to hold on to him for much longer.
“But you can’t just be standing in awe of these players, you’ve got to get right in about them.
“They’re the cup holders and the best team in the country, but we’re going there to do a job and there’s not a better place to try to do it than Parkhead.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to get to play against guys like that.
“Regardless of who plays, it will be great to take them on.
“To play against my idols is one thing, but we’ll be going there to do our best, and you want to win and want to do well, so we’ll see how it goes.”
‘Callum McGregor won’t have been doing a shift at a distillery on Friday’
A major difference between this afternoon’s protagonists is the Celtic players are full-time and have had all week to prepare, while Buckie’s squad is part-time and play football alongside their day jobs.
Their task has also been made more difficult by only being able to train together last night because of this week’s snow.
Wood works as a mechanical engineer at the Macallan distillery near Aberlour and started his shift at 6am on Friday.
He added: “That’s the difference between the teams – because Callum McGregor won’t have been doing a shift at a distillery on Friday.
“But that’s the magic of the Scottish Cup really. Everyone at work has been speaking to me about it this week.
“All my pals at work have got a sweepstake going for what the score will be.
“I’ve been winding a few of them up because some of the scorelines are a bit harsh on us – but I’ve been told to pipe down.
“It’s been a bit stop-start this week with the training situation, but it just adds to the challenge.”
Wood is a believer
To say Buckie aren’t fancied to defeat Celtic is an understatement. Bookmakers have priced them anywhere from 33/1 to 100/1 to triumph at Parkhead.
However, Wood – who is set to have 15 family and friends cheering him on among the 2,300-strong Jags support – is daring to dream that the upset many view as impossible could happen.
“You’ve always got to dream – and I definitely am,” he said.
“For everyone at the club, you want them to enjoy it. Buckie’s never had a tie like this and it’s brilliant to be part of it.
💬 "It will be mixed emotions walking out to the Celtic fans – I'll be trying to not sing along!"
Buckie Thistle's Celtic supporting midfielder Dale Wood says his side's Scottish Cup tie at Celtic Park is a dream come true. 🏆https://t.co/Jfqw8Ac707
— Highland League Weekly (@HighlandLW) January 17, 2024
“I think it would be the biggest upset in the Scottish Cup if we could win.
“Fans of other clubs might disagree, but I think, with the gulf in money and everything else between Celtic and Buckie, it would be the biggest upset in history.
“Everyone in Scotland has been asking for most of the last decade: ‘How do you stop Celtic?’
“Obviously it’s a mammoth task, but in cup games anything can happen. Hopefully we give a good account of ourselves and see what happens.”
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