Mail man Pope out to deliver for Talbot
AS Auchinleck captain and the town’s postie, Gordon Pope is used to delivering on and off the pitch.
No one in this football-crazy parish has a better grasp of the excitement surrounding today’s Scottish Cup tie with Ayr.
For the last eight weeks since the fourth-round draw was made he has lived and breathed the buzz as punters stop him daily on his rounds to talk about the big derby.
As undisputed heavyweights of Scottish junior football, Talbot and their fans are used to success – and unfamiliar with the underdogs tag they’ll BY EUAN McLEAN wear when they step out at Beechwood Park today.
So don’t expect them to wear it for long when they offer their senior league neighbours a hot reception and a stern test the fans have been demanding of postman Pope for weeks.
He said: “I remember the day tickets went on sale. I was on my rounds early morning and the fans were already queueing.
“That shows what it means. They are all excited and haven’t stopped talking about it. I work all around this area so most of the fans know who I am. I can’t get away from them as they want to stand and have a chat about the team but I love it.
“No matter who we have played on a Saturday, I can go to a door on the Monday and one of the punters will want to talk to me about the result or the next game. The club is such a big part of the community and we get people coming from the surrounding areas as well.
“We will have 3100 inside our stadium and it will be an amazing atmosphere.”
Should the cold weather freeze the Beechwood Park pitch solid the rescheduled date for Wednesday afternoon might pose a problem for some of Talbot’s players to get time off from their day jobs.
That wouldn’t be a worry for Pope considering a postman’s working hours but his job usually makes match days a draining experience.
He added: “I work most Saturdays so I do my job then get myself to a game.
“I get up at 5.45am every day. I’m not one of these people who can have an afternoon nap or anything before the game. Once I’m up, I’m up.
“The other week I finished work at 12, drove straight to