GERS FANS JET OFF FROM GLASGOW FOR EURO FINAL
Excitement builds as supporters gear up for massive match against German side
DEVOTED Rangers fans arrived at Glasgow Airport yesterday to travel to Seville as they looked forward to their team playing in the Europa League final tomorrow.
For many of them, this is a oncein-a-blue-moon occasion that they are sharing with family.
Stephen Kinnaird, 53, who wanted to make sure his son had a ticket before buying one for himself eventually, said: “I have been abroad with Rangers a few times but not this season.
“It’s the first trip I have been able to do with my son, Jordan, for eight or nine years.
“It absolutely means a lot. How many people get the chance to say that they went to a European final with their son or daughter? That’s what it’s all about.
“I don’t care what the result is as long as we win.”
Jim and John Barclay, who have been Rangers fans for over five decades, said: “We are absolutely buzzing.
“We have tickets as well, which makes it even better.
“The last time we were abroad with Rangers was in 1972 when we won the cup in Barcelona.
“It’s absolutely fantastic that we are going again. There is only one result, Rangers are going to win, it’s written in the stars.”
The brothers are staying in sunny Spain for four nights after the game.
When asked if they had to make any sacrifices to get there, they joked: “We had to be nice to the wives.
“As long as we bring back plenty of duty-free for them, they will be happy.”
They were lucky enough to get their tickets with no issues, which cannot be said for a lot of Light Blue fans.
Craig Fearn, Lee McDonald, Steven Fearn and Sam McIlvenna spent a lot of time and effort securing their tickets to a fan zone.
The group of friends spent 48 hours trying to buy the golddust briefs before they finally succeeded.
They joked: “We might have lost our jobs when we get home, but hey-ho.
“We will not have any family to go home to once the trip is over.”
Despite the struggles, they are optimistic.
They added: “We are expecting a win for the Glasgow Rangers and we are feeling 100% confident.
“We are bringing the trophy home, we deserve it, this is our time.”
In total, they are spending five days travelling and catching four flights on the way to Seville.
Surprisingly, not every Rangers fan at the airport was Sevillebound.
Janet and Sandy Lambie were on their way to their holiday in Turkey, which they booked three years ago.
The couple have both been supporting the team since they were born but decided to go ahead with their dream vacation nonetheless.
They said: “Maybe for a wee second we were gutted, but we are happy that we are going on holiday. There will be plenty of other Rangers fans over there.
“We will have our flag hanging off our balcony, we have our football tops with us, we will be showing our support for the team.
“We are expecting a victory, but regardless, it’s a boost for Scottish football.”
On their way to the gate, they were hoping to run into the players, who were flying from the same airport.
Richard Reid was also hoping to run into the men of the hour, that is why he went to the airport yesterday, despite flying from Edinburgh this morning.
He said: “I am excited. I was in Manchester in 2008 with Rangers but this will be incredible because of the amount of fans heading out there.
“My nephew is flying from Japan, travelling over 30 hours, I am meeting him in Madrid and then we are heading to Seville.
“We’ve all got tickets to the match as well, so it will be awesome.
“I will be distraught if they don’t win, but getting there is the main achievement.”
On his way to the airport, Richard stopped by Ibrox to buy a sombrero from the stalls, an item many of those heading out were wearing.
For example, Kenny, Frank and Tommy Roy, along with Franko.
They said: “We are absolutely buzzing and we are confident that we are going to win.
“We went to Braga before and we won, so we are hoping to do the
same again. Hopefully, they will do it for us, that is the main thing.
“Everything is out the window, nothing matters, we are going to Seville, we gave up everything to be there.”
Travelling with them are Tommy, George, Lewis and Jack Roy, who are going for four days.
Among them, only Lewis has a ticket for the game, which cost £1800.
Tommy said: “We booked the tickets about five weeks ago, in hopes that we were going to get through, and we did, so it was worth it.”
We are expecting a victory, but regardless, it’s a boost for Scottish football