And it’s Davidson flying up the wing
Matthew, 10, jets from Barra to Greenock to pursue his football goal
A FOOTBALL-MAD schoolboy flies from the Outer Hebrides to the mainland to play with his team-mates – a round trip of 320 miles.
Matthew Davidson, 10, travels from Barra to join training sessions and matches with Greenock Morton FC’s under-11s up to twice a week.
The midfielder had only played for Castlebay Community School before being spotted at a trials session.
Ross Gourdie, head of the academy, said: “He definitely has a lot of raw talent, standing out during the trial sessions.
“Matthew combines speed with an incredible control of the ball for a young lad of his age.
“It’s really impressive when you consider he has just been playing school football.
“Geography is obviously a bit of an issue but we’re doing our best to help him train at home and he is still impressing us during matches every weekend.”
While his team-mates train up to three times a week, Matthew has been given a special regime to get on with while at home in the Western Isles and it appears to be paying off, with the Celtic and Real Madrid fan having recently scored a hat-trick against St Mirren.
His commute has been supported by flight operators Loganair, who have been providing tickets for their service between Glasgow and Barra – famous for its beach runway.
Greenock Morton chief executive Warren Hawke said: “In recent years, we have seen players such as Rothesay’s Jim McAlister become professionals at Greenock Morton.
“None was quite on the same scale as Matthew, who travels from Barra to train and turn out for our academy’s under-11s side.
“That commitment is admired by everyone at the club and we’d like to thank Loganair for their generous and valued assistance.”