It’s brilliant to see what Final means to fans
IF it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the importance of football in the wider scheme of things, nor can the power of the game to shine light in dark places be understated.
Upon qualifying for the Betfred Cup final last month, one of Motherwell’s sponsors elected to run a competition where supporters could nominate a deserving cause to be handdelivered four tickets for the Hampden showdown with Celtic by two first-team players.
Amid the myriad worthy entrants, the case of Aston and Marcus Hope stood out. Aged eight and ten, respectively, the brothers lost their father Brian just three months ago.
For Richard Tait and Andy Rose, the visit to a crammed household in Uddingston this week was a timely reminder of what a wonderful distraction the beautiful game can still be from the harsh realities of everyday life.
‘It was great,’ recalled Tait. ‘I put on Twitter that both those lads made the day for Andy and me, with just the way they were.
‘They have had a really hard time recently, so it was nice to go to their house and put a smile on their faces and invite them to the final.
‘The family knew about it but the little lads didn’t. They answered the door and Rosey said: “Marcus, isn’t it?” and the boy was like: “How did you know my name?”.
‘It was brilliant. To go and do that, put a smile on their faces and invite them to the game.
‘They are only eight and ten. They weren’t going to the final otherwise. It was nice to see how happy they were.
‘It sums up what a family club this is. It does a lot for the town and the fans. It was nice to give something back to them and to see them happy when they got the tickets.’
Thankfully, such heartwarming stories are becoming more commonplace in Scottish football.
Although the game, in many respects, has drifted away from the working man due to its escalating cost, clubs the length and breadth of the country are attempting to re-engage. This renewed two-way transmission can surely only be a good thing.
‘As a player, I don’t think you properly realise what it means to fans sometimes,’ admitted Tait.
‘We go on the pitch and forget about all our problems. For that 90 minutes, we’re fully focused on that game. You forget anything that’s going on in your life.
‘It’s the same for the fans who come to watch you. It’s a release for them to forget the problems in life and just get on with the game.’
These are heady days for Stephen Robinson’s men. Up challenging in the top six in the league again and with a cup final on the horizon, the struggles of recent seasons now feel like they belong to a different age.
Irrespective of how it turns out against Celtic next Sunday, there is a collective will to make sure the spirit that has galvanised the town and its club in the past month is fostered.
‘It’s nice to come into work and see the club shop so busy,’ added Tait. ‘The fans have really embraced the cup final and they are looking forward to it.
‘They will be pushing us on to win it. I know it’s a bit different but you look at when Leicester won the league, just how many young fans enjoyed that season and how many more supporters the club got from that.
‘Our cup run has taken the town by storm. Hopefully, a lot of young boys are having a look at Motherwell rather than the big clubs in Glasgow.
‘It’s a great chance to write our names in history. You want to win trophies. It would be great to win this one and be remembered.’
More immediately, though, the trip to Aberdeen today will require Motherwell’s undivided attention. As tough an assignment as this is, it could be argued it’s the perfect test before all eyes turn to Hampden.
‘It’s pretty easy to focus this weekend,’ insisted Tait. ‘We’ve got Aberdeen and that’s all we’re focused on. The only people really thinking about next week are the media and the supporters.
‘It probably helps that we’re away to the second-best team in the country.
‘We know how well we have to perform to beat these teams. It’s a good game for us before the final. But we’re very focused on this match and next week is out of our mind completely.
‘I don’t think anyone wants to go to Aberdeen and save anything. I don’t think any of our team would ever do that.
‘Put it this way — if you do that, then you aren’t going to play in the final.’