BoJo can be group chat king
Alan
BSC are the talk of the Cup and talisman Thomas Collins is angling to be king of the group chat.
The boy dubbed BoJo due to his blond curls and fact he studied politics at uni, is facing a fight for bragging rights with one of his best mates.
Midfielder Stevie Mallan may not be able to lace up his boots for Hibs today after undergoing surgery on a knee injury but Collins wants to make sure his pal doesn’t have a quarter-final clash to return to.
The 23-year-old striker said: “Stevie is one of my best pals and it’s a shame he will miss the game but I’m sure they have many adept replacements to test myself against.
“We are both from Paisley and have the same friends group. We also played together between the ages of nine and 14 or 15 at St Mirren – so many connections.
“He will want to recover and get back for a quarter-final tie but we’ll be doing everything we can to put them out.
“I’d like to think the friends group will be supporting the underdog – I think a few of them have tickets for the BSC end.
“There’s a bit of banter in the group chat. I’ve been going to the gym a hell of a lot more so he’s been saying, ‘ There’s BoJo getting ready for the Hibees.’”
He may only be 23 but Collins is well-versed in the Scottish Cup having been part of a Beith side beaten by Ayr and his old Queen’s Park team- mate Lawrence Shankland in 2018.
The new boys on the Cup block were only formed in 2014 and despite originating in Glasgow, their home games are played at Alloa’s Indodrill Stadium.
But Collins is adamant their attention-grabbing journey can help pull in punters.
He said: “They sell mustard bunnets with BSC logos and we’re starting to see more fans turning up wearing them.
“Because they are so recognisable, we know they are there supporting us – and that’s the first time that has been prevalent for BSC.
“That is the positive the club can take from it, not just f inancial but that they are building a stronger support and when they manage to get facilities in the Glasgow area they will be able to build on those foundations.
“When I scored the first goal af ter 48 seconds at East Kilbride (in the fourth round), I ran over to a crowd of a couple of hundred fans celebrating, going mad.
“That was a great moment, when you realise it means a lot not just to us any more but to a helluva lot of other people too.”
Th r e e - one down with 40 minutes to go at New Bay view in Novembe r, this occasion seemed a fantasy. But East Fife were shocked 4-3 and like that day in Fife, the only thing Collins wants to be spraying post match in the dressing room is water.
“There was no champagne, no beers because no one brought them so that we didn’t jinx it,” he said. “And I would rather nobody did it on Sunday. “If we manage to do it I’ll run the half mile along the road to ASDA! I will have done a hell of a lot of running anyway. If I have to run a marathon in 90 minutes and I know we’re going to win then I will try to run a marathon in 90 minutes.
“As our social media team say, I am the only BoJo you can trust.”