Football fanatic

Teenager Gordon Bonnes has attracted a cult following online after posting football-focused videos on YouTube.

Cupar teenager Gordon Bonnes hasn’t reached the millions of followers stage since setting up his own YouTube video sharing channel five years ago. But the 19-year-old former Castlehill Primary and Bell Baxter High School pupil, who operates with the handle Goggsy99, has attracted a cult following of 4,900 subscribers after posting more than 1,000 videos from his bedroom mainly centred on his “fanaticism” for Motherwell FC.

A film crew even recently followed him from Cupar Railway Station to a game versus St Johnstone in Motherwell.

And he was also recently invited by Clyde FC to interview their chairman Norrie Innes.

“About five years ago, one of the first videos I posted included the moment I discovered my hamster Hermione was dead,” says Gordon, who is studying for an HND in radio at Fife College and who has ambitions to pursue a football broadcasting career.

“I used to do a Q&A Tuesday where I basically got asked all these questions by people at my school. That was the beginning really. People took the mick out of me for about three years but it spurred me on.”

Gordon, whose parents support Motherwell FC and whose uncle Mark is the club doctor, says it took a while for him to live the hamster video down. His reputation changed last year when another of his videos “boomed” online. After Motherwell were beaten 2-1 by Rangers in the Scottish Cup, he posted an “honest” reaction of how he felt.

“It sort of spiralled out of control from there,” he says. “Let’s just say a lot of Rangers fans picked up on it.”

It wasn’t the first time Gordon had felt the wrath of the Ibrox faithful. In the 2015 Scottish Premiership play-offs when Motherwell beat Rangers 6-1 on aggregate, the former Cupar Soccer 7s player – also a qualified youth football referee – was seen in the background of BT Sport footage cheekily waving a red card at the referee.

It appeared on various football forums and following the 2017 Scottish Cup game, some Rangers fans realised it was him – leading to more online feedback.

The greatest number of hits he’s had on a single post, however, followed a league game with Partick Thistle when he filmed Motherwell fans singing their anthem Since I was Young and doing the

I do on the whole get more good feedback than bad feedback. I really do it for the love of the game. I have big plans for the future

Viking handclap. That video alone has since had around 50,000 hits.

“I do on the whole get more good feedback than bad feedback,” adds Gordon.

“I really do it for the love of the game. I’m a Motherwell FC fan. But I don’t just do Motherwell games. Last week, for example, I went to Dundee United v Dunfermline. I have big plans for the future if everything works out. I want to travel the world doing football.”

*Gordon is taking part in a charity football match at Ochilview tomorrow (3pm) between Scottish YouTubers and an over-35s Stenhousemuir fans team.