Scottish Cup: Clydebank man chuffed team are coming to him

And I don’t mean having a cupboard full of old matchday programmes, owning every strip each season, or getting the manager’s face tattooed on your back.

I mean what distance would you go for the team you follow?

Would you make a 300-mile round trip, travelling more than six hours, every match day?

That’s the task that faces Paul Cummings.

Every. Single. Week.

“Right from a young age, Clydebank was my team,” the 43-year-old admits whilst we chat over the phone, the first time we have actually spoken after months of chatting all things Bankies over WhatsApp.

“A couple of my uncles, my Uncle Ian and my Uncle David were taking me to games when I was four or five years old.

“One of my uncles took me to Celtic Park and I just didn’t like it.

“He gave me the option when both were at home, Celtic or Clydebank and I said we are going to Clydebank.”

A born and bred Bankie, Paul grew up in the Whitecrook area of the town, but these days resides in Aberdeen, 10 minutes outside the Granite City centre.

The northeast has been home for Paul for the last 15 years, but this Saturday, for once in a very long time, Paul doesn’t need to set off on a Friday night to watch his team play the following day.

Because to his joy, Clydebank are coming to him, with a Scottish Cup second-round tie against Formartine United, a semi-professional outfit from the village of Pitmedden, 10 miles north of Aberdeen.

It’s no wonder his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the draw was made in late September.

“It’s brilliant,” Paul continues.

“The first thing I thought about was I’d get a long lie.

“Then within about three hours, I’d had about 36 requests from people wanting to stay over for the weekend. I’m now thinking this will be worse than ever!

“But no, in all seriousness, it is a bit of a relief not to have to do the travel.”

Paul also sits on the board of directors at Holm Park (Image: Supplied)

Growing up in the eighties, a blossoming relationship between boy and football team was sparked into life by, of all things, the large lights that illuminated Clydebank’s famous old ground Kilbowie Park - and a certain Mr Alex Ferguson.

“I fell in love with the floodlights.

“We had these big iconic floodlights, the way the bulbs were, they were shaped like A’s.

“So, we had six A’s around the park. I was fascinated with these. I’d go shopping with my gran on a Friday, and we’d park outside Fine Fare, and these things were always in the sky.”

Before adding: “One of the first games I remember being at was, ironically, beating Aberdeen at Kilbowie. It was a midweek game, and the lights were on. Aberdeen were the champions of Scotland at the time I’m sure and Sir Alex was their manager.”

Paul recalls his passion grew from there, revealing a nine-year secret to his family on his 21st birthday.

He had lied to them as a 13-year-old, a pre-season trip to Morecambe in England was traversed on a train alone and not on the supporter’s bus as he had instructed mum and dad, as the bus was full.

Or his stint as a ballboy in 1993, charged with returning the Mitre to the players during a famous Scottish Cup fifth-round reply, once again against Aberdeen, a match which turned into a seven-goal thriller in the pouring rain.

He went on: “It’s probably the best game of football I’ve ever been to.

“Even now, looking back, and even though we got beat, it had everything.

“Big crowd, 2-0 down, 3-2 up, 4-3 down, the atmosphere was probably the best I ever heard it up there as well.”

Paul has also had two stints on the Clydebank board, currently sitting as a director of membership and sponsorship.

And since Covid, he has been the well-known voice of Clydebank matches, taking up the microphone to commentate on home games on Bankies TV.

He tells the story: “I was back on the board at this point, and we knew the fans weren’t going to be allowed into games.

“And we thought, we need to find a way of getting games to fans.

“David Brockett, our media guy, tried streaming one of the friendlies, and it was good enough, but it was missing something, it was a bit soulless, as it was just a cameraman filming the game.

“I said to him, ‘I’ll buy a microphone and I’ll commentate.’”

The channel has gone from strength to strength over the proceeding few years and Paul admits to keeping an eye on BBC, Sky Sports and TNT commentators to try and pick up tips from them.

Two years ago, Clydebank enjoyed a run to the fourth round of the Scottish Cup, cruelly losing out to then League Two Annan Athletic in extra-time, despite taking the lead in the added-on period.

Paul was there on commentary duties and remembers ex-goalkeeper Cammy Bell, who was covering for the match for BBC Sport, consoling him at full-time.

“When Annan scored their fourth, Cammy just looked at me, and I’d sunk to my knees, and he just looked at me and he was just shaking his head.

“Although he’s from Annan and been involved there, he was genuinely gutted for us, because we had put so much in.

“He’s kept in touch as well; I get the odd message.”

Ahead of his ‘home’ trip to Formatine, Paul will meet up with the rest of his clan as they travel up from Clydebank, no doubt smugly grinning inside that this week, it’s not him doing the long journey home at the end of the 90 minutes.

And if Clydebank were to make it through, who does Paul want in the third round?

“That’s where it gets tough, do you take the rubbish team and then hope for Aberdeen in the fourth round up here or do we take someone from League One or Two?

“But I’d take Dundee United, that would be a good tie.”