Once upon a time Scaur FC, an amateur football team in
Nithsdale, penetrated through to the qualifying stages of the Scottish Cup and
were drawn against a team from Motherwell who arrived in the wee village with
a bus load of supporters who were soon running backwards and forwards to the
little field behind the pub photographing sheep and sending them back to their
relatives on their phones. "I've never seen one so close. They're quite
friendly looking, eh?" In the pub some of the visitors had cornered a
local woman and were asking "aye but what de ye dae?. I mean fir
fun? or fir a hairdo?". It was very much a clash of cultures, though everyone got on
famously. After they'd left, a stalwart of the club Geordie Logan described how
another time they'd been visited by folk from the city and someone had remarked about one of the sheep which had been dipped bright orange.
"Aye", Geordie had said, "that's the type they get the goalies'
jerseys from."
