DUNBAR United captain Fraser McLaren has encouraged his team-mates to make the most of their Scottish Cup debut.
The Seasiders will write their own little piece of history this weekend when they welcome Broxburn Athletic.
Thirty-two-year-old McLaren has lined up against Hibernian and Celtic during a career that has taken him from Berwick to Peterhead.
Now, he is ready to write another chapter as he leads out Dunbar in their first-ever Scottish Cup tie.
He said: “It is great memories and they are memories that nobody can take away from you. Hopefully, we can get through this game, which will be massive for us.
“Hopefully, we can get a good run and anything can happen in a cup tie. We beat Broxburn early doors and we played well in that game.
“Broxburn have picked up in recent weeks but we are always confident going into the game. [New manager] Kevin Haynes has been massive in bringing a lot of confidence into the boys.”
The West Lothian side have their own Scottish Cup history having knocked out Cowdenbeath in 2019 before losing out to Premiership side St Mirren in the fourth round.
McLaren said a couple of victories and the luck of draw meant teams could soon find themselves in a similar situation.
He said: “I think it will be massive for the club. If we get a big tie, you get it on the cameras, you get the cameras down and get supporters back into the ground.
“We really missed them last year and, hopefully, things are getting back to normal.
“They have missed it and so far we have had really good crowds through the gates.”
The assistant waste co-ordinator at Torness Power Station and his family are no strangers to football in Dunbar.
His granddad Alex and his dad Tony both managed the club while his uncle Alan also pulled on the black and white stripes.
The latest generation of McLaren to play for the club told Courier Sport: “I’m sure my family will be there watching as well.
“I think a good run in the Scottish Cup is always good and I think if we can get through this one, which will be a very tough game against Broxburn, hopefully we can get through and then you are into the first round.”
McLaren was not the only one looking forward to the cup tie.
The club had to look on last year as Haddington Athletic, Musselburgh Athletic and Tranent Juniors made their first steps in the competition, joining long-term county representatives Preston Athletic.
Stuart Robertson, Dunbar United chairman, said: “It just feels like a massive sense of achievement.
“After everything that has gone on over the last 12 months, to get the licence and into the Scottish Cup draw – we are hugely looking forward to it.
“I would rather have had a bye like Haddington and Tranent though!
“It just crystalises the effort everybody has put into the club over the 12 months.”
Mr Robertson, who became involved with the club less than a year ago, felt there was a growing support for the side in the community.
Three-hundred-and-fifty fans attended the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division clash with Musselburgh Athletic earlier this month.
Now, he is hopeful a similar number will be coming through the turnstiles when they welcome Broxburn.
He said: “We have had an interesting start to the season.
“We have exceeded our expectations but at the same time we should have done more.
“We have been incredibly unlucky in some fixtures and I think the thing that has changed is the number of goals we are conceding.”
Mr Robertson, who is the IT director of a financial services group, praised the work of the late Malcolm Jones and Ian Livie in getting the club heading in the right direction to achieve the licence.
While much of the facilities were in place at New Countess Park, there was work to be done off the field to ensure they were given the chance to compete in the Scottish Cup.
The chairman added: “All the East Lothian clubs work together really well.
“It is really, really clear a strong East Lothian in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division or the Scottish Lowland Football League benefits everybody.
“It brings better players to the region and raises the profile of the region. We have always been behind Midlothian, West Lothian and Edinburgh but that tide is turning.”
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