Football fan to manage 142-year-old Scottish club he doesn't support for one game

Albion Rovers, one of Scotland’s oldest football clubs, will be managed by a fan who doesn’t support them for one game.

Former Rangers and West Ham striker Sandy Clark, who currently manages the Lowland League side will step aside for Saturday’s clash against Hearts B to make way for Hibs fan Duncan McKay.

McKay has tried out different jobs across Scottish football including being a mascot, ballboy, tannoy announcer, kit man, and groundskeeper as part of a segment on BBC Scotland’s A View from the Terrace

However he will have full control of picking Saturday’s team, discussing tactics and taking the half time team talk.

Duncan McKay to take charge of Albion Rovers this weekend against Hearts B. Story Shop via Supplied

He presented his CV of leading Accrington Stanley to a European Cup win in Football Manager as proof of his managerial skills ahead of the game at Cliftonhill.

He said: “I’ve been dreaming of this my whole life. Most fans think they can do a better job than the manager, so I’m going to put it to the test.

“I was happy to ask Albion Rovers if they’d let me manage the team because I never thought they’d actually let me do it. Now it’s a reality, I’m pretty nervous, to be honest.

“Let’s see if all those hours spent playing Football Manager and shouting my expert opinion from the stands and at the TV work in reality. I look forward to meeting the team – I hear they’re a great bunch of lads.

“I’ve been trying to get into the headspace of being a manager for the last few days.

“Football is a funny old game, and at the end of the day, it’s all about getting the three points.

“But if we don’t win, we’ll dust ourselves off and go again. Well, I won’t, as I am only boss for a day, but you know what I mean.”

Albion Rovers board member Ben Kearney said: “Everyone at Albion Rovers is delighted to welcome Duncan as boss for this weekend’s Park’s Motor Group Lowland League fixture against Hearts B.

“It is the perfect opportunity for Duncan to get his foot in the door against the Wee Jambos and we are expecting big things.

“No pressure, but we won our last match at The Reigart Stadium 5-0! Six will do nicely on Saturday.

“We have kept a close eye on Duncan’s fledgling football career so far, and having seen him excel at several different roles across a host of clubs over the past few years – we have full faith that he can handle the step up to management.

“We are big fans of the show at the club, so when they got in touch, we were intrigued. ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has changed the game for football clubs like ours – you have to think differently.

“Football managers have a tough time – everyone thinks they can do it, but it’s a much more difficult job than people realise.

“We’ll be holding our breath on Saturday and while we hope he’ll do the business, we look forward to welcoming Sandy back to the hot seat next week.”

The whole experience will be documented on BBC’s football fan show A View From The Terrace, which airs on Friday night on BBC Scotland at 10.30pm.