‘I’ve never met a club like you before’ – Scottish singer-songwriter Edwyn Collins shows support for Bunillidh Thistle as club wins first game in four years
Two years ago Scottish singer-songwriter Edwyn Collins could be found supporting Coldplay at Hampden Park.
This weekend he was supporting his local team as the latest sponsor of North Caledonian League side Bunillidh Thistle.
The musician, who has sold over 60,000 albums worldwide, was all smiles as he posed for a photo before the match with club manager Dean Cowie and players, after gifting the club a set of brand new training tops sponsored by his recording studio, Clashnarrow, based in Helmsdale.
The backing from the 65-year-old musician turned to be a good omen, as the Helmsdale Jags went on to record their first win in almost five years.
Bunillidh boss Cowie says Collins and his wife and manager, Grace Maxwell, are “great assets” to the club and the village as a whole.
“Edwyn and Grace do a lot in the village,” Cowie said. “They’re the most down to earth people around. Grace picks up my granny, for example, a couple days a week to take her to our local hub where the older people go to see people and mix.
“She also sometimes drives our community bus when called upon to take the team or other community things.
“Honestly you’d never know they were famous. They’re a great pair who will do anything in the community to help. A great asset to us.”
This afternoon turned into an occasion for celebration for Bunillidh Thistle and their supporters as they recorded a 2-0 win and a clean sheet against league rivals Thurso - their first since rejoining the league this summer.
Their last win came shortly before the outbreak of Covid in March 2020, in a 5-1 win over Sutherland rivals Bonar Bridge.
The club then went into abeyance while a complete refurbishment of their social club took place.
Since making their summer return, the bottom-placed North Caledonian League side had suffered in defeat in every one of their matches - until today.
A goal from Aaron Grant in the first half sent Bunillidh on their way to victory, before Ally Macrae doubled their advantage on 73 minutes.
Cowie says the addition of several key players, including the returning Cameron Yuill, made all the difference.
He said: “It was a battle and Thurso possibly had more of the ball but with us playing stronger teams in the league we’ve had to focus a lot on our shape and communication which certainly helped.
“We picked our moments. There could have been more goals in the game between the two teams but having our goalkeeper back, Cameron Yuill, following his broken collarbone in the summer made a huge difference.
“A couple of other players like Mark McKernie and Ethan Bews also gave us a big core. We’ve played a lot of teams who have said we’re only a couple players away, even if they’ve put five or six past us, but we’ve been seeing the improvements.”
Elsewhere in the league, Golspie Sutherland overcame league leaders Halkirk United in a 2-1 win, while St Duthus beat Fort William by the same score at Claggan Park.
Bonar Bridge were dealt a 6-0 defeat up in Orkney, while Invergordon beat Easter Ross rivals Alness United 3-1 at the Recreation Grounds.
Kicking off later in the day, Inverness Athletic beat Clachnacuddin A 2-0 at Inverness Royal Academy.
