Football: North Sea wind is our extra man .. it will freeze the golden balls off Amo; SAYS ARBROATH STRIKER CRAIG FEROZ.
Byline: JOHN DOCHERTYCRAIG FEROZ last night promised Rangers they'd get a chilly reception at Gayfield.
The Arbroath striker believes the First Division part-timers hold a potential ace card in the biting cold North Sea wind that howls around their little ground.
Feroz can speak with some authority. The 25-year-old was in the Berwick team that held Rangers to a 0-0 draw at the same stage of the Cup last year.
It all added up to a very uncomfortable 90 minutes for the Glasgow giants and their highly-paid stars.
Berwick lost the replay at Ibrox 3-0 - all of the goals coming in the second half - and Feroz is delighted to be getting a second bite of the cherry.
He said: "It was really cold at Shielfield. In fact it was Baltic and I think it could be even colder for Rangers at Gayfield.
"With a bit of luck there could be a hurricane blowing in from the North Sea. It's the kind of conditions I don't think Lorenzo Amoruso and Co. will enjoy too much.
"When Amo steps off the team bus, that long hair of his will be blowing in the wind like a flag. He won't know what is happening.
"I would imagine some of the Rangers players will never have heard of Arbroath, never mind been there.
"I'm delighted the game is going ahead at Gayfield. It's an added bonus that the tie is going out live on Sky, which will bring in some extra money.
"It gives us a fighting chance. It was the same at Shielfield last season, when we kept it there as opposed to playing the game elsewhere. It certainly did level things out.
"I honestly think it will be a similar story at Arbroath, although there is obviously a big gulf in class.
"But anything is possible in the Cup as Shrewsbury showed at the weekend when they knocked out Everton.
"I honestly believe it's going to be tight. I don't see it being a walkover for Rangers."
Feroz, a mortgage adviser with Standard Life, added: "They won't be up for it as much as us. Our boys work all week then have this one huge thing to look forward to now.
"We will probably produce twice our normal game on that day.
"I saw it happen with Berwick when we took Rangers to a replay.
"And I saw it when I played for Queen of the South against Aberdeen in the CIS Cup last year and we only lost 2-1 when we should have beaten them.
"I scored and received the man-of- the-match award that day.
"I have been quite lucky in the draws and getting Rangers again is a bit of deja vu.
"It's great for the town, which has been affected by the fishing problems. Hopefully, the Rangers game will lighten up the dark nights and bring a wee smile to peoples' faces.
"It was exactly the same at Berwick. It's nothing to Rangers but it will mean an awful lot to the people of Arbroath.
"It's the biggest thing to happen for years up here.
"At Shielfield, we gave Rangers a bit of a fright. Although there weren't a lot of chances, we certainly played well against them. As everyone knows, at 0-0 anything can happen.
"I still watch the game sometimes on the video. Even in the replay, when it was 0- 0 at half-time, I had an indirect free-kick which was cleared off the line.
"If that had gone in, Rangers could have panicked. Who knows what might have happened then.
"When they came to Shielfield last year, they just did not fancy it. No one was surprised because they are used to playing in good stadia.
"I'm not saying we are going to beat Rangers but we will give it our best.
"At this time last year I would have said we would get hammered.
"But I've seen strange things happen and hopefully we can do something."
Arbroath chairman John Christison is rubbing his hands with glee at the prospect of the club's pounds 150,000 winter windfall. The Angus side recently completed the building of a new pounds 360,000 stand and the ground will be packed to its 4145 capacity.
Gate receipts, along with the Sky TV money and commercial spin-offs, all add up to a lucrative payday.
Christison said: "It feels like we have won the lottery. Berwick did it last year and their chairman Jamie Curle has already been on wishing us all the best."
Christison admits he's delighted the game is going ahead at Gayfield.
He added: "There's no way we wanted to play anywhere other than our home ground.
"However, the icing on the cake is Sky coming in with the cameras.
"The phone is ringing every two minutes with people booking trackside advertising. The whole thing is escalating.
"We have just finished the stand but with the money from this tie, we can clear our debt by the end of the season.
"We will be starting next season afresh and that is a massive boost for a club like ours."
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| Publication: | Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland) |
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| Date: | Jan 7, 2003 |
| Words: | 850 |
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