Saints fan will fly from Australia for the Cup Final

Mar 10 2010 by Gavin McInally, Paisley Daily Express

A DIE-HARD St Mirren fan will travel 10,000 miles across the globe to watch his heroes battle for glory in the CIS Cup Final.

Dedicated Michael Connelly will endure a 30-hour trip from his home in Australia to be at Hampden for the big game on Sunday, March 21.

And the 31-year-old bank worker whose fanatical St Mirren support has been documented on Australian TV last night joked he wouldnt miss it for the world.

He said: Ive been Saints daft my entire life and the second we made it to the cup final my dad said to me: Go, because you never know when its going to come around again.

Its quite a journey from Tasmania and I doubt anyone will be travelling further to get to the match but theres no way I couldnt be there at Hampden when St Mirren run out onto the pitch. I cant wait for it.

I was quite young and already living in Australia when we won the Scottish Cup and I can remember dancing around our house with my dad at three in the morning when we heard the result.

He had a whisky and I had a glass of lemonade to celebrate.

But this time Ill actually be there and its going to be a very special moment for me as Im confident we can lift the cup.

Michael moved away from Paisley with his mum Margaret and dad, also Michael, at just four years old but he has never lost his passion for the towns football club.

And on one family holiday he was lucky enough to be chosen as a mascot for a league game against Hearts and met his all-time Saints hero, goalie Campbell Money, before living the dream and scoring at Love Street.

He added: I have so many great memories of St Mirren but being a mascot and meeting Campbell Money has to be one of my favourites.

Back then the ball boys looked after you and you could run about mental on the field and score goals before the game kicked off. I would only have been seven or eight at the time and I remember it so clearly. It was great.

Now I have my shrine to St Mirren in my home in Tasmania.

I was even on a collectors programme on TV over here because I had so many football strips, including 30 or so St Mirren tops Ive kept over the years.

My Aussie Rules team, Collingwood, even play in black and white and thats probably why I chose them when I was younger. I cant think of any other reason why.

When I do get across I go to as many games as possible and I like to use the supporters bus at The Wee Barrel where the fans have always been great to me.

Michael is now praying his mammoth trek is a bigger success than his last trip to see St Mirren in action.

He said: Unfortunately, the last time my dad and I came across it was to be there for the last ever game at Love Street. But they changed the date.

So instead of being there for an historic event we got to see a 0-0 draw with Gretna. I honestly think it was the worst game of football Ive ever watched. Im hoping to take back better memories of St Mirren lifting the Scottish Cup this time around.