Raymond Cardno was indulging in a spot of babysitting when Buckie Thistle came out of the hat to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup.

Cardno readily admits that it was he who screamed the place down and not the kids after the plum draw.

The Buckie Thistle Vice-president has been on cloud nine ever since as the Highland League outfit gets set to take on Celtic at Parkhead today.

Cardno, a former footballer, said:  "When the draw was being made we were child-minding for our youngest daughter, Lynn and the two kids - Dexter, six and Seth, two - were away to bed. I was shouting and bawling and my wife said you’ll wake them. 

"I couldn't contain myself as it’s a dream come true. A lot of people seem to want to get these games at home but it’s different being away at the likes of Celtic.

"I played until I was 42 and played a lot of Scottish Cup games for Buckie and the majority were away from home.

" The last one I remember playing for Buckie Thistle was against Albion Rovers and there was a slight difference to that than playing against Celtic.

"I played anywhere across the back, mainly centre-back latterly.

Some 3,000 Buckie Thistle supporters will make what is turning out to be a pilgrimage to the home of the Scottish champions.

To put that into some kind of context that's one-third of Buckie's population heading to Glasgow.

Cardno is adamant that the part-timers are not there to make up the numbers and that it won't be a case of enjoying the scenery against Brendan Rodgers men.

He said: "It’s fantastic. The local coach dealer has run out of buses.

"It’s not just about a day out. We want to do ourselves and the Highland League proud. I am past President here and also of the Highland League.

The type of team Celtic are, it could be a real challenge because they keep the ball so well. You would also expect them to be fitter than us although our boys are pretty fit. 

"We’ve got a good squad and I don't think they’ll panic. They’ll put on a show, I am fairly sure of that. A lot of it then is down to a bit of luck.

"Money doesn’t come into it with the players although it will be the biggest pay-day we have probably ever had."

The club reputedly have plans to put some of the money earned in the Celtic tie to good use as a way of putting something back in.

There is talk of concreting an area behind the goal and removing rusted railings to allow 700 more fans into the bigger matches which would increase the attendance to 3,000."

Cardno certainly believes in the romance of the Scottish Cup and he confessed that he has envisaged in his mind the mother of all cup shockers due to the power of positive thinking.

He has form for this kind of thing.

He said: "We just have to cross our fingers and hope we get that wee bit of luck. I am a great believer that if you programme in your mind about what you want to happen. 

"It’s amazing so many of the good things that have happened to me in life have come after I have sat down, closed my eyes, relaxed and run through what was going to happen in my mind and it has. 

"Once when I took over as manager briefly, we played Clachnacuddin who were champions the year before.

"I got all the players to sit down and relax and listen to what I was saying. I told them to visualise themselves, how they were going to handle the occasion and how they were going to beat them, and we did."

It is the Scottish Cup after all and anything can happen but Buckie Thistle to down Celtic? It can't happen, can it? Surely not.

Cardno would scream, bawl and cry like a baby if it did.

Raymond Cardno was speaking at a Scottish Gas media event. Scottish Gas is the proud partner of the Scottish Cup.