A top footballer in Skye and Lochalsh has given his backing to the Scotland team by recording a song for the Euros.
Connaire Yoxon, who lives in Broadford, is best known for terrorising defences from Uig to Mallaig, but this week he has shown his creative side by releasing an ode to Steve Clarke’s squad.
Connaire was just five years old the last time the Scotland men’s team qualified for a tournament — the World Cup in France in 1998.
Since then the 28-year-old electrician, along with millions of other fans across the country, has endured more than two decades of close calls and heartbreak as the national team has failed to qualify for five World Cups and five European Championships in a row.
However, goalkeeper David Marshall’s heroics in the play-off against Serbia last November brought an end to that drought and inspired Sleat and Strath’s star striker to write a song to spur Scotland on this summer.
Connaire sings:
“Faddy put the sword to France, but we always miss our golden chance”
“Against the world champions we held our own, how that was a free-kick, I’ll never know.
“We beat Holland one-nil, thinking — this is it — until we went away and got beat by six.
“A Griffiths double, what a work of art, but Harry Kane broke the nation’s heart.
“Then one-nil v Serbia, Scotland holds its breath, only for them to score – right at the death.
“We’re thinking same old Scotland, here we go, but Davie Marshall becomes a national hero!”
Connaire said: “I have written a couple of other songs, like for my brother Ben’s wedding, and I was just messing about on the guitar and threw a few words together.
“Sometimes when I am driving in my work van, I’ll just come up with some words when I am by myself and I’ll think ‘maybe I’ll turn that into a song’. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Connaire can barely recall the last time Scotland featured on a major stage – the World Cup in 1998.
He added: “I think I was five the last time Scotland qualified for a major tournament, I vaguely remember the Scotland – Brazil game — but that’s probably because of all the people who have talked about it rather than my actual memory of it.”
Looking ahead to the start of the championships, he said: “It is a big deal for people who follow football in Scotland.
“I was speaking to a friend the other day and we were saying it will be strange to see them in a tournament because, usually, it’s the case of picking a team and following them but not really supporting them. It will be good to have Scotland there as we can now be passionate about who we want to win.
“I think it will be incredible — there are a few of us from Broadford heading down to Glasgow for the England game.
“There will be some atmosphere down there!”
Article by Adam Gordon