WEE ROVERS BOOK DREAM TIE AGAINST CELTIC

DARREN YOUNG hailed his part-time heroes after 10-man Albion Rovers overcame Queen of the South 2-1 to line up a money-spinning Scottish Cup-tie against Celtic.

Coatbridge supersub Calum Ferguson grabbed a dramatic winner in the fourth minute of injury time to set up the dream encounter against Brendan Rodgers’ side.

League One Rovers now stand to make well over £100,000 if television bosses select the January clash for live coverage.

Mick Dunlop’s early opener for Rovers was cancelled out by Jamie Hamill before Ryan Wallace was sent off with three minutes left.

But the Cliftonhill outfit kept pushing with Ferguson hitting the late reward for his plucky team-mates.

Player/manager Young was full of praise for his squad after they delivered the finest result of his managerial career by sending Championship side Queens out.

And he beamed: “It’s just so emotional. When the goal went in, before I knew it I was in the middle of the park.

“Thirty seconds before the winning goal we were shouting at the linesman asking for time up and then we end up on the counter-attack.

“It’s great for young Calum to come on and score a winning goal in a game like that with so much at stake.

“We limited them in terms of clear-cut chances and, fortunately, we took the chances when they fell to us.

“I’m delighted for the club and the fans. Drawing Celtic is a great tie for the players. The effort they put in was unbelievable.

“I could not ask for any more from them. Even when we went down to 10 men we were still pushing on.

“It’s a great opportunity for us now and massive for the club financially. Hopefully, the telly covers it.

“This win puts us back in the limelight. We’re trying to progress as a team and a club. Hopefully, we can attract a few more fans.”

Rovers, who reached the quarter-finals of the Cup three seasons ago, took the lead in the 16th minute when Dunlop met Scott McBride’s corner with a bullet header.

The Dumfries outfit believed they had forced a replay at Palmerston when substitute Hamill turned Stephen Dobbie’s corner into the net in the 76th minute.

Wallace then saw red for two bookings in quick succession only for Rovers to seal their place in the next round thanks to Ferguson’s close-range finish.

Queens caretaker boss Jim Thomson said: “This is the worst night of my career. The mood in the dressing room is terrible. We’re gutted.

“You’ve got Celtic and the financial boost to the club that would have had so that makes this defeat more difficult to take.”