Stirling Uni footballer shares story in sport as Scottish Cup clash looms

Lewis Blane has been a stalwart for the Uni's team this season - as the students prepare for League Two opposition in the cup.

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By JASMINE KOLIBSKA

With the Scottish Cup second round taking place this weekend, a Stirling University football standout has shared his journey and experiences as a student footballer chasing success both on and off the pitch.

Centre-back Lewis Blane has been a regular for the Uni side this season and is expected to start the weekend match with Edinburgh City as the men in green go for a cup shock on Saturday.

Blane, originally from Cathcart in Glasgow, saw his football journey began at the age of four, playing for the renowned Celtic Boys Club and picking up a drive and passion for the game.

He said: “As I got older it became clearer that I was going to play football at a good level and it was at the age of 10 or 11 is when I began attracting attention from professional youth academies.

“From that point, football took over my life and getting selected for the Elite SFA Performance School at Holyrood Secondary was a huge moment for me. That’s when I realised, I had a genuine opportunity to push myself and see how far I could go.”

“The next step was to make the move to the Uni and the demanding life of a footballer balancing the pressure of top-level sport with academic responsibilities - but it’s a challenge Lewis embraces in his pursuit of success.

“I always wanted to play football and attend university, and Stirling offered the best of both worlds.

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“I knew how strong the university’s sports programmes were, and the club has a great reputation for helping players make the step up into the professional leagues after their time here.

“That really appealed to me because it’s something I’ve always aspired to do. I love it here - honestly, it’s the best decision I’ve made.”

“The number of games we play each season has definitely been a challenge, we play a minimum of 54, and it can go over 60 depending on how far we go in the cup competitions. Therefore, recovery in the gym and days off are vital.”

“Playing two games a week at times, alongside three training sessions and two strength and conditioning sessions, is a lot but I love it.

“Balancing everything from family and friends, work, university, social life, and football can be tough, especially when deadlines for multiple modules all come at once but it’s what we sign up for as scholars and we love the challenge.”

The team played their first-round match of the Scottish Cup in September against Fife outfit Burntisland Shipyard, with the students securing a 6-2 win.

Blane said: “In hindsight, it went well because we got the result and are through to the next round but on the night, it definitely wasn’t smooth sailing.

“It’s the Scottish Cup, so there’s always a real buzz around it, no matter who the opponents are and all the pressure was on us as the higher-ranked team.”

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“We got off to a great start with an early goal from Finn Moffett, which settled the nerves and then Alex Jeanes added a header to make it 2–0.

“It was the perfect start for the occasion, but Burntisland weren’t going down without a fight, we gave away two really soft goals before half-time, and suddenly it was 2–2 at the break.”

“At half-time, we all knew it wasn’t good enough and that we needed more from everyone. The first-half performance was well below our standards and we needed a better second-half performance.

“Early in the second half, we made three substitutions, Carter Jenkins, Nathan Tallen, and Sam Martin and they completely changed the game.”

The draw has plucked out a tricky tie for the Uni as they travel to Meadowbank for a match against Edinburgh City and a side boasting some familiar former Uni players in James Stokes, Jason Jarvis and Jake Service.

But the young defender is thoroughly enjoying the chance to play full-time football at the Uni under the guidance of head coach Chris Geddes.

“Getting Edinburgh City in the second round is a tough draw, and we’re well aware of that”, he added.

“They’re in good form just now, so we’ll make sure we prepare properly. Playing against a few former university players might feel a bit strange for some of the boys, but we come up against people we know all the time, so nothing really changes for me.

“I’m good pals with Jake so there’s been a bit of back and forth and there’ll definitely be a bit more on the day too. It’s all part of my game.

“[Geddes] has been brilliant when it comes to development. There’s always pressure to win, like any sport, but he understands that mistakes happen, especially when you’re playing as often as we do.

“He’s big on the idea of bouncing back and using those moments as learning experiences and that’s something I try to carry with me throughout my career in both life and football.”