IT is an unfortunate fact of life that if East Kilbride FC were to pull off one of Scottish football’s biggest shocks then they still wouldn’t be the story. It is a battered, bruised and beleaguered Celtic who will traipse out to neutral Airdrie this afternoon to meet the Lowland League club in what looks, on paper, like the most one-sided contest since Crocodile Dundee thwarted a would-be street assailant by proclaiming “that’s not a knife”.

Given the week Celtic are enduring, however, what had seemed at the time of the draw like the equivalent of a bye into the quarter-finals of the William Hill Scottish Cup no longer seems quite as straightforward. Another defeat, and maybe even a draw, and it could well mean the end for manager Ronny Deila.

Plotting his potential downfall are the typical part-time collection of teachers, tax collectors, and tradesmen. That football does not supply their main source of income does not in any way diminish their devotion to the cause. If anything there are some among them who realise that this afternoon’s tie is their Warholian 15 minutes of fame and are determined to make the most of it.

One has been there since the start. East Kilbride have only existed in their current guise since 2010, the legacy of co-founder James Kean to be found in his son Jacob who played in their first senior home game in 2013 and remains an integral part of the squad.

An unabashed Celtic fan, Kean Jr is as dismayed as the rest of the support by recent events but would not think twice about heaping further pressure on Deila’s shoulders given the chance.

“I am a Celtic fan,” said the 19-year-old goalkeeper and joiner. “I go to the games when I can but obviously I play on a Saturday so I can’t get to too many. I won’t be a Celtic fan on Sunday, no. My pals are Celtic through and through so while they have been wishing me all the best they will be wanting Celtic to win. If East Kilbride were to win and I had nothing to do with the club, then I would be disappointed because they are a multi-million pound team and we are a team with nothing. So you would expect them to win. But I will be celebrating if we beat them, no question.”

Like so many Celtic supporters, Henrik Larsson remains his all-time hero but there is also an admiration for fellow goalkeeper Craig Gordon. “He is an inspiration to me the way he has come back after being out injured so long,” Kean added. “Hopefully I will be able to get a word with him on the day and I will just ask him how he was able to cope with all the stuff. Hopefully I will get his jersey too!”

Kean retains the ambition of one day becoming a full-time professional but has no regrets about the path he has taken so far. “I am still looking to go full time, still looking for a big club although obviously work comes first. It pays the bills. It was my dad and my uncle Paul that gave me the choice – go full time and risk one injury that could knacker you for life, or get your apprenticeship and then have a go. Then if something goes wrong you have your trade to fall back on. But I can still do it. I am still young.”

For defender Michael Morris, the mantra “play the game, not the occasion” is not quite so easy to stand by when you are a PE teacher at a school full of Celtic fans. While many of his pupils hope the 25-year-old has a day to forget, there are some curious to see how Sir performs outside of the gym hall.

“There are a lot of Celtic fans in the school but it’s good for them to see another side of me,” he said. “I might play football part-time but they just see me as a teacher. Seeing that I play football is kind of inspiring them and I’ve had a lot of good conversations about that. The hype has been great and we are enjoying it. I think there are about 50 kids and the head teacher from the school going to the match so I’ll need to be on my best behaviour.”