The World’s Strongest Man took on a new challenge last night as he made the draw for the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup Third Round.
Draw host Gordon Duncan was joined by Scottish strongman Tom Stoltman to conduct the draw, which saw the 20 Second Round winners joined by the 20 sides from the Championship and League One, leaving 40 teams to face off against each other in 20 ties to compete for a place in the Fourth Round.
Stranraer were the first side out of the pot, with their reward for their thrilling comeback victory against Threave Rovers on Friday night a home tie against Broxburn Athletic.
Edinburgh City are at home to Dunfermline Athletic, Linlithgow Rose face Raith Rovers at home.
Livingston also have a home tie against Brora Rangers and Musselburgh Athletic host Bo’ness United.
Tom Stoltman is used to dealing with pressure, having this year won his third World’s Strongest Man title, and was undaunted by the prospect of making the draw.
He said: “It’s cool to be invited to this. I love football and it’s nice to be able to play a part in this competition.
“There’s not as much pressure doing the draw compared to competing in front of millions of people at World’s Strongest Man – my nerves held up and thankfully my hands managed to fit through the hole into the draw pot as well.
“East Kilbride against Falkirk stands out for me – I know a few East Kilbride boys and obviously Falkirk are flying, while Caley Thistle and Cove Rangers is another tie that stands out.
“Caley are in turmoil right now so it would be nice to see if they could kick on and get a few games in the Cup.
“The draw is going to be interesting – there’s a lot of ties here with some small teams and there will be a few upsets in this round I think.
“When I think about some of the moments in the Scottish Cup over the years that stand out for me, Ross County reaching the final was one that comes to mind.
“When they beat Celtic in the Semi-final the whole town was like a ghost town, it seemed like everyone was at Hampden for it.
“To beat Celtic and then just lose out to Dundee United in the Final, that was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in the Scottish Cup, especially with them being a local club for me.”
Aside from conducting a Scottish Cup draw, 2024 has been a memorable year for Tom, with his third victory in the World’s Strongest Man competition back in May of this year. Despite his passion for football, Tom is very happy with the way his athletic career has developed.
“Winning World’s Strongest Man for the third time was incredible. I’ve been busy this year, doing a lot of miles on the road – I’ve been doing more miles than I have been lifting weights.
“I’m going to keep taking as many opportunities as I can – I’m living the dream – and aim to win as many competitions. I want to keep on riding this wave and hopefully keep on being World’s Strongest Man for a few years to come and break some more records.
“I played for Ross County when I was younger and a few of my mates called me the Scottish Peter Crouch back then, though I played in the wrong position and I did not look like Peter Crouch – I used to wear glasses so I said I was more like Edgar Davids than Peter Crouch.
“I’ve always been a football fan and football is a massive part of my life, but I’m very happy with how my athletic career turned out.
A large part of his strongman preparation involves diet, and with his experience in playing football as a youth, Tom is well placed to comment on how the all-important pre-match meal of a footballer compares to his own.
“My pre-tournament meal is a bit different to a footballer’s pre-match meal – it’s usually a big pancake blow out. Basically, eight to ten pancakes with whatever I want on them. I usually have Nutella, Biscoff sauce, a few Haribo, Kit Kats and Crunchies all mixed into one. So, quite different to a footballer’s meal.”
Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup Round Three Draw
Arbroath v Queen of the South
Ayr United v Greenock Morton
Banks O’Dee v Hamilton Academical
Clydebank v Buckie Thistle
Cove Rangers v Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Cowdenbeath v Brechin City
Dumbarton v Alloa Athletic
Dundee North End v Airdrieonians
East Kilbride v Falkirk
Edinburgh City v Dunfermline Athletic
Elgin City v Kelty Hearts
Forfar Athletic v Stirling Albion
Fraserburgh v Annan Athletic
Irvine Meadow XI v Stenhousemuir
Linlithgow Rose v Raith Rovers
Livingston v Brora Rangers
Musselburgh Athletic v Bo’ness United
Peterhead v Montrose
Queen’s Park v Partick Thistle
Stranraer v Broxburn Athletic
Ties to be played on the weekend of Saturday, 30 November.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
