BOSTON, June 12 : Scotland's raucous Tartan Army of supporters massed in downtown Boston on Friday, with fans saying they had no qualms about the thousands of dollars they are spending to see their team return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence."I've spent the kids' inheritance," joked Willie Dowie, 61, over a beer after giving a lung-busting rendition of "Flower of Scotland" on his bagpipes to fellow fans in the Dubliner Irish Pub near the city's waterfront.Dowie - who emigrated from Scotland to Australia 42 years ago - and his wife Caroline arrived in Boston on Thursday after a 30-hour journey from Adelaide ahead of the Scots' opening match of the tournament against Haiti on Saturday. The couple paid $4,000 for four tickets to see the team's first two World Cup matches since 1998 but said the high prices - plus the airfares and accommodation costs - were worth it.
"This is a trip of a lifetime for us," Caroline, 58, said. "If we wait another 28 years, we will be dead." A group of younger fans said they had all been born in 1999, a year after the last time Scotland played in the sport's global showpiece event."I don't know if it will happen again so we had to come," Mark Kelly from East Kilbride near Glasgow, who parted with $450 for his ticket to see Saturday's match, said.Gail Nicholl flew into Boston from Edinburgh but said she had no plans to attend a match, preferring just to join in the partying instead."The Tartan Army are known for having fun," she said. "It's the camaraderie. Everyone looks after everyone. It's fabulous. It's a big family."Long-time Tartan Army member Martin Riddell said the Scots - despite the loud singing and hard drinking - were always determined to win over their hosts."As armies go, it's nothing to be fearful of - it's the biggest peacekeeping army in the world, I would say," Riddell, chair of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, said. Many Scotland fans are brimming with confidence that their team will advance into the knockout rounds of a World Cup for the first time ever.Under the competition's newly expanded format, a win on Saturday against Haiti - ranked a lowly 83rd in the global standings by FIFA - would go a long way towards making that dream come true even if tougher opposition in the form of Morocco and Brazil await in Scotland's other Group C games.Veteran fan Sandy Willson is crossing his fingers for more luck than when he travelled with the Tartan Army to France in 1998 and Spain in 1982, but heartbreak at both those tournaments has taught him to keep his hopes in check."If your expectations are low, you are never disappointed," he said. "We'll just go and have a party." (Writing by William SchombergEditing by Toby Davis)
