Family plans applause tribute for Scotland fan who died at World Cup

Friends and family of a 76-year-old Scotland fan who died at a hotel in Boston plan to remember him with a minute's applause.

Long-serving Tartan Army member Donny Strathie, from Grangemouth, collapsed at the Boston Norwood Hampton Inn on Sunday.

The fixture against Morocco on Friday would have been his first time at a Scotland World Cup game.

Strathie's family is asking fans at Boston Stadium to pay tribute to a "real Tartan Army character" with applause during the 76th minute of the match.

He had been in Boston with friends and family members who had travelled from Canada to watch the game.

Family friend Lynne Connell told BBC News that he had been "so excited about seeing Scotland since they qualified".

She said: "We thought what can we do to try and get Donny to the game.

"So, we basically has this idea about the 76th minute campaign - trying to bring Donny there in spirit."

Strathie was best friends with Lynne Connell's father, Stewart Easton, and they grew up watching Scotland and Falkirk - where he was a season ticket holder.

They travelled together with the Tartan Army - taking in games in Wembley, Norway, the Netherlands, France, Portugal, Malta and Lithuania.

Easton said it would be "fantastic" to see the applause for his friend on Friday.

He told BBC Scotland News that Strathie was "very outgoing and bubbly" and "the most helpful and generous person".

"Since we started going to away games, the two of us have always travelled together," said Easton.

"This is the first time he's been away without me. And I'm devastated."

Easton had recently had a heart attack so could not make the World Cup.

"But I said to him 'I want you to go and enjoy it'," he added.

He said his friend was "ecstatic" about going to the US.

"You only get the World Cup every four years, and there's always something that can crop up and stop that," said Easton.

"But this year he was ready for it, we qualified for a change, and he wanted to go there and fulfil his life dream."

As well as the tribute during the Morocco game, Strathie's family hopes to remember him outside the hotel where he died.

On Friday morning a bagpipe player will play Flower of Scotland in tribute.

"He was such a friendly guy," added Lynne.

"Donny was one of these real, Tartan Army-type characters. He was such a people person, always got a story - usually a very funny story.

"A real family guy."

Additional reporting by Stephanie Abbot.