fitba daft

First ever live TV game @ Palmerston Park

2009-10-02T21:10:00.006Z

Queen of the South 1
Harris 90+1

Rangers 2
Naismith 16
Novo 79

Co-operative Insurance Cup 3rd Round
Wednesday 23rd September 2009
Kick Off: 7.35pm
Referee: Collum
Stand: Portland Drive Terracing
Attendance: 6120
Capacity: 6412
Admission: £18
Programme: £2.50
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub ***
Ground *****
Atmosphere ****
Entertainment ****
Referee **
______________________________________

The last couple of years for Queen of the South have been some of the most exciting in the clubs history including a first ever Scottish Cup Final appearance and subsequent qualification for the UEFA Cup. My initial trips to Palmerston as a boy were usually to midweek cup ties and I remember witnessing humiliation at the hands of Dunfermline (0-6) and Ross County (2-6) when they were still a non-league side. How times have changed though and slow but steady progress has been made at the club who have now enjoyed almost a decade in the First Division. An excellent late win in the Co-operative Insurance Cup 2ND round at Partick Thistle booked a place in the last sixteen of the competition and a seeding system guaranteed Premier League opposition. Rangers came out of the that to ensure a first home game against either of the Old Firm since 1983. It was deemed to be the tie of the round by the BBC and live cameras were to broadcast from Palmerston for the first time.

As has been the case in the past against larger opposition the Galloway News Stand was allocated to the visiting fans allowing around 2200 tickets to be given to Rangers. This left around 4000 tickets to go on sale initially to share and season ticket holders, then to voucher holders distributed to Doonhamers attending two consecutive away games at Ross County and finally on sale to the general public. The game was declared a sell-out 24 hours before the game to ensure a great atmosphere for the game.

We left for the game more than an hour before kick off to avoid the widely anticipated traffic problems and parked up in Dumfries town centre. This left an enjoyable twenty minute walk to the ground and already by the time we got to the ground at 7.05pm the queues were building up at the turnstiles. Once in it became apparent that the home end was already pretty much packed out and the place was buzzing. I had a bit of trouble finding myself a programme however I was relieved when an extra box was sent over from the direction of the Main Stand. We opted to head for the back of the terracing and it was to prove to be a great decision as we had a great view and a bit of room. The last time I was on the terracing when such a big crowd was out in force it was a wet day and space to move was very tight, thankfully tonight the weather was fine.

My photographs show the condemned Terregles End covered in many Queens flags and banners and the club had worked hard to get the ground looking its very best. As kick-off approached Palmerston looked almost perfect, the only noticable flaw being the lack of away fans who were cutting it very fine. As it turned out a few hundred seats remained empty partly due to trouble with the post apparently. The game kicked off in front of an expectant crowd and Queens struggled early on to contain Rangers and posed little threat going forward themselves. Some very slack defending allowed Boyd to run clear and Steven Naismith finished off his low cross, just the start we didn't want. The home side gradually forced their way into the game and chances started to come along. David Weatherston narrowly missed with a lob over the Rangers keeper to the agony of the home fans. The second half continued in the same manner and incredibly Queens had numerous chances to equalise and should really have been in front. Alexander made a save at full stretch from Holmes and then with his feet from Weatherston. Stevie Tosh went down with a nasty looking injury midway through the second half and it was later confirmed that the 36 year old had broken his leg. Nacho Novo was summoned from the bench and despite looking a mile offside was played clean through on goal and added a second for Rangers. With the scoreboard just going up to signal a minimum of four extra minutes Bob Harris curled in a great goal from outside the box and two sides of the ground erupted. A minute later a goal bound shot was blocked in the Rangers six yard box and an amazing comeback was denied. The final whistle was met with great applause for a fantastic effort and thoughts of just what might have been. On the way back into town we took a slight detour via the 'Hole in the Wa' for a cold one before home.

Club Websites:
Queen of the South
Rangers

Thanks

2009-08-30T10:41:00.002Z

I would just like to thanks all contributors to this years pre-season friendly list. With 448 fixtures posted and subsequent results added I would especially like to thank Liam and 'L' without whom it would not have happened. I have managed to collate most of the results and access to the list can be found in the sidebar next to the last few years. I hope to be able to do it again next year!

My games list 2010/11

2009-08-22T20:25:00.010Z

001 03/07/2010 Dalbeattie Star 1 Annan Athletic 3 (0-1)
002 05/07/2010 Gretna 2008 3 Queen of the South 2 (1-1)
003 10/07/2010 Spartans 1 Livingston 4 (0-2)
004 14/07/2010 Whitehill Welfare 3 Arbroath 0 (2-0)
005 17/07/2010 Edinburgh City 5 Bishop Auckland 2 (2-1)
006 21/07/2010 Craigroyston 1 Hibernian Xl 2 (0-1)
007 22/07/2010 Whitehill Welfare 3 Raith Rovers 4
008 24/07/2010 Craigroyston 1 Keith 3
009 27/07/2010 Bo'Ness United 3 Whitehill Welfare 3 (0-1)
010 28/07/2010 Falkirk 1 Carlisle United 1 (0-0)
011 01/08/2010 Spartans 2 Spartans Juniors 1 (0-0)
012 03/08/2010 MK Dons 2 Birmingham City 3 (2-0)
013 05/08/2010 Liverpool 2 Rabotnicki Skopje 0 (2-0)
014 07/08/2010 Queens Park Rangers 4 Barnsley 0 (1-0)
015 10/08/2010 Dunfermline Athletic 1 Queen of the South 1 (0-0)-
(5-6 on pens)
016 11/08/2010 Broxburn Athletic 4 Whitburn 1 (2-1)
017 14/08/2010 Queen of the South 1 Raith Rovers 3 (0-2)
018 15/08/2010 Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1 (0-0)
019 17/08/2010 Preston Athletic 0 Edinburgh University 3 (0-1)
020 18/08/2010 Whitehill Welfare 1 Edinburgh City 0 (0-0)
021 21/08/2010 Edinburgh University 1 Whitehill Welfare 0 (0-0)
022 22/08/2010 Hibernian 0 Rangers 3 (0-0)
023 22/08/2010 Cowdenbeath 1 Queen of the South 3 (0-1)
024 24/08/2010 Heart of Midlothian 4 Elgin City 0 (2-0)
025 25/08/2010 Craigroyston 1 Dundee United Xl 5 (0-2)- 1st half only
026 25/08/2010 Edinburgh City 0 Stirling University 2 (0-1)
027 28/08/2010 Whitehill Welfare 2 Stirling University 2 (1-2)
028 29/08/2010 Liverpool 1 West Bromwich Albion 0 (0-0)
029 01/09/2010 Beith 0 Irvine Meadow XI 1 (0-0)
030 04/09/2010 Leith Athletic 3 Craigroyston 1 (2-1)
031 07/09/2010 Scotland 2 Leichtenstein 1 (0-0)
032 11/09/2010 Falkirk 3 Queen of the South 1 (1-0)
033 18/08/2010 Barnet 1 Rotherham 4 (0-0)
034 19/09/2010 Manchester United 3 Liverpool 2 (1-0)
035 21/10/2010 St Johnstone 3 Queen of the South 0 (0-0)
036 25/09/2010 Liverpool 2 Sunderland 2
037 28/09/2010 Ashington 2 Spennymoor Town 6
038 01/10/2010 Scotland U16 3 Northern Ireland U16 0 (1-0)
039 02/10/2010 Whitehill Welfare 4 Vale of Leithan 0 (2-0)
040 03/10/2010 Liverpool 1 Blackpool 2 (0-2)
041 05/10/2010 Preston Athletic 1 Tynecastle 4 (0-2)
042 06/10/2010 Lothian Thistle 1 Whitehill Welfare 1 (0-0)
043 09/10/2010 Peterhead 1 Queen of the South 2 (0-0)
044 11/10/2010 Scotland U21 1 Iceland U21 2
045 12/10/2010 Scotland 2 Spain 3 (0-1)
046 13/10/2010 Spartans 2 Stirling University 0
047 16/10/2010 Greenock Morton 2 Queen of the South 0 (1-0)
048 23/10/2010 Edinburgh City 2 Threave Rovers 4 (2-1)
049 24/10/2010 Spartans Ladies 12 Kilmarnock Ladies 0
050 26/10/2010 Motherwell 1 Dundee United 0 (0-0)
051 30/10/2010 Whitehill Welfare 4 Wick Academy 3 (1-1)
052 31/10/2010 Bolton Wanderers 0 Liverpool 1 (0-0)
053 04/11/2010 Liverpool 3 Napoli 1 (0-1)
054 06/11/2010 Coldstream 2 Peebles Rovers 3 (1-3)
055 07/11/2010 Liverpool 2 Chelsea 0 (2-0)
056 10/11/2010 Heart of Midlothian 2 Celtic 0 (1-0)
057 13/11/2010 Craigroyston 0 Leith Athletic 3 (0-0)
058 20/11/2010 Liverpool 3 West Ham United 0 (3-0)
059 21/11/2010 Stirling University 8 Lothian Thistle 0 (4-0)
060 27/11/2010 Colchester United 1 Swindon Supermarine 0 (1-0)
061 28/11/2010 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Liverpool 1 (0-1)
062 04/11/2010 Alloa Athletic 2 Peterhead 2 (1-2)
063 11/11/2010 Newcastle United 3 Liverpool 1 (1-0)

Goalpost!

2009-08-17T21:30:00.002Z

I mentioned a few weeks ago that amongst my reports from different grounds that I would be running 4 regular features simultaneously. I have added sections for the first two; 'Grounds for change' and 'Not quite fitbadaft', in the sidebar. The third feature is 'Goalpost!', featuring random goalposts spotted whilst out and about which hopefully have a bit of story behind them.

The first is a particularly well used set of goalposts that I walked past on my way from Glasgow City Centre to Partick Thistle's Firhill last week. As the photo shows the pitch is right underneath the busy M8.

Whitton Park

2009-08-13T23:10:00.002Z

Broughty Athletic 3
Russell 21
Craik 29
Farquharson 40

Dundee U19 0

Lyall Murdoch Memorial Tournament
Saturday 25th July 2009
Kick Off: 12.00pm
Attendance: 96 (head count)
Capacity: 2000
Admission: £4
Programme: £1
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***** £4 covered both games
Grub ***
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment *** Home side were excellent
Referee ****
______________________________________

I made the decision to head North over the Forth Road Bridge today and attempt a 'Dundee double'. With the Lyall Murdoch Tournament providing a 12.00pm kick off in the city it opened up a number of opportunities to get to a second game afterwards. I decided to head to a 2.00pm kick-off at Downfield Juniors which I found out was just along the road; more on this in later though.

Broughty Athletic were hosting the first ever Lyall Murdoch Memorial Tournament and had invited along three teams to compete. First up was a match between the hosts and local First Division club Dundee. With the Dens Park side already hosting Aberdeen in a friendly match the club had agreed to send along it's Under 19 team for some valuable experience against 'grown up' opposition.

Next up was Highland League Fraserburgh who were drawn to face local side Broughty Amatuers. The tournament followed the standard preseason format of two semi-finals on the Saturday followed by a third place play-off and final on the Sunday.

The journey took just over an hour and fifteen minutes and I found the ground by following the A92 across the Tay Bridge and through the City. I was pleased to find a good sized car park right next to the ground and there were a few spaces left. Entry was a very reasonable £4 which covered both games and the club had printed plenty of programmes priced at £1.

I got talking to the brother of Lyall Murdoch here and I managed to find out a bit about the man. Lyall sadly passed away suddenly on 15 November 2006. After a Short playing career at Dundee Violet he became club secretary during the late 1980's and 1990's. His highly regarded skills saw him appointed as President of the Tayside Junior League and he went on to become involved with the SJFA, was president of the East Region SJFA as well as being a long established secretary of Broughty Athletic. He is obviously sadly missed by many and three years on the club have set up a fitting tribute to him.

Whitton Park is a fairly basic ground and features pretty much all grass standing with no cover. There is a clubhouse with pie shop included and portacabin at the car park end. The pitch is railed off by the almost standard wonky fencing at Scottish Junior grounds. There are floodlights at Whitton Park with six wooden posts (if my memory serves me correctly) with halogen lamps on top.

Having watched a few U19 sides taking on non-league sides a number of times in the past few years they provide interesting games. A stern physical test for the younger players and one in terms of stamina and skill for the older players. This one was to break the mould in some ways though as the Junior outfit were to prove themselves superior in most areas. It wasn't really a contest and they cruised into a three goal lead.

Dundee were unable to pass through the midfield and got punished time and time again. They had a real lack of height all over the park and they were very lucky not to be even further behind. It is perhaps unfair to focus only their negatives though as Broughty were outstanding. Broughty have came very close to promotion in both of the last two seasons and with only one promotion spot available from the East Region North Division they seem to have been somewhat held back.

On my travels I find that the odd player every now and then stands out and anybody who knows anything about Broughty Athletic will know who I am about to mention! Bobby Brown the clubs centre back and captain is still going strong at an amazing 49.

I wouldn't say it to his face...but he looks every year of his age however on today's evidence he certainly doesn't play like it and he was a rock at the back. As with most friendly matches the managers made numerous substitutions but not Bobby Brown! He played the full ninety and I don't blame the home manager Kenny Cameron as I wouldn't have had the guts to take the man mountain off either.

A crowd of just under 100, by my headcount, was enjoying the game and the summer sunshine. As the second half wore on fans and some players from Fraserburgh and Broughty Amateurs began to arrive which swelled the attendance. A ball went into the houses behind the goal and a young ball boy sent to fetch it. He returned a few minutes later to tell the Broughty manager that it had gone. It turns out that one of the residents has taken to keeping any stray balls and apparently that was the 22nd one that had been taken. At £50 a time that was more than £1000 that this had cost the club to date the ball boy was told.

The young Dundee side did manage to trouble the home goalkeeper in the second half, an improvement on the first, however success eluded them. Broughty's substitute Perera was guilty of missing two gilt edged chances and the photo below shows a tame shot of his cleared off the lane.

Shortly afterwards the referee blew the final whistle to confirm Broughty's place in the final.

I had positioned myself at the car park end of the ground to aid a quick exit to the second part of my Dundee double. As I made my way out of the ground the Fraserburgh team bus was reversing in and threatened to block in my car. I just managed to squeeze out, narrowly avoided running over a few players as they collected their bags from the luggage hold, and I was on my way to Downfield.

Club Websites:
Broughty Athletic
Dundee

Grounds for change....#3

2009-08-12T11:10:00.005Z

Now this ground alteration is a little bit different. The Civil Service Sports Ground in Edinburgh is home to East of Scotland sides Civil Service Strollers and Leith Athletic. Here each team has tended to have their own pitch on the playing fields and on matchdays they are roped off.

This season the arrangement of pitches has been changed and although Leith Athletic's pitch seems to have stayed the same Civil Service Strollers have had theirs turned around 90 degrees. The picture above is from the Eddie Queen Tournament held last month and shows the aformentioned.

Moor Park

2009-08-07T21:35:00.001Z

Lanark United 1

Carluke Rovers 0

Clydesdale Cup
Monday 20th July 2009
Kick Off: 7.00pm
Attendance: 92
Capacity: 4000
Admission: £4
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***
Ground **** A classic old fashioned ground.
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *** Good local derby!
Referee ****
______________________________________

This was my second attempt at visiting Lanark United's Moor Park and I was armed today with a much more detailed set of directions. I previously attempted a Friday night visit at the tail end of last season and...well...I couldn't find the blooming place! Wasting fuel and a valuable Friday night in the process.

For anybody planning to head to Moor Park; follow the A73 South through Lanark town centre and look out for the ground on the left a few hundred yards past the retail park.

I guess I gained some recompense by making today's visit part of a 'double' with Albion Rovers versus a Celtic Xl first up at 3 O'clock allowing plenty of time to then get to a second game. I was able to grab some fish and chips in Coatbridge before finding the A73 and heading South.

I parked the motor on the main road outside of Moor Park however there is a fairly large car park behind the stand side of the ground and a number of cars parked around the ground itself. By doing this spectators kept themselves out of the rain and away from the midges while in the winter I would imagine, out of the freezing cold!

Lanark United were formed in 1920 following the amalgamation of two local teams Lanark Athletic and Lanark Albion. In 1949 an amazing 10000 fans packed into Moor Park for their Scottish Cup tie with Bo'ness. Success at the club has mainly come in the form of promotions and in winning local cup competitions. Two successive promotions have seen Lanark regain their place in the West Regions top league and an exciting play-off win over Glenafton in June has ensured real optimism surrounds the club.

Moor Park is entered via Hyndford Road and I paid my £4 at the main gate. This brings you in on the stand side of the ground and past the pie hut and changing rooms which lie below pitch level. I opted for a seat on the grass banking's behind the goal although they do extend around three sides.

The dugouts are on the opposite side of the ground from the stands and it was behind here and undercover that most of the 92 strong crowd had positioned themselves. A blue metal railing surrounded the pitch perimeter and it had recently been undercoated in preparation for a new coat of paint.

Tonight's visitors were from just a few miles along the road, Carluke Rovers and the local derby meant a fairly even split in the allegiances of those in attendance. With Carluke in the bottom division of the West Juniors it was a chance tonight to get one over on their close neighbours and to claim a place in the final of the Clydsdale Cup.

They were to make a real game of it, however they fell behind in the first half after a fumble from their goalkeeper was punished in the box. The longer the game went on the more competitive it got and it seemed fairly clear to me that this Clydsdale Cup was indeed no pre-season tournament. The crowd played a part in proceedings and one visiting spectator in particular spent the entire game barracking everyone on the home side and the poor old referee who could do nothing right in his eyes.

As things were really heating up with a skirmish amongst the players a young kid turned round to me and said 'it widni be a Lanark - Carluke gemme withoot a geed scrap'. His step dad it turned out was player and I had a good chat with him about the clubs on show and football in general. Try as they might Carluke couldn't fashion an equaliser and Lanark booked their place in the final. They were in fact to go on and secure the trophy with a 4-1 win over Lesmahagow Juniors.

Club Websites:
Lanark United
Carluke Rovers - None

Grounds for change.....#2

2009-08-03T00:02:00.001Z

Craigroyston's St Marks Park is the subject of the second feature in this series. The home of the East of Scotland side can be found in the heart of Edinburgh and is a favourite of mine.

The ground has undergone a real transformation in the last 18 months. New dugouts have been constructed, gates installed, spectator banks have been cut around the perimeter of the ground and new goal nets purchased in the clubs colours.

The highlight though is the pitch and it must be one of the best surfaces in Scotland. The clubs dedicated groundsman can be seen at halftime and at the end of the game repairing his pride and joy.

Club Website:
Craigroyston F.C.

Ainslie Park

2009-07-24T17:45:00.000Z

Raith Rovers 2
Williamson 21, 79 pen

Hamilton Academicals 2*
Mensing 72
McGregor 90

*Hamilton Academicals win 4-1 on penalties

Ronnie Swan Challenge Cup
Saturday 18th July 2009
Kick Off: 12.30pm
Attendance: 550
Capacity: 3000 - 500 seated
Admission: £10 - weekend ticket
Programme: £2
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub ***
Ground **** great set up with room for expansion
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ****
Referee ** ropey!
______________________________________

After a long, long wait Spartans finally opened their brand spanking new Ainslie Park Stadium. Having been to two! final games at City Park I was determined to make it to the first at the new ground and the photo at the top of the page shows the stage set for the first ever game on their grass pitch. It wasn't in fact Spartans who were involved in it though but instead SPL side Hamilton Accies and First Division Raith Rovers.

The Ronnie Swan Challenge Cup was organised by Spartans to officially open their new facilities. Blyth Spartans of the Blue Square Conference North were also invited along to make up the four team tournament. It was to follow the standard pre-season tournament format with two semi-finals on the Saturday with a third place play-off and final on the Sunday.

Ainslie Park was originally due to open in time for the start of last season however after Spartans application to replace Gretna in the SFL was unsuccessful this was put back. The club finally got the keys to their new facilities last December and the astro pitch and changing facilities have been in constant use ever since. Those in charge resisted the temptation to begin playing on their new grass pitch instead allowing it to fully develop before putting it into use.

I have visited Ainslie Park a few times to watch action on the artificial surface and even got to play on it myself last month! Today was what everybody had been waiting for though and when I arrived about 12.15 the car park was already full however I found a good space on the street outside. I dare say that the Morrisons next door would also be a good option with only an extra five minute walk. It was obvious straight away that a big crowd was expected and the club had two tables set up, one for day tickets at £7 and the other for weekend tickets at £10. A very good programme had been produced for the tournament and was on sale for £2. It was mainly staffed by the clubs youth players who did an excellent job also keeping the place tidy and collecting money for charity.

As I found myself a good spot on the grass bankings the players were already out and raring to go. I was pleased to get a good photo of the kick-off and we were off! The photographs here were taken during this first game and also on the Sunday. As they show the ground has a 500 seater stand on one side with grass standing on the other three. Behind the North goal is a full length banking providing raised views while at the other end there is only a small raised area due to the presence of an artificial 5-a-side pitch. Opposite the stand is the dugouts with plenty of space for another a second stand to fitted in should it ever be required.

To the North the ground is surrounded by housing which backs on to the pitch and to the South there is a cycle/footpath with a supermarket beyond it. To the East side is the Ainslie Park Leisure Centre while on the opposite side is a large area of wasteland in front of what I think is the now boarded up Ainslie Park School building. High security fences surround the ground and green plastic mesh blocks out any free views around the pitch.

Raith Rovers were much the stronger team throughout the first half and they played some neat and tidy football. They deservedly took the lead against their loftier opposition in the 21st minute and were unlucky not to double their advantage before the break. By the time half-time came around both the Spartans and Blyth Spartans teams had arrived and joined the watching crowd. A number of 'Geordies' - should I call them that when from Blyth!? - had made the trip up North and there was even a stag do amongst them waiting to see their team in the second match.

A marquee had been put up selling beer and Football Nation had set up a stall selling various Spartans merchandise. On the Sunday this moved into the beer tent, maybe they wanted to be closer to the supplies! I wandered round these during the interval before opting to try out a seat in the stand for the second half. I bumped into a few mates in there, one of which is Raith Rovers fan who was able to fill me in on various different players. Hamilton Accies came out for the second half wearing their Brazil style away shirt as they had changed the whole team.

The second half was again a good spectacle and it was clear both sides were keen to make the final. Simon Mensing equalised for Accies in the 71st minute, after some dodgy goalkeeping, and the scoreline was a bit harsh on Raith. Shortly afterwards though the First Division side were awarded a penalty which they duly scored to put one foot in the final. Cruelly though they were denied in stoppage time when McGregor equalised for the SPL side to send the match to penalties.

The penalties were something for Raith to forget though as they missed their first two efforts and Hamilton scored all of theirs to reach the final. The referee rounded off a poor performance by failing to realise that Hamilton had in fact won and Raith almost took another penalty before he did actually blow his whistle! To be fair to him he did look like a young referee and I'm happy to put it down to a lack of experience in front of a big crowd.

Over the course of this first day the Spartans website reported that around 700 fans had come through the gates, a fantastic turnout. I decided to head for a game at Craigroyston instead of staying for the second semi-final, which Spartans eventually won, also on penalty kicks. This meant a Sunday line-up led by Blyth Spartans v Raith Rovers at 12.30pm followed by Hamilton v Spartans at 3.15pm. I was able to use my weekend ticket to see both these games the following day and around 400 fans were present at each. Raith Rovers claimed third place with an emphatic 4-2 win and it could easily have been a few more. The final was a bit of a strange affair as the Accies fielded a number of trialists and they really struggled to create a clear cut chance. Spartans on the other hand were well organised and their hard work was well rewarded with two excellent goals, one in each half, to claim the trophy.

Photographed above is the Spartans captain Stewart Fowlie lifting the Ronnie Swan trophy on the club house balcony. The club will look to lift many more from here in the future at their excellent new ground.
Club Websites:
Spartans
Raith Rovers
Blyth Spartans
Hamilton Academicals

Grounds for change.....# 1

2009-07-23T13:01:00.003Z

As part of a set of four features that I plan to run simultaneously on the site, here is the first....'Grounds for change'! The feature shall highlight changes made at grounds however big or small. I have a number of my own photographs that I shall put up while it would be great to be able to feature any contributions from readers.

Gardiners Park, the home of Fife Junior side Lochgelly Albert, has seen the construction of a brand new enclosure this sumer. More information and a great set of photographs showing the different stages of construction can be found at Lochgelly Albert's website.

Victoria Ground, Bromsgrove

2009-07-16T23:00:00.005Z

Bromsgrove Rovers 2
Ravenhill 16
Mckenzie 21

Hednesford Town 2
Aiston 51
Dyer 71

Pre-season friendly
Tuesday 14th July 2009
Kick Off: 7.45pm
Attendance: 150 approx
Capacity: 4893
Admission: £5
Programme: £? - sold out! Free teamsheet
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ** No pies!? What!?
Ground ****
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ****
Referee ***
______________________________________

I found myself in the Birmingham area and a check of the pre-season fixtures pointed towards a trip to Bromsgrove Rover's Victoria Ground. I found the ground easily accessable exiting the M42 at Junction 1, travelling south along the A38 before taking the first right and parking up in the Somerfield opposite. The photographs below show the main entrance at Bromsgrove, with smart green gates for vehicles and the like to gain access to the pitch and allowing fans to exit afterwards.

I was pleased to see a club shop at the far end from here while turnstiles could be found in between.

Entry was a reasonable £5 however the last of a short run of programmes had unfortunately gone and the programme seller was just making her way from the booth as I got there. The grounds main feature is the fantastic Main Stand and as I made my way in it immediately caught my attention with it's very bold 'BROMSGROVE ROVERS' lettering booming out in bright green.

There is terracing behind both goals at the Victoria Ground one end covered and one open. Pictured below is the newly refurbished 'All for One' stand now named after after the engineering company that carried out the work. A brand new roof and sides have been added during the close season and it is all set for the new term.

Opposite this is neat concrete terracing with a very bold green and white striped wall behind also with the clubs name emblazoned across it. The fourth side brings us back to the grounds entrance and includes small areas of cover. There is also a club shop, office for enquiries, large social club, programme hut and food window.

Bromsgrove Rovers were formed in 1885 and after playing at a number of different home grounds, moved to the Victoria Ground in 1910. They competed locally in the Brimingham area until they joined the Southern Football League in 1972. At the end of the 1991/92 season 'The Rovers' won promotion to the Conference thanks in part to a 15 match winning run. This was to be the clubs golden era as they enjoyed life in the highest division in English non-league football until 1997. They even finished second in 1993 and reached the third of the FA Cup in the folowing season. The start of season 2009/10 sees the club a long way off these dizzy heights, three leagues below and with attendances at a fraction of what they were.

Tonight they opened up their pre-season programme with a run out against tough opposition, Hednesford Town who play a level above. It was to be a classic game of two halves and the home side were much the sharper in the first half. They had a real threat up front and pacy striker Josh Mckenzie was a large reason behind Bromsgrove leading 2-0 at the interval. He laid on the first for Dextor Ravenhill to chip over the keeper before going clean through minutes later and cooly finishing. It was really noticable how much earlier it gets dark down South and the lights were switched on after about 25 minutes. This highlighted some work to be done before the competetive stuff gets underway with a few of the lights not working.

I headed for the club shop at half time and it was very well stocked with a very friendly welcome. Thousands of old programmes were in stock and I even got myself a cut price home shirt for £5 from a season back. I just had time to get to a good spot in the new 'All for One' stand for the second half.

Hednesford had rang the changes and the introduction of five first team regulars changed the game. Sam Aiston fired in from 20 yards on 51 minutes to pull a goal back for the visitors before Ross Dyer equalised 20 minutes later. Hednesford had the bulk of the chances in the closing stages but I was pleased to see Bromsgrove hold on for a very credable draw against supposedly superior opposition.

I made my way back to the motor and stopped off at the 'Ideal' chip shop which was, well, ideal! Fish & Chips for £3.10 and I even got a free chip roll as I had to wait a few minutes. Must have heard the Scottish accent and knew I would enjoy a freebie. I left with a great impression of the club and I really hope that they can get back to somewhere near where the club should be. I have got a feeling they might have a good season as a number of their new signings seem to be impressive. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for their progress and might even give my new shirt an airing up here!

Club Websites:
Bromsgrove Rovers
Hednesford Town

And we're off....

2009-07-13T01:00:00.000Z

...I managed to drag myself off the golf course and kick-off season 2009/10. A bit of a bland list of pre-season friendlies so far and I finally made the decision to get out and see how Queen of the South's numerous new signings were shaping up. It was good to see the First Division club looking after their local neighbours Gretna 2008 and today's crowd of 683 was the largest in the clubs year long history.

As I arrived at around 1.50 the car park was already pretty full and it was good to be able to park for free. Admission was maintained at East of Scotland levels and I paid my £4 before picking up a copy of the excellent Gretna programme priced £2.

After a couple of years lying largely unused, Raydale Park is once more home to a team representing the village. Having based themselves initially at Everholm in Annan, Gretna 2008 made a return to the ground at the end of last season. Raydale Park was purchased by a company called 'Sawtry Limited' who have agreed for the time being to allow the club to use the ground. The clubs dedicated band of volunteers have set about restoring it and it looked pretty good on a glorious summers day. There were many reminders of the latter stages of the Brookes Mileson era with large signage along the car park side of the ground and a temporary seated stand behind the opposite goal.

The game itself was awful. The only highlight of the first half was a cracking cheeseburger from the van parked at the side of the pitch. Queens were expected to take a few goals off their lesser opposition however it never materialised. Stewart Kean came closest when he hit the bar with a scissor kick but the majority of the crowd went home pretty unimpressed with what they saw. It's very early days though and the team will need time to gel. Gretna on the other hand will take great heart from a fantastic result and their young side will surely have a great chance of gaining promotion from the EOS First Division.

It was a busy day of action in Dumfries & Galloway and I made a sharp exit on the final whistle and headed along the A75 to catch the second half of Annan Athletic v Greenock Morton. I was more than happy to get in for free and finally managed to see a goal when the home side bagged an equaliser.

The third division club have now enjoyed league status for just over a year and Galabank has been fully upgraded with floodlights and turnstiles. 525 was the official crowd today although I don't think that will have included myself or the Queen of the South officials who had the same idea!

So that's the new season underway, look out for reports from new grounds visited. I will endeavour to put up photos and information from trips still to be reported on from last season and also a few other bits and bobs I have seen along the way.

Season Review & Awards 2008/09

2009-07-01T21:30:00.002Z

The final whistle has blown on season 08/09 and it has been a bit of a busy one for fitbadaft. 130 games in total although that is including a few part games and one abandoned after 20 minutes. My season got started in July with a 9 goal demolition of Peebles, by local rivals Gala Fairydean, and ended just over eleven months later on a Monday night at Neilston Juniors.

During this time the ball hit the back of the net 412 times an average of 3.17 times per game. I endured 10 goalless draws, witnessed 26 red cards and saw 34 penalties scored and 4 missed. Overall it was an away win with visiting teams outscoring those at home 202 v 189 while 192 goals came in the first half compared to 220 in the second.

In terms of crowds I was one of 52114 faces in the crowd at St James Park in December, my highest of the season, and one of a lowly 8 watching the Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh in November. Most expensive ticket of the season was unsurprisingly for Stamford Bridge priced £48, with West Ham at £45 coming in second. There were plenty of cold ones but no more so than at Spartans on the 30th December with arctic conditions almost freezing the astroturf pitch at Ainslie Park. Considering I also take a school team and play a bit as well there has been a fair amount of fitba!

In terms of 'where the heart lies' Liverpool finally managed a title challenge while Queen of the South hit the top in October only to find rock bottom in December. I made it to 30 Liverpool games and a strong start saw the Reds top of the league for most of the opening months and into the new year. I made the trip to London in late October to see if Liverpool could end Chelsea's 86 game unbeaten run. A Xabi Alonso strike was enough and there was serious bedlam in the travelling kop. I finally got to see Real Madrid come to Anfield in the Champions League and they were well and truly beaten 4-0. In the end a number of frustrating draws saw the title lost and then almost won again thanks to a blistering finish.

On the ground hopping front I managed to add 5 more grounds; Millwall, Stoke City, Wycombe Wanderers, West Ham United and Gillingham, to my 92 total although Chester's relegation also takes 1 off. In the pursuit of 'doing the 42' I made it up to the highlands for a first visit to Inverness Caley and Ross County and in the West to Kilmarnock. With St Mirren moving to a new ground my total is now adjusted to 39. I have really enjoyed my trips around the grounds of the East of Scotland League and have 4 to go to complete the set. My Junior experiences have been mainly in the East region although the odd trip to West has been made.

I ventured into women's football for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw, goals galore at little or no cost. In the English non-league I managed to visit Tilbury in the South-East, Winsford United in the North-West and on my Easter trip to the North-East, West Allotment Celtic and Newcastle Benfield. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly to the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Al Wasl won an exciting game, with entry for under £4 and a unique experience.

Goal of the season

1. Javad Kazemian - Al Wasl v Ajman (16/02/09)
2. Fernando Torres - Liverpool v Blackburn Rovers (11/04/09)
3. David Etale - Spartans v Edinburgh City (15/05/09)

Most goals in a game

11 - Boroughmuir Ladies 3 Spartans Ladies 8
9 - Peebles 0 Gala Fairydean 9
8 - Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4

Game of the season

1. Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1 (26/10/08)
2. Al Wasl 3 Ajman 2 (16/02/09)
3. Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0 (10/03/09)
4. Gretna 2008 4 Tynecastle 2 (18/01/09)

The new season is already on the horizon and with the fixtures out a number of plans have been made. I have decided to take a season ticket on the Kop, which may slightly reduce my travels although with TV shifting all and sundry it may not result in too many Saturday's being used up. Stranraer, St Mirren and Peterhead are major targets and the rest well I guess we'll see what can be fitted in. All the best and here's to a great 2009/2010 season...with a Scottish appearance at the World Cup in South Africa to finish...fingers crossed!

My games list 2009/10

2009-07-01T19:04:00.027Z

My games list 2009/10

001. 11/07/09 Gretna 2008 0 Queen of the South 0 683
002. 11/07/09 Annan Athletic 1 Greenock Morton 1 - 2nd half only (0-1) 525
003. 14/07/09 Bromsgrove Rovers 2 Hednesford Town 2 (2-0) 150
004. 18/07/09 Raith Rovers 2 Hamilton Academicals 2* (1-0) 550 *1-4 after pens
005. 18/07/09 Craigroyston 3 Broxburn 2 (1-1) 39
006. 19/07/09 Blyth Spartans 2 Raith Rovers 4 (1-2) 400
007. 19/07/09 Spartans 2 Hamilton Academicals 0 (1-0) 400
008. 20/07/09 Albion Rovers 0 Celtic Xl 0* 1000 4-5 after pens
009. 20/07/09 Lanark United 1 Carluke Rovers 0 (1-0) 92
010. 21/07/09 Edinburgh University 0 Vale of Leithen 0 42
011. 22/07/09 Craigroyston 0 Hibernian U19 2 (0-2) 141
012. 23/07/09 Motherwell 8 Flamurtari 1 (6-0) 4641
013. 25/07/09 Broughty Athletic 3 Dundee Xl 0 (3-0) 96
014. 25/07/09 Downfield 2 Broxburn Athletic 2 (0-1) 42
015. 26/07/09 Spartans 2 Falkirk Xl 3 (2-2) 300
016. 26/07/09 Kircaldy YM 2 Spartans Juniors 3 (2-2) 44
017. 29/07/09 St Cuthbert Wanderers 0 Threave Rovers 1 (0-0) 202
018. 01/08/09 Threave Rovers 3 Chrichton 0 (1-0) 145
019. 02/08/09 Civil Service Strollers 1 Raith Rovers U19 3 (0-0) 85
020. 04/08/09 Brentwood Town 2 Carshalton Athletic 3 (1-0) 105
021. 05/08/09 Bishop's Stortford 1 West Ham United Xl 0 (0-0) 751
022. 08/08/09 Charlton Athletic 3 Wycombe Wanderers 2 (2-1) 16552
023. 11/08/09 Partick Thistle 1 Liverpool Xl 1 (0-1) 2521
024. 15/08/09 Kelso United 0 Craigroyston 2 (0-1) 43
025. 16/08/09 Spartans Ladies 2 Celtic Ladies 3 (0-2) 79
026. 18/08/09 Dunfermline Athletic 1 Queen of the South 2 (0-1) 941
027. 19/08/09 Liverpool 4 Stoke City 0 (2-0) 44318
028. 25/08/09 Edinburgh University 1 Spartans 3 (1-0) 58
029. 26/08/09 Hibernian 3 Brechin City 0 (2-0) 7047
030. 29/08/09 Edinburgh City 0 Lothian Thistle 2 (0-2) 53
031. 30/08/09 Spartans U19 2 Tynecastle U19 2 (1-1) 40
032. 05/09/09 Scotland 2 Macedonia 0 (0-0) 50214
033. 06/09/09 Edinburgh University 3 Selkirk 2 (2-0) 54
034. 08/09/09 Preston Athletic 1 Coldstream 0 (1-0) 60
035. 09/09/09 Scotland 0 Netherlands 1 (0-0) 51230
036. 12/09/09 Liverpool 4 Burnley 0 (1-0) 43817
037. 15/09/09 Heart of Midlothian 1 Kilmarnock 0 (1-0) 13328
038. 16/09/09 Liverpool 1 Deberceni 0 (1-0) 41591
039. 22/09/09 Hibernian 1 St Johnstone 3 (1-1) 7078
040. 23/09/09 Queen of the South 1 Rangers 2 (0-1) 61
041. 26/09/09 Civil Service Strollers 1 Gala Fairydean 0 (1-0) 126
042. 03/10/09 Bonnyrigg Rose 1 Fraserburgh United 2 (0-1) 836
043. 04/10/09 Spartans U19 0 Alloa Athletic U19 4 (0-3) 77
044. 10/10/09 Edinburgh City 2 Heriot Watt University 5 (1-1) 55
045. 13/10/09 Livingston 2 Annan Athletic 0
046. 17/10/09 Raith Rovers 1 Queen of the South 0 (0-0)
047. 18/10/09 Dunbar United 0 Rangers 3 (0-3)
048. 20/10/09 Liverpool 1 Lyon 2 (1-0)
049. 21/10/09 Edinburgh University 2 Strathclyde University 0 (0-0)
050. 24/10/09 Civil Service Strollers 1 Berwick Rangers 2 (1-0)
051. 25/10/09 Liverpool 2 Manchester United 0 (0-0)
052. 29/10/09 Scotland Women 3 Georgia Women 1 (0-0)
053. 31/10/09 Cowdenbeath 2 East Fife 1 (2-1)
054. 31/10/09 Alloa Athletic 2 Clyde 0 (1-0)
055. 07/11/09 Ayr United 0 Queen of the South 1 (0-1)
056. 09/11/09 Liverpool 2 Birmingham City 2 (1-2)
057. 10/11/09 Lothian Thistle 3 Vale of Leithen 1 (0-1)
058. 11/11/09 Edinburgh City 1 Whitehill Welfare 3 (0-2) 120
059. 14/11/09 Dundee 0 Queen of the South 0
060. 21/11/09 Liverpool 2 Manchester City 2 (0-0)
061. 22/11/09 Spartans Ladies 6 Kilmarnock Ladies 2 (1-1) 30
062. 24/11/09 Livingston 2 Albion Rovers 0 (1-0)
063. 26/11/09 Scotland U15 1 England U15 2 (1-1)
064. 28/11/09 Solihull Moors 4 Vauxhall Motors 0
065. 04/12/09 Heart of Midlothian U19 2 St Johnstone U19 0
066. 08/12/09 Alloa Athletic 1 Cowdenbeath 0 (0-0)
067. 13/12/09 Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2 (1-0)
068. 15/12/09 Cowdenbeath 2 Stenhousemuir 1 (1-1)
069. 26/12/09 Liverpool 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 (0-0)
070. 30/12/09 Heart of Midlothian 1 Motherwell 0 (1-0)
071. 03/01/10 Hibernian 1 Heart of Midlothian 1 (0-1)
072. 09/01/10 Hibernian 3 Irvine Meadow SC 0 (2-0)
073. 16/01/10 Livingston 1 Queen of the South 1 (1-1)
074. 16/01/10 Spartans 2 Bonnyrigg Rose 1 (0-1)
075. 20/01/10 Liverpool 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 (1-0)
076. 21/01/10 Spartans Juniors 8 Cowdenbeath Xl 1 (3-1) 20
077. 23/01/10 Craigroyston 2 Kelso United 0 (1-0)
078. 26/01/10 Livingston 1 Elgin City 0 (0-0)
079. 27/01/10 Heart of Midlothian 0 Aberdeen 3 (0-1)
080. 30/01/10 Liverpool 2 Bolton Wanderers 0 (1-0)
081. 02/02/10 Livingston 2 Queens Park 0 (1-0) 1062
082. 06/02/10 Liverpool 1 Everton 0 (0-0)
083. 10/02/10 Edinburgh Juniors 4 Edinburgh United 3 (1-2) 39
084. 13/03/10 Brentford 1 Wycombe Wanderers 1 (0-1)
085. 18/03/10 Liverpool 1 Unirea Urziceni 0 (0-0) 40450
086. 21/03/10 Manchester City 0 Liverpool 0
087. 27/03/10 Cambuslang Rangers 2 Rutherglen Glencairn 2
088. 02/03/10 Preston Athletic 1 Civil Service Strollers 2 (1-2) 60
089. 03/03/10 Scotland 1 Czech Republic 0 (0-0)
090. 06/03/10 Bonnyrigg Rose 3 Newtongrange Star 2 (2-2) 426
091. 09/03/10 Cowdenbeath 2 Arbroath 1 (0-1) 246
092. 10/03/10 Spartans 7 Lothian Thistle 0 (1-0) 100
093. 13/03/10 Dunfermline Atheltic 3 Queen of the South 1 (2-0)
094. 17/03/10 Edinburgh City 3 Gretna 2008 1 (
095. 18/03/10 Liverpool 3 Lille 0
096. 20/03/10 Heart of Midlothian 2 Hibernian 1 (2-0)
097. 20/03/10 Craigroyston 2 Easthouses Lily MW 2 (2-0)
098. 21/03/10 Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1 (1-1)
099. 23/04/10 Dundee 1 Queen of the South 1 (1-0)
100. 27/03/10 Guiseley 2 FC United 0 (1-0)
101. 28/03/10 Liverpool 3 Sunderland 0 (2-0)
102. 03/04/10 Spartans 2 Stirling University 0 (1-0)
103. 08/04/10 Athletico Madrid 0 Valencia 0
104. 12/04/10 Airdrie United 0 Queen of the South 1 (0-0) 825
105. 14/04/10 Spartans Juniors 4 Dalkeith Thistle 0 (2-0)
106. 15/04/10 Scottish Universities 0 English Universities 1 (0-1) 128
107. 17/04/10 Leith Athletic 2 Gretna 2008 1 (1-1) 60
108. 21/04/10 Harthill Royal 2 Stoneyburn 3 (1-2)
109. 24/04/10 Ballingry Rovers 3 Faulhouse United 1 (1-0)
110. 28/05/10 Raith Rovers 0 Queen of the South 0
111. 29/04/10 Liverpool 2 Athletico Madrid 1 (1-0)
112. 02/05/10 Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2 (0-1)
113. 03/05/10 Hibernian 2 Heart of Midlothian 1 (1-0)
114. 04/05/10 Spartans 2 Edinburgh University 0 (0-0)
115. 05/05/10 Lothian Thistle 3 Tynecastle 2 (0-2) 75
116. 08/05/10 Alloa Athletic 0 Cowdenbeath 2 (0-0)
117. 09/05/10 Hull City 0 Liverpool 0
118. 12/05/10 Cowdenbeath 0 Brechin City 0
119. 13/05/10 Spartans 3 Gretna 2008 1 (2-0) 435
120. 16/05/10 Stirling University 0 Spartans 2 (0-1) 300 approx
121. 18/05/10 Preston Athletic 2 Celtic Xl 3 (1-2) 200 approx

Total Goals: 206
Average per game: 3.03
Home: 108
Away: 79
Neutral: 19
First Half: 71
Second Half: 81
Extra Time: 0
Penalties: 11 (missed 3)
No score draws: 5
Since last no score draw: 6
Red cards: 17 (3 for Fraserburgh and Lothian Thistle!)
Highest Crowd: Scotland 50214
Lowest Crowd: Spartans Ladies 30
Scotch Pies: 15

Scottish Pre-Season Friendly Results- 2009/10

2009-06-02T20:00:00.005Z

As I have done the past two years I plan to build up a list of all friendly matches involving Scottish clubs. Results will be added to the top as they come in. In the past contributions from readers have been invaluable and again all would be greatly appreciated! Heard about a fixture - then please get in touch! I am in the process of adding links from the fixtures to confirmation on club websites.

Last up-dated 30/8/09

Results

Saturday 27 June

Brantwood 3 Newton Stewart 1
Motherwell 1 Rhyl Town 3

Monday 29 June

East Fife 5 Milton Amatuers 0

Tuesday 30 June

Clachnacuddin 3 Ross County 4

Thursday 2 July

Slovan Bratislava 6 Greenock Morton 1

Saturday 4 July

Abbey Vale 7 Fleet Star 0
Alloa Athletic 0 Albion Rovers 2
Brechin City 0 East Stirling 2
Cowdenbeath 1 Partick Thistle 4
Gretna 2008 0 Workington 1
Fraserburgh United 1 Lossiemouth 4
Huntly 2 Ross County 6
Newton Stewart 1 Wallsend Boys Club 2
Orkney Select 2-0 Wick Academy
Salzburg 1914 1 Greenock Morton 8
St Cuthbert Wanderers 4 Morton Thistle 1
Vale of Leithen 2 Annan Athletic 1

Sunday 5 July

Gala Fairydean 1 Annan Athletic 6

Monday 6 July

Queen of the South 5 Arbroath 2

Tuesday 7 July

Clachnacuddin 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 6
Cowdenbeath 1 East Fife 2
Goslar SC 08 1 Heart of Midlothian 2
Greenock Morton 10 Stranraer 0
Nairn County 9 Gairloch 0
Queens Park 1 Partick Thistle 2
Stenhousemuir 2 Falkirk 1
Turriff United 1 Peterhead 4

Wednesday 8 July

Brechin City 3 Cove Rangers 2
Falkirk 2 Airdrie United 0
Forres Mechanics 1 Ross County 4
Heston Rovers 7 Morton Thistle 1
Penrith 2 Gretna 2008 0
Rothes 0 Elgin City 3
Slask Wroclaw 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
St Cuthbert Wanderers 4 Queen of the South Xl 3
Stirling Albion 0 Dunfermline Athletic 1

Friday 10 July

Clachnacuddin 3 Forfar Athletic 1
FC St Pauli 2 Heart of Midlothian 0

Saturday 11 July

Keyline Cup Tournament - Oban

Oban Saints 0 St Johnstone 2
Heart of Midlothian 0 Hamilton Accies 0
Alloa Athletic 1 Dundee United 0
Oban Saints 0 Hearts 0
Hamilton Academicals 0 Alloa Athletic 1
Dundee United 1 St Johnstone 0
Hamilton Academicals 0 Oban Saints 0
St Johnstone 1 Alloa Athletic 1
Dundee United 0 Hearts 0
Hamilton Academicals 0 St Johnstone 0
Alloa Athletic 2 Heart of Midlothian 0
Oban Saints 0 Dundee United 0
Heart of Midlothian 0 St Johnstone 0
Alloa Athletic 2 Oban Saints 1
Dundee United 0 Hamilton Accies 0

Winners - Alloa Athletic

Aberdeen U19 0 Cove Rangers 2
Annan Athletic 1 Greenock Morton 1
Arbroath 3 Spartans 0
Blyth Spartans 2 Dunfermline Athletic 4
Buckie Thistle 0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2
Celtic Reserves 7 Clyde 2
Crawley Town 3 Albion Rovers 1
Cupar Hearts 3 Cowdenbeath 6
Forres Mechanics 3 Forfar Athletic 2
Gala Fairydean 5 St Cuthbert Wanderers 0
Gretna 2008 0 Queen of the South 0
Hawick Royal Albert 0 Mid Annandale 5
Huntly 2 Peterhead 4
Lossiemouth 3 Elgin City 3
Nairn County 0 Ross County 2
Queens Park 4 Fleetwood Town 1
Raith Rovers 2 Airdrie United 0
Stenhousemuir 3 Berwick Rangers 0
Stirling Albion 1 Partick Thistle 1
Stranraer 3 Threave Rovers 1

Sunday 12 July

Alemannia Aachen 4 Heart of Midlothian 2
Brisbane Roar 0 Celtic 3

Monday 13 July

Greenock Morton 2 Crawley Town 3
Gretna 2008 0 Annnan Athletic 1

Tuesday 14 July

Airdrie United 0 Hibernian 2
Alloa Athletic 0 Stenhousemuir 0 (4v5 after pens)
Deveronvale 0 Ross County 2
Dumbarton 0 Partick Thistle 2
Dunfermline 0 Dundee United 2
East Fife 1 St Mirren 2
Elgin City 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3
Inverurie Loco Works 1 Peterhead 0
Leith Athletic 0 Berwick Rangers 4
Livingston Xl 3 Edinburgh City 0
Raith Rovers 0 Norwich City 1
Rushden & Diamonds 0 St Johnstone 1
South Uist 0 Dundee United U19 2
Stirling Albion 2 Albion Rovers 2

Wednesday 15 July

Ayr United 1 Unirea Urziceni 2
Huntly 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5
Lewis United 1 Dundee United U19 2
Selkirk 0 Hibernian XI 7
Threave Rovers 3 Gretna 2008 2
Turriff United 1 Aberdeen XI 4

Thursday 16 July

Dumbarton 0 St.Mirren 3
Montrose 2 Livingston 1
Rothes 1 Peterhead 1
St Johnstone 0 Norwich City 1
Whitehill Welfare P Forfar Athletic P

Friday 17 July

Arbroath 1 Dundee United 2
Cove Rangers 2 Stenhousemuir 1
Dundela 1 Stranraer 1
Durham City 2 East Fife 3
St Cuthbert Wanderers 0 Kilmarnock Xl 0
Gala Fairydean 6 Coldstream 1

Saturday 18 July

Brewers Cup @ Galabank
Newcastle Benfield 1 Annan Athletic 0
Queen of the South 1 Dumbarton 1 (7-6 after pens)

Class One Cup (Beith Juniors)
Beith Juniors 2 Partick Thistle 0
Rutherglen Glencairn 1 Clydebank 2

Spartans Tournament (@ Ainslie Park)
Hamilton 2 Raith Rovers 2 (4-1 after pens)
Spartans 2 Blyth Spartans 2 (4-3 after pens)

East Kilbride Tournament
East Kilbride Thistle 3 Ayr United U19 0
Alloa Athletic 4 Petershill 1

Dunipace Tournament
Dunipace L Fauldhouse United L
Ashfield 5 Bo`ness United 2

Largs Tournament
Greenock Morton 0 Largs Thistle 3
Benburb 0 St Mirren Xl 3

Willie Allan Cup
Banks O' Dee 1 Montrose Roselea 0
Keith 2 Edinburgh United 2 (5-4 after pens)

1860 Munich 1 Aberdeen 0
Airdrie United 2 Norwich City 3
Arthurlie 2 Cumnock 2
Ayr United 0 St Mirren 1
Bathgate Thistle L Motherwell Xl L
Berwick Rangers 4 Hibernian Xl 2
Bishopmill United 1 Nairn County 7
Blackburn United 0 Auchinleck Talbot 4
Brechin City 0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5
Celtic 1 Unirea Urziceni 1
Clyde 2 Partick Thistle 1
Civil Service Strollers 1 Links United 1
Craigroyston 3 Broxburn Athletic 2
Chrichton 1 Carluke Juniors 2
Crossgates Primrose 4 Easthouses Lily 1
Crusaders 2 Stranraer 1
Dalgety Bay Amateurs 0 Kelty Hearts 1
Dufftown P Formartine United P
Dundee Violet 1 Buckie Thistle 3
Dunfermline Athletic 0 Hibernian 4
Edinburgh City 2 Broughton Amateurs 1
Fraserburgh United 0 Turriff United 5
Glenafton Athletic 4 Cambusnethan Talbot 0
Greenock Morton 0 Oxford United 3
Haddington Athletic 2 Whitehill Welfare 2
Huntly v Rothie Rovers Amateurs
Inverurie Locos 3 Tayport 0
Lothian Thistle 4 Leith Athletic 2
Milton Amateurs 0 Sauchie 9
Newcraighall Leith Vics 2 Vale of Leithen 4
Queen's Park 1 Arbroath 1
Ross County 1 Cowdenbeath 1
Rosyth Juniors L Cowdenbeath Xl L
Selkirk 0 Albion Rovers 6
Spennymoor United P East Fife P
Sunnybank 4 Cove Rangers 1
Gretna 2008 0 Whitley Bay 2
Stirling Albion 1 Dundee United 2
Threave Rovers 6 Queens Park U19 0
West Calder United 0 Heart of Midlothian U19 7 - Wayne Greig Testimonial
Winton Rovers 6 Port Glasgow 3

Sunday 19 July

Brewers Cup @ Galabank
Dumbarton 3 Annan Athletic 3 (2-4 after pens) - Annan finish third
Queen of the South 3 Newcastle Benfield 0 - Queen of the South are winners

Spartans Tournament (@ Ainslie Park)
Blyth Spartans 2 Raith Rovers 4 - Raith Rovers finish third
Spartans 2 Hamilton Academicals 0 - Spartans are winners

Class One Cup (@ Beith Juniors)
Partick Thistle 1 Rutherglen Glencairn 1 - third place shared
Beith Juniors 1 Clydebank 0 - Beith Juniors are winners

East Kilbride Tournament
Petershill 2 Ayr United U19 2 (6-5 after pens) - Petershill finish third
East Kilbride Thistle 1 Alloa Athletic 1 (7-6 after pens) - East Kilbride Thistle are winners

Dunipace Tournament
Bo'Ness United 1 Fauldhouse United 1 (3-4 after pens) - Fauldhouse finish third
Dunipace 1 Ashfield 1 (5-6 after pens) - Ashfield are winners

Largs Tournament
Greenock Morton 2 Benburb 0 - Greenock Morton finish third
Largs Thistle 0 St Mirren Xl 9 - St Mirren are winners

Willie Allan Cup
Edinburgh United 4 Montrose Roselea 1 - Edinburgh United finish third
Keith 0 Banks O' Dee 2 - Banks O' Dee are winners

Mid Annandale L Queen of the South U19 L

Monday 20 July

Albion Rovers 0 Celtic XI 0 (4-5 after pens) - Jock Stein Memorial Trophy
Ayr United 0 St Johnstone 2
Clachnacuddin 6 Nairn St Ninian 1
Drogheda United 2 Dundee United 2
Gala Fairydean 0 Carlisle United 8
Greenock Morton 1 Unirea Urziceni 3
Hillhead 0 Huntly 3
Lanark United 1 Carluke Rovers 0
Livingston 2 Plymouth Argyle 1
Lochee United 1 Dundee United Xl 2
Milton Amatuers L Linlithgow Rose L
Peebles 0 Spartans Juniors 9

Tuesday 21 July

Arthurlie 1 Alloa Athletic 0
Blackburn United 4 Stenhousemuir U19 3
Blairgowrie 3 Balmoral United 2
Chrichton 3 Queen of the South U19 4
Civil Service Strollers 2 Berwick Rangers 1
Coldstream 3 Alnwick Town 3
Cove Rangers 2 Forfar Athletic 5
East Fife 1 Dunfermline Athletic 7
East Stirlingshire 2 Camelon 1
Edinburgh City 6 Broxburn Athletic 4
Edinburgh University 0 Vale of Leithen 0 (abandoned after 79 mins)
Forth Wanderers 1 Lesmahagow 2
Hawick Royal Albert 1 Peebles 1
Kilsyth 3 Whitburn 2
Penicuik Athletic 0 Heart of Midlothian U19 1 (abandoned after 88 mins)
Preston Athletic v Tranent
Raith Rovers 1 Hibernian 0 (abandoned after 46 mins)
Rangers 2 Oxford United 0
Rutherglen Glencairn 3 Cumbernauld United 2
Tayport 1 Brechin City 0
Tynecastle 1 Kelty Hearts 3 (abandoned after 85 mins)
UCD 0 Dundee United 2

Wednesday 22 July

Blantyre Victoria 7 Templeton Albert 0
Bo'ness 1 Pollok 2
Cambuslang Rangers 4 Shettleston 1
Cardiff City 0 Celtic 0
Chievo 4 St Mirren 0
Craigmark Burntonians 0 Auchinleck Talbot 5
Craigroyston 0 Hibernian U19 2
Darlington 0 Hamilton Academicals 0
Drumchapel Amatuers 2 Port Glasgow 4
Dumbarton 0 Middlesbrough 5
Dunbar United 2 Berwick United 1
Dyce 3 Huntly 3
Forres Mechanics 0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2
Haddington Athletic 2 Easthouses Lily 2
Hurlford United 2 Neilston 2
Johnstone Burgh 1 Clydebank 4
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 1 Maryhill 1
Lisburn Distillery 1 St Johnstone 3
Lochgelly Albert 3 Hillend Swifts 3
Lothian Thistle 1 Cowdenbeath XI 4
Maud Juniors 1 Deveronvale 4
Montrose 2 Hibernian Xl 3
Musselburgh Athletic 1 Raith Rovers 0
Newton Stewart 13 Arkhouse 0
Plymouth Argyle 2 Unirea Urziceni 1
Pumpherston 3 Armadale Amatuers 0
Rutherglen Glencairn 3 Cumbernauld United 2
Threave Rovers 1 Kilmarnock Xl 0
Whithorn Amateurs 2 Creetown 2

Thursday 23 July

Bathgate Thistle 4 Armadale Thistle 1 (Kenny Carruthers Cup)
Blairgowrie 3 St Johnstone X1 2
Kildare County 0 Dundee United 4
Livingston United 5 Hamilton Academicals Xl 5
Newtongrange Star 0 Spartans 1
Thornton Hibs 5 Balgonie Scotia 1
Vale of Leithen 0 Edinburgh United 2

Friday 24 July

Wembley Cup
Barcelona 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Celtic 5 Al Ahly 0

Dundonald tournament @ Mooreside Park
Dundonald Bluebell 6 Cowdenbeath Xl 1

Chester-le-Street Town L Cumnock Juniors L
Lochee United 3 Heart of Midlothian XI 0
Lochee Harp L Dundee United L
Glenavon 2 St Johnstone 2
Ryton L Inverurie Loco Works L
Selkirk 3 Tranent Juniors 2

Saturday 25 July

Luncarty Tournament
Luncarty 1 Dundee North End 6
Blairgowrie 2 Stonehaven 3

Jim Baird Memorial Tournament
Lesmahagow 1 Maybole 2
Lugar Boswell Thistle 3 Newmains United 0

Joe Meldrum Memorial Tournament
Thorn Athletic 0 Port Glasgow 3
Glenafton Athletic 1 Thorn Athletic 4
Port Glasgow 1 Glenafton Athletic 0 - Port Glasgow are winners

Shettleston Tournament
Kilwinning Rangers 0 Vale of Clyde 2
Shettleston 2 Cumbernauld United 1

Eddie Queen Memorial Trophy
Blackburn United 1 Kirkcaldy YM 7
Civil Service Strollers 1 Spartans Juniors 4

Dundonald tournament @ Mooreside Park
Hill of Beath Hawthorn L Bowhill Rovers L

Kelburn Tournament @ Neilston Juniors
Irvine Meadow 4 St Mirren 3
Neilston 2 Dalry Thistle 2 (1-3 after pens)

Lyall Murdoch Memorial Tournament @ Broughty Athletic
Broughty Athletic 3 Dundee Xl 0
Fraserburgh 4 Broughty United 1

Bobby Robinson Memorial Trophy @ Coupar Angus
Scone Thistle 0 Kinnoull 7
Coupar Angus 1 Montrose U19 1 pen (2-3 after pens)

Annbank United 0 Auchinleck Talbot 3
Ardrossan Winton Rovers 1 Vale of Leven 3
Arthurlie 1 Linlithgow Rose 3
Benburb 3 Bellshill Athletic 2
Cambuslang Rangers 2 Irvine Victoria 2 (4-2 after pens)
Carnoustie Panmure 2 Deveronvale 1
Craigmark Burntonians L Doon Amateurs L
Crossgates Primrose 1 Stoneyburn Juniors 2
Darvel L Forth Wanderers L
Dundee 1 Aberdeen 1
Dunipace L Denny Select L
Dyce 5 Kirrie Thistle 3
Glentoran 0 Hibernian 2
Edinburgh City 0 Buckie Thistle 2
Gala Fairydean 1 Hibernian U19 1
Girvan L Petershill L
Gretna 2008 0 Beith Juniors 2
Haddington Athletic 3 Leith Athletic 1
Huntly 4 Culter 1
Hurlford United L Royal Albert L
Johnstone Burgh L Carlton L
Kello Rovers 4 Carluke Rovers 0
Keith 2 Craigroyston 3
Kelty Hearts 0 Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 2
Kilbirnie Ladeside 4 Ashfield 2
Kilsyth Rangers 3 Bonnyrigg Rose 3
Lanark United 1 Thorniewood United 4
Largs Thistle 1 Rutherglen Glencairn 0
Larkhall Thistle 0 East Kilbride Thistle 3
Lochee United 4 Turriff United 0
Lochgelly Albert 3 Lochgelly United 5
Maud Juniors 6 Mintlaw 2
Oakley United 2 Glenrothes 4
Penicuik Athletic 2 Coldstream 1
Pollok 2 Whitburn 3
Ponteland United 2 Inverurie Loco Works 2
Preston Athletic 2 Bo'ness 3
Renfrew 1 Maryhill 0
Shotts Bon Accord 11 Wishaw HSFP 1
Southampton 3 Heart of Midlothian 0
Spartans 3 Wallsend BC 1
Sportfreunde Lotto P Rangers P - Waterlogged Pitch
St Anthony's 1 Clydebank 2
Thornton Hibs 1 Thornton AFC 0
Tynecastle Fc 4 Pumpherston 3
Whitehill Welfare 2 Edinburgh United 0
Vale of Leithen 1 Shields United 1

Sunday 26 July

Wembley Cup
Barcelona 4 Al Ahly 1
Celtic 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - Celtic are winners

Luncarty Tournament
Blairgowrie 8 Luncarty 4 - Blairgowrie finish third
Stonehaven 0 Dundee North End 1 - Dundee North End are winners

Jim Baird Memorial Tournament
Newmains United 1 Lesmahagow 1
Lugar Boswell Thistle 1 Maybole 0 - Lugar Boswell Thistle are winners

Shettleston Tournament
Kilwinning Rangers 1 Cumbernauld United 0 - Kilwinning Rangers finish third
Vale of Clyde 5 Shettleston 1 - Vale of Clyde are winners

Eddie Queen Memorial Trophy
Civil Service Strollers 4 Blackburn Utd 3 - Civil Service Strollers finish third
Spartans Juniors 3 Kirkcaldy YM 2 - Spartans Juniors are winners

Dundonald tournament @ Mooreside Park
Bowhill Amatuers L Cowdenbeath Xl L
Dundonald Bluebell 5 Hill of Beath Hawthorn 1 - Dundonald Bluebell are winners

Kelburn Tournament @ Neilston Juniors
Neilston 1 St Mirren 6 - St Mirren finish third
Irvine Meadow 1 Dalry Thistle 0 - Irvine Meadow are winners

Lyall Murdoch Memorial Tournament @ Broughty Athletic
Dundee U19 1 Broughty United 0 - Dundee U19 finish third
Broughty Athletic 1 Fraserburgh 2 - Fraserburgh are winners

Bobby Robinson Memorial Trophy @ Coupar Angus
Scone Thistle 2 Coupar Angus 1 - Scone Thistle finish third
Kinnoull 7 Montrose U19 1 - Kinnoull are winners

Cupar Hearts 3 Raith Rovers XI 7
Drogheda 1 Hamilton Academicals 1
Elgin City 4 Aberdeen Xl 5
FC Nurnberg 0 Rangers 2
Spartans 2 Falkirk 3 - Mark Burns Testimonial

Monday 27 July

Arbroath 1 Dundee 1
Lanark United 4 Lesmahagow 1 - Lanark United are Clydesdale Cup winners 2009
Neilston 1 Kilmarnock Xl 0 (Brian Hewitt Testimonial)
Queens Park 1 Gies A Game Xl 0
Shamrock Rovers 1 Hibernian 0

Tuesday 28 July

Berwick Rangers 2 Blyth Spartans 1
Civil Service Strollers 1 Bonnyrigg Rose 1
Cowdenbeath 1 St Johnstone 2
Cupar Hearts 0 Thornton Hibs 2
Dumbarton 2 East Stirlingshire 2 (5-4 after pens) - Stirlingshire Cup
Dundee Violet 1 Dundee United U19 4
Eastvale 0 Glenrothes 6
Forfar Athletic 0 Dundee 1
Greenock Morton 1 St Mirren 2 (Renfrewshire Cup Final)
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 Dundee United 3
Jeanfield Swifts 5 East Craigie 3
Musselburgh Athletic 1 Heart of Midlothian 1
Leith Athletic 2 Preston Athletic 1
Raith Rovers 1 Kilmarnock 1
Scone Thistle 1 Breadalbane 4
SC Wiedenbruck 2000 0 Rangers 3
Tranent Juniors 1 Rosyth 0 (abandoned after 40 mins)
UCD 1 Hamilton Academicals 2

Wednesday 29 July

Banks O'Dee 0 Buckie Thistle 4
Dunfermline Athletic 1 Coventry City 0
East Fife 0 Hibernian 2
Hamilton Academicals U19 2 Newcastle United U19 4
Kilmarnock 2 Partick Thistle 3
Linlithgow Rose 1 Dundee Utd Xl 2
Livingston United 8 Wishaw Amatuers 3
Lothian Thistle 3 Haddington Athletic 1
Maud Juniors 4 Fraserburgh 1
Plymouth Argyle 0 Heart of Midlothian 0
Tynecastle 0 Raith Rovers XI 2

Thursday 30 July

Dalkeith Thistle L Easthouses Lily L
Heriot Watt University 1 Edinburgh United 6
Newburgh 1 St Johnstone Xl 6

Friday 31 July

Heart of Midlothian U19 4 Newcastle United U19 0
Preston Athletic 1 Hibernian XI 2
Spennymoor United 2 Linlithgow Rose 5

Saturday 1 August

Armadale 0 Whitburn 3
Arniston Rangers 1 Faulhouse United 0
Ballingry Rovers 3 Thornton Hibs 3
Beith Juniors L Rangers XI L (John Craig Testimonial)
Carnoustie Panmure 6 Carnoustie YM 0
Celtic 1 Sunderland 2
Chester-le-Street Town 0 Linlithgow Rose 1
Blairgowrie L Jeanfield Swifts L
Craigroyston 7 Leith Athletic U21 1
Eyemouth United 2 Pencaitland 2
Falkirk 1 Royal Antwerp 0
Gretna 2008 3 Edinburgh University 0
Harthill Royal 1 Dunfermline Athletic U19 5
Hibernian 1 Preston North End 3
Hill of Beath Hawthorn 4 Lochore Welfare 1
Kettle United 2 Kirkcaldy YM 0 (abandoned after 60 mins)
Kirriemuir Thistle 3 Vale of Leithen 1
Links Utd 2 Crossgates Primrose 5
Lochgelly Albert 0 Blackburn United 4
Oakley United 0 Sauchie 1
Peebles 3 Peebles Amatuers 2
Penicuik Athletic 0 Dundee United U19 2
Pumpherston 1 Whitehill Welfare 0
Rangers 1 PSG 0 (Emirates Cup)
Sauchie 1 Oakley United 0
Selkirk 0 Newtongrange Star 8
Spartans Juniors 1 Spartans 7
St Andrews 1 Arthurlie 0
Stoneyburn 2 Whitburn Amateurs 0
Tayport 1 Musselburgh Athletic 1
Tynecastle FC L Heart of Midlothian XI L
Tynecastle Star P Haddington Athletic P

Sunday 2 August

Arsenal 3 Rangers 0
Civil Service Strollers 1 Raith Rovers 3
Dundee United 1 Newcastle United 1

Monday 3 August

Dundee 3 Royal Antwerp 3
Hibernian U19 1 Partick U19 1

Fixtures

Tuesday 4 August

Dalkeith L Preston Athletic L
Forfar Athletic 0 Dundee United XI 3
Heart of Midlothian 1 Bolton Wanderers 1
Huddersfield Town U19 1 Dundee United U19 3
Kelty Hearts 1 Dunfermline Athletic 1
Stirling Albion 1 Dumbarton 1 (Stirlingshire Cup)

Wednesday 5 August

Blackburn Rovers 0 Hibernian 0
Peterhead 2 Rangers Reserves 2
Rangers 3 Manchester City 2
Whitehill Welfare v Raith Rovers Xl

Thursday 6 August

Links United 3 Tynecastle U21 1
Hibernian U19 4 Huddersfield Town U19 1
Kilmarnock 1 Burnley 1

Saturday 8 August

Bolton Wanderers 0 Hibernian 0
Dundee United 2 Blackburn Rovers 0
Forfar West End 3 Dundee United U19 1
Heart of Midlothian 1 Sunderland 1
Manchester City 2 Celtic 1
Portsmouth 2 Rangers 0
Preston Athletic 1 Hamilton Academicals 3
St Johnstone 1 Burnley 0
Wigan Athletic 3 St Mirren 1

Sunday 9 August

Hull City 0 Aberdeen 1 - Dean Windass Testimonial

Tuesday 11 August

Partick Thistle 1 Liverpool Xl 1
Stirling Albion 3 Rangers Reserves 1

Wednesday 12 August

Dundee U19 2 Dundee United U19 1

Catch Up! - Stirling University Campus

2009-05-30T21:30:00.001Z

Stirling University 3
Atkins
Nicholl
Jolley

Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare 2
Edgar
Gaylor

EOS League Cup Round 2
Saturday 4th April 2009
Kick Off: 2.30pm
Attendance: 22 H/C
Capacity: 2000
Admission: Free
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub ***** Great cafe!
Ground **
Atmosphere **
Entertainment *****
Referee ****
______________________________________

Stirling University were admitted to the East of Scotland League in the summer of 2008, filling one of the two vacancies created by the withdrawal of Berwick Rangers Reserves and the election of Annan Athletic to the Scottish League. The team have enjoyed a successful first season looking for a long time like gaining promotion only to just fall short of second placed Civil Service Strollers.

Stirling are the third University side currently playing in the East of Scotland League joining Edinburgh and Heriot Watt. In 2007/08 Stirling finished a close third behind the two and have a history of competing with them strongly in the Universities League.

The University is designated ‘Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence’ and claims to offer one of the broadest sports studies programmes in Great Britain. Falkirk FC launched an initiative which has allowed its young players to combine training and study at the University facilities.

The campus is situated a mile and a half from Stirling City centre in a picturesque setting off hills and trees. I guess the University is a bit of a blot on the landscape especially some of the 1960’s buildings which form part of the campus.

In the teams first league game of the season the opened with an 11-0 demolition of Hawick Royal Albert. Despite the weakness of the opposition it sent out a real message to the rest of the First Division. In the end they fell short however with a seasons experience gained the Uni will hope to launch a sustained run at promotion next season.

I parked up in one of the main car parks at the campus and made my way down to the pitch. Entry was free and I was a bit disappointed to find that there was no programme, something which had been in the production earlier in the season. The pitch is fully enclosed with a 6 lane running track around the outside.

Despite being a division below, the home side were the strongest team throughout the game and they took a deserved lead midway through the first half. A number of missed chances went begging and they were made to pay ten minutes from time when Easthouses won themselves a penalty. It was a needless foul that led to the award and it was chance that the visitors didn’t let pass and it looked like extra time.

It didn’t though a minute later though because Stirling went straight up the other end and regained the lead. Despite any real pressure being mounted the visitors somehow equalised again, this time deep into injury time and nobody could believe their luck. The home side launched one last attack and won themselves a corner. From somewhere the referee found time for them to take it and as the ball found it’s way out to the edge of the box it was lashed home.

Club Websites:
Stirling University - None
Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare - None

Boleyn Ground

2009-05-16T01:10:00.001Z

West Ham United 0

Liverpool 3
Gerrard 2, 38pen
Babbel 84

FA Premier League
Saturday 9th May 2009
Kick Off: 5.30pm
Referee: Alan Wiley
Attendance: 34951
Capacity: 35303
Admission: £45
Stand: North
Programme: £3.50 & Bossmag Fanzine a bargain £1
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub ***
Ground ****
Atmosphere ****
Entertainment ****
Referee ***
______________________________________

I always thought West Ham played at Upton Park, but my trip today was to be precise to the Boleyn Ground, in the Upton park area of London. With West ham having spent a number of recent seasons outside of the top flight and a lot of recent fixtures arranged mid week, this was my first trip here watching Liverpool.

A weekend in London was planned to conincide with a trip to see the Mighty Reds on the road and a late kick off allowed for lunch and a few beers in town beforehand. A bit of disrupted underground service took me to Stratford, changed for a short trip to West Ham Station and then onwards to Upton Park.

With the majority of the train alighting at Upton Park, rather strangely, the train had to wait until most of the crowd had made its way past to allow it to safely pull away. The 5 minute walk from the station to the ground was an interesting one with various stalls selling West Ham merchandise and old programmes. The away end was situated at the far side of the ground and gave me the chance to walk round 3 sides and get some photographs.

Alf Garnett, the England team of 1966, Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Trevor Brooking…West Ham are a club associated with all sorts of characters. Looking at the list of young players to recently come through the clubs academy is frightening and they have provided many other clubs with their talent having been forced to sell them on.

Unusually I was in the ground a good 45 minutes before kick-off and even managed to see the warm up. Situated directly behind the goal with the Liverpool players practicing their shooting into we just about managed to dodge the stray balls. The atmosphere was decent as the two teams came out however any blowing of bubbles was ended within two minutes. Fernando Torres split the home defence with a great through ball for Gerrard who had timed his run perfectly, rounded the keeper and coolly slotted home.

The main focal point of the Boleyn Ground is the facade of the DR Martens Stand. If you look closely at the crowd hanging around in front you can see the BBC’s Steve Wilson doing his stuff for MOTD2.

The home crowd and players were rightly insensed when a Mascherano foul wasn’t penalised only for Liverpool to counter attack and win a penalty after Boa Morte pulled back Torres in the box. Gerrard bagged his second of the day after Green saved his spot kick only for the rebound to land at his feet. The rest of the game was cruise control stuff for Liverpool and we enjoyed a great old sing song in the away end. Ryan Babbel made it three nil six minutes from time firing in at the second attempt from close range.

The police on horseback patrol the away end entrance although they seemed to be enjoying a trouble free evening.

The main gates to the ground which date back to the 1920's and were restored during the construction of the Dr Martens Stand.

The West Ham United club crest was updated in the 1990's including incorporating a wider castle to make the badge look more substantial.

With a capacity of 9000 the Bobby Moore stand was formerly known as the South Bank.

The Boleyn Ground ticket office.

The back of the East Stand, the grounds oldest having been built in 1969 and also the smallest, seating around 5000 fans. This two-tier stand was opened in 1993.

The end of the Bobby Moore Stand at the corner where it meets the East Stand.

The supporters club.

Club Websites:
West Ham United
Liverpool

Four!

2009-04-22T21:58:00.004Z

Fitbadaft..............................................

.......................needs a.........................

......................lie down!!

Humbug Park

2009-04-20T21:50:00.006Z

Crossgates Primrose 1

Bankfoot 1

East Region Juniors Central Division
Saturday 28th March 2009
Kick Off: 2.00pm
Attendance: 48 H/C
Capacity: 2500 (20 seated)
Admission: £4
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub **** Cracking pie
Ground *** Great bus shelter dugouts!
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
______________________________________

The games are coming thick and fast as the end of season approaches. At the same time my list of 'reports to follow' down the left hand side is getting embarrassingly long. To allow me to catch up I am going to need to keep things a bit shorter and come back and add some bits of information later. Lets see how it goes!

Crossgates Primrose play in the village of Crossgates, only a couple of miles from Dunfermline. Formed in 1983 they play at Humbug Park.

The ground is a fairly basic affair with a railing all the way round the pitch and features a bus shelter on either side of the halfway line acting as dugouts! There is a very small stand oddly placed in the bottom corner of the ground which is only just still standing with the aid of scaffolding. There are brick changing rooms and food is served out of a very battered looking portacabin.

Today's game was a mid table affair and there seemed to be a bit of needle between the two sides. To be honest the two teams didn't seem to bring the best out in each other and football wise the home team in particular struggled to get any passing going. With better finishing the visitors could and maybe should have won but it ended with the points being shared.

Club Websites:
Crossgates Primrose
Bankfoot

Blair Park

2009-04-17T12:51:00.000Z

Hurlford United 2

Girvan 3

West of Scotland Super 1st Division
Saturday 21st March 2009
Kick Off: 2.00pm
Attendance: 71
Capacity: 1500
Admission: £5
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee ***
________________________________________________________________________________

Having made a quick exit from Rugby Park it was back to the car and off to Blair Park, the home of Hurlford United. I jogged it back to the car park in town as with the juniors kicking off at two o'clock I knew I would be lucky to make the last fifteen minutes of the first half. Thankfully though the traffic wasn't too bad and I managed to negotiate Kilmarnock's tricky one-way system and find the A71 which would take me to Hurlford.

Nicknamed the 'Ford' the club was formed in 1938. Playing out of the village of Hurlford, Blair Park can be found only 2 miles from Kilmarnock town centre. As the photographs here show the ground is surrounded on all four sides by housing and it has a real community feel about it. It was funny to see a lady hanging her washing out in one of the back gardens whilst watching the game at the same time. It was a good drying day though with a mixture of sunshine and wind!

I arrived with the game half an hour old and the home side two goals to the good. Having been promoted last season Hurlford have endured a difficult season and champonship form will be required if relegation is to be avoided. A look back at the clubs history shows though that a season of struggle in the Super First Division is certainly not as bad as it gets. The club were rooted to the bottom of the Junior game for four successive seasons in the nineties. For two of those seasons running Hurlford lost every single game in the league.

Blair park is I guess a fairly basic ground but as with a lot of Junior grounds it's great! Entry is through an old turnstile and there is a well stocked food hut on the way in. Changing rooms are fairly modern, there is a reasonable area of covered standing along one side and lots of old terracing all the way around the ground.

The game itself was to take a huge turnaround in the last half an hour as playing down the slope, Girvan battered the home side. The first goal seemed to 'break the seal' and an equaliser was quickly followed by a well taken winner. The visitors chairmen and fans were loving it and quite rightly so. I got speaking to a few of them and they were desperate for points themselves in their own relegation fight.

A few more photographs of Blair Park can be found below. Despite having arrived during the game street parking had been straightforward, so I was back at the car and onto the A71 home in no time. All in all, despite the poor SPL game, a good day was had!

Club Websites:
Hurlford United - None
Girvan

Ayrshire Double - Rugby Park

2009-04-13T23:42:00.002Z

Kilmarnock 0

Motherwell 0

SPL
Saturday 21st March 2009
Kick Off: 12.30pm
Referee: D McDonald
Attendance: 5434
Capacity: 18128
Admission: £15
Programme: £2.50
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money **
Grub ***** Said aye to Killie Pie!
Ground ****
Atmosphere **
Entertainment * Dreadful
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

With St Mirren having said goodbye to their Love Street ground my current '42' total had been reduced to 38. It was time for action and an early kick off at Rugby Park presented a great opportunity for an 'Ayrshire' double, including a 39th league ground followed by a Junior game.

Established in 1869, Kilmarnock are the oldest league club in Scotland. They were elected into the Scottish Football League in 1895 and took their place in the top flight four years later. 'Killie' as they are affectionately known were crowned Champions of Scotland in 1965, their one success to date. The club has lifted the Scottish Cup three times in 1920, 1929 and most recently in 1997. Kilmarnock suffered a real decline in the 1980's and it was manager Tommy Burns who lifted them out of the bottom tier of Scottish football, back to the Premier League in 1993.

I made the decision to avoid the slightly quicker M8 route instead heading right along the A71 which connects Edinburgh to Ayrshire. Journey time took 1 hour 40 minutes and I parked up in a town centre pay and display car park for a few pounds. Rugby Park is a fairly imposing ground with 4 large stands and is situated in a pleasant neighbourhood. With a capacity of just over 18000 it is the 5th biggest ground in the country and is regularly used for Scotland 'B' and 'Under 21' games.

With cash gates in operation I opted for the cheapest option, £15 entry into the Moffat Stand, the clubs designated family area. Without being a moan I was to wish I had opted to go elsewhere as I spent the majority of the game being annoyed by kids! Stewards were keeping fans within certain seating blocks in the stand and it meant cramped conditions whilst hundreds of empty seats remained. Smaller children squabbled with each other, teenagers strutted around I had to stand up to let them past numerous times as calls of nature seemed to get the better of them!

To the game...it was dire. Easily the worst I have seen this season and the first half an hour was pure torture. Whenever Setanta show an SPL game minus the Old Firm it always seems to be the same unfortunately and doesn't do the rest any justice! Mehdi Taouil was the only real bright spark and he provided some attacking flair down the left hand side for the home side. Goalless at half time I made my way downstairs in pursuit of a 'Killie Pie', more on which later.

I moved seats for the second half and being a miserable sod tried to get as far away from anyone under the age of 18. It didn't make much difference though and my enjoyment of the poor fare on the pitch was played out to a soundtrack of tipping seats kicked by numerous youngsters all around.

Motherwell, with their sights on a top six finish, gradually began to show their superior 'quality' - used in the loosest of terms! They finished the strongest but couldn't force a winner and the two clubs had to settle for a point each. I made a very quick getaway in an attempt to complete my Ayrshire double with a trip to nearby Hurlford.

The East Stand (above) is a relatively new stand has been built to fit in with the two end stands.

Both the East and Main Stands have unusual floodlights which are positioned above the stand roofs. The Main stand is a 1960's construction and provides a throwback to a different era.

The Chadwick Stand on the far side is designated to the visiting fans at Rugby Park. Identical to the Moffat Stand it is a single tier structure and features an electronic scoreboard on top.

The picture above shows the pie queue at halftime and with only one kiosk open it took some time to get to the front. It was worth the wait though as I got to sample the top rated pie in British football. 'Say aye to a Killie pie' the sign above the hatch says and I in fact said aye to two of them!

Club Websites:
Kilmarnock
Motherwell

Warner Park

2009-03-27T23:20:00.005Z

Eyemouth United 3
Brydon 55, 58
Gillon 89

Coldstream 2
Brown 64
Evans 76

East of Scotland League Cup 1st Round
Saturday 7th March 2009
Kick Off: 2.30pm
Referee: George Salmond
Attendance: 68 H/C
Capacity: 2000
Admission: Free
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***** Pie £1 - best so far in the EOS League!
Ground *** Great setting
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee **
________________________________________________________________________________

Eyemouth United were founded in 1949 and currently play in the East of Scotland First Division. The club is nicknamed the 'Fisherman' due to their coastal location in the small fishing port of Eyemouth in Berwickshire.

The town has a population of around three and a half thousand and is 8 miles North of Berwick Upon Tweed. Today my trip from Edinburgh was one of 52 miles and was a pretty straight forward journey along the A1 with Warner Park only 2 miles from the turn off.

In the 1959/60 season Eyemouth United reached the Quarter Finals of the Scottish Cup, defeating Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath in the second and third rounds. In the last eight they faced Kilmarnock, losing narrowly at home by 2 goals to 1.

Warner Park is similar to a lot of East of Scotland grounds in that it is pretty basic. It does though have a great location with views out across the sea on one side and Eyemouth Golf Course on the other. A course which is proudly home to 'Britains Most Extraordinary Golf Hole'. Features of the ground include brick dugouts on the same side as the changing rooms and large netting behind one end to collect stray shots ending up in the houses behind. By the time I arrived the club car park was full and after a tight u-turn I managed to find some parking in a nearby street. Admission was free and a decent crowd had turned out for the visit of local rivals Coldstream. With the two clubs in different divisions the result today took on even more importance with bragging rights likely to extend for a while.

The first half was a tight affair and the two teams seemed to cancel each other out. I ventured across to the clubhouse and picked up a cracking pie very reasonably priced at £1. The best I have seen in the East of Scotland League! The second half proved to be a cracker. Eyemouth striker Brydon fired in a superb opener and he followed it up 3 minutes later with a second. Against the odds, having been reduced to ten men, Coldstream fought their way back into the game as they exploited the home sides inability to defend crosses into the box. With the game locked at two a-piece and extra time looming last minute drama was to settle the tie. Substitute Gillon arrived at the back post and used his hand to force the ball over the line. The visitors complained but the referee was having none of it and the goal stood. Standing only a few feet from the incident I had a great view of the incident and it was quite clearly a foul. Oh well...he who dares!

Club Websites:
Eyemouth United
Coldstream

Anfield Park

2009-03-11T22:35:00.007Z

What a night!
What an atmosphere!
What a game!

It's another European adventure following Rafa's Reds and it doesn't get any better than a visit from Real Madrid.

The scoreboard might never look any better!

3000 Real fans locked in afterwards.

Zabeel Stadium

2009-03-01T21:41:00.005Z

Al Wasl
Jassem 53
Oliveira 65
Mobali 76

Ajman
Kazemian 88, 89

UAE League
Zabeel Stadium
Monday 16th February 2009
Kick Off: 5.35pm
Attendance: 2200 H/C
Capacity: 1800
Admission: 20 Dirhams (just under £4)
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Nuts & Fruit Juice
Ground ****
Atmosphere ****
Entertainment *****
Referee ** Oh man... 2 for entertainment!
________________________________________________________________________________

Al Wasl Football Club is based at the Zabeel Stadium in the United Arab Emirate State of Dubai. Since it's inception in 1974 the club can proudly boast that they have played every season in the Premier Division of the UAE League, the only club to do so. League Champions in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1997 and 2007, Al Wasl are the second most successful club in the Emirates, behind Al Ain.

From the moment our February holiday to Dubai was booked I had my sights on getting to a game. However I soon found out that information on football in the UAE was particularly hard to come by with very little available on the internet. Some fixtures are available via the FIFA website however no kick off times were included. The best place that I found in the end was the Al Jazira FC website which inluded all UFL (United Arab Emirates Football League) fixtures and exact start times. With an action packed week lined up by the missus it was decided that a night game would be best and Al Wasl on a Monday night was the best option.

Their visitors Ajman had travelled from the Emirate state of the same name, the smallest of the Emirates by area. The club was promoted to the top division only last season and seem to have coped well with the step up. It was a bit of mid table clash however in a tight league with the bottom two to face relegation, either club could easily find themselves in a battle to stay up with a bad run.

I might have known roughly where and when the game was to take place but pretty much nothing else. I didn't know whether it would cost the equivalent of £5 or £50 or in fact whether we would get in! It was a venture into the unknown and after an afternoon spent on the beach we (Mrs Fitbadaft came along too!) took a taxi ride across town headed for the Zabeel Stadium. The taxi driver thought that the ground would be near the Al Wasl Hospital and when we saw the bright floodlights in the evening sky above it we knew we were on the right track. We were dropped off right at the ground and with little time to spare made our way straight to a sort of mini gate with a seated man at a table taking entrance money. 40 Dirhams he asked for the two of us equating to just under £4 each. Not bad at all for a top flight game! Around the ground there were temporary stalls set up selling cartons of fruit juice and various bags of nuts. As we made our way through the concourse there was a police presence and we were a relieved to spot a Ladies toilet which hopefully indicated that it was acceptable for females to be in attendance.

The Zabeel Stadium is a large bowl shaped structure with the pitch quite remote in the centre. There was a crowd of around 2200 out in force and we had plenty seats to choose from with a capacity of 18000. The home fans seemed to congregate in two main areas either side of the halfway line. A drummer led the 'troops' on one side opposite those packed into the Main Stand.

The first half was a lively affair with the home side largely dominant however it remained goaless at halftime. Al Wasl took the lead early in the second half when Maher Jassem scored from close range. The home crowd erupted with yellow streamers raining down onto the touchline and pitch. Alexander Oliveira doubled the lead in the 65th minute and Al Wasl were running riot when Iranian Iman Mobali added a third 11 minutes later from the penalty spot.

The referees decision to award it was surprising as the defender seemed to clear the ball in the challenge. Even more surprisingly he recieved a straight red card thereafter and with no chance to see any replays of the incident I am left to assume that something sinister must have taken place.

With Ajman seemingly down and out the Iran international Javad Kazemian cut inside from the wing and fired a cracking shot on the angle which hit the underside of the cross bar before bouncing down and out. Majed Nasser in goal managed to jump on the ball only for the referee to award a goal to everyones amazement. I caught some very brief highlights on Dubai TV a few days later and it seemed to confirm that the ball didn't cross the line. As one of the Ajamn forwards attempted to retrieve the ball Nasser amazingly elbowed him with the usual theatrics following. The red card came out again and with all substitutes already used an outfield player was forced to go in goal. Despite being deep into injury time there was still time for the referee to penalise him for an inocuous looking challenge and award Ajman a penalty. It was converted by Kazemian with the final whistle following to bring a breathtaking second half to an end.

We made our way outside looking to find a taxi back and we were able to book one from the hotel within the Main Stand. All in all this was an excellent advert for the UAE League and the second half was the most dramatic I have seen in a long while. The World Club Cup will be hosted in Abu Dhabi for the next two years bringing with it a guaranteed place for the UFL winners and some well deserved publicity. It was a pleasure to sit in shorts and t-shirt and enjoy such a good game...guess it's back to the winter coat again!

Club Websites:
Al Wasl
Ajman

Barton Stadium

2009-02-25T23:38:00.000Z

Winsford United 1
Couch 13

Runcorn Linnets 2
Brown 36
Crewe 74

Vodkat Premier Division
Barton Stadium
Saturday 31st January 2009
Kick Off: 3.00pm
Attendance: 162
Capacity: 7000 (600 seated)
Admission: Would have been £6 but got a freebie!
Programme: £1 but sold out!
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub *** Pie & Bovril £1.80
Ground ***
Atmosphere *** Great away support
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

A weekend away in the North West gave me a chance to visit Winsford United of the Vodkat Premier Division. Pictures from my visit to the Barton Stadium below.

Club Websites:
Winsford United
Runcorn Linnets

Albyn Park

2009-02-21T22:45:00.001Z

Broxburn Athletic 0

Dalkeith Thistle 0

Albyn Park
Saturday 24th January 2009
Kick Off: 1.45pm
Referee:
Attendance: 65 H/C
Capacity: 4500
Admission: £4
Programme: £1
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub *** Pie & Bovril £1.80
Ground ***
Atmosphere *
Entertainment **
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

A third successive Saturday watching a goaless draw...what a start to the new year! Albyn Park was a comfortable 30 minute drive from the centre of the Edinburgh and I parked up in the car park shown in the picture below.

On a bright January afternoon I was able to get some good photos of the old ground. Floodlights, which were a feature of Albyn Park, have been removed. Where two individual stands used to line the South touchline only one now remains. According to the club programme huge changes are afoot as the club has successfully applied for a grant which will apparently fund a new clubhouse and artificial surface.

Club Websites:
Broxburn Athletic
Dalkeith Thistle - None

Penicuik Park

2009-02-05T22:54:00.000Z

Penicuik Athletic 0

Lanark United 0

Penicuik Park
Saturday 17th January 2009
Kick Off: 1.45pm
Referee: Stephen Allen
Attendance: Approx 370
Capacity: 2000
Admission: £5
Programme: £1
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ** Ran out of pies before HT!
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

A trip of around 8 miles South of Edinburgh today for a Scottish Junior Cup tie in Penicuik. Their opponents Lanark United meant it was a match up between East and West. The fact that both clubs were almost identically placed in their respective league set ups hinted at a tight game and that is exactly what we got.

Bit of a short one today but below are some photgraphs of Penicuik Park.

Club Websites:
Penicuik Athletic
Lanark United

Hermand Park

2009-01-21T22:37:00.000Z

West Calder United 1
Johnstone 73

Rangers Xl 6
Campbell 10, 40,60
Wylde 30
Stirling 38
McAusland 72

Hermand Park - Official Opening
Sunday 11th January 2009
Kick Off: 1.00pm
Attendance: Approx 250
Admission: £5
Programme: £2 (The usual top class effort found here!)
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ****
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

West Calder United officially opened Hermand Park with a friendly match against a Rangers under 19’s. Looking outside the weather conditions were truly awful with strong winds and driving rain and I didn’t really think the game would have any chance of going ahead. The clubs home league fixture the day before had fallen foul of the weather however a call to the clubs secretary confirmed that both teams had arrived and the game was indeed on!

Entry to the ground is through a small hut and the club were selling comemerative programmes for £2. Football has apparently been played at Hermand Park for a number of years but the club has now fully upgraded the facilities. Modern green fencing surrounds the outside of the ground while a white plastic railing runs right around the perimeter of the pitch. There is a brand new clubhouse including pie shop and an area of covered terracing on the same side.

When attending the last ever game at the clubs old Burngrange Park ground last May it was a shorts and sun cream occasion and it was rather ironic that I spent all of today’s visit sheltering from the winter weather. I didn’t even venture as far along as the stand opting instead to watch from under the overhanging clubhouse roof. A really good crowd had turned out and it was a real shame for West Calder that the weather was so poor. I guess many had been lured by the opportunity to see a Rangers side, however young it may be and on a better day may have been even larger. In the first half the pitch held up fairly well although the players took a real soaking and ran in the direction of the changing rooms as soon as the half time whistle blew. They did so with the young visitors 4 goals to the good as their quality in and around the opposition penalty box shone through.

The incessant rain was taking its toll on the pitch and I heard that referee was going to see how it went in the second half. In all honestly the game, if competitive, would have been abandoned as the ground became waterlogged. As emphatic as the score line suggests, West Calder more than made a game of it and had their fair share of general play. Their forward Steven Johnstone finally converted a chance late on to give the local fans and his teammates something to cheer about.

Club Websites:
West Calder United
Rangers

Britannia Stadium

2009-01-14T21:20:00.009Z

Stoke City 0

Liverpool 0

FA Premier League
Saturday 10th January 2009
Kick Off: 5.30pm
Attendance: 27500
Capacity: 28383
Admission: £0 - Freebie!
Stand: West Stand
Programme: £3
Referee: Lee Mason
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Balti Pie & Chips in Delilahs Bar
Ground ***
Atmosphere ****
Entertainment **
Referee ***
________________________________________________________________________________

A road trip down the M6 today and a first ever visit to the Britannia Stadium, home of Stoke City. Founded in 1863 the Potters are the second oldest English League club behind Notts County. Initially known as Stoke Ramblers the club merged with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club in 1878 and moved home to the Athletic Club which later became known as the famous Victoria Ground. One of the twelve founder members of the Football League, this was to be the clubs home until the Britannia Stadium opened in 1997. Under the management of Tony Pulis, in his second spell with the club, Stoke gained promotion to the top flight in May 2008 for the first time since 1985.

Having left the wind and rain behind in Scotland the conditions from Moffat downwards were freezing. The Britannia Stadium sits up on hill and which seems to make it even more exposed to the elements from all around. I was glad to get out of the biting wind and into Delilahs Bar inside the stadium. It costs £2 to get in and provides food, drink and warmth! A few beers and a pie and chips went down well before heading out to the siberian temperatures.

Apologies for the lack of photographs, I only managed to take a few once inside the ground. It features 2 separate stands; the West and South and an L-shape Boothen and East stand. Having hosted crowds around the mid-teen thousands for most of it's life the Brittania is nowadays putting up the sold out signs and if Premier League status is maintained it may be extended in the future.

We were seated in the West Stand level with the corner flag and the ground as with most new builds seems to offer a good view from almost every seat. Liverpool went into the game looking to open up a six point lead a the top but it quickly became apparent that they weren't going to get things their own way. Having endured a goalless draw between the two sides back in September it was a case of deja vu. Stoke could count themselves unlucky not to take all three points as they gave the visitors the most uncomfortable of times.

Club Websites:
Stoke City
Liverpool

Deepdale

2009-01-12T22:00:00.003Z

.
Preston North End 0

Liverpool 2
Riera 23
Torres 90

FA Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 3rd January 2009
Kick Off: 5.25pm
Attendance: 23046
Capacity: 24525
Admission: £20
Stand: Alan Kelly Town End
Programme: £2
Referee: Martin Atkinson
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Shire foods - Balti Pie & Bovril £3.60
Ground ****
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ******
________________________________________________________________________________

Deepdale, the home of Preston North End, was the venue for my first game of 2009. The train from Edinburgh had me in Preston within 2 and a half hours and the ground was a very swift 25 minute walk from the station. This was my second ever visit here and the first since the new brand new Invincibles Pavilion was completed in the summer of 2008.

Preston were founder members of the football league in 1888 and got off to the perfect start winning the League and FA double. As well as being the first Champions of England they were the first team to remain unbeaten throughout an entire league season. Having enjoyed most of their early life in the top flight, relegation from the top flight hit the club in 1961 to which they have yet to return. The club reached its lowest ebb in 1986 finishing second from bottom in the 4th Division and only maintaining league status courtesy of a members vote. In recent years the club has enjoyed a real renaissance having consolidated themselves as a force in England's second tier.

Real credit must go to the club as they kept prices at there normal level for tonight's tie, £20 while programmes were £2. Printed entirely on recycled paper it claimed to be the most environmentally friendly programme in the football league and was the best one I have seen in years. Tonight's game was to be an historic occasion as Preston enjoyed their biggest home crowd since the early 1970’s with the club collecting record gate receipts in the process.

Rafa Benitez fielded a surprisingly strong side by his standards in the FA Cup and as the game transpired the visitors needed everything they had to hold off Preston. A fantastic strike by Albert Riera midway through the first half was all that seperated the teams with only minutes on the clock. The Championship side pressed hard and had an equaliser chalked off after a silly foul in the box. In the dying seconds sub Fernando Torres rolled in probably the easiest goal he will ever score after Gerrard did the hard work.

The final whistle meant a stroll back into town to catch the train home after a good day on the road. Up next in the FA Cup…the Merseyside derby!

Club websites:
Preston North End
Liverpool

#1/2009 - The Grange

2009-01-06T20:19:00.006Z

.

Not quite fitba daft! #1 The first addition in a new series features the Grange Club Pavillion in the heart of Stockbridge, Edinburgh. Opened in 1894 it was restored in 1998 at a cost of £450000. It forms the focal point of the Grange cricket club which regularly plays host to the Scotland Cricket team.

The Spartans Community Football Academy - Fieldturf

2009-01-02T15:17:00.009Z

.
Spartans 2
Devlin
King

Newtongrange Star 0

Friendly Match
Tuesday 30th December 2008
Kick Off: 8.00pm
Attendance: 78 H/C
Admission: Free
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Tea 80p
Ground ***
Atmosphere *
Entertainment ***
Referee *****
________________________________________________________________________________

A real bonus tonight as Spartans looked to keep active ahead of a huge Scottish Cup tie with Airdrie United on January 10th. A friendly match with Newtongrange Star provided some rare midweek non-league action during the Scottish winter months.

Spartans are in the process of moving from their City Park ground to a brand new Football Academy only a few hundred yards away. At a cost of around 4 million pounds the facilities include a fully enclosed grass pitch with a 504 seater stand, full size AstroTurf UEFA 2* pitch and 5-a-side area and a clubhouse with bar included! The Academy was intended to be for the community and since Spartans were handed the keys in early December the facility has been used extensively. The club which itself runs youth teams from Under 7 upwards and 4 adult men's teams has also joined forces this season with Edinburgh Ladies, who have now taken the Spartans name. The Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh* who claim to be the worlds oldest club, have made the Academy their new home bringing Sunday League Amateur action to the fieldturf pitch. The main grass pitch is still being given time to settle properly and latest estimations give March as a potential opening date.

*Look out for a report from a visit to their old home coming soon.

Tonight's game gave me an opportunity to visit the Academy and see all the facilities, although the chance to sit in the new stand will have to wait. The Academy is situated behind the Ainslie Park Leisure Centre and Morrisons Supermarket on Edinburgh's Ferry Road. With the actual Academy car park full I parked up at the Leisure Centre before making the very short walk to the fieldturf. Despite the sub-zero conditions a good sized crowd had turned out and there were also a squad of around 30 kids playing football on the warm up area behind the goals. Possibly due to their familiarity with the artificial surface the home side started much the brighter and took a deserved early lead against their Junior opposition. Spartans were able to move the ball from back to front with much more ease and the visitors were restricted to playing on the break. Half-time brought with it a chance to get out of the bitter cold and visit the snack bar upstairs in the clubhouse. Here you can watch Sky Sports with a beer, although I opted for a warmer option and a nice cup of tea at a reasonable 80p! Outside the bar is a balcony, handy for any smokers and a lofty view of both the main enclosure and field turf. The second half was again keenly contested and although the home side continued to see more possession, Newtongrange had numerous opportunities which they failed to take. A second goal around fifteen minutes from time sealed a morale boosting win for Spartans.

As good a visit as it was it was a bit of relief to get back to the motor and get the heater on...full blast as the dash showed -2. There was simply no way a game on a grass pitch would have been playable tonight and Spartans and spectators are already grateful to the new Academy! Look out for a further visit here once the main playing surface is ready.

Club websites:
Spartans
Newtongrange Star

Other relevant links:

Past visit to City Park
Academy website

Forresters Park

2008-11-15T22:59:00.003Z

Tranent Juniors 3

Livingston United 1

Scottish Juniors - East Region South Division
Attendance: 63 H/C
Ground: Forresters Park
Capacity: 2300

Kick Off: 2.00pm
Referee:
Admission: £4
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ** Lager £2.20
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ****
Referee *****
________________________________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Tranent Juniors
Livingston United

Stamford Bridge

2008-10-30T23:00:00.003Z

Chelsea 0

Liverpool 1
Alonso 10

FA Premier League
Attendance: 41705
Ground: Stamford Bridge
Capacity: 42449

Kick Off: 1.30pm
Referee: H Webb
Admission: £48
Programme: £3
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub **** (Balti pie & pint £6)
Ground *****
Atmosphere ***** (away anyway...priceless)
Entertainment *****
Referee *****
________________________________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Chelsea
Liverpool

Victoria Park

2008-10-25T20:22:00.007Z

Ross County 0

Queen of the South 2
Dobbie 36
McGowan 90

Irn Bru First Division
Attendance: 2232 (151 away)
Ground: Victoria Park
Capacity: 5800 (2800 seats)

Kick Off: 3.00pm
Referee: S Finnie
Admission: £13
Programme: £2
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub **** (2 steak pies & Bovril £4.40)
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

I decided on a trip up North today with a chance to see Queen of the South on the road and visit a new ground at Victoria Park, home of Ross County. The club are based in Dingwall, a small town around 11 miles, up over the Kessock Bridge, from Inverness. Formed in 1929 County played in the Highland League until they successfully applied to join the Scottish Football League in 1994. After a slow start in the 3rd Division the club has made real progress and promotion last season has meant a second spell in the second tier of Scottish football.

Weatherwise it was a quite horrendous day with gale force winds and driving rain lashing most of the country. Despite this I was still able to get a decent view of the scenery as I travelled up the A9. I arrived at Victoria Park just before quarter to 3 and was able to find a very good parking spot outside the caravan park next to the ground.

Once out of the car it was surprisingly dry but the wind was blowing a gale and it seemed impossible to believe that there could be a game on. There was no cash option at the turnstiles and all tickets at Ross County have to be bought first from a portacabin behind the West Stand. At £13 the entrance fee was great value and I put my saving to good use at the pie counter!

The away fans were housed in both the West Stand and the uncovered North Terrace. I decided to wimp out and sat in the covered stand out of the wind. A huge roar went up as Queens captain Jim Thompson won the toss and they turned around to play the first half with the howling wind behind their backs. At times there were some quite farcical scenes as the home goalkeeper attempted to clear the ball up field. It often reached the half way line only to blow back to the edge of the penalty area. Queens enjoyed much of the early play and took the lead from a Stephen Dobbie rocket (wind assisted) from all of 30 yards. I was in fact, despite the poor conditions, to witness 2 of the best goals I have seen this season. The home side were able to exert some real pressure on the Queens defence in the second half but they just about held firm. As is often typical in these situations the wind seemed to die down in the second half and County certainly didn't enjoy the seem advantage as Queens in the first. In the dying seconds the visitors broke on the counter attack and Michael McGowan lashed in a spectacular effort from a long way out.

So three more precious points in the bag for the Doonhamers and a clear lead at the top of the First Division. For myself it was Scottish League ground #39 out of 42 with the most Northernly league ground ticked off.

Club Websites:
Ross County
Queen of the South

Burngrange Park

2008-10-23T22:03:00.007Z

I managed to attend the last ever game played at Burngrange Park, the now former home of West Calder United, at the end of last season. I passed by a few weeks ago and found that buliding work has already started on the site. Having taken a few photos I thought that they may be of interest.

Right, you can still make out the old clubhouse in amongst the construction.

A link to my original visit; Last ever game at Burngrange Park

Almondvale Fieldturf, Livingston

2008-10-21T21:54:00.011Z

Livingston U19 1

Inverness Caledonian Thistle U19 2

Friday August 1st 2008
Pre-season Friendly
Attendance: 43 Head Count
Ground: Almondvale Fieldturf
Kick Off: 2.00pm
Admission: Free
Programme: None

Found directly behind Almondvale Stadium, this artificial playing surface is used by the Livingston first team for training and for many of the clubs youth team matches. The pitch is completely fenced off with high wire mesh all the way round. For spectators there is an area of concrete terracing, including barriers to lean on, along the Stadium side of the pitch. From here the view of the action is through the fencing.

A good sized crowd had turned out for this youth match consisting mainly of the players families. The game itself was very keenly contested with every player on show eager to impress. Towards the end of the game the Livingston 1st team began to assemble themselves next to the terracing as they waited to train on the soon to be vacated pitch. Having made the trip down all the way from the highlands the Caley squad would have been delighted to gain a win to make the long trip back seem a bit shorter.

The photograph below shows the close proximity between the fieldturf and the East Stand at Almondvale.

Keir's Park

2008-09-01T19:16:00.002Z

Hill of Beath Hawthorn 3
Stuart 2
Bissett

Kinnoull 0

ACA Sports League Cup - Semi-Final
Attendance: 173 H/C
Ground: Keir's Park
Capacity: 2000
Kick Off: 7.15pm
Admission: £5.00
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ** Free tea from clubhouse but catering closed tonight
Ground ****
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ***
________________________________________________________________________________
Club Websites:
Hill of Beath Hawthorn
Kinnoull

Meggetland Sport Complex

2008-08-31T18:43:00.004Z

Boroughmuir Thistle 3

Spartans Ladies 8

Scottish Womens Premier League
Attendance: 47
Ground: Meggetland Sport Complex
Capacity: N/A
Kick Off: 12.30pm
Referee:
Admission: Free
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Food/drink from clubhouse
Ground **
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee ***
________________________________________________________________________________

A first ever venture into the Scottish Womens Premier League today on a pouring wet Sunday afternoon.

Club Websites:
Boroughmuir Thistle
Spartans Ladies

Recreation Park

2008-08-30T20:22:00.000Z

Ormiston 2

Stirling University 7

Image Printers Cup 1st Round
Attendance: 27
Ground: Recreation Park
Capacity: 2000
Kick Off: 2.00pm
Referee: Kevin Fernie
Admission: Free
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub - None
Ground ***
Atmosphere *
Entertainment *****
Referee ***** Excellent!
________________________________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Ormiston
Stirling University - None

Latest news!!

2008-08-29T23:32:00.000Z

My four reports from down south are now complete with pictures and can be viewed below. With all pre-season friendlies over for another year I would like to thank all contributors of both fixtures and scores for there invaluable help. For any future reference a full list of results can be found here or via a link in the left hand column. Thanks for reading.

Tulloch Caledonian Stadium

2008-08-18T17:45:00.000Z

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5
McBain 44
San Jose OG 45
Wood 47
McAllister 59
Proctor 82

Liverpool Xl 0

Barry Wilson Testimonial
Attendance: 7352
Ground: Tulloch Caledonian Stadium
Capacity: 7512
Kick Off: 7:45pm (Delayed 10 mins)
Referee: N/A
Admission: £15
Stand: South Stand
Programme: £2
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub ***** Macaroni Pie & Bovril £3.10
Ground ****
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

Photos and details to follow. Club Websites:
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Liverpool

Priestfield Stadium

2008-08-16T03:00:00.002Z

Gillingham 0

Luton Town 1
Parkin 3

League 2
Attendance: 5339
Ground: Priestfield Stadium
Capacity: 11582
Kick Off: 3:00pm
Referee: Steve Tanner
Admission: £22
Stand: Medway Stand
Programme: £3.00 Eventually bought at half time!
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub - *** Pie £2.20
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

I completed my Southern tour with a trip round the M25, over the QE2 Bridge and along the M2 to Kent, final destination Gillingham. Parking near the Priestfield Stadium is quite tricky as a residents parking permit scheme is in place in the roads around the ground. I ended up parking in the railway station car park for £3.30which covered the whole day. From here it was around a 15 minute walk to the ground and I purchased a ticket from the ticket office and made my way into the Medway Stand. There was plenty of space and I edged myself along nearer to the half way line and I pleased to have one of the best views in the ground.

Luton started much the brighter and Sam Parkin finished off a slick move in the third minute to give the visitors the lead. The away support was delighted as they sensed the addition of 3 points to the -30 that they entered the game on. The home side gradually came into the game and should really have earned at least a point. A huge stramash in the Luton goalmouth saw 3 successive goal bound efforts somehow cleared off the line and the Hatters held on for the win. At the end there were some ugly scenes as the home support lined up along the front of the stand to vent their frustrations at the players and management. A young lad was punched needlessly by someone much bigger and older who really should have known better. Thankfully the offender was caught by the stewards. After the game I made my way into Gillingham Town centre to catch Sunderland v Liverpool in the pub before heading home.

Club Websites:
Gillingham
Luton Town

Adams Park

2008-08-13T23:26:00.003Z

Wycombe Wanderers 0

Birmingham City 4
Nafti 14
Larsson 64
Jerome 73
Owusu-Abeyie 86

Carling Cup 1st Round
Attendance: 2735
Ground: Adams Park
Capacity: 10000
Kick Off: 7:45pm
Referee: Andy D'Urso
Admission: £15
Programme: £2.50
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub - *** Chips & 'Beefy Drink' £3.10
Ground ****
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ****
Referee *****
________________________________________________________________________________

A second successive night of Carling Cup action and another Football League ground ticked off. Wycombe Wanderers hosted giants Birmingham City who proved far too strong on the night. Photos from my trip added below including a shot of the great man James McFadden warming up for the visitors.

Club Websites:
Wycombe Wanderers
Birmingham City

The New Den

2008-08-12T00:01:00.007Z

Millwall 0

Northampton Town 1
Crowe 16

Carling Cup 1st Round
Attendance: 3525 (Away 237)
Ground: The New Den
Capacity: 20146
Kick Off: 7:45pm
Referee: Clive Penton
Admission: £12
Programme: £2.00
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub - *** Balti Pie & Bovril £4.10!!!
Ground *** Typical new build
Atmosphere ****
Entertainment ***
Referee ***
________________________________________________________________________________

Tonight it was destination South London and 'The New Den' home of League One side Millwall. 'The Lions' were formed in 1885 and were originally known as Millwall Rovers. After playing out of a number of different grounds they eventually settled at 'The Den' in 1910 and this was to be their home until they moved to 'The New Den' in 1993. In terms of recent notable achievements the club enjoyed a single year in the top flight in season 1987/88 and reached the 2004 FA Cup Final.

Having spent the afternoon in central London I took the underground from Oxford Circus to London Bridge and onward by Train which was only a short 5 minute ride to South Bermondsey. Millwall FC and it's reputation is obviously well documented so I was a bit apprehensive about what was ahead of me especially with it being a night game. Seeing a Northampton fan in his club jacket getting a bit of a verbal bashing as I approached the platform at London Bridge did nothing to allay my fears although as it turned out that was to be the only negative thing that I saw all evening. Having got off the train at South Bermondsey I made my way down a long path which was well guarded at each side by a high blue metal fence. Just as I exited the station I passed an adjacent path which led off to the right hand side for visiting supporters which was being well guarded by Police. The New Den is an easy 5 minute walk from here and tonight the Police were out in force, positioned along every corner and turn of the route.

I picked up a programme and a copy of Millwall fanzine The Lion Roars which provided a good read on the way back mainly discussing a summer of discontent at the club. I had a wander around the club shop before picking up a ticket from the ticket office. With around half an hour to kick off it took around 5 minutes of queuing and for a very reasonable £12 I had one of the best seats in the house.

Looking around this week it seems that crowds for Carling Cup First Round ties have been poor across the board and tonight's was no exception. Just over 3500 were in attendance and only three out of the grounds four top tiers were open and no where near full. Northampton started the sharper and got an early goal which was to prove to the winner. They should have added to it and Millwall could have no complaints over the result.

Club Websites:
Millwall
Northampton Town

Chadfields

2008-08-11T22:40:00.007Z

Tilbury 0

West Ham United Xl 3

Attendance: 750 approx
Ground: Chadfields
Capacity: 4000 (350 seated)
Kick Off: 7:45pm
Admission: £10
Programme: £1.50
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub - *** No pies but tea 80p
Ground **
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ****
Referee ***** Excellent
________________________________________________________________________________

A complete change of scenery this week and I am planning on getting to a few of the many grounds in the London area.

A Monday night trip to Tilbury was my chosen destination as they welcomed Premier League giants West Ham United for a pre-season friendly. The Hammers sent along what was pretty much their Under 18 side and I was more than interested to see what they had to offer.

Tilbury FC are nicknamed 'The Dockers' and are based in Tilbury, Essex. The town has a population of around 12000 and lies on the North Bank of the River Thames. Apparently, the Tilbury Trojan Skinheads hailed from here, notorious in the early 1980's as one of the most violent skinhead gangs in the UK. Tilbury FC were established in 1900 and their greatest moment probably came in the 1977-78 season when they reached the Third Round of the FA Cup, their best performance in the competition. The club currently plays in the Isthmian League First Division North, only avoiding relegation last season on goal difference with an average home gate of 92.

I arrived very early at the ground and found ample free parking on a street only a very short walk from the ground. Having been very wary of the busy M25 and surrounding roads I set off in plenty of time only to find them surprisingly quiet. Typical! When looking for information about Chadfields I found a quite a bit of negativity towards the appearance of the ground. As the pictures below show it is a bit bleak but by all accounts a number hardworking volunteers have been helping recently to tidy the place up. Access was through a single turn style and there is a large clubhouse just outside the perimeter fence. The club had printed plenty of programmes and priced at £1.50 were a bargain.

Seating is available along both touchlines while concrete terracing stretches behind the two goals (More information about this with the photos). 'Bundesliga style' there are huge nets at each end protecting fans from any off target efforts on goal.

To the game! With these types of match ups you almost know before hand what you are going to get. A fit, quick, well organised Premier League youth side who all have a huge point to prove up against a far more experienced and physical side who know they are going to be up against it. For the first 15 - 20 minutes it was pretty even stuff but thereafter the youngsters took a firm grip of the game. There was at times some brilliant link up play and the first 2 goals were finished superbly. The home goal keeper was definitely man of the match without whom the young hammers would have filled their boots.

It was an enjoyable night out but a word on the stewarding!..I counted only 4 of them in bibs. No police presence was at the game at all from what I could see. A huge number of young teenagers and some even younger were milling around in the crowd and around 30 of them invaded the pitch at half-time. One even ran on to the pitch during the game and bared his rear end at the the back post just as a corner was about to be taken and then did so again this time after running on and kicking his own ball in to the back of the net. Cans of lager were on sale throughout the game for £2 and fans, some easily underage, were free to wander around the ground with them, something which I have certainly never seen the likes off in this country before!?

Club Websites:
Tilbury - None
West Ham United

Edinburgh Festival

2008-08-04T17:24:00.004Z

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I know I said this thing was all about my travels around various grounds but hey moving the goalposts a little can surely do no harm!

For anybody visiting the Edinburgh Festival I would thoroughly recommend Tony Cowards 'Festival Of Football 2'. A fan of Ipswich Town he combines his love of football and his profession as a stand-up comedian to produce a humerous hour long show.

His show is free and takes place at the Edinburgh City Football Club just off Leith Walk, fringe venue #164.

Recreation Park - Alloa Athletic

2008-08-01T18:08:00.005Z

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Alloa Athletic 0

Airdrie United 0

Attendance: 225
Ground: Recreation Park
Capacity: 3100 (400 seated)
Kick Off: 7:30pm
Admission: £8
Programme: None but free teamsheet
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub - **** Pie & Bovril £1.80
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

Recreation Park is a title that seems to have been given to a number of football grounds. This particular one here is the home Alloa Athletic and I made my second visit here to watch their pre-season friendly with Airdrie United. Since my first visit, for a Scottish Cup tie against Falkirk in 2003, Recreation Park has seen a number of changes. The ground now has an artificial playing surface and as some of the initial photos show below, a large part of the perimeter wall has been replaced. The Hilton Road Terrace, once opposite the Main Stand has been removed while a small stand now provides some cover for those standing on the Clackmannan Road Terrace.

Tonights match was a very good workout for both sides it was just a shame for us fans that nothing hit the back of the net! Pretty close to 50 fans had travelled through from Airdrie and it was a pretty good crowd for a Monday night friendly.

Club Websites:
Alloa Athletic
Airdrie United

Newbyres Park

2008-07-28T23:42:00.004Z

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A stop off during my recent trip to Gala Fairydean took me to Newbyres Road in Gorebridge, the home of Arniston Rangers. The Midlothian club currently plays in the East Region Junior Premier League and it is rumoured that the ground is to be sold off and that they will ground share with Musselburgh Juniors for season 2008/09.

It would appear that I won't get to see a game at Newbyres Road so I at least got some photos before it potentially disappears. As the images show below, especially with the long grass, the old ground looked a bit sorry for itself.

Arniston Rangers Website

Netherdale

2008-07-12T21:27:00.003Z

Gala Fairydean 0

Stranraer 3
McBride 43
McConalogue 52
Tade 85

Attendance: 124 H/C
Ground: Netherdale
Capacity: 3000 (500 seated)
Kick Off: 3.00pm
Admission: £3
Programme: £1
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ** Club bar in stand, no pies though!
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

Two days after watching the demolition of Peebles I decided to delve even deeper into the borders and visit Netherdale, the home of their opponents, Gala Fairydean. The club plays in Galashiels a border town which lies on the Gala Water River, famous for its textile manufacturing. This is very much rugby union territory and Gala Fairydean's ground is situated right next to Gala Rugby Club. The club was formed in 1907 and currently plays in the East of Scotland First Division. Gala applied to join the Scottish Football League in 1966, 1994, 2000 and 2002 when various vacancies arose however they were turned away each time. The club is currently enduring a barren period and although the recent introduction of a squad consisting mainly of local players may have boosted local interest it would appear that success on the park has yet to be achieved.

Netherdale is often referred to as the 'San Siro of the borders' in reference to it's largely concrete stand pictured above. The stand which can seat up to 500 spectators has in fact been listed by Historic Scotland and is to be preserved for future generations. As the plaque from the stand shows it was designed by Peter Walmsley and opened in 1964. The other three sides of the ground are grass embankments for spectators to stand on.

Parking at Netherdale is good as it comes and ample free space can be found right next to the stadium. Entry is through turnstiles and I was pleasantly surprised that the club were only charging £3 despite the visit of Stranraer of the SFL Second Division. As shown below, a very good programme called the 'Dean Scene' was on sale for £1.

The game itself was very competitive and there were a number of on going niggles amongst the players as both sides looked to make an impression. In the first half an hour I thought that Stranraer were set to run up a cricket score as they cut the home defence open at ease. However a mixture of overplaying and poor finishing let Gala off the hook and despite trailing 1-0 at half time they settled into the game well. Two more goals followed for the visitors in the second half but Gala were unlucky not to score themselves and did themselves a real credit with their hardworking attitude.

A comfortable hours drive back to the capital and a very cheap and enjoyable day out! I should note that some of the darker photographs below were taken when I passed by the ground earlier this year, apologies for the lack of clarity in these.

Club Websites:
Gala Fairydean
Stranraer

Whitestone Park

2008-07-10T11:21:00.004Z

Peebles 0

Gala Fairydean 9

Attendance: 101
Ground: Whitestone Park
Capacity: 2250 (250 seated)
Kick Off: 7:15pm
Admission: £0
Programme: None
______________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub - None
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment *****
Referee ****
________________________________________________________________________________

Season 2008/2009 started in earnest with a trip down into the Scottish borders to Peebles. The town is situated 23 miles south of Edinburgh in the picturesque valley of the River Tweed and the journey by road takes around 45 minutes. Whitestone Park is the home of Peebles FC and features a grandstand with an area of concrete terracing to one side. The football pitch forms part of a cricket pitch for which the stand can also be used. Changing facilities are provided by the leisure centre next to the park.

Peebles FC, having only just achieved promotion will play in the East of Scotland Premier league this season. The club was formed in 2006 when Peebles Rovers and a number of local amatuer clubs amalgamated. Peebles Rovers had played in the town since 1894 and enjoyed a chequered history. Despite gaining promotion the club lost it's coaching team and the majority of it's squad at the end of last season. Manager Mark Lamb and his assistant Stuart Robertson have now moved on to work with Spartans reserves with Gary French coming in as the new Peebles manager.

As the new season approaches the club finds itself about to embark on a season in a higher division minus any of the players who got them there. Apparently a large number of last seasons team came from outwith the local area and the club have now been forced to turn instead to local talent. Tonights friendly saw the visit of border neighbours Gala Fairydean who are preparing for the following season in the division below. This was a first run out of the season for both sides and the first half an hour of the game gave no indication of the avalanche of goals that was to come. In fact Peebles looked the stronger of the two sides and it took a defensive mistake for the visitors to open the scoring. It became a goalfest and although Peebles kept at it, everytime Gala got at the home defence it seemed to result in a goal.

Peebles have a long and difficult season ahead of them in the East of Scotland Premier League although I saw enough in the first half an hour to indicate that things will get better than this result. The Peebles FC website shows no record of this 9-0 reverse and has it seems the club has decided to emit it from their records!

Some pictures from Whitestone Park;

Club Websites:
Peebles
Gala Fairydean

The new season - 2008/09

2008-07-09T23:11:00.000Z

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As promised I have given the appearance of the site a bit of a makeover ahead of the new season. I experimented with numerous different templates, some with 3 or four columns before eventually opting for the one that you can see now. I felt that it was a subtle change from the previous guise and probably more importantly my existing information fitted into the new layout almost seamlessly. Any feedback would be very welcome.

Season 2008/09 will hopefully be as successful as the one before it and I hope to add to my list of grounds visited. A slight change to the blog will see my reports based on my new grounds as I visit them rather than on all of my travels as such. Thanks to all who visit the site and all the best for the new season!

And that was season 2007/08!

2008-07-09T14:21:00.008Z

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The summer has arrived, the fixtures dried up and it's time to reflect on the 2007/08 season. My season started in mid July and was to feature 91 games in total. It was to be a real mixed bag and I managed to get to see clubs from various leagues across Scotland and England. After some very early promise Liverpool once more resorted to playing for a top four position. In Europe things started with a well deserved defeat at home to Marseille before another Anfield European night saw Besiktas demolished 8-0. I got to see Inter Milan for the first time as they were defeated in the last sixteen. Prior to yet another semi-final with Chelsea, Arsenal were up next in the last eight in a game that had everything. Meanwhile I think its best not to dwell on an FA Cup exit at home to Barnsley.

I managed to tick off a further 11 Scottish league grounds, leaving 6 to go. Highlights in this area definitely included Ayr United's Somerset Park and my most Northerly trip so far to Elgin.

It was however in the Scottish Cup that I was to enjoy the best of luck. I managed to attend a game from every round of the competition and after joining Queen of the South at the fifth round stage it was the beginning of a run to the final against all the odds. An 84 yard (the chairman measured it the next day!) wonder goal from Ryan McCann in the Quarter final sealed a trip to Hampden for the Semi-finals. A stunning 4-3 win over Aberdeen followed and for the first time in their history Queens were in the final where Rangers were to eventually emerge as their opponents. In the game of a lifetime the Doonhamers ran Rangers incredibly close and it was a day that nobody with any connection to the club will ever forget. The team spirit created at the club is like nothing I have ever seen before right from the chairman down to the players. The sight of Davie Rae running across various pitches in his bright yellow jacket to celebrate with the players and fans is in stark contrast to the nonsense taking in the Anfield boardroom. Everybody; fans, players, owners in it together and feeling valued.

I managed 2 trips into the Unibond League with visits to see FC United and Gateshead on a freezing cold Good Friday. The value for money, quality of programmes, friendliness etc was nothing short of excellent and I hope to return to this territory next season. In the East of Scotland League I managed 10 new grounds and 8 in the Scottish Juniors.

With Scotland the race to qualify for Euro 2008 gathered momentum and it all came down to a win or bust decider against World Champions Italy. Under the floodlights Hampden Park was simply spectacular although unfortunately and perhaps inevitably you might say, tears were shed at the final whistle.

In December I reached the 'magic 100' mark and was officially inaugurated into the 100 Grounds Club as member #81. I was delighted to be able to meet up with Shaun, the man behind the site, a number of times of this season although after I nearly got him nicked by the police at the Scottish Cup final I don't know if I will see him again!!!

Thanks to all visitors and readers of the blog, your comments are always more than appreciated. It is always interesting to read on sitemeter just how people come to the site and some older articles from the likes of Cathkin Park and some smaller non-league grounds remain popular. The Groundhoppers Union continues to grow and hopefully a meet up might take place in 2008/09. Finally, I have a few reports to catch up on from the season just past which I hope to back date soon. I also have an ever growing collection of photographs to add to previous entries to look out for. See you in the new season!

Full list of games

15/7/07 Spartans 1 Falkirk 1
21/07/07 Falkirk 1 Rangers 1
25/07/07 Queen Of The South 2 Gretna 1
7/08/07 Billericay Town 3 Colchester United 1
6/08/07 Chelmsford City 3 Southend United 4
4/08/07 Tottenham Hotspur 2 Torino 0
14/8/07 Clyde 1 Queen of the South 0
25/08/07 Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2
28/8/07 Berwick Rangers 2 Hamilton Academicals 3
29/8/07 Linlithgow Rose 3 Fauldhouse United 0
1/09/07 Liverpool 6 Derby County 0
4/9/07 Forfar Athletic 0 Ayr United 2
6/9/07 Heriot Watt University 1 Annan Athletic 4
8/09/07 Scotland 3 Lithuania 1
15/09/07 Montrose 3 East Fife 1
18/09/07 Ayr United 2 Partick Thistle 1 AET
22/09/07 Dumbarton 1 East Fife 1
25/09/07 Heart of Midlothian 4 Dunfermline Athletic 1 AET
29/09/07 Vale of Leithen 3 Gala Fairydean 1
3/10/07 Liverpool 0 Olympic Marseille 1
6/10/07 Queen of the South 0 Dunfermline Athletic 1
11/10/07 Scotland U21 3 Lithuania U21 0
13/10/07 Scotland 3 Ukraine 1
20/10/07 Arbroath 2 Stenhousemuir 2
21/10/07 Spartans U19 0 Whitehill Welfare U19 0 (4-5 after Pens)
27/10/07 Selkirk 0 Dalbeattie Star 2
28/10/07 Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1
6/11/07 Liverpool 8 Besiktas 0
10/11/07 Craigroyston 2 Lothian Thistle 4
11/11/07 Hibernian U19 13 Queen of the South U19 0
15/11/07 Falkirk 1 Sunderland 1
17/11/07 Scotland 1 Italy 2
25/11/07 Dunfermline Athletic 2 St Johnstone 3
28/11/07 Liverpool 4 Porto 1
1/12/07 Edinburgh University 1 Coldstream 1
2/12/07 Liverpool 4 Bolton Wanderers 0
5/12/07 East Fife 1 Brechin City 2
15/12/07 Stirling Albion 1 Queen of the South 3
16/12/07 Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1
22/12/07 Liverpool 4 Portsmouth 1
26/12/07 Queen of the South 2 Dundee 1
29/12/07 Plymouth Argyle 2 Stoke City 2
02/1/08 Liverpool 1 Wigan Athletic 1
15/1/08 St Mirren 2 Hibernian 1
12/1/08 Heart of Midlothian 2 Motherwell 2
19/1/08 Greenock Morton 0 Queen of the South 3
23/1/08 Rangers 6 East Stirlingshire 0
26/1/08 Liverpool 5 Havant & Waterlooville 2
2/2/08 Greenock Morton 0 Queen of the South 2
12/2/08 Carlisle United 2 Huddersfield Town 1
13/2/08 Hibernian 4 Gretna 2
16/2/08 Liverpool 1 Barnsley 2
19/2/08 Liverpool 2 Inter Milan 0
23/2/08 Partick Thistle 0 Queen of the South 0
1/3/08 FC United 2 Bamber Bridge 2
4/3/08 East Stirlingshire 1 Stranraer 3
8/3/08 Queen of the South 2 Dundee 0
12/3/08 Hibernian 1 Motherwell 0
15/3/08 Elgin City 2 Dumbarton 1
18/3/08 Cowdenbeath 2 Queens Park 4
21/3/08 Gateshead 3 Kendal Town 0
22/3/08 Spartans 1 Whitehill Welfare 2
26/3/08 Scotland 1 Croatia 1
29/3/08 Queen of the South 0 Greenock Morton 0
31/3/08 Liverpool 1 Everton 0
1/4/08 Preston Athletic 0 Lothian Thistle 0
4/4/08 Shamrock Rovers 0 Bohemians 1
5/4/08 Stirling Albion 0 Queen of the South 0
8/4/08 Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2
12/4/08 Queen of the South 4 Aberdeen 3
15/4/08 Edinburgh University 0 Lothian Thistle 1
18/4/08 Bo'Ness United 2 Musselburgh Athletic 1
19/4/08 Haddington Athletic 1 Livingston United 0
22/4/08 Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1
23/4/08 Civil Service Strollers 2 Edinburgh City 4
26/4/08 Dunfermline Athletic 4 Queen of the South 0
29/4/08 Whitehill Welfare 7 Lothian Thistle 2
2/5/08 Motherwell 1 Celtic 2
2/5/08 Airdrie United 2 Raith Rovers 2
3/5/08 Liverpool 1 Manchester City 0
6/5/08 Craigroyston 0 Whitehill Welfare 2
7/5/08 Lothian Thistle 3 Edinburgh City 2
10/5/08 Shotts Bon Accord 3 Glenafton 3
13/5/08 Gretna 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
15/5/08 Carlisle United 0 Leeds United 2
24/5/08 Queen of the South 2 Rangers 3
27/5/08 Bonnyrigg Rose 2 Arniston Rangers 2 (4-5 after penalties)
28/5/08 Spartans 4 Edinburgh City 2
31/5/08 West Calder United 4 Haddington Athletic 2
3/6/08 Kelty Hearts 4 Bathgate Thistle 0
12/6/08 Pollock 4 Auchinleck Talbot 2

The stats

91 games
316 goals
Average goals per game 3.47
35 new grounds
Scottish League - 11 new grounds

Goal of the season

1. Ryan McCann for Queen of the South v Dundee
2. Stuart Kettlewell for Queens Park v Cowdenbeath
3. Mathieu Valbuena for Marseille v Liverpool

Most goals in a game

13 - Hibernian Yth 13 Queen of the South Yth 0 (11/11/07)
9 - Whitehill Welfare 7 Lothian Thistle 2 (29/4/08)
8 - Liverpool 8 Beiktas 0 (6/11/07)

Game of the season

1. Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2 (8/4/08)
2. Queen of the South 4 Aberdeen 3 (12/4/08)
3. Queen of the South 2 Rangers 3 (24/5/08)
4. Liverpool 8 Besiktas 0 (6/11/07)

That was a hard one!

Scottish pre-season friendly results - 2008/09

2008-07-02T14:38:00.040Z

As I did last year I decided again to put together a post collating all this summers pre-season friendlies. Thanks to all cotributors for both fixtures and results, your help was invaluable. I shall leave these results on the site for future reference.

Last up-dated 30/8/08

Results

Saturday 21 June

Sheltland FA Select 2 Deveronvale 1

Friday 4 July

Birkirkara 0 Dundee 0
Holm 0 Ross County 11

Saturday 5 July

Ayr United 1 St Johnstone 0
Blyth Spartans 1 Partick Thistle 3
Crichton 1 Dalbeattie Star 5
Civil Service Strollers 1 Spartans A 0
Clyde 2 Stirling Albion 0
Coldstream 3 Amble 0
Edinburgh City 1 Cowdenbeath 5
Orkney Inter County Squad 1 Ross County 8

Sunday 6 July

FC Metalurh Zaporizhya 1 Dunfermline Athletic 0 (Abandoned after 52 minutes)
Hibernian 0 Elfsborg 2 (Intertoto Cup Round 2 1st Leg)

Monday 7 July

Threave Rovers 0 Greenock Morton 9
Vale of Leithen 4 Cowdenbeath 0

Tuesday 8 July

Montrose 0 Dundee 3
Nairn County 2 Ross County 3

Wednesday 9 July

CFR Timisoara 4 Dunfermline Athletic 1
Elgin City 2 Ross County 3
Fleet Star 0 Dalbeattie Star 9
Stirling Albion 0 Dundee 3
Tow Law Town 1 Greenock Morton 1
Whitehill Welfare 0 Cowdenbeath 2

Thursday 10 July

Ayr United 1 Partick Thistle 2
Queens Park 3 Dumbarton 2
Durham City 0 Greenock Morton 3
Eyemouth United 4 Pencaitland 1
Falkirk XI 1 Spartans 3
Livingston 1 FC Unirea 1
Peebles Rovers 0 Gala Fairydean 9
Stranraer 3 Partick Thistle 0

Friday 11 July

Annan Athletic All-star Xl 1 Queen of the South All-star X1 4
Arbroath 3 Keith 0
Rangers ? Dundee ?

Saturday 12 July

Aberdeen 0 Manchester United 2
Annan Athletic 0 Queen of the South 5
Berwick Rangers 4 Airdrie United 3
Brechin City 1 Partick Thistle 0
Cowdenbeath 1 Dundee 5
Crichton 0 Preston Athletic 4
East Fife 0 Spartans 2
Edinburgh City 1 Arbroath 3
Elfsborg 2 Hibernian 0 (4-0 on aggregate)
Forfar Athletic 0 Buckie Thistle 0
Forres Mechanics 1 Ross County 7
Gala Fairydean 0 Stranraer 3
Great Yarmouth Town 0 Clyde 4
Greenock Morton 0 Ayr United 1
Lothian Thistle 4 Civil Service Strollers 2
Montrose 1 St Johnstone 1
Queen's Park 3 Threave Rovers 2
Rangers Xl 2 Dumbarton 2
Stenhousemuir 0 Raith Rovers 1
Whitehill Welfare 3 Berwick United 2
Workington Town 5 Gretna 2008 0

Oban Tournament Winners - Dundee United

Sunday 13 July

SC Preussen Munster 0 Rangers 1

Monday 14 July

Alloa Athletic 0 Airdrie United 0
Celtic 2-2 FC Unirea Urziceni
Dublin University College 2 Dundee United 1
Glentoran 1 Heart of Midlothian 1 (Glentoran won 6-5 on penalties)

Tuesday 15 July

Kings Lynn 1 Clyde 2
Ayr United 0 Queen of the South 3
Deveronvale 0 Peterhead 0
Dundee 0 Aberdeen 0
East Stirlingshire 1 St Johnstone 3
Forfar Athletic 3 Brechin City 1
Greenock Morton 1 Hartlepool 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Ross County 3
Raith Rovers 0 Hibernia0
Stenhousemuir 0 Dumbarton 2
Stirling Albion 2 Partick Thistle 0
Stirling University 1 Spartans 1

Wednesday 16 July

Airdrie United 1 Hamilton Academicals 0
Celtic 5 Greenock Morton 1
Dunfermline Athletic 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
East Fife 1 Edinburgh University 0
Raith Rovers U19 3 Hearts U17 2
Sportfreunde Lotte 1 Rangers 3
Tolka Rovers 2 Dundee United 3

Thursday 17 July

Albion Rovers 1 Celtic 4 (Jock Stein Trophy Match)
Ballymena United 1 Rangers XI 3
Berwick Rangers 2 Hamilton Academicals 3
Boston United 0 East Stirlingshire 1
CFR Cluj 2 Motherwell 1
Falkirk 0 Hartlepool 0
St Cuthbert Wanderers 2 Kilmarnock 2
St Johnstone 0 FC Unirea Urziceni 4

Friday 18 July

Dumbarton 0 Greenock Morton 1
Deveronvale 1 Aberdeen U19 0
Falkirk U19 1 Livingston U19 3
Fleetwood Town 1 Stenhousemuir 1
Montrose 1 Brechin 1
Peterhead 4 Aberdeen 0
Rangers U19 4 Wigan Athletic 0
Southampton 0 Celtic 2
Tow Law Town 2 Albion Rovers 1
Tranent 2 Eyemouth United 3

Saturday 19 July

Airdrie United 0 Kilmarnock 3
Annan Athletic 2 Workington Town 2 (Annan won 4-3 on pens - Annan Tournament)
Spartans 0 Stranraer 2 (Annan Tournament)
Arbroath 1 Sunderland 3
Berwick Rangers 0 Alloa Athletic 3
Cowdenbeath 2 Dundee United Xl 4
Crusaders 1 Ayr United 2
Edinburgh University 2 Tynecastle 2
Enfield Celtic 3 Gala Fairydean 5
FC Zlin 2 Motherwell 1
Fulham 3 Celtic 1
Glenavon 0 Rangers Reserves 3
Gretna 2008 4 Gilford Park 1
Hawick Waverley 0 Peebles 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4 St Johnstone 2
Inverurie Loco Works 2 Forfar Athletic 1
Livingston 0 Celtic 2
Loughgall 0 East Fife 1
Mid Annandale 1 Hamilton Academicals Xl 6
Queen of the South 1 Burnley 1
St Cuthbert Wanderers 0 Queen's Park 0
Partick Thistle 0 Carlisle United 0
Penicuik Amateurs 1 Craigroyston 7
Penicuik Athletic 0 Heart of Midlothian U19 5
Raith Rovers 0 Dundee United 4
Retford United 1 East Stirlingshire 1
Ross County 0 Crawley Town 0
Rutherglen Glencairn 1 Clyde 1
Schalke 04 1 Rangers 0
Skelmersdale United 0 Stenhousemuir 1
Threave Rovers 2 Motherwell U19 4
Whitehill Welfare 3 East Calder 0
Whitley Bay 8 Dalbeattie Star 2

Eddie Queen Memorial Tournament @ Thorniewood
Kirkcaldy YM 1 Blackburn Utd 1 (Blackburn won 5-3 on pens)
Thorniewood Utd 5 Civil Service Strollers 1

Sunday 20 July

Spartans 0 Workington Town 3 (Annan Tournament 3/4 Place Play-off)
Annan Athletic 0 Stranraer 3 (Annan Tournament Final)
Carnoustie Panmure 5 Arbroath 0
Dundee 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Spennymoor United 1 Albion Rovers 2

Eddie Queen Memorial Tournament @ Thorniewood
Civil Service Strollers 5-1 Kirkcaldy YMCA (3/4 place play-off)
Blackburn United 2-1 Thorniewood United (Final)

Monday 21 July

Alloa Athletic 1 Kilmarnock 1
Brechin City 0 Aberdeen 1
Greenock Morton 9 Calton YMCA 0
Partick Thistle 0 Burnley 1
Rangers Youth 1-0 Burnley Youth
Stenhousemuir 5 Airdrie United 0
Whitehill Welfare 3 Easthouses Lily 2

Tuesday 22 July

Albion Rovers 1 Hamilton Academicals 1
Celtic 1 Middlesbrough 1
Clyde 0 Rangers 1
Dalbeattie Star 2 Gretna 2008 1
Dumbarton 2 St Mirren 2
Falkirk 2 Ross County 2
Forfar Athletic 1 East Fife 2
Livingston U19 9 Airdrie United U19 1
Musselburgh Juniors P Heart of Midlothian P
Peebles 0 Selkirk 0
Queen's Park 0 Queen of the South 2
Rangers 3 Greenock Morton 1
Rosyth 3 Sauchie 2
Stenhousemuir XI 0 Blackburn United 1

Wednesday 23 July

Arbroath 0 Dundee United Xl 2
Berwick Rangers 2 Falkirk 1
Celtic U19 1 Blackburn Rovers U19 0
Craigroyston 0 Hibernian U19 3
Donegal Celtic 0 Celtic Reserves 1
Dumbarton 1 Hamilton Academicals 3
Dundee 0 Bradford City 1
Edinburgh United 1 Hearts U17 7
Edinburgh University 2 Raith Rovers U19 0
Motherwell 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1
Petershill 7 Blackburn United 0
Rheingau-Auswahl Xl 0 Heart of Midlothian 6
Shettleston 0 Stranraer 7
Stirling Albion 1 St Mirren 3
St Johnstone 1 Burnley 3
Threave Rovers 1 Kilmarnock U19 2

Thursday 24 July

Celtic 0 Cardiff City 1
DZC 0 Aberdeen 5
East Fife Xl 2 Hamilton Academicals Xl 0
Haddington Athletic 7 Musselburgh Windsor U19 0
Hibernian 0 Barcelona 6

Friday 25 July

Kaiserslautern 1 Heart of Midlothian 0
Motherwell U19 2 Blackburn Rovers U19 1

Saturday 26 July

Armadale 0 Pollock 2
Billingham Synthonia 0 Hamilton Academicals Xl 3
Bonnyrigg Rose 1 Newtongrange Star 7
Broxburn 4 Oakley 2
Buckie Thistle 2 Edinburgh City 0
Craigroyston 0 Keith 2
Dalbeattie Star L Newcastle Benfield Saints L
Deveronvale 2 Edinburgh University 0
Dundee United 1 Barcelona 5
Falkirk 2 Queens Park Rangers 0
Greenock Morton 1 St Mirren 1 (St Mirren win 5-4 on pens - Renfrewshire Cup Winners)
Kilmarnock 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3
Livingston United 1 East Kilbride Thistle 5
Motherwell 4 Bradford City 0
Motherwell 0 L Burnley U19 3
Newry City 1 Celtic Reserves 2
Peebles Rovers 0 West Calder United 10
Porto 0 Celtic 1
Queens Park U19 1 Spartans Reserves 2
Raith Rovers 1 Rangers 2
Rosyth 2-1 Haddington Athletic
Steelend Vics 2 Pumpherston 0
Tynecastle 2 Spartans 5
Vale of Leithen 2 Shields Utd 0

Centenary Tournament, Victoria Ground Hartlepool
Semi-final 1 12.00pm Huddersfield Town 1 Hamilton Academicals 2
Semi-final 2 3.00pm Sunderland XI 1 Hartlepool 0

Sunday 27 July

Annan Athletic 1 Rangers U19 4
Berwick Rangers XI 0 Celtic 1 (Gary O'Connor Testimonial)
Blackburn Utd 2 Airdrie Utd 3 (Craig Spence Testimonial)
FC Zwolle 2 Aberdeen 1

Centenary Tournament, Victoria Ground Hartlepool
Hartlepool 1 Huddersfield Town 0 (3/4 place play off)
Sunderland XI 1 Hamilton Acaemicals 2 (Final)

1. Hamilton Academicals
2. Sunderland X1
3. Hartlepool
4. Huddersfield Town

Monday 28 July

Ayr United 1 Rangers Xl 4
Cowdenbeath 2 Hibernian 0
Culter 2 Deveronvale 2
Falkirk 0 Alloa Athletic 0
Newcastle Blue Star 3 Hamilton Academicals X1 1

Tuesday 29 July

Ballingry 1 Jeanfield 1
Blackpool 0 St Mirren 2
Heriot Watt University 2 Thornton Hibs 1
Kilmarnock 1 Queens Park Rangers 0
Livingston 0 Coventry City 0
Oakley United 2 Sauchie 2
SV Wehen Wiesbaden 2 Heart of Midlothian 1

Wednesday 30 July

Burntisland Shipyard 0 Raith Rovers 3
Clyde 3 Hibernian 0
Motherwell 1 Preston North End 1
Motherwell U19 0 Carlisle United U19 0
SC Cumbuur 1 Falkirk 0
Shelbourne 1 Celtic Reserves 1
Vitesse Arnhem 0 Aberdeen 1

Thursday 31 July

Rietvogels 0 Aberdeen 10
Vale of Clyde 5 Hamilton Academicals Xl 1

Friday 1 August

BV Veendam 0 Falkirk 1
Celtic 0 Tottenham Hotspur 2
Livingston U19 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle U19 2

Saturday 2 August

Blackburn United 2 Wishaw Juniors 0
Burnley 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1
Darlington 0 St Mirren 1
Heeronveen 4 Falkirk 0
Hibernian 2 Middlesbrough 3
Kilmarnock 0 Coventry City 2
Plymouth Argyle 0 Dundee United 1
Rangers 0 Liverpool 4
Tamworth FC 1 Rangers Xl 1

Sunday 3 August

Celtic 3 Feyenoord 1 (Rotterdam Tournament)
Gala Fairydean 1 Motherwell U19 1
Heart of Midlothian 1 Hull City 0

Monday 4 August

Corby Town 2 Rangers Xl 2
Vale of Leithen 1 Motherwell U19 4
Edinburgh University 3 Ormiston 1

Tuesday 5 August

Edinburgh University 0 Hibernian U19 2
Hibernian 0 Wigan 1
Inverurie Loco Works 0 Aberdeen 2
Linlithgow Rose 2 Hamilton Academicals 3
St Bernards 0 Craigroyston 3

Wednesday 6 August

Celtic 1 Manchester City 1
Hednesford Town 0 Rangers Xl 0

Thursday 7 August

Celtic U19 3 Rangers U19 1

Fixtures

Tuesday 12 August

Rangers U19 0 Livingston U19 0

Wednesday 13 August

Vale of Leven 1 Dumbarton 2

Monday 18 August

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5 Liverpool XI 0 (Barry Wilson Testimonial)

Wednesday 20 August

Hamilton Academicals 1 Liverpool Xl 2

Raydale Park - 7th June 2008

2008-06-10T20:52:00.011Z

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Gretna FC have finally gone after a slow and very public death and the process of finding a suitable replacement is well underway. Raydale Park is to be sold off by the clubs administrators to help pay just some of the money owed to creditors. I was in the area and decided to capture some photographs of the ground before it disappears.

The pitch looked like it hadn't been cut for a good couple of weeks while the clubs famous portocabins had been removed. Gretna's dramatic rise and fall is well illustrated by a 'First Division Champions 2006/07' sign propped up behind a security fence which protects the empty and seemingly condemned stadium.

Burngrange Park - Farewell!

2008-06-02T21:45:00.009Z

West Calder United 4

Haddington Athletic 2

Fitbadaft Att: 117

East Juniors South Division
Burngrange Park
Capacity: 6000
31-5-08
2:30pm

Ref:
Ticket: £4
Programme: Free
__________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub *** Irn Bru 60p!
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee *****
__________________________________________________________

West Calder United play at Burngrange Park which is around a 30 minute drive along the A71 from Edinburgh. From the start of season 2008/09 they will move to a new home at Hermand Road and today was to be the final game at the old ground. Burngrange Park sits right next to the A71 and access is past the little wooden hut pictured below. The pitch is surrounded by an old metal railing and it looked like it could have done with the grass cut as it was covered in daisies. Shelter is provided in the form of a small corrugated iron stand behind the North touchline with a club house behind one end.

I had heard good things about the programmes at West Calder and it is excellent, 36 pages beautifully published free of charge by a local printing company. Technically the game was nothing more than a meaningless end of season game after Haddington's promotion hopes had ended 2 days earlier. For the home side it was though a chance to beat one of the divisions top sides and finish off life at the old ground in style. Having gone in front early on in the game the home side were cut open twice by Haddington who took a 2-1 lead in at half time. The two teams seemed to want to get the season over and off on their summer holidays early when they resumed after a short half time break. West Calder were clinical in the second half coming back from behind to lead before sealing the points with a fourth goal in the dying seconds.

Club Websites:
West Calder United - None
Haddington Athletic

City Parks Last Stand!

2008-05-30T18:41:00.010Z

Spartans 4
Campbell 8, 73
Kader 55, 80

Edinburgh City 2
Ksia 5
Ross 15
Hall Sent-off 73

Fitbadaft Att: 144

King Cup Semi-final
City Park
Capacity: 2000
27-5-08
7.00pm

Ref: Paul Reid
Stand: West terrace
Ticket: £4
Programme: £1.00

The season is drawing to a late close as the Scottish non-league catches up on the high number of postponed games which fell foul to the poor winter weather. Tonight saw me reach game number 88 for the season and this was the third time I had been to City Park the home of Spartans. The club are planning on moving to a brand new ground for next season and this King Cup tie was to be the last ever game played at the old ground. It was fitting that the opposition was provided by Edinburgh City who occupied City Park themselves between 1935 and 1955. A healthy crowd of 144, from my headcount, had ventured out for the game and I was glad I had set off early as I just managed to pick up one of the excellent programmes produced for the last game before they sold out.

Spartans booked themselves a place in the King Cup Final after twice coming from behind before running out 4-2 winners. Strangely as had happened on my previous visit here a player was red carded for handling on the goaline, a decision which was to decide both results. Still a few more games to come before I fit in a bit of summer break. Look out for a number of changes to the site over the summer. I have decided to provide reports mainly from new grounds and 'special events' rather than from all games. I also have a number of photographic up-dates to add to grounds previously visited.

Pastures new!

After the final whistle and I took a wander along to see the progress made on the new Spartans Community Football Academy. It is situated directly behind the Morrisons supermarket on Edinburgh's Ferry Road and with the current Gretna situation it could possibly be hosting SFL football next season. Apologies for the quality of the photographs below, it was getting dark and I was restricted to taking photos from outside the sites boundary fences. The stand seems to be pretty much complete although both the artificial training pitch and main grass pitch are still to be laid. Look out for a visit to the completed ground next season.

Shotts Bon Accord 3 Glenafton 3

2008-05-10T21:17:00.009Z

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Shotts Bon Accord 3

Glenafton 3

Fitbadaft Att: 116

West Region Super Premier League
Hannah Park
Capacity: 4000
10-5-08
2:00pm

Ref:
Stand: Terrace
Ticket: £5
Programme: None
__________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub **** (Roll & Square sausage rolls £1!)
Ground *****
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee ***
__________________________________________________________

Hannah Park is home to Shotts Bon Accord and a ground that has been near the top of my list to visit for a while. The whole ground is huge and the pitch itself is said to be the largest playing surface in Scotland. Games are coming thick and fast so mainly picture reports at the moment, hope you enjoy the images below.

Club Websites:
Shotts Bon Accord
Glenafton

Lothian Thistle 3 Edinburgh City 2

2008-05-09T22:39:00.000Z

Craigroyston 0 Whitehill Welfare 2

2008-05-09T22:36:00.000Z

Liverpool 1 Manchester City 0

2008-05-09T22:35:00.000Z

Airdrie United 2 Raith Rovers 2

2008-05-09T22:34:00.000Z

Motherwell 1 Celtic 2

2008-05-09T22:33:00.000Z

All change!

2008-05-03T19:45:00.003Z

Look out for a number of changes to come at fitbadaft! During the pre-season I plan to freshen things up on the site and as well as a facelift I will be changing the angle of the blog.

Whitehill Welfare 7 Lothian Thistle 2

2008-05-02T21:31:00.003Z

Whitehill Welfare 7

Lothian Thistle 2

Fitbadaft Att: 46

Tyreman East of Scotland Premier League
Fergusson Park
Capacity 4000
29-04-08
7:00pm

Ref:
Stand: Terrace
Ticket: £4
Programme: £1
__________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money *****
Grub ***
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment *****
Referee ***
__________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Whitehill Welfare
Lothian Thistle

Dunfermline Athletic 4 Queen of the South 0

2008-05-02T21:19:00.002Z

Dunfermline Athletic 4
Thomson 48
Williamson 55
Birchill 62, 85

Queen of the South 0

Att: 3444
SFL First Division
East End Park
Capacity 12500
26-04-08
3:00pm

Ref: J McKendrick
Stand: Main Stand
Ticket: £16
Programme: £2 (sold out though!)
__________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money **
Grub ** Ran out of steak bridies!
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***** (Away fans 5 home fans 0!)
Entertainment *
Referee ****
__________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Dunfermline Athletic
Queen of the South

Civil Service Strollers 2 Edinburgh City 4

2008-04-27T19:40:00.005Z

Civil Service Strollers 2
Dwyer
Reid

Edinburgh City 4
Gair
R Ross 2
Clee

Fitbadaft Att: 49

East of Scotland League - King Cup Round 1
Muirhouse Sports Ground
23-04-08
6:30pm

Ref:
Stand: Pitchside
Ticket: £0
Programme: None
__________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***** (Free!)
Grub *** Bar inside clubhouse
Ground **
Atmosphere **
Entertainment *****
Referee ***
__________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Civil Service Strollers
Edinburgh City

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1

2008-04-26T20:35:00.002Z

Liverpool 1
Kuyt 43

Chelsea 1
Risse OG 90

Att: 42180

UEFA Champions League - Semi Final
Anfield Park
Capacity: 45362
22-4-08
7.45pm

Ref: Konrad Plautz (Austria)
Stand: Kop
Ticket: £34
Programme: £3
_________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***
Ground *****
Atmosphere *****
Entertainment ****
Referee **
_________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Liverpool
Chelsea

Haddington Athletic 1 Livingston United 0

2008-04-25T21:26:00.006Z

Haddington Athletic 1
Slight 60

Livingston United 0

Fitbadaft Att: 56

East Region South Division
Millfield Park
Capacity: 1500
19-4-08
2.30pm

Ref:
Ticket: £2
Programme: None (Although they do issue for some games)
_________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ***
Grub * Pie was a shocker!
Ground ***
Atmosphere **
Entertainment ***
Referee ****
_________________________________________________________

A rare Saturday venture into the Scottish Juniors today and a trip into East Lothian. Haddington Athletic play in the town of Haddington, about a 20 mile drive east of Edinburgh. The town is just off the A1 however finding the ground from there is quite difficult, at least I found it so! The ground features 3 grassed sides with a small covered terrace on the other. There is a new clubhouse behind one end and a Pie Hut next to the entrance. The game was decent and Haddington were worth their win. After taking the lead on the hour mark they were unable to add a second and were relieved to hear the final whistle in the end.

Club Websites:
Haddington Athletic
Livingston United - None

Bo'Ness United 2 Musselburgh Athletic 1

2008-04-20T21:33:00.008Z

Bo'Ness 2
Thornton 75, 78

Musselburgh Athletic 1
King 66

Fitbadaft Att: 359

East Region Premier League
Newtown Park
Capacity: 7500
18-4-08
6.30pm

Ref: Scott Allan
Ticket: £5
Programme: None
_________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub ***** Pie & Bovril £1.50..best of the season!
Ground ***
Atmosphere ***
Entertainment ***
Referee ***
_________________________________________________________

Club Websites:
Bo'Ness United
Musselburgh Athletic

Edinburgh University 0 Lothian Thistle 1

2008-04-20T21:05:00.005Z

Edinburgh University 0

Lothian Thistle 1

Fitbadaft Att: 38

Tyreman East Of Scotland Premier League
Peffermill Playing Fields
Capacity: 2000
15-4-08
6.30pm

Ref: Thomas Robertson
Ticket: £3
Programme: Free with admission
_________________________________________________________

Ratings (out of 5)

Value for money ****
Grub *** Pie & Bovril £2.00
Ground ***
Atmosphere *
Entertainment ***
Referee **
_________________________________________________________

A second visit of the season tonight to the home of Edinburgh University. The light evenings up North brings with it a glut of midweek fixtures as non-league clubs play catch up on games postponed during the winter. It was joint top against bottom tonight, although as the result was to prove, Thistle will surely finish the season much higher in the table. A goal midway through the second half was enough to seal the points despite the Uni's valiant efforts to gain an equaliser.

Club Websites:
Edinburgh University
Lothian Thistle