East Kilbride v Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale

East Kilbride 4-1 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale
Football Nation East of Scotland Qualifying Cup Final
New Murrayfield Park
Saturday 31st March 2018

Another Saturday, another cup final. This time the destination was Blackburn, West Lothian for the final of the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup. The finalists have both already qualified to play Edinburgh City and Berwick Rangers in the semi finals of the East of Scotland Cup itself – although due to fixture backlogs, this cup may form part of preseason for 2018-19 according to today’s programme – but will fight it out today for the trophy.

The Venue

The venue for today’s final was itself an intriguing one. East of Scotland FA finals are usually held at one of their member grounds, or occasionally at an SPFL stadium. The choice to use junior team Blackburn United’s New Murrayfield Park led me to initially wonder if it meant that the rumours of them applying to join the EoSFL for next season were indeed true. I was then informed that the association have used junior grounds for finals before, so while they may still indeed be applying to go senior, the decision on the venue was probably due to it being fairly equidistant for both sides.

So with my probably unfounded conspiracies out of the way, onto the ground itself. Currently known as the Dem-Master Stadium for sponsorship reasons, New Murrayfield Park was opened in 2013, when Blackburn moved from Murrayfield Park, which was conveniently situated right next door. The first thing you notice on approach is the truly impressive main club building which houses the changing rooms, toilets, club rooms and a decent sized cafe bar, which was absolutely full to the gunnels when we arrived. The pitch is a state of the art synthetic one which looks in fantastic shape.

Spectators are housed either on hard standing, or in the enclosure, which was moved from the old ground. I was a bit disappointed to find that the enclosure only has two shallow steps, meaning there’s no real height in the ground at all, but on a day with weather like today, it was the most sensible place to stand by far.

Minor gripe about lack of height aside, it’s a really good modern ground, with excellent facilities, and was a good place to watch a final.

The Teams

The first thing most people will probably wonder is why East Kilbride, being very much in the West of Scotland are even playing in an East of Scotland FA competition. Prior to being admitted as a founder member of the Lowland League in 2013, East Kilbride had joined the South of Scotland League for their first senior season. After one season, they switched memberships to the East of Scotland FA in order to play in their associated cup competitions. And breathe.

Kilby’s run to the final saw them receive a bye in the first round before a 5-1 win at Selkirk in the second round. Their quarter final at home to Civil Service Strollers was a cagey affair in which they ran out 1-0 winners. That scoreline was repeated in their semi-final away to Spartans at Ainslie Park. East Kilbride went into today’s final top of the Lowland League on goal difference from Spartans. Interestingly, in the six cup finals the club have played since turning senior, they have a 100% record of winning the trophy.

LTHV’s route to the final consisted of one more game, and a whole host more goals. In the first round they travelled to Galashiels and prevailed 7-5 after extra time against Gala Fairydean Rovers in a barnstormer of a game. Their second round game at Stirling University was a comfortable 3-0 win, before they dispatched Hawick Royal Albert by 2 goals to 1 in the quarter final. Their much postponed semi-final at home to Vale of Leithen was another 3-0 win. All four of Thistle’s wins came against Lowland League sides. They have won the East of Scotland League title in three of the last four years, but have been denied promotion due to not having an SFA Club Licence, something the club are working hard to rectify. They currently sit second in the league table, despite having a 100% record. Postponements and cup commitments have seen them rack up a fixture backlog, and they have played 4 games less than league leaders Kelty Hearts, who also have a 100% league record.

The Game

It didn’t take long for this game to burst into life, as East Kilbride took the lead just three minutes in. The ball broke to Declan Hughes at the edge of the box and he rifled a thunderous strike past Kevin Swain to put the Lowland League leaders in front. Things were to quickly get worse for Thistle as on thirteen minutes Kilby’s advantage was doubled. A free kick was swung in from wide on the right, and Sean Winter angled a fantastic header into the back of the net. The quickfire double to start the game had some Kilby supporters joking that they were off to Ochilview to see how Spartans were getting on, since this one was as good as done.

Going 2-0 down so early clearly rattled Thistle, who were over committing to tackles and putting themselves in trouble. Referee Stewart Luke handed out several yellow cards, all perfectly justified, but frustratingly let a few similar tackles go unpunished. It always irritates me to see such inconsistent refereeing. As the half progressed, Thistle started to come back into the game slightly, with Louis Swanson and Tony Muir doing their best to create chances. But it looked like the killer blow was struck just before half time when Kilby’s top scorer Ross McNeil latched onto a through ball and lifted a shot deftly over the onrushing Swain to make it 3-0 at the break.

If going 3-0 down on the stoke of halftime had crushed Thistle’s spirits, you would never have known it by the way they came out in the second half. The introduction at half time of Samuel Nhamburo gave them a much needed injection of pace and cracks in the Kilby defence started to open up. On 57 minutes, Kilby goalkeeper Matt McGinley inexplicably dropped what looked like a routine catch, which allowed Louis Swanson to take the ball and squeeze it over the line to make it 3-1. The goal seemed to light a bigger fire under the Thistle team and while Kilby still enjoyed spells of possession, it was the Edinburgh side who looked dangerous every time they pushed forward.

McGinley made amends for his mistake with several excellent saves, and Thistle were left ruing a string of missed chances. With 83 minutes gone, Kilby cleared after a Thistle cross had fizzed across their six yard line. Ross McNeil found himself one on one with Kevin Swain and lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper. His attempt went harmlessly wide, but in the process, Swain had taken him out and the referee pointed to the spot. Sean Winter stepped up and slammed home his second of the game to send the cup back west.

A really entertaining game, the complete opposite of the cagey affairs cup finals can often end up. Thistle, even when 4-1 down late on never gave up, but on the day East Kilbride were just too strong and proved worthy winners.

The Pies

Blackburn United offer both Scotch Pies and Steak Bakes for the bargain price of just £1.30 each. The Bovril was also a much needed hand warmer. The stuff is magic.

The Scotch pie is provided by a local butcher, and you can tell by the quality of the filling inside. Yet again at a junior ground, I’m treated to a fantastic pie. Kaitlin plumped for the steak bake today, and in her words it was “flaky, gooey, with a nice gravy and toothsome pieces of steak.” She enjoyed it.

Admission: £6
Programme: £2
Pie: £1.30 (both Scotch and Steak Bake)
Bovril: £1
Attendance: 220 (approx headcount)

Bonnyton Thistle U20 v Whitehill Welfare U20

Bonnyton Thistle U20 1-4 Whitehill Welfare U20
Lowland and East of Scotland Development League
Harriet Road
Friday 30th March 2018

I enjoy a Friday night game, and the Lowland and East of Scotland Development League has been a good source for them this season. So it was a trip to Kilmarnock to see the youngsters of Bonnyton Thistle (who are a actually one of two South of Scotland Football League teams in this competition, despite the league’s name) take on their counterparts from Rosewell.

The Venue

Harriet Road, or Townholm as it’s alternatively known, is handily situated just about a mile from the main A77 road and given that it’s just about the only thing on the titular street, a relatively easy place to find.

Bonnyton joining the South of Scotland League at the start of this season has led to a lot of talk about the club’s ambition to earn their SFA Club Licence and be eligible for promotion to the Lowland League. On what I’ve seen from Harriet Road tonight, they’ll have a fair bit of work to do on the part of their ground to meet licensing criteria, but there’s definitely scope for upgrades and work to bring it up to standard. It’s a pleasant, modern facility which is very clearly still a work in progress as the club find their feet having moved to senior football less than a year ago, with the ground’s opening coinciding with the move.

There’s a little more here than the usual standard caged off 4G. The familiar green cage is the first thing you see as you approach, but inside the cage is grass banking on one side of the pitch, with a sizeable area of flat hard standing on the other side. This side also has a permanent spectator rail and looks like the prime site for any future covered area to be placed. There’s also proper dugouts, a sign that they want this to be a real venue and not just a community pitch. The entrance end of the ground is a steep grass bank with two sets of metal staircases leading up to the portakabin buildings that house the changing, catering and toilet facilities, as well as the committee rooms. Only one set of the stairs was in use by both players and spectators tonight, although I’d imagine to meet licensing standards in the future, one of them could easily be reserved for the required protected access for players and officials.

It’s a ground I’ll be interested in returning to as development continues, especially if the club invests in some cover, as it was exposed to the elements tonight and was absolutely freezing with nowhere to escape from the wind. There was a bucket collection on the gate with a suggested donation of £1. As I fumbled around in my wallet looking for they stray pound coin I knew I had, I was told that “just any loose change to help with the funds is fine.” That excellent attitude meant that they got a few extra coins as well as the pound I did eventually find.

The Teams

Bonnyton Thistle were formed in 1912 as a youth club, and over the years have seen success both locally and nationally at various age groups. Former Scotland international Craig Conway played for the club before joining Ayr United and the club’s alumni also counts Derek Stillie and Alan Mahood amongst their ranks. In more recent years, Bonnyton have also branched out into girls and adult football. The adult amateur team seems to have formed the basis of their current senior side. The Under 20 team, coached by Ian Higgins and Neil Wilson have had mixed fortunes in their first season at this level, sitting tenth in the thirteen team league with 20 points from sixteen games.

I have a longstanding history with the Whitehill Welfare, having spent a couple of years on the committee, and still hold a deep affinity and affection for them. I’ll go into more detail about the club’s history when I see their senior team in action at East Stirlingshire next week. When Whitehill were formed in 1953, they were an Under 21 team, and stayed that way until entering the East of Scotland League in 1979. Several short lived iterations of a youth section have played over the years, but the club’s location in a small ex mining village has made it difficult to run more than the senior team. The current Under 20 team came about thanks to a partnership with renowned youth setup Edinburgh South. The partnership allowed Edinburgh South players a pathway to senior football for the first time, and Whitehill the ability to enter a team into the Development League. Under the stewardship of Ian Flynn, Whitehill sit second in the table, four points behind leaders Heriot-Watt University, having played one game more. They were hoping to find some form after a spell of inconsistency saw them fall from the top of the league.

The Game

The game started off fairly cagey with both teams seemingly feeling each other out. An effort from Bonnyton after nine minutes stung the palms of Jack Findlay in the Welfare goal, but it was routinely gathered at the second attempt by the keeper. Whitehill began to take charge of the game around twenty minutes in, dominating possession, but found themselves unable to convert the chances they were creating. Lee Barrett was creating havoc down the right hand side every time he got the ball, with Bonnyton’s defence unable to keep up with his speed and trickery. It was no surprise when Barrett was the one to break the deadlock after 39 minutes. Robbie Walker made a good run down the left hand side and his pass was picked up by Barrett who drilled a shot low under the goalkeeper to put the visitors 1-0 up. It was 1-0 at the break, but not for lack of trying on Welfare’s part. Lee Barrett was again involved as he picked up a slack clearance 25 yards out. His attempt to lob the keeper was so close to being successful, but was held just under the bar.

Whitehill started the second half as they had finished the first and doubled their lead just three minutes into the second half. Barrett turning provider for Declan Knox to turn the ball into the back of the net. It was very nearly three just a couple of minutes later when Bonnyton failed to clear the danger from a corner. Stephane Murray blasted a shot goalwards, that smashed the underside of the bar before bouncing down just in front of the line. Welfare were in full control of the game at this point, and things were only going to get worse for the hosts when their left back was sent off for two yellow cards in quick succession after 52 and 54 minutes. Bonnyton’s goalkeeper was under near constant siege, but he pulled off a string of excellent saves to keep his team in contention, with Knox, Murray and McKenzie all coming close for Whitehill.

The game was put beyond much doubt though, after 66 minutes. Murray blitzed his way through several Bonnyton defenders and struck a low, inviting cross along the goalmouth. Knox was there to tap in his second of the game and make it 3-0 to the visitors. Whitehill continued to press and forced the impressive Bonnyton goalie into another succession of saves. On 81 minutes, Bonnyton gave themselves a glimmer of hope when they sprung the offside trap, with their striker finishing well under Findlay. Any hopes of a dramatic late comeback were quashed just 90 seconds later however, when a Welfare break down the left wing ended with Robbie Walker finishing through a ruck of players to make it 4-1 with his first goal for the club. A comfortable victory for Whitehill which may reignite their title challenge. Bonnyton were spirited throughout, but in their first season at this level, just couldn’t match the boys from Rosewell.

The Pies

Bonnyton’s canteen was open tonight, but no food was on offer. Thankfully, on a bitterly cold evening they were serving hot drinks though, with giant cups of coffee, tea or hot chocolate on offer for just £1. The coffee helped keep the cold at bay for the majority of the first half. Much appreciated.

Admission: Suggested donation of £1
Programme: None
Pie: None
Bovril: None, but coffee, tea and hot chocolate all at £1
Attendance: 18 (+1 dog) (headcount)

Lomond Vale v Glasgow Island

Lomond Vale 2-3 Glasgow Island
Glasgow Colleges Football Association League Cup 2nd Round
Argyle Park 4G
Saturday 24th March 2018

Ahead of a day out at the Challenge Cup Final, I decided to pop five minutes along the road from my house to watch my local Saturday morning team in action. The Glasgow Colleges Football Association has been playing Saturday morning football for over fifty years with 29 teams in three divisions. The name appears to be purely historical at this point, with none of the current teams seemingly affiliated to colleges. The association has seen some relative success in recent years with teams regularly reaching the latter stages of the Scottish and West of Scotland Amateur Cups.

The Venue

Argyle Park used to have three full size grass pitches as well as one three quarter sized one that was affectionately known as Snooker Park. In 2014-15, West Dunbartonshire Council turned Snooker Park into a 7-a-side pitch, and constructed a brand new 4G park where the closest grass pitch to the pavilion sat.

The 4G is the now standard caged off pitch, with markings for 11-a-side and 3 7-a-side pitches. The cage has the added benefit of outshots for the 7s goals, and there’s a permanent spectator rail with multiple gates down the pavilion side. It’s a quality facility, and something that Alexandria had been severely lacking until its installation.

The Teams

Lomond Vale were formed in 2008 with the intention of giving local players the option of playing competitive Saturday morning football. The club made headlines in 2012 when they were the only Scottish representatives at the Keele Cup for international amateur teams in Staffordshire, where they played against teams from Belgium, Colombia and England. Vale play in the third tier Division Two of the GCFA setup, and are top having not lost in the league this season.

Glasgow Islands were formed in 1997 with the amalgamation of Park Wanderers and Snaffle Strollers. The club was originally comprised of players from the Western isles who had found their way to Glasgow for work or studies. While the team is now supplemented by several locals, the core of the team is still formed of the island ex-pats. Islands, based at the Firhill complex, are now an established Premier Division team, two tiers above their hosts for the day.

The Game

The game itself was a competitive one, and it didn’t look like the two teams playing were separated by two divisions. Despite dominating possession, Vale found themselves a goal down after ten minutes due to some slack defending. The home side continued to have the bulk of the ball, but were failing to create much in the way of clear cut chances. Islands doubled their lead late in the first half, again against the run of play and took their two goal cushion into the break.

The second half began as the first had ended, with Vale dominating, but Islands looking more dangerous when they broke forward. I had to leave after about an hour to get started on my journey to Perth, and unfortunately missed three more goals. Islands went 3-0 up before being pegged back to 3-2, but Vale couldn’t find the third goal to take the game to extra time. The hour I saw was an enjoyable way to spend some time on a Saturday morning.

The Pies

As always on a public facility, no catering.

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Pie: None
Bovril: None
Attendance: 14 (headcount)

Dumbarton v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Dumbarton 0-1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Irn Bru Cup Final
McDiarmid Park
Saturday 24th March 2018

A cup final is always an occasion, no matter what teams are involved. The Challenge Cup has always been seen as the least significant of the national competitions in Scotland, and recent attempts to revive it have actually done as much to damage its reputation as boost it. But this was Dumbarton’s first national final since 1897, and 121 years of waiting made it the biggest occasion for any living Sons fan in their lifetimes.

Indeed, ten buses full of supporters left in a convoy from Dumbarton, with one more heading up earlier to place banners round the stadium and place alternating black and gold flags on every seat that had been sold to a Dumbarton fan. It was a colourful, noisy and festive cacophony in the Dumbarton end, and for 92 minutes it was probably the best atmosphere I’ve ever been a part of. The SonsTrust should be proud of their efforts to make this a truly special occasion.

The Venue

McDiarmid Park was a popular and sensible choice for this final, being situated roughly halfway between the two finalists’ locations, with ample parking and handily situated right off the main A9 road. My wife and I had arrived slightly later than anticipated due to a spontaneous trip to nearby Scone Palace, so parked at the half empty Tesco across the road with the promise of 3 hours free parking. Win-win.

McDiarmid has the distinction of being the first purpose built all seater stadium in the UK. With their previous Muirton Park home in need of a major upgrade, but the club struggling financially, an offer from Asda to buy the land and build them a new stadium at no cost to the club was gratefully accepted. Local farmer Bruce McDiarmid donated approximately sixteen acres of what he called at the time his “berry and barley fields” as a gift to the people of Perth, with his name being used for the new stadium. It was officially opened on August 19th 1989, when St Johnstone defeated Clydebank 2-1 on the opening day of the First Division season.

The Stadium has four stands, with the Main (West) Stand being slightly taller and larger than the others. The floodlights were moved from Muirton Park. The stadium has a capacity of 10,696 and this was the tenth time it has hosted the Challenge Cup Final, making it by far the most used venue for the showpiece of the competition. We were sitting today roughly in line with the 18 yard line at the south end of the ground in the third row from the front and had a fantastic view. I can’t imagine there’s actually a bad seat in what I found to be an excellent place to watch football.

The Teams

Dumbarton’s road to the final began on a horrifically wet night in August with a 2-1 win over Rangers Under 20s. An early penalty from Calum Gallagher and a goal just after half time from Mark Stewart were enough to see off the Rangers youngsters in front of just 389 fans. Many Sons supporters had heeded calls to boycott games in the competition against Premiership youth teams. Dumbarton’s second round game was a first for the club, as they played Connah’s Quay Nomads in their first ever competitive game against a team from outwith the Scottish system. Nomads took the lead thanks to a 26th minute penalty and then put in one of the most disgraceful performances I’ve ever witnessed, doing everything within their power to waste time and kill the game. It worked for an hour, but David Wilson’s goal four minutes from time took the game to extra time. Nomads had George Horan sent off with a minute to go and up stepped Dimitris Froxylias, who had signed less than 48 hours earlier to send the resulting free kick into the net to ensure instant cult hero status. In an ironic twist of fate, Nomads missed their train home, the irony of which was not lost on the home support.

In the third round, Dumbarton defeated League 1 Stranraer 2-1 in a game played on a Friday night because the stadium had been rented out for a wedding on the Saturday. Goals from Craig Barr and Mark Stewart set up a quarter final with League 1 title chasers Raith Rovers. Rovers were comfortably dispatched by 2 goals to nil with goals from Chris McLaughlin and Ally Roy. Not even Tom Walsh’s missed penalty could dampen the spirits of reaching a semi-final. The last four match was the first away trip of the competition for the Sons and saw them travel to Oswestry to take on Welsh champions The New Saints. The over 500 travelling supporters were treated to two of the best goals anywhere this season after going a goal behind in the second half. Danny Handling’s 74th minute equaliser was a thing of beauty, but even that couldn’t compare to Froxylias’ 40 yard free kick winner, which sent the visiting fans into raptures, and their first major final since 1897. Froxylias was a doubt going into this final after playing 64 minutes for Cyprus in his international debut just 24 hours before kick off, but through sheer determination and well timed flights, he made it in time for a place on the bench

Inverness saw one less game on their route to the final, starting in the second round with a 4-2 win “away” to Aberdeen’s Under 20s in a game that took place at Brechin’s Glebe Park in front of just 175 fans. A comfortable 3-0 win over League 2 Peterhead in the third round set up an enticing looking home quarter final against fellow Championship strugglers Falkirk. In a game broadcast by BBC Alba, the 1,078 inside the Caledonian Stadium, plus those watching on TV at home were treated to a drab game only lit up by Connor Bell’s second half goal.

Caley’s semi-final was a much livlier affair as the they hosted Northern Irish side Crusaders for a place in the final. The home side were 2-0 up within the first fifteen minutes, and went into half-time three goals to the good as Jake Mulraney added a third just before the break. Crusaders hit back after 57 minutes through Paul Heatley, who added a second 22 eleven minutes from time after Brad McKay had been sent off for the Scots. Despite a nervy ending, the hosts held on to reach their fourth Challenge Cup Final

The Game

Despite a sizeable and noisy crowd, the game wasn’t really high on quality, and was more notable for mistakes than any moments of magic. Referee Andrew Dallas and his assistants had an interesting afternoon showing a frustrating lack of consistency and at times what looked like a genuine shortfall of knowledge of the rules. This is by no means sour grapes, as both teams managed to benefit and suffer from some of the downright bizarre decisions being made.

Dumbarton shaded the first half in terms of performance, despite creating little in the way of chances. Shooting towards the Inverness end, the Sons failed to give Caley goalkeeper Mark Ridgers much of a test despite efforts from Iain Russell and Danny Handling having the Dumbarton end on their feet. Chris McLaughlin picked up a yellow card for a late, high tackle late in the first half that on another day could easily have been a red and the booking seemed to spark Caley into life, with both Bell and Polworth testing Scott Gallacher in the Dumbarton goal. 0-0 at half time, which was unsuprising given the 45 minutes we’d just watched.

Dumbarton sat back as the second half began and allowed Caley to press increasingly further forward. Despite the frustrations brewing in the Sons’ end with the tactics, Inverness were struggling to create anything of real substance. Dumbarton finally started to create some half chances following the introductions of Froxylias and Stewart midway through the second half, but Ridgers was still untested in the Caley goal.

There was major drama in the 83rd minute when Dallas pointed to the spot as Caley were pressing. The penalty seemed to be given for handball against McLaughlin (I was at the other end of the pitch and couldn’t clearly see the exact reason). Interestingly, McLaughlin was not shown a second yellow card. The drama was multiplied when Iain Vigurs’ low effort was saved and smothered by the impressive Gallacher. Just as it looked like thirty extra minutes were coming our way, Dumbarton’s defence switched off and defender Carl Tremarco bundled home sixteen year old Daniel McKay’s cross deep into stoppage time to send the Cup north. An absolutely sickening way to lose any game, never mind a cup final. Most Sons fans stayed back to applaud the team off the pitch after a stellar effort, but after such a cracking day out, there will have been some quiet trips back to Dumbarton.

The Pies

We arrived a bit late and still full from lunch to bother with a pre-match pie, and that meant that I was not to sample the fare on offer at McDiarmid Park. I went to join the horrendously long queue well in advance of halftime to find it snaking round their concession room, barely moving and the young, understaffed servers in a state of chaos. I left with no food and later found out that they had run out of pies anyway. A bit of a shambolic effort that St Johnstone should take a look at rectifying if they have another big event like this.

Thankfully, Kaitlin and I had stopped for lunch at the Boozy Cow in Stirling on the way up to Perth. Their Holy Cow burger, skinny fries, onion rings and a pint of their fantastic Boozy Brew lager had us so stuffed that the lack of a pie wasn’t a huge deal. Boozy Cow have branches in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen as well and I’d highly recommend checking them out. Their food and vibe are fantastic and all their profits go to local charities. They’re well up near the top of my favourite places to eat.

Admission: £15
Programme: £3 (84 pages, very few adverts, a really fantastic souvenir of the day)
Pie: £2.20 – £2.50
Bovril: £2.10!!!
Attendance: 4,602

Johnstone Burgh v Vale of Leven

Johnstone Burgh 2-2 Vale of Leven
Central District League Division Two
Keanie Park
Saturday 17th March 2018

Watching the Vale will probably become a recurring feature on this blog, as I explained last week, they’re my local team and I’m invested in their fortunes. Today, they were playing just about half an hour away from home, so I jumped in the car and braved the gale force winds to head to deepest, darkest Refrewshire and a ground I’d never visited before. Passing through Elderslie on the way, I saw the memorial statue to William Wallace (Wallace was born in the town) at the side of the road, so that was a nice wee extra before I arrived.

The Venue

Keanie Park is tucked away at the back of a residential area so I’m very grateful to Google Maps for the directions, as I feel I could have been driving about Johnstone for quite some time without them. The ground eventually appears at the top of a hill, provided you know that you’re looking for what looks like an industrial warehouse, rather than a typical football club. After paying in through the single turnstile in operation, I was greeted by a cracking, old fashioned junior ground with tons of character. The ground’s notional capacity is 5,000.

Down one side of the pitch is a classic corrugated metal enclosure, with stepped terracing inside, capable of holding several hundred. On a day like today with wind absolutely howling around, it didn’t provide much shelter, but I imagine it’s normally a fantastic shed. On the opposite side of the pitch at the top of some more stepped terracing is a strange wooden structure which is essentially some posts with a roof attached. It’s functionality in terms of protecting spectators from the elements looked suspect to me, but it seemed like a popular congregating place for the home support. The rest of the ground is grass banking, and I don’t think there would be a bad view wherever you choose to stand. Keanie Park is a ground I’ll look forward to returning to, it’s a bit of a hidden gem.

The Teams

Burgh were formed in 1956, when a local journalist was sent out by his editor with instructions not to return to the office without a story. He decided to ask locals about their interest in a new football team to replace the town’s long defunct former side. The team found almost instant success, winning both the Central League Championship and West of Scotland Cup in the 1958-59 season. Another Central League and West of Scotland Cup double came in 1964-65, with a third Central League win coming in 1967-68. The club’s greatest success came in 1963-64 and 1967-68, when they won the Scottish Junior Cup twice. More recently they won the Central District Premier Division in 2001-02, but since league reconstruction they have struggled. They won the fourth tier Central District Division 2 in 2010, but were relegated after finishing bottom of the First Division last season. Burgh have had a rough season once again, and have been rooted in the bottom 3 of the table all season, although postponements have seen them play less games than everyone else. Jamie McKim took charge at the end of January, and today was his first home game in charge.

As I’ve gone into the basic history of Vale of Leven already, I thought I’d tell a different piece of their history for this entry. When the original Vale of Leven Club ran into financial difficulties in the mid twenties, due mainly to the Great Depression coupled with the club’s provincial geography, they were struck off by the SFA after withdrawing from a Scottish Qualifying Cup tie in 1929. A new club, Vale of Leven OCOBA (Old Church Old Boys Association) were formed almost immediately, and actually entered the Scottish Cup throughout the 1930s. In 1939, the team was invited to join a reformed version of the Scottish Football Alliance, which was intended to be competition to the Scottish Football League. OCOBA was dropped from the name and Vale of Leven were once again officially part of football in Scotland. The outbreak of World War II caused the Alliance to disband after just two rounds of games, and the Vale were accepted into the junior ranks.

The Game

Before the game, there was a minute’s silence for Burgh’s legendary manager Jimmy Blackburn, who sadly passed away earlier in the week aged 88.

For the second week in a row, conditions weren’t exactly perfect for free flowing football. But when the wind decided to take a break for a few minutes, there was actually some decent stuff being played. In fact, it was an action packed game from start to finish, with both teams creating chances, despite neither goalkeeper having too much work to do. Vale made the first breakthrough after 23 minutes when Mark Butler’s cross was picked up by Lee McGeachy. His first effort was blocked by a Burgh defender, but he buried the rebound under the onrushing goalkeeper. Both sides had half chances as the first half progressed without any real threats. That changed on 38 minutes, when Jack Heron picked up the ball just outside the Vale box. The big number 9 curled a spectacular curling strike past Campbell in the Vale goal to equalise and take the game into halftime at 1-1.

The second half started off as a scrappy affair with neither team able to really get a grip on the game. Burgh were handed a golden chance to take the lead after 64 minutes when Josh Grace failed to clear the ball properly and brought down Jordan Keenen causing the referee to point to the spot. Goalscorer Heron stepped up, but his tame effort was saved by Campbell. It looked like Burgh would rue the miss on 82 minutes when Lee McGeachy did well to beat two players before finding Andrew Clark who finished well to give Vale the lead. But it wouldn’t be a Vale game without late drama, and with just over a minute to go, the visitors couldn’t get the ball clear and were punished by Jack Heron who stabbed home his second equaliser of the game. 2-2 was probably a fair result on balance, but Vale will be gutted to have lost two points so late on

The Pies

Burgh’s pie hut is inside the main club building, with a large indoor area for people to eat and drink. It must have been absolutely stowed at half time, because I was one of about only ten people who decided to stay outside in the cold during the interval.

The snack bar menu was fairly good, and I was sorely tempted to see what their giant hot dog looked like instead of my pie today, but a calmer head prevailed. Burgh’s Scotch pie was a delight, packed full of meat with just the right amount of black pepper, with a fantastic, crispy crust. The Bovril I had today was probably the main reason I still have fingers, and was extra strong, just the way I like it. Good job, Burgh.

Admission: £5
Programme: None
Pie: £1.50 (Scotch)
Bovril: £1
Attendance: 68 (headcount)

Vale of Leven v Carluke Rovers

Vale of Leven 3-1 Carluke Rovers
Central District League Division Two
Millburn Park
Saturday 10th March 2018

Save for the few years I spent living on the east coast, Vale of Leven have always been my local club. For whatever reason though, I had never set foot inside Millburn Park until the start of this season. Since then I’ve become a regular visitor and have seen the whole spectrum of performances from the team. Today’s match saw two mid table teams clash on an absolutely sodden day. In fact, only 24 hours before the game, the Millburn pitch was still covered in a layer of snow and it was something of a minor miracle that the game even managed to take place.

The Venue

Millburn Park is one of the oldest grounds still in use in Scottish football, dating back to 1888 and once hosted eight thousand spectators for a 1922 Scottish Cup game against Alloa Athletic. Today, the ground notionally holds 3,000, but that claim hasn’t been tested in many years. It’s a cracking junior ground, with a well kept stepped terrace down one side, and a large enclosure on the other. The enclosure runs about halfway down the pitch, and can hold a good amount of people, although the holes in the corrugated roof mean that on a day like this, you have to pick your spot carefully. The changing rooms, clubroom and pie stall are housed in a single, roughcast pavilion, which for some reason has barbed wire on top. It’s a classic ground which has seen better days, but the playing surface is fantastic, and the charm can’t be denied by anyone.

The Teams

The current junior iteration of Vale of Leven, while embracing the history of the famous side from the early days of Scottish football were actually formed in 1939, ten years after the demise of the original club. This is a technicality however, and the two technically separate clubs are in reality a continuation of the same. They have played at Millburn since joining the junior ranks. The Vale’s greatest achievement in the junior game was winning the Scottish Junior Cup in 1953, beating Annbank United 2-1 in the final. They also also won the B Division of the Central League in 1969-70. Since the restructuring of the Central and Ayrshire districts into the West Region in 2002, Vale have played in only the bottom two divisions of the setup.

Carluke Rovers were formed in 1887 as Carluke Milton Rovers, dropping “Milton” from their name following World War I. They played at Loch Park in the town from 1919 until 2011, when they moved into the John Cumming Stadium, a state of the art, hybrid football and athletics venue. It’s been a bit of a tumultuous season for Rovers, who are incredibly on their fourth manager of the season, with both on and off-field factors leading to Derek Wilson being placed in caretaker charge last month.

The Game

It was not a day for pretty football, but both teams came out to make the most of the conditions, and what was lacking in quality was more than made up for by the fight and spirit of the two sides. Unfortunately the referee had other ideas, putting in one of the most bizarrely awful officiating performances I’ve ever seen. Carluke’s official match report would suggest that all of his terrible decisions went one way, and while it’s true that they definitely suffered from the ineptitude more than Vale, this was a referee out of his depth completely, who can count himself lucky that there was no observer in attendance.

Vale went ahead after 17 minutes when Mark Butler’s long ball was picked up by Andrew Clark. Clark took the ball into the box and fired low under the Carluke goalkeeper. To the amazement of everyone watching, the ref pointed to the centre circle and gave the goal, despite the fact that Clark was clearly at least 4 or 5 yards offside. The official continued his bonkers display as the half progressed, showing a number of yellow cards to both sides – in fairness mostly deserved – but letting similar offences go completely unpunished. Carluke equalised five minutes before the break, when Sean McKenna finished off the best move of the first half.

The second half was only a little over ten minutes old when the referee finally lost control of the game and himself. An innocuous looking coming together between Stephen Griffin and Carluke’s Weir ended with Weir motioning his head towards Griffin. The ref produced a straight red card despite the fact that there was at the very least six inches of clear air between the players. Rovers’ woes were added to just four minutes later when another bit of handbags saw Griffin and Kane both shown a yellow card. As Vale prepared to take their free kick, Kane was quickly shown a second yellow card, for reasons that I didn’t manage to pick up.

The nine men of Carluke fought hard and dug deep, but were undone in the 88th minute when David McNaught reacted fastest to a rebound and drilled the ball into the net. Vale were then awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time, which was dispatched by Craig Cowan, making the final scoreline a lot more convincing than the balance of the game would have suggested.

The Pies

I will add the disclaimer that this picture was clearly not taken at this game, but earlier in the year when the weather was better and I first discovered that these beauties were on sale. A few months into this season, Vale gathered the sponsorship of a local butcher. These incredible steak pies are as a result now on sale for £2 a pop. They are an absolutely delightful, juicy, crispy and all round magnificent pie, by far the best I’ve ever had at any non-league ground so far, and probably the best football pie I’ve yet to try. Just make sure you grab an extra napkin or two, because they do have a tendency to explode slightly.

Admission: £5
Programme: None
Pie: £2 (steak)
Bovril: 80p
Attendance: 80 (approx headcount)

Falkirk v Dumbarton

Falkirk 0-0 Dumbarton
SPFL Championship
Falkirk Stadium
Saturday 24th February 2018

Eighth versus ninth in the Championship may not have seemed like the most enticing of games for a February afternoon, but there were a couple of factors that drew me to Falkirk for this game. Firstly, I’m a longstanding Dumbarton supporter. My dad took me to Boghead in the early nineties and I’ve always followed their fortunes, getting to the odd game along the way. Secondly, as part of Falkirk Council’s “Take the Right Route” campaign to encourage people to be more active, this gme was chosen to be the second one in their “Kelpies to Kickoff” series, which offered a match ticket, pie and a drink in exchange for a walk from the stadium to the nearby Kelpies and back. Coupled with the unexpectedly fantastic weather on offer, it was an offer that seemed too good to refuse.

The Venue

The Falkirk Stadium opened in 2004, becoming the new home of Falkirk, after a year sharing with Stenhousemuir at Ochilview following the vacating of Brockville at the end of the 2002-03 season. The impressive Main (West) Stand holds around 4,200 and was the only part of the stadium that was finished at opening. The North Stand was opened in 2005, with the South Stand following in 2009, bringing the overall capacity to 7,937 all seated on three sides. It’s an impressive stadium, and one of the best new builds that I’ve visited. The stadium is situated in the Westfield region of Falkirk, near to Grangemouth and adjacent to the Helix Park, home to the spectacular Kelpies sculptures. Today, my wife and I were among several hundred participants in the “Kelpies to Kick Off” which saw us walk in a 5km loop from the stadium to the Kelpies and back. On a day such as this with the sun shining, it was a highly pleasant way to spend an hour, even if my wife somehow managed to pull a muscle in her foot on the way round.

The Teams

Falkirk started the season in awful form, finding themselves in a distant ninth place when Peter Houston was sacked as manager in late September. Former Scotland international Paul Hartley was appointed his replacement, and the poor form continued well into his reign. A raft of signings in the January transfer window changed their fortunes and saw the club leapfrog Dumbarton into eighth place.

Dumbarton, conversely had a reasonable start to the season, and found themselves a solid 8 points ahead of Falkirk at Christmas. But a poor run of games has seen Dumbarton failing to score since their 4-1 home defeat to Livingston on Boxing Day. Being one of only two part time clubs in the division, a spate of injuries and expired loans have left an unsettled team who have been struggling to find any sort of form. However, the Sons were riding high having reached the final of the Irn Bru (Challenge) Cup by beating TNS the week previously and needed to get something from the game in order to keep in touch with Falkirk and the pack in the race to avoid the playoffs.

The Game

Our complimentary tickets through “Kelpies to Kick Off” were supposed to seat us in the North Stand, but after a bit of negotiation with a completely confused turnstile man, we were granted access to the Main Stand in order to sit alongside the hundred or so other Dumbarton supporters in attendance.

In all fairness, this was far from a classic, but as 0-0 draws go, I’ve definitely seen worse. Dumbarton almost had the perfect start when Stuart Carswell was presented with a great chance after about four minutes, but he pulled his shot wide. I’d wager that if just about any other Sons player had been the one to get than chance, it may well have been buried. Carsy after all has a grand total of one goal in a total of 178 career appearances. Falkirk then launched an all out assault on the Dumbarton goal, somehow conspiring to hit the post twice and the bar another twice without managing to score. The Sons goal was leading a charmed life as it remained goalless at half time.

Falkirk continued to pile on the pressure in the second half, but the best chance of the half came for Dumbarton in the dying minutes as Liam Burt’s drive was pushed away by Conor Hazard in the direction of Mark Stewart, but the substitute couldn’t get himself set quickly enough and only managed to poke a tame effort wide.

All in all, Falkirk’s fans will have left frustrated having failed to win, but in hindsight a point suited them better than Dumbarton, who were left to rue not being able to convert any of the few chances that came their way.

The Pies

As part of the “Kelpies to Kick Off” promotion, a voucher for a pie and a hot drink were provided. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this allowed a choice of any pie, so was delighted to select a steak pie, and the standard Bovril. The pie was flaky, had nice, big chunks of meat and a thick gravy that didn’t end up all over my jacket. I would have been more than happy to have shelled out the £2.20 for what was a really good quality pie. My wife, Kaitlin stumped for a macaroni pie which she was very impressed with – mainly due to a layer of melted cheese on top of the macaroni and under the pastry lid. She said it was “the perfect macaroni pie” so seems pretty good value for £1.90.

Admission: £20
Programme: £2.50
Pie: £2.20 (steak) £1.90 (macaroni)
Bovril: £1.60
Attendance: 6,091

Dumbarton United v Kilwinning SC

Dumbarton United 4-1 Kilwinning SC
SWFL Division Two West
East End Park
Sunday 18th February 2018

With women’s football in Scotland playing a calendar year season, February sees a new season kick off for women’s teams at all levels. The Scottish Women’s Football League Division Two is the lowest level of the senior game, split into four regional leagues (North, West, Central and East) with the four winners being promoted to SWFL Division One North or South, and the bottom two from each of those divisions relegated to the most appropriate Division Two league. There seems to be a fairly high turnover in teams from season to season, with several new teams replacing those who have sadly folded or gone into abeyance. Today’s game saw two returning teams from 2017 start their season.

The Venue

East End Park in Dumbarton is simply named. It is literally a park in the east end of the town, right next to Dumbarton East train station. The park has been a fenced off synthetic pitch for around twenty years, and was relaid with a 4G surface in 2016 after vandals set the previous 3G surface on fire. There is a permanent spectator rail down one side of the pitch, and the pavilion is set about 20 metres back from the fence. It’s a basic setup, but more than adequate for the many youth and amateur teams who keep it in near constant use.

The Teams

Dumbarton United have been one of the town’s premier youth sides since their inception in 1958. Running boys teams at almost every age group up to under 21, they installed a girls team in 2013. They now run several girls teams, one of whom stepped up to senior level for the 2016. In their second season in SWFL2, they finished second behind a rampant Morton, and having made several signings in the offseason will be looking to go one better this year.

Kilwinning Sports Club are linked with just about every football team in the Ayrshire town, with boys clubs at every age group, and affiliations with several adult teams including the town’s junior giants Kilwinning Rangers. They run girls’ teams at six age groups which provide a pathway to senior football through their ladies’ team, who have been part of the SWFL2 setup for several years.

The Game

On a pretty dreich day in Dumbarton, it took both sides a while to get going on opening day. Both sides were creating little more than half chances until Ashleigh Brown was played in by Michaela Brown (no relation) and finished well below the KSC keeper. The home side went into the break 1-0 up and deservedly so on the balance of play.

The second half started with a bang as Kilwinning pressed directly from kick off and stunned United with a goal just fifteen seconds after the restart. Their joy was to be short lived, however, as Michaela Brown scored a stunning hat trick in an incredible fifteen minute spell. Her perfect day came down to earth with a bang though, as she suffered a serious knee injury after landing awkwardly from a challenge with thirteen minutes remaining. The game was stopped for around twenty minutes as she was tended to on the pitch, before being helped off to wait for an ambulance.

It was a sour note to end the game on, but looking past what could be a major blow going forward, it was as good a start to the season as United could have hoped for.

The Pies

Being held in what is a public recreational facility, unfortunately there’s no pies on offer.

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Pie: None
Bovril: None
Attendance: 30 (approx headcount)

Pies on the Terraces: An Introduction

Pies on the Terraces is a way for me to share my football travels (mainly in the western central belt of Scotland,) commenting on games, the history of the teams and stadiums, and to comment on arguably the most important part of any football experience; the pies (plus other foods).

I’m not going to go into detailed match reports, and depending on what game I’ve been to, there is likely to be some bias. I’m just aiming for a fun, hopefully fresh look at Scottish football.