Balfron Rovers 1-1 Aberfoyle Rob Roy
Forth and Endrick Football League
Donaldson Park
Friday 19th May 2018
With the sun shining and me having just picked up a new car I fancied taking a run in, I headed to Stirlingshire to take in my second game of the season in the Forth and Endrick Football League.
The Venue
Donaldson Park is handily situated just at the entrance to Balfron from the A811 road, right next to the golf course. (Note to self, check maps before driving straight through the village next time.) It’s a fairly basic set up, a large grass pitch with a small, tidy looking pavilion and flat grass standing surrounding the pitch. There’s a couple of benches, which I suppose add a seated element to the ground’s capacity!
It’s a pretty perfect place for amateur football to be played. The pitch has clearly taken a bit of a hammering with the long hard winter, but with our recent dry spell was in pretty good condition tonight with all things considered. The ground is basic, but extremely well kept, and being enclosed on three sides by trees, feels like a proper football ground rather than a public park. With the sun beating down it was a fantastic place to watch a game.
The Teams
When I saw Gartocharn and Drymen United play last month, I mentioned how stable the Forth and Endrick League has been over the years. Since I wrote that, Kippen have unfortunately had to withdraw from this season’s competitions, while Deanston have yet to play a game due to lack of player availability. I’m hoping that this isn’t a trend, because it would be a real shame to see this fantastic league disappear.
As I mentioned last time I watched this league, there’s very little information online about the league or it’s teams, but I’ll do what I can! Balfron Rovers were formed in 1930, and have been members of the league since their inception. From what I can tell, they’ve been one of the most successful teams in the league, and were league champions in both of the last two seasons. They have played twice this season, a 7-0 away win against Thornhill last month, and a 2-1 loss at home to Gartocharn on Tuesdasy night.
Due to Balfron producing a match programme, I actually have substantially more information on their opponents tonight than I do on themselves. Aberfoyle Rob Roy were formed in 1910 and were founder members of the Forth and Endrick League. They have been league champions on six occasions, although their last triumph was in 1969. The side have won the Cameron Cup nine times, the MacGregor Ferguson Cup twice, the Telfer Cup once, and the Salmon Leap Inn Trophy for being top scorers once. They have played four times this season, losing to Gargunnock and Killearn, while drawing with Buchlyvie and notching up an 8-2 win away to Thornhill.
The Game
A combination of the game kicking off five minutes early and me taking a spectacular wrong turn up a single track dirt road meant I missed the first ten minutes of the game and the home side taking an early lead. I also failed to take proper notes on the game, so I do apologise for this extremely abridged version of a match report.
When I arrived, Balfron were in the ascendancy and pushing for a second goal. The visitors got stronger as the half progressed however, and were deservedly level six minutes before the break when a long trow into the box was headed on into the net by Sean Wilbert. It was a competitive, energetic first half with some good football played by both sides.
The second half saw Balfron mount a siege on the Aberfoyle goal, but they were kept out by some frankly outstanding goalkeeping from the Aberfoyle keeper who made several top drawer saves to keep the game level. Balfron player-manager David Reid brought himself on early in the second half and his class on the ball shone through. Aberfoyle had a late chance to steal victory away, but the home defence stood tall, and a late long throw from Balfron almost paid dividends, but Aberfoyle’s man of the match keeper kept them out once again.
I’ll definitely be back at Donaldson park before the season ends, and I’ll attempt to do a much more detailed report. This is a lovely, welcoming club, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
The Pies
While there was no food on offer tonight, I must again mention the excellent match programme. There’s a lot of content in just four pages, and it’s an excellent read. It is fantastic to see a club at this level put so much effort into the match day experience, and something that they should get a lot of credit for.
Admission: Free
Programme: £1
Pie: None
Bovril: None
Attendance: 36 (+2 dogs)
Pies on the Terraces 