Hamilton v Glasgow City

Hamilton Academical Women 1-4 Glasgow City
SWPL1
The Hope CBD Stadium
Sunday 26th August 2018

With Glasgow City playing away at a ground I’ve never visited before less than an hour from my house, the lure of the game was just too high today despite the 4 o’clock kick off being later than I’d like for a Sunday. So off we went to Hamilton for some more SWPL action.

The Venue

New Douglas Park (currently named the Hope CBD Stadium in a “controversial” sponsorship deal with a CBD oil firm based at the ground) was completed in 2001. Named after the club’s former home Douglas Park – now the Sainsbury’s supermarket across the road – which was demolished in 1995. Accies had been homeless for the six year period between vacating Douglas Park and the new stadium being built, playing home games at Albion Rovers’ Cliftonhill and Partick Thistle’s Firhill in the interim. The stadium consists of two stands, one full length sideline stand and one that sits at an end behind one of the goals.

The seating areas are elevated , giving unobstructed views of the pitch, and allowing the catering outlets to sit under the seating areas. This means that you can still watch the game while queuing for a pie, which is a nice touch. The total capacity of the two stands is 5,510. When Accies were promoted to the SPL in 2008, a “temporary” stand was constructed on the opposite side to the main stand in order to bring the capacity above the minimum regulated 6,000 for the division. This temporary stand is still in place.

After the TigerTurf artificial surface was voted the worst surface of all 42 SPFL grounds by players earlier this year, a new Greenfields MX artificial pitch was laid over the summer, meaning Accies Women played their home games at Strathclyde Park. The new surface looks absolutely fantastic. New Douglas Park is a charming little ground, and a pleasant place to watch a game of football.

The Teams

Hamilton Academical Women’s Football Club were initially formed in 1999 as Hamilton Athletic, and were promoted in each of their first three seasons to reach the SWPL. They played their first SWPL season as FC Hamilton before a formal link up with the long established men’s club with whom they now share their name. Gary Doctor is the current manager. Accies have had a tough season and find themselves having slipped into the relegation spot at the bottom of the table with Spartans win at Rangers just before kick off here today. Former Glasgow City youngster Kodie Hay plays against her old side.

Having covered City’s last two games, there’s very little to add today. Hayley Lauder, Lidija Kuliš, Joanne Paton and Murron Cunningham do all miss out through injury, with places in the squad once again for development team players Karsey McGlinchey and Laura McCartney. With Hibs having beaten Celtic 7-2 earlier in the day, a victory by three clear goals would take City back to the top of the table on goal difference.

The Game

City started the game on the front foot, and with just three minutes gone Lara Ivanuša created a good chance when she somehow managed to keep a hold of the ball under heavy pressure. Her layoff to Kirsty Howat was promising, but Howat could only fire over the bar. Four minutes later, City had another early lead. Abbi Grant brushed past sixteen year old Elise McCormick – making her Accies debut after an injury to Rachel Ross in the warm up – and cut the ball back to Sam Kerr. Kerr side footed a careful, accurate shot into the bottom corner of the net.

A minute later, it could have been 2-0 when Nicola Docherty broke on the left wing, but her cross managed to evade both Howat and Megan Foley. City being unable to convert chances despite near constant pressure was to become a feature of the first half. Ivanuša, Howat, Kerr and Jo Love all had what looked to be decent chances, but some poor finishing kept the score at just 1-0.

With half time approaching, and City coach Scott Booth becoming visibly more and more frustrated on the sideline, the visitors created two of their best chances. Firstly, Docherty struck the inside of the post after an excellent cutback from Love. And on the stroke of half time Foley made a good run down the right and forced a good save from Lauren Grant who managed to turn the ball behind.

City made a change at the break when Jordan McLintock was brought on to replace Love. It looked briefly like she may not be able to enter the fray, as she was wearing Joanne Paton’s number 19 jersey instead of her own number 21. McLintock disappeared into the dugout, appearing a minute later with tape covering Paton’s name and the second half was finally able to start. The second half started in much the same way as the first had gone, with City seeing a lot of the ball, but doing very little of any consequence with it. Accies were trying their best to get back into the game, but any attempts at counter attacks were being dealt with swiftly.

City’s breakthrough came with an hour gone. McLintock caused some difficulties for the Accies defence and won a corner. Docherty went over to take it and swung a ball towards the front post. Carly Girasoli ghosted in and glanced a header past Grant to double the visitors’ lead. Two minutes later it was three when Foley beat several Accies players on the right hand side and whipped an excellent cross to the back post which was met by the head of McLintock to score against her former club.

The game settled back into familiar rhythms until the seventy second minute. Accies managed to clear the ball after Grant almost fumbled the ball into her own net. The ball broke to Leanne Ross, who played it into Grant. Grant turned and blasted an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. Three minutes later, Docherty’s tantalising front post cross was struck by McLintock, who saw her shot well saved by Grant.

With five minutes remaining, Accies got themselves a consolation goal. Lori Gardner pounced on a loose ball near the halfway line, and managed to keep the chasing Girasoli at bay before slotting the ball under Lee Alexander. The game wasn’t quite finished yet and with a minute left, City substitute Karsey McGlinchey struck the woodwork from distance for the second week in a row. Her dipping drive coming off the top of the bar.

Despite the scoreline, it was a disjointed and ultimately disappointing performance from the reigning champions, but enough to take them back to the top of the table with just six games to go.

The Pies

There was a near full catering service on offer today, and Kaitlin and I both had a steak pie. I was especially impressed by the gravy, which was rich and silky, tasting fantastic. It was another steak pie that held together really well, and I was extremely impressed.

Admission: £5
Programme: Free online
Pie: £2
Bovril: £1
Attendance: 140 (approx)

Cumbernauld Colts v Spartans

Cumbernauld Colts 0-2 Spartans
Scottish Lowland Football League
Broadwood Stadium
Friday 24th August 2018

Cumbernauld Colts’ groundshare agreement with Clyde gives the SPFL League 2 side priority over use of the ground, meaning that when the two teams are scheduled at home on a particular weekend the Lowland League side elect to play on a Friday evening. It’s working out well for me since I particularly enjoy Friday night football, so once again headed for Broadwood to see two teams who will both be hoping to challenge for the title this year.

The Venue

I was at Broadwood just three weeks ago so will refer to that post for the details on the ground itself. Tonight, the stadium lived up to it’s reputation of always being freezing, and despite it still being August and not really all that cold outside, it was less than balmy in the stand.

The Teams

In the three weeks since I last saw Colts defeat Kelty Hearts 3-2, they have had a mixed time of it in the two league games they’ve played. A 1-0 loss away to Civil Service Strollers – which on the face of it doesn’t look a bad result considering Strollers’ early season form – was followed up by an excellent 3-2 win at home to East Stirlingshire last weekend. The club sit third in the table going into tonight’s game, one point ahead of their opponents.

Spartans were formed back in 1951 by former students of Edinburgh University, whom upon graduation found themselves with no football team to play for. The club quickly grew into an all encompassing club, although many former students still find their way into the setup. The club won the East of Scotland League on nine occasions, most recently in the 2010-11 season before being elected as founder members of the Lowland League in 2013. They won the inaugural edition of the Lowland League, but there was no promotion playoff established at this time. They won their second Lowland League title last season, but were defeated by Cove Rangers in the Highland/Lowland playoff.

Spartans, in partnership with the Spartans Community Football Academy based at Ainslie Park, run teams for males and females of almost every age and ability. The Academy has won numerous awards for their pioneering community outreach work, and in my own personal experience have always been a well run, welcoming club. The club moved to the purpose built Ainslie Park in 2008, having previously played at City Park just across the road. Going back to their links with Edinburgh University, the Uni’s former manager Dougie Samuel has been in charge since 2012. Spartans’s season started in July, as winners of last season’s Lowland League they received an invite to play in the group stages of the Betfred Cup. They earned draws with League 1 side Dumbarton and in hugely impressive fashion against Premiership St Mirren, before losing out to Queen’s Park and Kilmarnock to finish bottom of the group. Their League campaign started with a bump with draws against both Stirling and Edinburgh Universities, but back to back wins over Vale of Leithen and Dalbeattie Star have propelled them back up the table.

The Game

There’s no real way to sugar coat it, so I’ll come right out and say that that this was far from a classic. Neither side was at their best throughout, but with that said I was very infrequently less than entertained. Spartans took an early lead when Jamie Dishington made an excellent run down the right wing and cut the ball back to Jack Smith just inside the box. The former BSC Glasgow striker struck the ball beautifully on the half volley and it flew past Jordan Pettigrew to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

Dishington was one of the few creators of quality in the early stages, and two minutes after the goal he again crossed to Smith in the box, but the ball was just too high and Colts cleared the danger. With twenty minutes played, Colts had their first chance of any real note when Craig Holmes’ cross was nodded own by Fraser Sheridan, but Sean Brown couldn’t quite find his way onto the end of it. Spartans keeper Blair Carswell had a bit of a scare five minutes later when Holmes’ corner landed just about on top of him. Carswell spilled the ball, but managed to gather it at the second attempt with Brown close by ready to pounce.

Dishington continued to look the most likely to create something, and with 26 minutes gone he again found space on the right and whipped a tantalising ball across the face of the goal. Frustratingly, no Spartan could make contact and the ball fizzed away from danger. Three minutes later, Spartans were handed a golden opportunity to double their lead. Colts failed to properly clear from a corner and the ball eventually fell to Smith, whose strike bounced off the hand of Scott Davidson away from goal. The referee had little hesitation in pointing to the spot and David Greenhill dutifully stepped up to blast an unstoppable penalty into the roof of the net.

With 35 minutes gone, the best footballing move of the match saw several Spartans players string several passes together leading to Greenhill finding himself in space on the edge of the box. He took a strike that forced Pettigrew into a very good save to keep the score at 2-0. The half fizzled out, and Colts defender Davidson blasted a shot well over the bar right on halftime, a strike that pretty much summed up the home side’s half.

Colts came out like a different side in the second half, and within a minute of the restart, they had their best chance of the match. Holmes’ cross was met at the front post by the head of Fraser Team, but he couldn’t keep it down and the ball ended up just over the bar. It was about as good as it got for Colts though, as they never really came close to threatening the Spartans goal again. Sheridan did have a decent strike at goal from distance five minutes later, but it was easily held by Carswell.

With an hour played, Spartans left back Gary Cennerazzo burst down the wing and sent a fabulous cross towards the back post. Dishington got his head onto it and sent it back across the goal, but the ball fell just beyond the post. Two minutes later, some absolutely suicidal defending from Colts allowed Willie Bremner to steal the ball and reach the byeline. His cutback was met by Greenhill who came very close to squeezing in a third.

The game was meandering to an anti-climactic conclusion, but Dishington did manage to force Pettigrew into one more save as the game approached the last ten minutes. A scramble in the Spartans box with seven minutes remaining saw Brown’s shot blocked before Craig Henderson’s follow up was smashed well over the bar. Soon after, the final whistle went to hand Spartans a deserved win. Not the best of games quality wise, but a pretty decent night’s entertainment.

The Pies

I finally tried a pie tonight at Broadwood, and I was quite impressed. The scotch pie was encased in a pretty perfect crust that was flaky and also rigid enough not to fall apart in my hands. The filling was nicely balanced, and it hit exactly the spot I needed it to fill.

Admission: £6
Programme: £2
Pie: £2
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 130 (approx)

Glasgow City v Stirling University

Glasgow City 5-0 Stirling University Women
Scottish Women’s Cup Third Round
Whitehill Secondary School
Wednesday 22nd August 2018

This game was originally scheduled to be played ten days ago along with the rest of the third round ties, but due to City’s participation in the Champions League qualifiers, it was rescheduled for tonight. The sole remaining non SWPL side in the competition, Renfrew of SWFL Division One South will host the winners in the quarter finals.

The Venue

Whitehill Secondary School is a high school in the Dennistoun area of Glasgow’s east end. It currently has a roll of around 450 students and is possibly the strangest venue I’ve ever seen a Scottish Cup match played. Petershill was unavailable for this rescheduled tie, and from what I understand, Glasgow City had a bit of a hard time finding a suitable venue. So to Whitehill, and it’s 3G cage. And that’s about all that there is to say about it. This is a standard 3G pitch, with the requisite green cage, and no amenities. The entire crowd spent the first half watching from outside the cage, but around half ventured inside for the second half, mostly leaning against the cage as far away from the pitch as they could.

The pitch did look in fantastic condition, and I’ve never really felt that the cages are too much of a detriment to watching a game, so I found it perfectly adequate – especially given that no entrance fee was charged. Although I say it was adequate, I do mean as a one off in exceptional circumstances, and I don’t want to see the women’s game at the top level ending up going down this route more often. Interestingly, the school does have some football pedigree, with current Scotland international James McArthur counted among it’s former pupils, along with comedy legends Ricki Fulton and Still Game’s Ford Kiernan.

The Teams

As I literally saw City three days ago, there’s not a lot extra to say about them here. The 6-0 win on Sunday took City back to the top of SWPL1 on goal difference as their back and forth battle for the title with Hibs continues. They reached the third round stage of the cup with a 3-0 win away to Forfar Farmington. Jenna Clark is cup tied, having played with Rangers in the second round, and misses out as a result.

Stirling University reached the last 16 with a 4-1 win over SWPL2 side FC Kilmarnock in a “home” game played at Little Kerse in Grangemouth (apparantly ties in this competition are frequently moved from teams’ regular home grounds). They currently sit in sixth place in the SWPL1 table, ahving had a rough season so far. Head coach Barry Rodgers strengthened his side over the summer by signing Abby Callaghan from Celtic, Naomi Welch from SWPL2 side Central Girls, and American Kendra Bonsall from NCAA Division I side Cal Poly Mustangs.

The Game

Stirling started the game on the front foot and had three very decent chances inside the first five minutes. With just around 90 seconds gone, a cross from Kendra Bonsall was met by the head of Naomi Welch, and the striker really should have done better than turning her effort harmlessly over the bar. Two minutes later, a mix up in the City defence almost allowed Welch in again, but Megan Foley got over quickly to cover and clear the danger away. Stirling’s early pressure didn’t subside though, and with five minutes on the clock, Bonsall latched onto a through ball and forced a smart save from Erin Clachers in the City goal, when she narrowed the angle well.

Stirling continued to press without really troubling the City defence, and it took a while for the home side to get a grip on the game. With fifteen minutes gone, Nicola Docherty broke on the left wing and sent a teasing cross into the box. Leanne Crichton got the deftest of flicks on the ball and saw it cannon back off the post to the relief of Chloe Logan in the Stirling goal. Docherty was again looking sharp, and with 23 minutes played, it was her ball again that gave Abbi Grant a chance from the angle of the box. Grant controlled the ball well, but could only fire her shot into the arms of Logan.

Three minutes later, City had another chance when Kirsty Howat picked the ball up at the edge of the box, but couldn’t get enough purchase on her shot to cause any damage. The deadlock was broken as the game reached the half hour. A pinpoint long ball from Jo Love found Grant near the edge of the Stirling box, who carried it forward and sent an excellent shot under the despairing Logan into the back of the net. City almost doubled their lead three minutes later, when Docherty’s inswinging corner was met by Carly Girasoli. The teenager’s powerful header was saved spectacularly at pint blank range by Logan, keeping the score 1-0.

With half time approaching, both sides had chances to change the tide of the game. With 39 minutes gone, a fantastic run from Jordan McLintock saw a superb cross met by the head of Hannah Stewart, who really should have doubled City’s lead but headed the ball straight at Logan. And with just two minutes until the break, Stirling were awarded a bizarre free kick 25 yards out when Sam Kerr was penalised even though it appeared that two Stirling players had run into each other in her general vicinity. Lisa Sutherland stepped up and rattled the bar with the free kick. City scrambled the ball clear and it remained 1-0 at half time.

City came out all guns blazing in the second half and very nearly doubled their lead just seconds from the restart. Grant did well to beat two Stirling defenders on the right hand side and played in Stewart. Her shot across the goal came back off the post into the path of Kerr, who bundled the ball over the line, but had strayed into an offside position from the initial shot. City did score again though just five minutes later. Howat found Jordan McLintock just inside the box, and the former Hamilton midfielder held off the challenge of Lauren Eadie before turning and firing an unstoppable drive past Logan and in off the post. City were flying, and it was 3-0 just two minutes later. Docherty found Howat midway between the halfway line and penalty box, and City’s number 9 danced past two Stirling defenders before unleashing a fantastic strike past Logan into the net.

Welch did manage to break forward for Stirling with 63 minutes played, but Foley delt well with the danger as she entered the box. A minute later, the game was out of sight. Docherty found space on the left and played the ball into Howat, who turned and struck the ball beautifully past Logan into the bottom corner. With 69 minutes gone, it was Docherty causing problems for Stirling again when her tenacious play near the corner flag led to McLintock’s cross being knocked just over the bar by Grant.

City were enjoying themselves and made it 5-0 with 8- minutes gone. Docherty’s corner was half cleared by Gemma Mason, and picked up at the edge of the box by Grant, who turned sharply and knocked the net off it’s fixings with the power of her shot, her 20th goal of the season in all competitions. City had further chances to score in the last ten minutes, but despite near constant pressure couldn’t find another way through. Nevertheless, it was another dominating performance, and the 5-0 final score did not flatter them in the slightest.

The Pies

This is a high school after hours, so unsurprisingly there was no food this evening.

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Pie: None
Bovril: None
Attendance: 55 (approx)

Glasgow City v Forfar Farmington

Glasgow City 6-0 Forfar Farmington
SWPL1
Petershill Park
Sunday 19th August 2018

While I suppose I’m somewhat of a groundhopper in a sense, if I have an affinity for a team, I’m definitely more likely to watch one of their games than look for somewhere I’ve never been to solely for that reason. It does mean that there will be a lot of repeat teams and grounds on this blog, but a groundhopping journal was never my intention. Case and point is Glasgow City. I’ve been watching them since I started with women’s football a couple of years ago, and I’ve developed an affinity towards them that leads me to watch them more than any other team on a Sunday afternoon. So here we are at Petershill again!

The Venue

As I seem to be saying fairly regularly right now, I’ve written about Petershill before, and I’d just be going over the same ground again. I did, however find the members’ entrance to the old Pershill Park when I inexplicably turned down the wrong street. It was actually far too exciting a moment, probably because I had no idea it even existed any more. It’s probably somewhere I’ll come back to and take a wander around for an entry in the Historical Grounds section, given it’s history and significance.

The Teams

Since I last saw Glasgow City, they have played three times, all in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying section that they hosted in Edinburgh. After a disappointing opening defeat to Belgian champions Anderlecht, wins against Georgians FC Martve and Polish champions Górnik Łęczna saw them win the group and qualify for the Round of 32. The draw took place on Friday and paired City with Cypriot champions Barcelona FA.

Forfar Farmington, while based at Station Park in the town, have no link to the SPFL League One side Forfar Athletic, and were founded in 1984 as a fully independent women’s team. Their league records since formation mean they are the second most successful women’s team who operate completely independently from any men’s clubs. The club got their name when founder Colin Brown was invited to Farmington, Connecticut in 1980 with a local boy’s club. The following year, the American’s returned the visit, bringing with them a girls team, which was the catalyst for a girls, then women’s team in the town.

The club’s greatest success came in 2005, when they defeated Inverness to win the SWFL League Cup. That season they gained promotion to the SWPL, where they have remained ever since. Since the SWPL split into it’s current two division structure, the club has bounced between the two levels, gaining promotion back to SWPL1 by winning the 2017 SWPL2 title. Mark Nisbet is the team’s head coach.

The Game

City sparked into life almost right away and with just three minutes gone they took the lead after an early spell of pressure. Carly Girasoli played a long ball down the left to Nicola Docherty, who crossed the ball into the box. Abbi Grant’s attempt was cleared to Lidija Kuliš. Her strike was blocked but broke to Sam Kerr, who struck from close to the penalty spot. Cassie Cowper stuck out a leg in an attempt to block, but could only help the ball into the net. (Kerr was officially credited with the goal, even though I’d have probably called it an O.G.) With nine minutes gone, Kirsty Howat broke into the box and was just about to pull the trigger when an excellent tackle from Megan McCarthy broke up the chance.

City continued to press and with 11 minutes gone, a well worked short corner from Leanne Ross led to Jo Love hitting the side netting from just inside the area. Four minutes later, Megan Foley’s cross was headed just wide by Grant and with twenty minutes on the clock, Grant hit the side net when she shot from Docherty’s cross.

It was near constant pressure from City, but they could not find another way through the Forfar defence. Around the half hour mark, Kuliš had a strike from the right hand edge of the box, but it was held fairly routinely by Fiona McNicoll. Five minutes from half time, Kuliš played in Howat, who turned superbly and fired a shot inches over the bar from the edge of the D. As half time approached, Docherty launched a shot from distance that was spilled by McNicoll, but Howat couldn’t set her feet in time to put her follow up on target. City coach Scott Booth looked extremely unhappy at his side’s inability to extend their lead as the teams went inside for the break.

Whatever Booth said to his players at half time seemed to hit home, as their lead was doubled within three minutes of the restart. Kuliš’ cross was half cleared, but Love got onto the ball at the edge of the box and side-footed the ball through a ruck of players to nestle just inside the post. Two minutes later it was three. Foley crossed the ball into the box and Love met it with a fantastic diving header, giving McNicoll no chance. With 52 minutes gone, a fantastic passage of play on the right hand side between Foley and Howat saw a tempting cross played into the back post. Kuliš came in to meet it, but was just an inch or two too short to get anything on it.

Foley was causing all sorts of issues for the Forfar defence, and with 58 minutes played it was her work on the right wing that set up City’s fourth goal. Her maurauding run ended with a low cross into the box that Howat stepped onto and unleashed a shot. The ball cannoned off the underside of the bar and bounced just over the line. The referee took some time to reflect and awarded the goal – with replays confirming it was the correct decision. It was frantic action, with Forfar almost getting themselves on the scoresheet just a minute later. Megan Robb’s cross eluded Lee Alexander in the City goal and came back off the bar. Rebecca Dempster put the ball back across the goal and it was knocked in by Cheryl Kilcoyne, but the offside flag had been raised and the goal was ruled out.

With 62 minutes played, Docherty picked up the ball inside her own half and took off down the right wing. After a fantastic run, she crossed the ball around 15 yards out, looping over the head of McNicoll and nestling in the back of the net. Docherty’s reaction to the goal showed that she definitely hadn’t meant to score, but it was a spectacular goal nonetheless. Booth took the opportunity to rest several players during the second half, with several of the club’s young players getting run-outs as substitutes.

With 84 minutes gone, one of those youngsters, 16 year old Karsey McGlinchey came agonisingly close to her first senior goal. The ball broke to McGlinchey around 30 yards out and she struck the ball beautifully on the volley only to see it crash off the post with McNicoll beaten. The action wasn’t over though, as City were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute. Love’s shot came off the hand of McCarthy and the referee had no choice but to give one of the easiest penalties he’ll ever award. Ross stepped up to drill the ball into the net and give City a well deserved 6-0 win.

The Pies

The Petershill cafe was open this afternoon selling hot rolls, paninis and chips. I didn’t sample anything, but it did all look pretty good.

Admission: £5
Programme: None (but old programmes on sale, 5 for £1)
Pie: None (Rolls £2.20, Chips £2)
Bovril: Other hot drinks from £2
Attendance: 110 (approx)

BSC Glasgow v Edusport Academy

BSC Glasgow 2-2 Edusport Academy
Scottish Lowland Football League
The Indodrill Stadium
Saturday 18th August 2018

The fact that Adam Strachan has joined BSC Glasgow this season means that I’ll probably cover them a fair few times, as Kaitlin is a big fan of the fact that he seems no more than a few minutes away from a complete meltdown at any point during matches. So it’s a return trip to Alloa today for a game between two teams whose standing in the pyramid frequently cause social media meltdowns of their own from some people (who really should be old enough to know better.)

The Venue

I’m going to once again refer back to this post for my musings on the stadium formerly known as Recreation Park. We’ve become somewhat frequent visitors to this excellent ground recently, and I’ll look into some quirks for future visits. I mentioned last time that Alloa have narrowed the pitch considerably for this season. The photo below shows just how much, with the green line being the previous width. It’s the same on both sides.

The Teams

BSC have played just once since I last saw them two weeks ago and they got their season back on track with a 3-1 win away to Gala Fairydean Rovers last Saturday. They currently sit in eleventh place in the formative Lowland League table. Talismanic midfielder Stevie Murray was missing for the hosts today, and ended up sitting just a few rows away from me in the stand.

Edusport Academy are a particularly strange addition to the Scottish football pyramid, and a team who have caused plenty of controversy (albeit mostly online, with very little of it actually coming from those within the game) during their short existence. The academy was formed in 2011, with the intention of giving young French footballers the opportunity to develop their language and football skills, with the goal of gaining professional contracts with British clubs. Originally based in Motherwell, the academy now uses Lesser Hampden as a training base, and City of Glasgow College for the education side of their operation. The “students” pay a handsome yearly fee to be a part of the academy.

In 2014, the Academy was successful in their application to enter a senior side in the South of Scotland Football League, making them the first private football academy to ever appear in a FIFA sanctioned league. The club initially played at Hamilton Palace Sports Ground, before moving a year later to share at Annan Athletic’s Galabank, in order to lessen travelling for the other teams in the league. Edusport won the 2016-17 SoSL and with the East of Scotland League champions being unlicensed, gained promotion to the Lowland League. In 2018, Edusport’s founder and managing director Chris Ewing announced plans to separate the senior team from the academy and attract a fanbase by launching a new online membership scheme, Our Football Club. After a “fan vote” it was also announced that the name of the club would be changed to Glasgow United, although it is unclear if or even when this will happen. The club have intentions to build a new ground, rumoured to be located within Strathclyde Park, but this has yet to gain any steam.

The senior team has moved away from being mainly made up of the French students over the past couple of seasons, and although they still feature in the squad, more and more Scottish players are featuring. Ricky Waddell is the current head coach of the senior team, who sit tenth in the table at this early stage of the season with four points from only two games played. They are certainly an interesting team, and it does seem that their story will only grow.

The Game

It took a while to get going for both teams, and an early tetchiness continued for the whole game. BSC had the first chance of any note with seven minutes played, when Ryan McStay’s corner was headed just over by Ross McMillan. Four minutes later, some quick thinking from Adam Strachan when the hosts were awarded a free kick saw a clever one-two played with Declan Hughes, but Strachan’s shot was held routinely by Edu keeper Solal Pelmard. A minute later, BSC had an excellent chance when Bryan Prunty played a fantastic pass to Ross Lindsay, but the midfielder screwed the ball across the box with no-one waiting in the middle and the danger was cleared.

Edu’s first real opportunity came with twenty minutes on the clock. Matt Flynn got on the end of a long ball out of defence and looked poised to shoot when an excellent blocking tackle from Hughes broke up the chance. Scott McLaughlin followed up with a decent effort, but it was held by Ryan Marshall in the BSC goal. With just under half an hour gone, BSC threatened again when Strachan played in Martin Grehan. Grehan controlled the ball well, but his shot from just inside the box was always rising and flew harmlessly over the bar.

Neither goalkeeper was really being called into action as the game was mainly being played as a midfield tussle. David Sinclaire had a long range strike for Edu that sailed over the bar on 36 minutes, and two minutes later a mishit cross from Grehan at the other end had to be fumbled over for a corner by Pelmard. The half ended with Strachan getting into a good position near the corner, but failing to do anything with the ball. 0-0 at half time and although an entertaining 45 minutes, it was hard to see where a goal would come from.

It took a while for either team to get going in the second half as well, with both defences snuffing out any potential chances. On 53 minutes, Jamie Mills did well on the left for the home side, but couldn’t find a final ball. Five minutes later, McLaughlin played a wonderful weighted pass to Ryan McCann, who composed himself well and forced Marshall into a smart save. With an hour gone, the deadlock was broken out of nowhere. An excellent run down the left wing from Strachan saw his cross deflected into the path of Hughes who rattled a powerful low strike into the bottom corner to give BSC the lead.

The goal sparked the game into life, and with 63 minutes played, Jean Guy Lucas found space down the right and played a good ball into substitute Mark Kelly. A fantastic tackle from Ross Smith prevented the Edu trialist from equalising on his debut. Two minutes later, BSC sub Thomas Orr had a powerful strike across the goal pushed away by Pelmard, who got just enough on his save to take it away from the advancing Grehan. With 71 minutes gone, Flynn found himself inside the BSC box, turned a defender and struck a low shot that was well saved by Marshall.

The game looked to be put beyond the visitors just two minutes later when the home side were awarded a penalty. Orr was adjudged to have been brought down by Lucas on the left hand side of the box, a decision that looked harsh from my vantage point. Unfazed, Orr picked up the ball and slotted a cool penalty into the bottom corner to make it 2-0. Edu didn’t let their heads go down though, and Kelly saw a shot well blocked by McMillan after the ball had broken to him in the box. With 79 minutes gone, Flynn did well to keep possession, but couldn’t find a way through the BSC defence. He eventually worked the ball to McLaughlin who’s shot from the edge of the area went just over the top.

There was to be late drama, as Edu were awarded a penalty with six minutes remaining. Alex Abadie on a charging run into the box was impeded by McMillan, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Sinclaire dispatched the penalty low just inside the post to set up a frantic finish. And it was to be BSC’s own doing that they gave Edu the opportunity to score the equaliser. With time running out and the ball in the corner, they lost possession and allowed a counter attack. Kelly just about managed to get a cross in, and Maxime Oulahito snuck in at the back post to turn the ball past Marshall. In teh aftermath of the goal, Strachan managed to pick up a booking for starting a fight with one of his own team mates, in an ending that had more drama than most television shows.

The Pies

After Kaitlin had a mis-step with her macaroni pie last time, I was determined that she would enjoy Alloa’s legendary pie hut more this time round. In the end, we both had a cheeseburger, which due to the low crowd today, was cooked to order. It was a pretty standard football cheeseburger, and it more than hit the spot. For just £2 as well, the value at the Indodrill is always excellent.

Admission: £7
Programme: £2
Pie: £2
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 30

Dumbarton v Morton

Dumbarton 2-1 Greenock Morton
Irn Bru Cup Round 1
The C&G Systems Stadium
Tuesday 14th August 2019

The Challenge Cup usually means reduced prices, and this early season midweek fixture is a long-term favourite of mine. Tonight saw a local rivalry re-ignited with the hosts looking for a repeat of last year’s memorable run to the final of this competition.

The Venue

The C&G Systems Stadium has undergone a multitude of sponsored names since opening in 2000, when it replaced the crumbling Boghead as the home of Dumbarton. Originally known as the Strathclyde Homes Stadium, it has also been named Dumbarton Football Stadium Sponsored By DL Cameron, The Bet Butler Stadium, The Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium and The YOUR Radio 103FM Stadium before local railway firm C&G Systems took over naming rights in May this year. The ground is also colloquially known as “The Rock” locally, due to the location of the stadium, which sits under Dumbarton Castle and Dumbarton Rock. The stadium consists of one large all seated stand running down one side of the ground with a capacity of 2,020.

The ground has come in for criticism due to only having one side, but offers excellent, unobstructed views from pretty much every seat. The stadium building also houses two large supporters’ bars and a substantial function suite which is available for public hire. Dumbarton have been looking at moving from the ground, but with the most recent set of plans having been rejected, any potential move seems to be on hold.

The Teams

Dumbarton are a team who I have spoken about on a few occasions on this blog already, and there’s no need to go into any more historical details on them. Since I last saw them, they have also added former Aberdeen forward Michael Paton and former Rangers utility man Andy Little, as well as goalkeeper Jamie McGowan to the squad. The club are operating with a very small pool of just seventeen players this season.

Dumbarton’s League 1 campaign started well with a 2-0 win at East Fife but stumbled with a 2-0 defeat at home to Forfar at the weekend.

Morton (who added the Greenock prefix to their name in 1994, although it’s rarely used in practice any more) were formed in 1874, and were founder members of the Scottish Football League Division Two in 1893. They play at Cappielow Park in Greenock, and the Morton name is believed to come from Morton Terrace, a street where many of their original players lived. The club’s finest hour was winning the 1921-22 Scottish Cup, when they defeated Rangers 1-0 in front of 70,000 at Hampden. Their best league finish was a second place in the 1916-17 season. Morton last played in the top flight of Scottish football in 1988, and have flitted mainly between then second and third tiers since, with one season in the fourth tier in 2002-03, when they won the league by one point from East Fife.

Former Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon took over at the end of last season. Their Championship season has started strongly with a 2-2 opening day draw with Queen of the South followed by a 2-0 win away to Alloa on Saturday. They are expected to rotate the squad for tonight’s game, with a heavy emphasis on youth players getting some first team experience.

The Game

Dumbarton started the game slowly, and with seven minutes gone, the first real chance fell to the visitors. A corner from Connor Bell was met by Robert Thomson, but his header was held easily by Grant Adam. Two minutes later, Bobby Barr found space on the left wing and sent a cross into the box. Iain Russell got on the end of it, but could only head over. With twelve minutes played though, the home side did have the lead. A shot from Stuart Carswell was blocked to Barr, who found Russell in the box again. His shot was saved superbly by Derek Gaston but the rebound was rattled into the back of the net by Michael Paton, to the delight of the home support.

Morton attempted to get themselves back into the game, and with 15 minutes on the clock, Bell sent a cross into the box, but Thomson’s header was again saved by Adam. With a little more than 20 minutes played, Paton beat a man on the right at sent an excellent cross towards the far post. Ryan Thomson launched himself at the ball and forced Gaston to make a save.

Barr was causing all sorts of problems for his former employers and with 26 minutes gone he was heavily involved as Dumbarton doubled their lead. Barr and Carswell linked well, with Barr’s pass finding Russell in the box. The veteran striker finished tidily to put the home side 2-0 up. It was almost three just after the half hour mark, when Ryan Thomson’s cross was cut out by Jack Iredale, who must have been grateful to see the ball safely fall into Gaston’s hands. Dumbarton were well on top, but a defensive lapse five minutes rom the break allowed the visitors back into the game. Darren Hynes found Gary Oliver on the edge of the box, and Oliver’s low strike nestled just inside the near post. Morton a little fortunate to only be one goal behind at half time.

Five minutes into the second half saw the home side get the first chance, but Andy Dowie’s header from Paton’s corner was straight at Gaston. Seven minutes later it was Morton’s turn for a chance, when Bell’s cross was volleyed on the turn by Oliver. His technique was excellent, but the shot was straight at Adam, who held on.

As the midway part of the second half arrived, Morton started to apply serious pressure, putting Dumbarton’s lead under real threat. A long distance strike from Iredale was gathered at the second attempt by Adam, and a minute later a cross from substitute Ross MacLean flew across the face of the goal with no-one able to turn it into the net. With 70 minutes gone, a free kick from MacLean was well saved, and just three minutes later, the same man again struck the post from a tight angle after Dumbarton failed to properly clear.

A major talking point in the second half was the performance of the officials. Referee Gavin Ross showed a frustrating lack of consistency throughout, and awarded some extremely questionable free kicks, especially in favour of the visitors (although this admittedly may be slight bias, some of the free kicks he gave against Morton may also have been dubious, I wouldn’t be surprised given his performance.) But it was also the apparent lack of understanding of the rules from both assistants that caught my eye. I’m not sure which assistant was on which side, but within minutes of each other, David Roome and George King had between them managed to award free kicks for offside. One was direct from a throw in, and one was for a pass that appeared to travel backwards. Such basic mistakes really shouldn’t be happening at this level. The officiating was pretty awful all night, and I feel it’s something that the SFA should really be addressing.

Morton continued to press into the closing stages, but outwith free kicks from MacLean never really threatened. Adam was forced into a couple of good saves, and hearts were in mouths in stoppage time when a long free kick into the box from MacLean saw a good old fashioned goalmouth scramble ensue. Dumbarton eventually hoofed the ball clear and took their victory when the final whistle went just seconds later. A highly entertaining and competitive cup tie, and well worth a midweek evening out.

The Pies

Dumbarton’s match day catering is handled by a contractor, which does mean that it can get a little pricy, but also usually means that the quality is pretty high. Tonight, Kaitlin and myself both got a pie and a drink, and did manage to come away with change from a tenner, which isn’t really too bad in the grand scheme of things. As is the usual, I had the steak pie, which was pretty excellent. Nice and flaky on top, a good heavy gravy, and most importantly it held it’s shape and didn’t fall apart on me. Kaitlin had her standard macaroni pie and couldn’t really have had many better things to say about it. Plus the Bovril was properly mixed. It was a good night for the catering team.

Admission: £10
Programme: £2.50
Pie: £1.90 – £2.60
Bovril: £2
Attendance: 680 (I’m not 100% sure if this included the under 12s who were admitted for free)

 

Stadium Series: CenturyLink Field, Seattle

**Full disclosure, I did a tour of this stadium, and this post is pretty picture heavy as a result**

Standing just one mile from the centre of Seattle, CenturyLink Field was opened in 2002 as Seahawks Stadium, before becoming known as Qwest Field in 2004, and CenturyLink Field in 2011. Home to the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL and Seattle Sounders of the MLS (The USL version of the Sounders from 2003-2007 and the current MLS side since 2009.) The capacity of the stadium is 69,000, and it can be expanded to 72,000 for special events. Capacity is usually restricted to around 40,000 for Sounders games, but the upper tiers can be opened for significant games (usually derbies with Portland.)

The stadium took eighteen months to build and replaced the Seahawks’ previous home the Kingdome, which sat on the same site. The stadium is built in a large U-shape, leaving one end partially open, giving views of downtown Seattle (in fact, I got pretty much my best view of the Space Needle! The stadium was constructed on the smallest footprint of any NFL stadium, with the upper tiers cantilevered above the lower tiers. Coupled with steep angled tiering, the stadium boasts some of the best views available in a stadium of it’s size, and allows for the famous loud atmosphere to develop.

The stadium has twice held the world record for loudest stadium, with a level of 136.6 decibels recorded during a September 2013 game against San Francisco. This record was beaten by fans in Kansas City, before it was broken again in Seattle with a decibel level of 137.2 recorded in a December 2014 game against New Orleans. Kansas City Chiefs fans have once again taken hold of the record, but CenturyLink is widely known as one of the loudest stadiums in the world, with visiting teams often finding it hard to adjust to the hostile environment. Seahawks fans are known as the “12th Man” in honour of the boost they give their team. Seismic activity has been recorded during games at the stadium on multiple occasions.

The stadium was constructed with built in earthquake insurance. The roof of the stadium was built using a friction pendulum damper system, which allows the roof to move independently of it’s supports in the event of an earthquake. It was the largest scale roof to utilise the technology at the time of construction. During construction, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Seattle, and the technology worked as planned, with only minimal damage sustained, and no delays to the building schedule.

CenturyLink is a wonderful stadium, well designed and beautifully situated. It’s well worth taking a look at if you get the chance.

 

Anderlecht v Górnik Łęczna

RSC Anderlecht Féminin 0-1 GKS Górnik Łęczna
UEFA Women’s Champions League Qualifying Round Group 3
Ainslie Park
Friday 10th August 2018

Glasgow City are the hosts for one of the mini-tournaments that comprise the qualifying stages of this year’s Women’s Champions League. With all the other games taking place while I’m at work, I took advantage of my half day Friday to make the familiar trip to Ainslie Park in order to catch the only game of the competition I’m able to see.

The Venue

Despite Glasgow City being the hosts for this group, the 2018 European Championships taking place in Glasgow at the moment meant that the visiting teams and officials could not be given sufficient accommodation in the city. The decision was therefore made to hold the group in Edinburgh, with Oriam at Heriot-Watt University and here at Ainslie Park being selected as the venues. I wrote about Ainslie Park here so won’t go in to details again. It’s an excellent venue for a game such as this, and always an accommodating and welcoming place to visit.

The Teams

RSC Anderlecht Féminin are the women’s team of the larger RSC Anderlecht club. They were initially formed in 1971 as Brussels Dames 71 before relocating to Anderlecht in 1993. As Anderlecht the club won the Belgian championship three times in the nineties before becoming founder members of the BeNe League, a joint top tier women’s league between Belgium and the Netherlands, in 2012. After three seasons, this league was disbanded and the two nations went back to their own national leagues. Anderlecht won the Super League Vrouwenvoetbal for the first time in the 2017-18 season in order to qualify for the Champions League. They defeated Glasgow City 2-1 in a tightly fought contest on Tuesday to open their campaign.

Polish Champions GKS Górnik Łęczna were formed in 2002, and are part of the larger sports club that shares their name. The first gained promotion to the Ekstraliga Kobiet in 2010 and won their first championship last season, finishing 9 points clear of second placed KKS Czarni Sosnowiec. They dismantled Georgian champions FC Martve 12-0 in their first game of the campaign on Tuesday.

The Game

Glasgow City had defeated Martve 7-0 earlier in the afternoon, meaning an Anderlecht victory would seal qualification. With just four minutes on the clock, the Belgians had the first chance of the match when Tine de Caigny knocked the ball across the face of the goal after reaching the byeline. Ştefania Vătafu arrived at the back post and got her head onto the ball, but it ended up wide of the post. With ten minutes played, Anderlecht were again on the offensive, and a looping deep cross from Sarah Wijnants was met by the head of Ella van Kerkhoven who could only find the side netting with her header.

With 17 minutes on the clock an dreadful header back towards her goalkeeper from Laura Deloose allowed Emilia Zdunek what looked like a glorious one-on-one opportunity against Anderlecht keeper Justien Odeurs. The Polish forward seemed to be lacking confidence though and attempted to square a pass instead of shooting, which was cut out and cleared from danger. Two minutes later, Wijnants played the ball into Elke van Gorp, who was forced wide by the GKS defence, but still managed to draw a decent save from Klaudia Kowalska in goal. With 25 minutes gone, GKS had a chance when Agata Guśicora headed just wide of the post from a wide free kick.

Both sides were lacking in composure in the final third and this showed with just over half an hour gone when Vătafu played in Wijnants, who struggled to deal with the ball in the box and took it far too wide to capitalise on the chance. With 39 minutes gone, a free kick from Anderlecht captain Laura Deneve was missed by everyone including Kowalska, but bounced off the head of de Caigny, who knew nothing about it, and was cleared by GKS.

WIth five minutes remaining in the half, GKS took the lead when Oduers allowed a tame looking effort from Dominika Grabowska wide on the right to slip past her. The ball cannoned back off the post and was turned into the empty net by Sylwia Matysik who was arriving at the back post. Taking the lead seemed to spur the Poles on, with Zdunek and Ewelina Kamczyk both having decent chances, but it remained 1-0 at the break.

Anderlecht came out with a renewed vigour in the second half, and van Kerkhoven had a decent opportunity just 90 seconds after the restart, but hooked her shot wide of the post after getting into a good position. A few minutes later, GKS really should have doubled their lead after a great run on the right hand side from Kamczyk. She played a wonderful ball into Weronika Zawistowska, on as a half time substitute, but the 18 year old spooned her effort way over the top. With 54 minutes gone, Wijnants again found herself in a great position after beating a couple of GKS defenders, but she saw a powerful strike well saved by Kowalska.

Anderlecht were seeing a lot of the ball in the second half, but maintained a lack of composure in the final third and were lacking the cutting edge they required to get back on level terms. GKS were looking dangerous on the counter attack, but also lacking a killer instinct, as shown on 64 minutes. Grabowska played an exellent ball into the box towards Matysik, but she took too long to get the ball under control and eventually had her shot blocked by Deneve.

The final twenty minutes saw Anderlecht try in vain to break down a stubborn GKS defence with no luck. Their best chances came from long range free kicks from Sheryl Merchiers, who’s delivery into the box really deserved better than the return she was getting. With three minutes to play, a Merchiers free kick found the head of van Kerkhoven. The initial header was cleared, but only as far as Vătafu, who struck a shot from around twelve yards that rattled the bar and was scrambled away by the GKS defence. It was as close as Anderlecht came to an equaliser, and the result leaves absolutely everything to play for in Monday’s closing matches in the group, with both of these teams and Glasgow City still able to finish top of the table.

The Pies

The four o’clock kick off time was too late for lunch and too early for dinner, so no pies were had today.

Admission: Free
Programme: None (free teamsheet available)
Pie: £2
Bovril: £1
Attendance: 95 (approx – including the Glasgow City players and coaches)

Glasgow City v Celtic

Glasgow City 2-0 Celtic Women
SWPL1
Petershill Park
Sunday 5th August 2018

After a six week summer break, the women’s football season in Scotland is back across the board so it’s time for another trip to Petershill to see if SWPL Cup finalists Celtic can put a dent in City’s  12 in a row bid.

The Venue

I’ve previously spoken about Petershill here so won’t go into any further details here. The attendance today was swelled considerably by a large group from North Texas Celtic, an all ages club from Dallas who have travelled over to Scotland to watch Celtic’s men’s team take on AEK Athens in the Champions League qualifiers this coming midweek.

The Teams

I have spoken at length about Glasgow City in the past and see no real need to delve into their storied history again. Since the last time I saw them, Christie Murray has left to sign for Liverpool, with Maddie Hill also having left the club. City have signed three players in the summer break, with Jenna Clark joining from Rangers, Slovenian international Lara Ivanuša joining from Olimpija Ljubljana and Bosnian international Lidija Kuliš arriving from Turbine Potsdam. The side sit second in SWPL1, behind Hibs on only goals scored.

Celtic Women are a part of the larger Celtic FC, using the club’s training facilities and run under the same banner, They use K-Park Training Academy in East Kilbride as their home ground. Celtic’s close season has seen manager David Haley step down to take control of the club’s academy. Former City manager Eddie Wolecki Black will take charge of the team as soon as he has guided his current club Motherwell to promotion. Edward Gallagher is in current charge. Celtic sit third in SWPL1, albeit some way back from Hibs and City. They were SWPL Cup finalists this season.

The Game

City were on the front foot almost from the word go, and with only four minutes played, a long free kick from Leanne Ross was only just missed by the head of Donna Paterson with the Celtic defence scrambling. Two minutes later though, Celtic had a chance of their own when Sarah Ewens made a surging run down the right wing. Her cross was cut out by Ross and the danger was cleared away. City began to push forward in numbers and with nine minutes gone, Lidija Kuliš worked well down the left before sending the ball towards Lara Ivanuša in the box. The Slovenian couldn’t make a proper connection though and the ball was gratefully collected by Celtic keeper Emily Mutch.

Less than sixty seconds later, Ivanuša had another chance when she received the ball just inside the box after some excellent midfield work from Sam Kerr. The shot flew just wide, but City were looking hungry. Celtic did manage occasional ventures up the park but their best chance of the early period was a long range effort from Rachel Donaldson that never really looked like troubling Lee Alexander in the City goal. On the contrary, City looked dangerous almost every time they got into the attacking third. With 16 minutes gone, Abbi Grant turned wonderfully around 25 yards from goal before rattling a shot off the post.

Mutch put her side in a bit of jeopardy after 20 minutes when she spent too long dealing with a back pass and saw Ivanuša charge down the ball. It fell just wide of the post and the Celtic keeper’s blushes were saved. Three minutes later though, the home side were ahead. A free kick from Ross near the left corner was sent into the box and headed into her own net by the unfortunate Kathleen McGovern. Three minutes later, the lead was doubled when Grant latched onto a ball over the top from Leanne Crichton. Grant rounded Mutch and squeezed the ball into the net from the tightest of angles.

Donaldson continued to impress for the visitors, and with 32 minutes gone she again burst down the right wing but found no-one in the box to cross to. With ten minutes of the half remaining, some good link up play between Grant and Megan Foley saw Kerr with the chance to shoot at the edge of the box. Her shot was dragged just wide. Kerr had another excellent chance in the dying minutes of the first half after some wonderful play from Kuliš. Mutch produced an excellent save to tip the ball over the bar and keep the score at 2-0 going into half time.

The second half was a tame affair, with City happy to sit in possession without threatening too much, and Celtic unable to get any sort of meaningful attack going. Kirsty Howat struck the bar for the hosts, and a 30 yard Ross free kick sailed only just over the bar during the course of a second half that played more like a training session than a game. City clearly had eyes on their upcoming Champions League triple-header, making five substitutions and barely getting out of second gear. It was a comfortable win, and there’s clearly much more to come from this side.

The Pies

There was a full catering service on offer in the café/bar inside Petershill’s club buildings. Not knowing if there would be food on offer, I had eaten before the game and didn’t sample the what looked to be pretty good fare today.

Admission: £5
Programme: None
Pie: £2
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 320 (approx)

BSC Glasgow v East Kilbride

BSC Glasgow 0-3 East Kilbride
Scottish Lowland Football League
Indodrill Stadium
Saturday 5th August 2018

I’m continuing to enjoy that start of the season and today was a trip to Alloa to see a “home” game for the still technically homeless BSC Glasgow. I actually saw this exact fixture towards the end of last season although there’s been some changes for both sides since then.

The Venue

As I said last time round, despite being more than forty miles away from BSC’s traditional home, the Indodrill (formerly Recreation Park) has functioned as a good home for the side. Notably, Alloa Athletic have narrowed the pitch considerably in advance of their season in the Championship. Whether this will have any bearing on BSC’s fortunes is still to be seen.

The Teams

BSC Glasgow ended last season with manager Stephen Swift leaving the club after a third place Lowland League finish. Within 2 weeks he was back at the helm and it was business as usual. The side lost last season’s player of the year Jack Smith to Spartans, but have otherwise seemed to keep a fairly settled squad. Interestingly, they have brought in two former East Kilbride players in the shape of Bryan Prunty and Adam Strachan. This will be Strachan’s first appearance against his old club since this explosive interview after being released at the end of last season.

BSC started the season with the Irn Bru Cup playoff against East Stirlingshire after the SPFL changed the goalposts on qualification to allow a couple of fifth tier English sides into the competition. They lost that game 1-0, and started their league campaign midweek with a 1-1 draw away to the same opposition.

East Kilbride’s close season wheelings and dealings can be read about here. The club started this season with a thumping 10-0 win over hapless Selkirk last weekend, following that up with a 3-1 victory away to Dalbeattie Star midweek.

The Game

The game was only a few minutes old before Paul Woods was causing chaos for BSC down the right wing. Twice in the space of the opening five minutes he made a good run and sent inviting crosses into the box that just couldn’t quite be converted. It only took seven minutes for the deadlock to be broken, when Kilby captain Craig Malcolm latched onto a wonderful through ball from Anton Brady and finished well past Ryan Marshall in the BSC goal. Just five minutes later, Woods was causing more problems for the home side and struck the post with a finely hit shot from the angle of the box.

It was a great start from the visitors, and it seemed to take the home side a bit of time to find their footing in the game. With 20 minutes gone, Stevie Murray pinged a wonderful crossfield ball to Adam Strachan, who reached the byeline before having his cross cut out. Murray looked the most likely to create anything for the home side as Strachan cut a forlorn figure who was arguing with anyone in sight, while Martin Grehan and Thomas Orr could not be brought into the game, isolated up front. Murray played a wonderful cross into the box with 25 minutes played, but the header from Josh McArthur ended up harmlessly over the bar.

Kilby were dominating possession without creating too much, despite a visable shakiness in the BSC defence, who never looked comfortable for the entire game. With two minutes remaining until half time, a beautiful footballing move from Brady and Michael Anderson played in Woods who unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the area. The shot looked goalbound all the way but a spectacular fingertip stop from Marshall pushed it onto the post and the home side managed to scramble the ball clear to keep the deficit at one at the break.

The second half started in much the same way the first had finished, with Kilby happy to keep possession and BSC unable to find a way through when they did get the ball. Ten minutes into the second half a strike across goal from Orr caused some concern for the Kilby defence, but it was about as good as it got for the home side. With 58 minutes played, the visitors doubled their lead. Jamie Longworth picked the ball up wide on the right and cut into the box with no discernible challenge. He cut the ball back to Malcolm who rolled it into the empty net to make it 2-0.

Just after the hour, Longworth had a chance to score himself, but his shot on the turn from the edge of the area hit the side netting. With 66 minutes played, BSC’s defensive frailties came to show again when a dreadful clearing header from John Tennent fell at the feet of Graeme Holmes, who could only fire his shot wide. Three minutes later though, it was 3-0. Kilby failed to convert what had looked like a decent chance from Woods, but BSC right back Joe Irvine inexplicably dithered on the ball inside the box instead of clearing. He was robbed of possession by Malcolm who then slammed the ball past Marshall to complete his hat trick.

Kilby were content to play possession football for the rest of the game, and despite a couple of ventures up the park, BSC couldn’t find a way to get back into the game. It was a comfortable three points for the early Lowland League pace setters, and BSC will have to sort out their defensive problems if they want to challenge this year.

The Pies

As always, Alloa’s pie hut offers a wide variety of food for extremely reasonable prices. I had a roll and bacon and tattie scone today and it was fantastic. Kaitlin had a macaroni pie, which unfortunately wasn’t up to the standards she was hoping for. It was a rare miss for the food here, and I hope she has a better experience next time.

Admission: £7
Programme: £2
Pie: £1.50 – £2
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 130 (approx)