Scotland v France

Scotland U19 0-5 France U19
SFA Women’s Under 19 Preparatory Tournament
Simple Digital Arena
Saturday 6th October 2018

With Scotland hosting the 2019 Women’s European Under 19 Championships, the youngsters don’t have to play any qualifiers, and are therefore missing out on important competitive games. This preparatory tournament is therefore giving the girls vital competitive action as well as acting as a test event for the main event next summer.

The Venue

I’ve talked plenty about St Mirren Park on the blog, and regular readers will know I’m a big fan of the place. The fact that it’s being used for the preparatory tournament fills me with real hope that it will be utilised for the finals, as it’s very easily accessible for me.

The Competition

Scotland and France have been joined by Spain and Denmark for this four team, round robin competition. With Scotland hosting the Women’s Under 19 European Championships next summer, this is being used as a test event with games being hosted here, Firhill in Glasgow, East End Park in Dunfermline and McDiarmid Park in Perth. These four venues give an idea of where the games will be played at the finals, although the official venues have yet to be confirmed. All four teams will play each other once in this tournament, which has the double function of giving Scotland’s youngsters somewhat competitive games in the run up to hosting the finals.

The Teams

Scotland carried over several players from last year’s Under 19s, who made the final qualifying round for the 2018 Championships. Notably, Jamie Lee Napier and Lauren Davidson of Hibs, Rangers’ Amy Muir and Leah Eddie and Michaela McAlonie of Spartans have experience in the Under 19s. They started off this tournament against current European Under 19 Champions Spain here in Paisley on Wednesday evening with a 1-0 defeat.

France also have several holdovers from their team who reached the 2018 finals. They started their campaign in Perth on Wednesday afternoon with a 3-2 victory against Denmark.

The Game

The full time nature of the French players was fairly evident right from the kickoff, as they showed a level of fitness and sharpness that was just above the young Scots. This was a very impressive French team, and on this showing, they will be hot contenders for the title should they return to our shores next July. The first chance of the game fell to Sarah Zahot, who headed Jessy Roux’s cross just wide of the post after just three minutes. Zahot had another excellent chance with 9 minutes played when she beat Scottish keeper Emily Mutch to the ball on the edge of the box. Zahot advanced with the ball, but Mutch recovered extremely well to make a good save.

With 18 minutes gone, Scotland were awarded a free kick when the ever lively Jamie-Lee Napier was fouled around 25 yards out. Captain Amy Muir had a shot from distance, but it was comfortably held by French goalkeeper Camille Pinel. France were on the front foot for the majority of the game, and with around 25 minutes gone, Sandy Baltimore forced Mutch into another good save with a pinpoint shot from a very tight angle. The French girls were highly impressive going forward and on the half hour Zahot forced superb blocks from jenna Clark and Leah Eddie in close succession on the edge of the box.

The French were extremely impressive in defence as well as going forward, with Océane Deslandes, Emeline Saint-Georges and Grace Kazadi dealing with everything Scotland could throw at them. Napier and Naomi Welch were working hard up front, but could not find a way past the wall of white shirts that surrounded every opportunity. France took a deserved lead with eight minutes of the first half remaining. Sonia Ouchene picked the ball up on the edge of the box and saw her initial shot blocked by Clark. But the ball rebounded to the French midfielder and she curled an excellent strike into the top corner. It was two just a few minutes later when a superb run from Roux on the right wing ended with an excellent low cross that was turned in by Loreno Azzaro. It was a deserved lead for the French at the break.

Any slim hopes of a Scotland comeback were dashed just three minutes into the second half. A defensive error from Rachel Brown saw the French gifted a corner, which was whipped low into the box by Baltimore. Zahot got her foot onto it and she blasted the ball past Mutch to make it 3-0. With 58 minutes on the clock, Azzaro worked the ball to the byeline and flicked the ball back across goal. Ouchene threw herself at the cross but could only divert her header wide of the post. Two minutes later, Roux ghosted past Muir down the French right wing and sent a low cross into the box that was stabbed just wide by Azzaro.

The introduction of Lauren Davidson for Welch almost paid dividends for Scotland on 67 minutes, as the Hibs forward worked well to send a cross into the box that was well cut out by Deslandes. Six minutes later, there were shouts for a penalty as Napier went down in the box under a challenge from Saint-Georges, but the shouts mainly stemmed from the stands rather than from the pitch.

With nine minutes remaining, the French went further ahead. Substitute Melvine Malard picked the ball up on the edge of the Scottish box and turned well before sending a low shot past Mutch. It was five just two minutes later when Amelie Delabere, who had only just come onto the pitch a matter of seconds before, turned beautifully 25 yards from goal, left Eddie in her wake and fired an unstoppable shot past the despairing Mutch. Whoever was working the scoreboard then had a moment to forget as the score kept going up, at one foint reading 29-0 to France. They were good, but Scotland were by no means bad enough to be that far behind!

Scotland pushed on for a consolation in the final five minutes or so, and the tireless Napier – the undoubted standout player for the Scots – danced past two French defenders only to see her cross cut out before it could reach Davidson. With 87 minutes gone, Scotland were awarded a free kick on the angle of the box as Napier was fouled on another promising looking run. Kaela McDonald-Nguah struck a wonderful effort that came back off the post before hitting Pinel and spinning out for a corner. Davidson had one final chance in stoppage time, but her shot was tame and easily held by pinel after a very decent run. It was a comfortable win for a French side that were full of quality, but despite the result, Scotland coach Pauline Hamill will still be able to find positives from the performance of her young team.

The Pies

I plumped for my standard Paisley steak pie, which as always delivered on texture and taste. Kaitlin had hot dog on the brain after smelling them all night at Braehead last night, so she plumped for one today. Rollover do bloody good hot dogs and this one was no exception. As a side note, look at my spot on sauce work on that dog!

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Pie: £2.60 (steak). £3.10 (hot dog)
Bovril: £1.50
Attendance: 362

Partick Thistle v St Mirren

Partick Thistle Reserves 1-0 St Mirren Reserves
SPFL Reserve League
Lesser Hampden
Monday 24th September

It’s September Weekend Monday, and I’m one of the lucky ones who gets the day as a public holiday. With the SPFL Reserve League playing mainly on Monday afternoons, it’s a competition I don’t usually get to see. Today I’m taking advantage of being off and the unexpected sunny bank holiday to take in my first game in the revived league.

The Venue

Lesser Hampden is covered in some depth in this post. I must say it is a far better venue in weather like today compared to the day I had here back in April, despite a couple of heavy showers. With the SFA agreeing to buy Hampden from Queen’s Park after the 2020 European Championships, Lesser will be due for another upgrade, as it will have to be brought up to licensing standards in order to be used as the home venue for Queen’s. I look forward to seeing how they do the revamp.

The Competition

It’s back! I could actually use that simple phrase to refer to this section of the blog and for the return of the Reserve League itself. After a number of years of a development league for Under 20s, this season sees the SPFL returning to the reserve concept. While most teams will continue to use the competition to give their young players a run out, the reserve moniker means that fringe players, first teamers returning from injury and new signings can be incorporated into the side with less hassle.

There are eighteen teams in the SPFL Reserve League this season, with each team playing every other team once either home or away. Teams are also playing in the Reserve League Cup, which has a substantial group stage in order to give more games. Professional teams are featured in the SPFL Reserve League, with part time sides competing in the newly rebranded SPFL Reserve League 2, with additional games being made up in the SPFL Reserve League Challenge Cup.

The Teams

Partick Thistle have had a rough start to the reserve league campaign, with three losses in their three games played against Hibs, Ross County and Falkirk. Thier cup campaign began with a 3-1 loss to Kilmarnock.

St Mirren are conversely in pretty good shape so far, with wins over Dundee United and St Johnstone, and one single loss to Rangers. The team have also been playing in the Irn-Bru Cup, where they have reached the third round via victories over their counterparts from Kilmarnock and Hamilton. They will play Queen’s Park in round three. They lost their opening Reserve League Cup tie 2-0 to Hamilton.

The Game

Saints started the game well on the front foot, and Thistle barely got a look in throughout the entirety of the first half. With six minutes gone, Cody Cooke played in Sam Jamieson, who forced Thistle keeper Jamie Stevenson to turn the ball past the post. From the resulting corner, Max Potter got a free header, but could only nod the ball straight at Stevenson. Five minutes later, Saints won a free kick about 20 yards out. Cameron Breadner tried his luck, but the ball was easily held by Stevenson.

With 22 minutes gone, Saints won a corner, and Stevenson had to be on his toes to punch it over as it looked to be dipping in. From the follow up corner, Potter saw his nudged effort scrambled off the line by Ruaridh McIntyre. With 27 minutes on the clock, Saints were awarded a penalty when Breadner was brought down in the box by Mohamed Niang. Breadner dusted himself off to take the penalty, but Stevenson made a fantastic save to keep the game goalless.

With ten minutes to go until the break Cooke picked up the ball and turned well before playing in Jamieson. Stevenson was again the equal of the Saints attack as he did well down low to deny the striker. Three minutes later, Breadner delivered a corner that Cooke met with a powerful header. Once more, Stevenson pulled off an excellent save. Saints’ first half frustrations were brought to a head on 42 minutes when Jamieson could only shoot wide after a good move. The half time whistle went with the game somehow still scoreless.

It had taken until three minutes into the second half for Thistle to make their first venture forward of any note, and they very nearly took the lead from it. A cross from Aiden Fitzpatrick fizzed across the goalmouth, only just being missed by Jordan Kemoe. The ball was picked up at the back post by Max Melbourne, who forced David Wilson into his first save of the afternoon. Ten minites later, Saints right back ben Cameron played an excellent ball through to Jamieson, who saw his shot somehow stopped on the line by Thistle defender Tam Scobbie. Antony Eadie blasted the follow up well over the bar. Less than a minute later, Stevenson was again called into action when he made another excellent save from Breadner.

With 66 minutes played, Thistle took an unlikely lead. Melbourne’s cross was scuffed by Kemoe, but the ball fell to substitute Dean Watson, who calmly slotted the ball past Wilson to make it 1-0. The goal seemed to spark the hosts into life, and three minutes later, they had a chance to double their lead, when Fitzpatrick made an excellent run down the right, but took the ball too close to the byeline to cause Wilson any issues. Less than a minute later, Fitzpatrick again called Wilson into action when he shot from the angle of the box after getting the break of the ball.

With 77 minutes gone, Jamieson found himself with the ball inside the Thistle box and reached the byeline before flicking a pinpoint cross onto the head of Cooke. His header was full of power and looked like the equaliser, but flew just an inch or two past the post. With ten minutes to go, the referee gave a corner to Thistle despite it looking (and sounding) like Melbourne was fouled in the box. Niang forced Wilson into a great save from the corner, and then again from a second corner in quick succession, but Saints were holding on. They were to get one last chance to equalise, when Thistle failed to clear a free kick and the ball fell to Cooke just outside the box. His dipping shot fell just over the bar, and Thistle held tight to claim a victory that looked extremely unlikely for the first 65 minutes of the game.

The Pies

The cafe was selling hot and cold drinks, plus crisps and sweets. The chippy across the road was also open, and I enjoyed a roll and chips at half time, followed up by a Bovril!

Admission: Free
Programme: None
Pie: None
Bovril: £1.70
Attendance: 142

Italy U19 v Scotland U19

Italy U19 4-1- Scotland U19
UEFA European Women’s Under-19 Championship Elite Round Group 7
Oriam National Performance Centre
Thursday 5th April 2018

As a precursor to hosting the 2019 Women’s Under-19 European Championship Finals, Scotland were given the hosting duties for their Elite Round qualification group this year. All six games are being played in Edinburgh, with five of them at the new Oriam Performance Centre. The sixth game is to be hosted by Spartans at Ainslie Park this coming Sunday. Continuing to make the most of my week’s annual leave, I popped along to see the youngsters in action.

The Venue

Oriam is pretty spectacular. Heriot-Watt University won the bidding to be the location of the new national football academy for Scotland, and work on the facility started in 2015. Opened in August of 2016, the centrepiece is the vast main building, consisting of numerous indoor sports facilities, including the largest indoor football pitch in the UK.

The indoor pitch is fantastic. Along one side of the pitch are 500 seats, in three rows raised well above pitch level, giving a fantastic view from wherever you sit. There’s a large area of hard standing behind the seating area as well, which I imagine should raise the capacity to around 750-800 if required. The curved PVC roof stands 28m above the pitch at the highest point. The indoor pitch is kept at the same temperature as outside to prevent condensation. It does mean it can get a bit cold, but at least you’re protected from any wind and rain (or snow!)

The facility also hosts outdoor pitches, including a grass and synthetic pitch that sit side by side. These pitches have recently had a fantastic double stand constructed, with seats on either side, facing both pitches. It’s a highly impressive facility, which has been extremely well used since opening. Tonight, the middle two blocks of seats were reserved for media and VIPs, and both of those blocks were almost at capacity. Amusingly, it led to injured Scotland senior international Lana Clelland sitting in front of us, as she didn’t have a VIP badge, despite the fact that both of her parents had one! I’ll be looking out for further matches being held here, I was really taken by the place.

The Teams

Italy’s Qualification Round group saw them travel to Moldova in October, where they also played France and the Faroe Islands. They started with an impressive 8-0 win against the hosts, although two of the goals did come in stoppage time. They followed that up with a 9-0 victory over the Faroes to ensure qualification to the next stage, with yet another goal coming in added on time. Their group ended with a disappointing 5-2 defeat to top seeded France, but with Elite Round qualification already secured, they had given themselves a solid foundation. They opened their Elite Round campaign with a 7-1 win against Russia on Monday.

Scotland travelled to Hungary for their Qualification Round group, also facing Turkey and Armenia. Goals from Lauren Davidson and an unfortunate Armenian defender gave them a solid 2-0 win to start the campaign. Two very late goals from the hosts in the second game meant that the final group match against Turkey had major ramifications. The two sides fought to a 0-0 draw, leaving Scotland third in the group on goal difference. Other results later that day though, meant that Scotland had finished as one of the four best third placed teams in the round and secured qualification to the Elite Round. The Elite Round started on Monday with a hard fought 2-1 defeat to the top seeded Czech Republic. The Scotland side has plenty of experience, with several players playing regularly in the SWPL. Nine of the twenty in the quad will also be eligible for the championship next year, making this a vital experience for them.

The Game

It was an absolutely incredible start to the game, as Scotland attacked straight from the kick off. Shannon McGregor burst down the right hand side and sent a fizzing ball across the six yard box. The Italian goalkeeper could only parry the cross to the feet of Sam Kerr, and the Glasgow City midfielder stroked the ball into the net with only thirteen seconds played.

From there though, it was all Italy, with the Scots unable to get a foothold on the game. Just a minute after conceding, the Italians broke upfield and struck a shot inches wide of the post. And just a couple of minutes later, Eartha Cumings in the Scottish goal was tested after a fine passage of play. Scotland did create a good chance after sixteen minutes, when Jamie Lee Napier cut the ball back to her Hibs team mate McGregor and forced a decent save from the goalkeeper. Italy were winning all the midfield battles, and their dominance in possession was rewarded after 31 minutes. Scotland failed to properly clear the ball, and Agnese Bonfantini rifled her shot past Cumings for the equaliser. The Italians continued to look dangerous, and Cumings was being kept busy in the Scotland goal. What could well have been the killer blow was landed right on half time. Once again the Scottish defence couldn’t properly clear their lines, and gave Melanie Kunrath the opportunity to strike. Her shot flew into the net and the half time whistle was sounded.

The problems Scotland had with keeping hold of the ball unfortunately continued into the second half. Uncharacteristic simple mistakes were blighting the team as they just couldn’t get a foothold on the game at all. It was the Italians who were looking most dangerous still, and after 53 minutes took a two goal lead. A good move down the left hand side saw an inviting cross into the box. Bonfantini met it, and sent a beautiful flick over the head of the onrushing Cumings to make it 3-1.

Going two goals down seemed to revitalise Scotland, and with an hour gone the impressive Napier found herself with the ball just outside the Italian box. The lack of support though, forced her into a shot that trickled wide without troubling Lauria in the Italian goal. Seven minutes later, Brogan Hay found space on the right and sent a looping cross towards the back post. Ellis Dalgliesh met the ball with her head, but couldn’t generate enough power to cause Lauria any problems. The potential turning point of the game came after seventy minutes. Napier shrugged off a defender and worked her way into the box, bearing down on Lauria. She seemed to all intents and purposes to be tripped by the recovering Italian centre half, but the Polish referee was unmoved and decided not to point to the spot, much to the indignation of the Hibs forward.

From this, the Italians continued to look more dangerous, without creating too many clear chances. Both sides had attempts that didn’t result in much and it looked like the game was going to end 3-1. But deep into stoppage time, Italian substitute Giada Greggi worked her way into the Scottish box where she was brought down by Leah Eddie. Italy captain Arianna Caruso stepped up and confidently thumped the penalty into the back of the net to make it 4-1.

A tough night for Scotland, who just couldn’t get a hold of the game. Jamie Lee Napier impressed me with her running and willingness, but she was up against it for almost the entire game. The Italians were well deserving of the victory, but on a different night, if Scotland had been able to click a little better, it could have been a very different game.

The Pies

It didn’t look like Oriam had pies on offer tonight, but to be honest I didn’t really look with too much attention. Earlier in the afternoon, however, we had visited the always fantastic Piemaker in the city centre. This is one of my favourite places in Edinburgh, and a Macaroni Pie and a Tattie Dog (a hot dog wrapped in mashed potato and then deep fried – every bit as delicious as it sounds) were heartily consumed.

Admission: Free
Programme: Free
Pie: Not Sure
Bovril: Hot drinks were all £1.50, don’t think they had Bovril though
Attendance: 390 (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)