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#Post#: 80170--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: June 1, 2024, 4:49 am
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Some football did indeed follow. The 18.35 train from Glasgow
Central deposited me punctually at Fort Matilda, from where it
is a very short walk to Battery Park, beautifully situated on
the banks of the Clyde, with splendid views over to the Rosneath
peninsula and beyond. The pitch, though, is an artificial one
inside a cage, with the pavilion and other buildings obstructing
those views. No seating, no barriers to lean on, though
surprisingly I didn't feel their absence. No corner posts either
for
Friday 31st May 2024
West of Scotland Development League Conference C
Greenock Juniors 3 v 4 Renfrew
Evan Morgan.
A brief spat between a home attacker and the visiting number 2
passed unspotted behind Mr Morgan's back, but quickly resolved
itself. There was work for each keeper before Renfrew went ahead
on 35 minutes, with a scruffy goal following a corner. Greenock
retaliated with a goal seven minutes later, to leave honours
even at half time.
On 52 minutes a silly barge in the back by the Renfrew number 11
allowed Greenock to take the lead from the penalty spot, the
Renfrew keeper receiving a yellow card either for kicking the
ball too violently or maybe for something he said. Play switched
to the other end from the restart and it was Renfrew's turn to
score from the spot, the keeper blocking the original shot, but
the taker being first on the spot to finish the job. A third
penalty soon followed, the Renfrew number 2 catching an
opponent, and Greenock were ahead once more, though not for long
as Renfrew levelled the scores on 68 minutes. Each side received
a caution for an attack-stopping foul, while there was another
for an incident that sent Mr Morgan racing to the corner. The
offence was obscured by other watchers, but the recipient
appeared to be the home number 10. Renfrew's fourth came on 85
minutes. In added time Greenock did get the ball into the net,
but Mr Morgan had already blown for a free-kick in their favour,
which of course came to nothing. The floodlights had been on
since half-time, but we're not really needed as it was still
light at 21.50 when the final whistle was blown. Indeed, back at
Fort Matilda station, the lights were not turned on until 22.15.
Mr Morgan was smart in attire, perhaps a shade less so in
physiognomy, which made it difficult to assess his age. At set
pieces he sensibly took up postions that would allow him to
judge accurately, a move of which I approved. Overall he did a
decent enough job, in what turned out to be a pleasant evening.
#Post#: 80183--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: June 2, 2024, 2:02 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Out of touch with bus fares, I was surprised to be charged £8
for the journey from Glasgow to Denny. From the centre it was
just a short walk to Dunipace's ground for
Saturday 1st June 2024
East of Scotland League Cup Final
Sauchie Juniors 3 v 2 Haddington Athletic
Rhys Struthers; Konrad Spalony, Richard Kay. 4thers: Sean Duff.
There was no seating, but a tall grassy bank was dry enough to
sit on until kick-off. It was a less than elegant manoeuvre to
stand up again, so the experience was not repeated. The
officials must have been informed about the dodgy flag at one
corner, as it was leaning at an angle of about 30 degrees from
the horizontal and though it possibly did not quite overhang the
playing area, it would have been safer to ensure that the lean
was away from the pitch. After a couple of minutes, a pitch side
photographer wrestled with it and eventually succeeded in
getting it standing upright. Haddington took the lead on 8
minutes,, their celebration undoing the gentleman's good work.
At least the flag was left in a safer direction for the rest of
the game. Sauchie had a great chance to equalise, but cleared
the safety nets behind the goal, the ball disappearing into the
trees beyond. They did, however, draw level just before the half
hour and went ahead on 38 minutes with a header from a corner.
On the hour, Haddington worked a good opening but put their shot
wide. There were a couple of yellow cards, one for each side,
after advantage had been played - referees do seem to like this.
A Sauchie defender was added to the card total as they looked to
slow proceedings down. Two minutes into added time, I was
looking forward to watching the presentations - when Haddington
scored an equaliser, which also earned a yellow card for someone
in their technical area.
Nemesis would no doubt have been pleased that this led to extra
time rather than immediate penalties - my legs were beginning to
take a different view. Sauchie soon scored a third goal. A wild
thwack by the Haddington number 15 with the ball seemingly
irrelevant, saw the yellow card immediately in Mr Struthers'
hand. Would it have prevented the ensuing confrontations if he
had brandished it immediately, rather than waiting until things
had subsided? Probably not.
With an eye to the need for a quick exit, I made my way towards
the exit, near the young Haddington fans. Their "little drummer
boy" was actually rather good, but the laddie with the
loudhailer suffered from delusions of adequacy. Another minor
gathering of the clans saw a Haddington player emerge with a
yellow card, but they could not find the equaliser.
Mr Kay, pleasingly vocal as AR2, though far from geriatric, was
clearly the daddy of a young quartet. Mr Duff, though on the far
side of the field, gained approval for the prominent white trim
around his neck. Mr Spalony is apparently looking to work in the
field of tax, which does not make him sound much fun, but he
performed well. As for Mr Struthers, he moved well, with
occasional reverse gear, his control was never in question,
despite the two flashpoints, to which he did not over-react, and
his triage was generally pretty sound. Overall, a highly
competent afternoon's work from a promising young referee. I do
feel however that he missed a trick. He must be a personable
young man - the Sauchie captain greeted him with a big hug
before the toss - but his personality did not emerge on the
field. His expression never changed throughout the match, no
reproachful look, no evidence of a smile. These are useful
tools; perhaps in time he will add them to his repertoire.
A sharp exit was necessary to avoid an hour's wait for the next
bus. Another £8, but this time I was asked if I wanted a return,
which may well have worked out cheaper. One discovers these
things too late.
#Post#: 80200--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: June 3, 2024, 1:25 am
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A previous visit to Broadwood, when Clyde were based there, had
involved a train to Croy and a trek up the hill and through a
housing development. This time I decided that the walk up to
Buchanan Street bus station would be less testing, and this was
achieved without difficulty. I knew now to ask for a return,
which cost a more reasonable £6.10, the X3 passing close to the
ground. Tickets for the main stand had sold so well that the
South Stand had been opened on a pay at the gate basis for
Sunday 2nd June 2024
Scottish Junior Cup Final
Arthurlie 1 v 2 Darvel
Ryan Lee; Ross Anderson, Kevin Buchanan. 4thers: Sean Murdoch.
It used to be that appointment to this match was followed by
promotion to Category 1 ( Andrew McWilliam being an unlucky
exception) but with the more flexible system now in place, Mr
Lee is already at that level. I was surprised, however, to find
from the excellent notes in the programme that he is 27 - I
would have thought him rather younger. He is tall, slim and
chestnut-haired. Unlike his assistants, he did not earn Brownie
Points for long sleeves in the smart smoked salmon top. As
mentioned recently, Mr Anderson had been seen before, but I
would not have recognised him - he had hair in those days.
That's what a wife and children do to a chap!
I have good memories of each club: at Arthurlie I had enjoyed a
vintage Craig Napier performance. Darvel was the venue for my
first experience of Junior football. In those days the
facilities were very basic and their level was much lower. The
match in question was against Ardeer Thistle and the poor ( in
both senses of the word) referee had a desperate struggle to
maintain any sort of order. Cards flowed, abuse from players and
worse from coaches became incessant. I loved it, but had
sympathy for David Burns, the Glasgow rather than the Ayrshire
one. He later must have come to the conclusion that it was not
for him.
The start was delayed by three minutes, some brainless idiots in
the Darvel section having decided that it would be a good idea
to throw three flares onto the artificial pitch. Cue a man with
a grabber and another with a bucket of sand. Thereafter the
first half was largely uninspiring,, with Arthurlie possibly
having the edge in terms of half chances. Otherwise the main
interest resided in the frequency with which Mr Lee appeared to
adjust his bra. Jogger's nipple, perhaps?
The second half was brighter. Arthurlie took the lead on 50
minutes, with a header just inside the post. A couple of
accurate passes allowed Darvel to equalise rather too easily
shortly afterwards. Arthurlie continued to create chances, but
their shots tended to clear the crossbar by some distance.
Towards the end, things began to get a little towsy, but Mr Lee
kept a lid on things. There was a clear yellow for an
attack-stopping pull back. After 87 minutes the game was finally
settled with a Darvel headed goal, the scorer receiving the
required yellow for removing his shirt. A late reckless
challenge saw the Darvel number 9 added to the cautions.
Mr Lee had handled the game well. He was very voluble in his
shouted instructions at corners - probably no more effective,
but certainly less irritating, than the more usual repeated
lectures, at which players nod acceptance and carry on
regardless. He issued words of warning informally, but I
approved of his refusal to continue while the recipient was
bending down. A good, solid afternoon's work, with advantage
allowed sensibly.
There was a mass exodus of Arthurlie fans, though those who did
stay deserved credit for their sporting reception of all three
teams. Less credit to the association officials, who faffed
about for an eternity getting things ready for the presentation.
It grieves me to admit it, but a single sensible woman would
have achieved this in half the time.
There was a wait of 17 minutes for the bus - the next one would
have been an hour later - and Glasgow was reached smoothly..
#Post#: 80201--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: June 3, 2024, 1:33 am
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Regarding the yellow card for the scorer's shirt removal, fourth
official Murdoch gave as his funniest moment in football an
incident at a lower level, when the scorer had removed not only
his shirt, but everything else as well. Mr Murdoch did not say
what action he took.
#Post#: 80211--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: June 3, 2024, 8:50 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Autocorrect was up to its tricks again, fortunately spotted and
rectified at the first check after posting. Otherwise it would
have had you believe that I walked to Broadwood not from Croy
but from Croydon. I would have been lucky to make it as far as
Thornton Heath.
#Post#: 92251--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: May 18, 2025, 11:31 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
E
#Post#: 92267--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Microscopist
Date: May 19, 2025, 8:29 am
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--- Quote from: JCFC link ---
>
> E
>
--- End Quote ---
Autocorrect again!
#Post#: 92280--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: May 19, 2025, 2:21 pm
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At 5.30 this morning I tried to modify this to an account of
Saturday's match, but this notepad is not a "morning person" and
decided to freeze on me just as I finished and the efforts came
to nothing. The choice was between another hour's wrestling with
it and going down for breakfast. No prizes for working out which
won. At least it isn't open to much disagreement. So now to try
again.
#Post#: 92283--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: JCFC
Date: May 19, 2025, 3:53 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Trains from Ayr do not stop between Kilwinning and Johnstone, so
a quick change of platforms was required at the former to reach
Glengarnock, from where an easy geriatric stroll of a dozen
minutes led to
Saturday 17th May 2025
West of Scotland League Division 1
Kilbirnie Ladeside 2 v 2 Ardrossan Winton Rovers
Josh Hay; Kevin Muirhead, Jarod Kearney.
Remembering the dreadful state and lack of basic facilities at
many former Junior grounds in the West pre-Covid, Kilbirnie's
came as a very pleasant surprise. There were two substantial
covered standing areas on the Kirkwood Road side, the Ladeside
Pavilion on the opposite side houses changing rooms and a large
clubhouse with food and drink outlets. A chilled can of Irn-Bru
for £1.50 lasted throughout the match. There was also an
ice-cream van within the ground and it did a roaring trade
throughout the match. There was a small (c.90seat) comfortable
stand behind one goal. Beyond the other was a tree-clad
hillside, which provided both a pleasing backdrop and for a
couple of hardy chaps a lofty bird's eye view.
The club flag was at half mast and a group of youngsters led by
two pipers paraded a banner in honour of a local stalwart,
Johnny Burns. Before the toss a wreath was piped on and there
was a minute's applause. Ladeside were in yellow, AWR in black,
with broad white bands across the front, so the officials wore
their pink shirts.
The home side nearly had the perfect start, a touch by a
visiting defender seeing the ball bounce over the bar. A
Ladeside corner on 18 minutes was lifted towards the far post
and headed back past the keeper and into the net. At the drinks
break, the AWR boss laid into his team, performing what looked
like a lengthy one-man haka. It somehow produced an effect,
though not on the expected way: on 33 minutes a Ladeside
defender inexplicably handled the ball just inside the penalty
area, receiving a yellow card, and Ardrossan drew level from the
spot. The Blasties, as Kilbirnie are known, responded quickly
with a series of good passes, ending with the ball in the net
... and Mr Muirhead with his flag raised. In added time, Mr Hay
found himself on the ground after a collision, bouncing straight
back up as Ladeside took possession and raced to the other end,
only to squander the chance thus created, much to the official's
relief, no doubt. Six minutes into the additional time, the
Ardrossan number 16 was shown a yellow card and expressed his
disagreement for far too long. Mr Hay was very tolerant!
As the players took to the field for the second half, the AWR
boss decided to treat Mr Hay to an unnecessary tutorial and
carried it on for far too long. Again Mr Hay showed great, if
disappointing, tolerance. Eight minutes into the half, a
Ladeside attacker outpaced his marker and the visiting keeper
made it easy for him by diving too early, this time the chance
was gratefully accepted. Ladeside came close to a third, a
free-kick just skimming the outside of the post. On 70 minutes
they carried the ball out of defence, with a choice of two
straightforward passes to release teammates in the Ardrossan
half. Instead the ball found an Ardrossan man, who reversed the
scenario, sending an attacker clear to equalise. There were
chances at either end, with the visitors ultimately looking the
more dangerous, but no further score.
Mr Hay had only previously been seen as an assistant, when he
had created in JCFC'S unreliable mind, the picture of a
smouldering boy-band member. The gap of a year or two had
reduced "smouldering" to "slightly singed," while "boy" might be
stretching things a little. Nevertheless he handled the match
pretty well, with good ground coverage and a fine reverse gear.
He appeared to be a nice guy, interacting pleasantly with the
many youngsters in attendance. JCFC, who knows nothing about
refereeing, would however offer one comment: at times Mr Hay
stands with head slightly bowed, which gives a doubtless false,
impression of uncertainty - a posture to be avoided. Mr
Muirhead, who seemed to be well-known to the locals, was tall
with distinguished hair; Mr Kearney was shorter with
undistinguished hair. Both performed effectively.
The walk back to the station was accomplished comfortably, with
a few minutes to spare before the 16.13 train. It had been a
most enjoyable £4 worth of an afternoon in glorious Ayrshire
weather.
#Post#: 92286--------------------------------------------------
Re: Caledonia you're calling me
DIR By: Microscopist
Date: May 19, 2025, 5:38 pm
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Good to see that you have gone native with the Irn-Bru, but
unsure what an Ardrossan man was doing interfering with play.
The weather here has been brilliant here for about 5 weeks,
April /May are generally the driest months in the year and
normally the midges haven’t woken up. When the sun shines I
think Ayrshire is as good as anywhere in the world. Bargany
Gardens between Dailly and Girvan is particularly attractive,
being only open to visitors in May when the Rhododendrons and
Amelias are in fine bloom.
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