Queens ten can't quite match Killie's eleven

A fine winter's day on the first weekend of December saw Killie hobble into the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup as Queen's campaign came to an end. In truth the match was probably decided by an over-zealous refereeing decision when the whistler sent off Queens' midfielder McKenna for an enthusiastic challenge in the second minute of the match.

In the picture on the left (courtesy of the excellent QoS web site) the referee Mike Tumilty can be seen brandishing the card with some swagger - clearly enjoying his moment in the winter sunshine. A shame that some refs seem to forget that the event is about players, managers and fans and not about them. In my opinion the challenge by McKenna was worthy of at most a booking - mistimed and the result of a Scottish Cup tie adrenalin rush. A yellow card and a quiet word would have been the best course of action.

Soon after Cilian Sheridan (should that be Killian Sheridan) scored from close range. The bearded Irish striker chose not to celebrate for reasons I did not understand and I headed to the kiosk for a Killie pie ! The most celebrated match day snack in Scottish football.

This was truly £2.20 worth of heaven. A steak pie rather than a scotch pie but more meat and gravy than you might expect. The Killie pie has now overtaken the Steak Bridie served at Glenrothes Juniors as the best pastry on the Road to Hampden - so far ! The Killie Pie even has it's own web site and football fans will be salivating if they visit www.killiepie.com

Despite being one goal down The Doonhamers took the game to their more illustrious oponents and were unlucky to be trailing at half time. A quick stretch of the legs round the back of the visitors stand and I discovered that the Killie Stewards have a generous interpretation of the 'no smoking in the stadium' rule

Queens continued to press in the second half .......

but Killie scored a second with a breakaway. Late on Sandy Clark's boy scored for Queens and the scoreline of 1-2 was probably about fair although Killie were hanging on at the end. Arriving bang on 3.00 pm I did not get a programme until after the match - so a quick detour to the club shop to pick up the matchday mag.

The Queens fans can be proud of themselves. At both Meadowbank Stadium and Rugby Park they turned up in big numbers and cheered on their team in a good old-fashioned sporting way

I did not get the chance to see them in their home town of Dumfries, but with good fan backing and good footballers they will do well this season and will definitely get promoted from Div 2.

And so back to Kilmarnock in early Februuary for their match in the round of the last 16 at home to ICT.

Queens are Kings in the Capital

I can't believe a whole month has gone by since I attended this one-sided cup tie at the famous Meadowbank Stadium. I have been neglecting my blogging duties and a sudden realisation that I am going to a round 4 tie tomorrow has 'encouraged' me to write about my round three match

The match attracted the biggest crowd of the round with over 1000 at the Commonwealth Stadium as the home team sought to continue their giant killing antics. However, the Doonhamers are certainly not Montrose and a well organised and skillfull Dumfries outfit won comfortably by two goals to nil with a goal either side of half time. Clark and Reilly were the goalscorers but the best player on show was the diminutive Danny Carmichael who (in this match anyway) was operating as an old fashioned Scottish winger. The visitors also had the much travelled Ryan McGuffie once of Newcastle Reserves and Gretna in their line up.

The crowd was made up mainly of visiting Queens supporters but there were a number of Edinburgh City afficionados who I presume were mostly friends and family. They did sing though and their rendition  of "Ruaridh Scott - he shags who he wants" to the inevitbale tune of Sloop John B was met by a Doonhamers chorus of "who the fuck is Ruaridh Scott ?"

Some pictures from the match

Above - the crowd settle in for their afternoon's entertainment

Above ... some first half action close to the hammer cage

The first half was played out under glorious cold Autumn sunshine

A second half corner that led to the killer second goal for Queens ...

And so ... tomorrow it is off to Kilmarnock for Killie v Queen of the South in round 4 ... a Killie Pie will definitely be on the agenda !

Robbie Ross Rampant as Montrose are Mauled !

Last weekend I witnessed a big shock on the road to Hampden. My first view of an SFL side and they are beaten at home by East of Scotland League side Edinburgh City. Comprehensively ! The Montrose web site sums up what was a bad day for the Gable-Enders "Montrose crashed out of the Scottish Cup with a poor display in front of their own fans against East of Scotland League side Edinburgh City. The visitors were worthy winners." Very worthy indeed winning 3-1 when in truth it could have been 5 or 6 goals to 1. In centre forward Robbie Ross they had the best player on the park - scoring two goals and leading the line with style. Ross is an ex-Arbroath player so presumably he was a bit more fired up than usual.

The pre match pint was in the Market Arms on Montrose High Street. A fantastic pub.

The programme was £2 but despite the hike in price from the previous round was a great buy. Loads of reading and good coverage of the opposition. The pie on the other hand - a majpr diasappointment - £2 for what looked like a warmed up ASDA value scotch pie.

 A trim ground - a shed type terrace behind one goal, two sides oh terracing comprising of not much more than a path and a large stand

A sheen on the pitch

Second half action ... Montrose on the attack - they have a corner

Some first half action

Four star show and Shotts are shattered

So it's off to Montrose next for the match between the Gable Endies and Edinburgh City at the end of September

The match finished 4-1 for a rampant home team.
















The Shotts fans were in general supportive of their team in a commendable way ... but about a dozen louts insisted on singing a repertoire of horrible songs ("oh Edinburgh is full of poofs, whoors and junkies" - springs to mind) and this I found unpleasant when some of the spectators had rocked up with their kids - not nice. In the pic below the local polis are about to take the dirty dozen to task.

Meadowbank Stadium really does feel like an unreal environment for this type of match

But the pies were good ... very good in fact ! The queue for the pastry perfection at half time.

Shotts shaken by City Slickers !

Shotts Bon Accord played their first ever match in the Scottish Cup yesterday thanks to their victory in May over The Bot in the final of the Scottish Junior Cup Final. The East of Scotland Premier League team Edinburgh City were hence welcomed to the Shotts' Hannah Park ground

The teams were 'announced' not by the PA sysytem (there wasn't one) but by a Bon Accord official writing the line-ups on a white board

The match kicked off in good, dry conditions and was watched by a healthy crowd of about 300 or so

Shotts were gaining the upper hand - they scored when a surging run down the left ended with a fierce cross that was deflected in by a City defender. The crowd were now well into this !

The City cause was not helped when they lost a player to a bad injury

The City players left the field at half time to face the hair dryer treatment

The pitch was still in good condition at the interval and so there was no need for the home captain to call for the use of the heavy roller

pic of heavy roller goes in here

In the second half the weather deteriorated - a few players got booked, the umbrellas went up and to further dampen the Shotts spirits Edinburgh City equalised to take the game to a replay

Looking forward to the replay at Meadowbank Stadium next Saturday already !

next

In praise of Auchinleck Talbot

In here I will write a eulogy for Auchinleck Talbot

In praise of Penicuik Athletic

In here I will write a eulogy of Penicuik Athletic

Shotts to take on Edinburgh City in round one !

So, after a year following the Junior Cup to it's conclusion it is now time for me to follow the winners of the 2011-12 Junior Cup into the Scottish Cup for 2012-13.

Shotts Bon Accord have qualified for the Cup as Junior Cup winners and in the first round they have been drawn at home to East of Scotland (Senior) League outfit Edinburgh City. The City have been playing in the Scottish Cup for x years now - since they inherited Meadowbank Stadium from Meadowbank Thistle when Thistle move out to Livingston and changed their name to (surprise) Livingston. For Shotts, this is their first ever foray into the Scottish Cup. Hence their tie against City on the 25th August will be an historic occasion. I am looking forward to it already .... and with the D3 teams entering in round two then a vist to Ibrox might await the winners !

Shotts shoot down Auchinleck to win the Junior Cup

A special day in Livingston ... the sun shining, a big crowd and an exciting Junior Cup final on show

... and the hordes of  fans from Auchinleck ...

... and The Bot's number one fan ... the gyrating tatooed blonde bombshell (see the 'Away the Bot' tattoo on her shoulder - an Auchinleck bumble bee with the text below)

... a close of up of THE tattoo !

.... urging on her team ....

.... and looking downcast at the end of the afternoon

... and I was there to see it all !

Who will be livid in Livi ... will it be BOTtoms up or will Shotts call the shots ?

So the end of the first half of the road to to Hampden is in sight. Tomorrow, Auchinleck Talbot take on Shotts Bon Accord at Livingston's stadium in West Lothian. May the best team win.

I have come to realise over the last six months or so that the Bot are basically the Manchester United of Junior football. Musselburgh gave them a run for their money and the East's finest, Bonnyrigg Rose, too them all the way to penalties but the Bot have taken on all comers and have reached the final. I also saw them take on my beloved Hearts in the Scottish Cup 4th round and it was mighty close. If things had turned out differently that day the Edinbugh Scottish Cup final would not have happened. They are a very good footballing side and a credit to Junior football.

I know very little about Shotts Bon Accord but I am looking forward to seeing "North Lanarkshire's Finest"

Bonnyrigg pay the penalty as shots from the Bot set up final against Shotts

At last ! ... on my 4th visit to Auchinleck's tidy Beechwood Park I managed to get a programme (see below) and a rattling good read it is too. I can't understand why they printed so few for games in the earlier rounds. For the quarter final I got to the match 40 minutes before kick off with the intention of being early enough to make sure I got a programme and found that they had sold out.

I missed the first leg of this semi final tie in Bonnyrigg because I was at Hampden for the Hearts v Celtic Scottish Cup semi final. However, I still consider that my 'road' journey is authentic as no -one was going to be KO-d in the first leg. The first match finished 1-1 in front of an incredible 2,5413 fans. They are more use to success in Auchinleck and hence a smaller crowd turned out for the decisive leg - 1674 fans were in attendance for this one.  The match went to penalties and the Bot prevailed. Below is a pic taken a second after the decisive spot kick hit the net.

the Rose keeper is distraught !

Boness hung, drawn and KO-d in the quarters

Last week I saw Auchinleck Talbot beat Boness 2-0 in front of a large crowd at Beechwood Park. A tousy, closely contested affair with Boness the better team in the first half but The Bot well on top and worthy of their victory in the second half.

This is just a 'stub' entry so that I can upload the pics and then amend the text later

St Rochs hit the Rocks as Bot Batter Glasgow Greeens

Auchinleck Talbot 5 St Rochs 0

The Bot really are a very very good side. In a football environment where in many cases the players kick each other off the park and the pitches are in a poor condition the men from Auchinleck try to play slick passing football. This involves trusting their collective ability to control the ball quickly and to see and play a good pass. As a team they have these attributes and with their 'ginger magician' Spence controlling proceedings in a manner that strikes me as being a cross between a traffic policeman and a quarterback, they are a formidable outfit.

On a wet pitch that cut-up during the game they over-whelmed their visitors from Glasgow. A large crowd (difficult to estimate but probably around 500) looked on appreciatetively. Their match in Musselburgh in the previous round saw some of the 'fans' getting a bit agitated - here the locals watched on in quiet appreciation as their favourites scored at regular intervals to run out as easy winners. Spence was the man of the match. An authoritative performance in the centre of midfield and a well taken hat-trick too. I can't understand why this lad is not playing at a higher level. Having seem him also play at Tynecastle and play well their in the company of SPL players it is clear he could do well at SFL Div 1 level - easily.

The only noisy stuff from the crowd came from a samll section of inebriated St Rochs fans who sang their way through the match. The problem I had with this was that most of the songs were Celtic songs (what have they got to do with Junior football) and that many of their chosen ditties contained sweary words. I am no prude but why do kids going to see a Junior Cup tie with their parents have to endure a dozen or so drunken men singing "F**k the SFA" ?

Pie good - not sampled the lentil soup yet - but possibly in the quarter final

Journey Miles

Road Miles

Down to the last 16 and off to Ayrshire again

Following their excellent away at Musselburgh in round four, Auchinleck Talbot host St Rochs from Glasgow in the round of the last 16 - getting serious now.

Looking forward to popping through to East Ayrshire for this one later today. Look out for some very grainy pics which will be taken on my phone as I have left my camera in Boston Lincs.

Bot Bash Mussy to ease into round 5

The journey got a bit tasty a week ago in Musselburgh when the local team took on the curent Junior Cup holders in a repeat of last season's Junior Cup Final. The match attracted a big crowd - difficult to estimate the exact number but probably approaching 1000. The crowd were up for it and the players were up for it too. A feisty encounter with 1 sent off and 2 carried off. Enough incident and talking points to keep Sky and TalkSport staff occupied for weeks.

First time I have noticed a police presence on the 'road' and I do believe they were called into action with a little bit of banter-plus between some of the more animated supporters of the rival teams becoming a cause for concern.

The match has been very well described as follows on the Talbot web site :

Highlights for me were: (i) hearing [as at Tynecastle] the Bot supporters singing "Eeka Peeka Pukka Po" to the tune of Bread Heaven and (ii) the Musselburgh goalie being carried off on the back of the trainer and as he went past the Bot fans they very unsportingly sang 'Cheerio Cheerio Cheerio' and he was keen to get off the back of his human transport and remonstrate with the singers.

Another highlight - the Musselburgh pie ... a culinary thing of beauty and a bargain at £1.10. The usual muttony texture but a lot more meat than usual in the filling and a nice peppery aftertaste.

I also saw Auchinleck a fortnight earlier in the Scottish Cup at Tynecastle when they gave a very good account of themselves and they play good passing football and could compete successfully in the SFL without doubt.

It's Musselburgh v Auchinleck in round 4

Happy New Year everyone ...

The draw for round 4 of the Junior Cup was made in Glasgow on the 15th December and could not have been kinder to me in terms of making the 'road to Hampden' easy to travel down. My 'new' team (The Bot !) have been drawn to play Musselburgh in the 'Honest Toun' on Saturday the 21st January 2012. Musselburgh is only 10 miles from my home town of Penicuik. The tie is also a repeat of last season's Junior Cup Final so it has all the makings of a classic encounter. Looking forward to it !

I will be seeing the Bot in action before then however as they will be playing Hearts at Tynecastle this coming Saturday in the Scottish Cup .... as a season ticket holder at Tynie I am looking forward to that too.