HibeeJibee

31yrs ago:

USM Algiers forfeited SF 1st-leg of African equivalent of EL - which they're defending - last week after police seized opponents Berkane's shirts citing its map of Morocco: Row over map of Morocco on shirt sees Confederation Cup game postponed - BBC Sport Morocco map row: Club given 3-0 win after refusing to play in Algeria - BBC Sport USMA now forfeited 2nd-leg too: Morocco map row: Second game involving USM Alger called off - BBC Sport Morocco map row: Cas to hear appeal from Algerian federation and club - BBC Sport

I was surprised by 'low' attendance. There was always a Hampden friendly v foreign opposition right after season ended but many had noticeably poor crowds for the time... fans more parochial? 28 Apr 1948 70,000 Scotland 2-0 Belgium 27 Apr 1949 125,683 Scotland 2-0 France 26 Apr 1950 123,751 Scotland 3-1 Switzerland 12 May 1951 75,690 Scotland 3-1 Denmark (Festival of Britain) 16 May 1951 75,394 Scotland 1-0 France (Festival of Britain) 30 Apr 1952 107,765 Scotland 6-0 USA 06 May 1953 83,800 Scotland 1-2 Sweden 05 May 1954 25,897 Scotland 1-0 Norway 04 May 1955 20,858 Scotland 1-0 Portugal 02 May 1956 80,509 Scotland 1-1 Austria 08 May 1957 88,890 Scotland 4-2 Spain (World Cup qualifier) 07 May 1958 54,900 Scotland 1-1 Hungary 06 May 1959 103,415 Scotland 3-2 West Germany 04 May 1960 26,643 Scotland 2-3 Poland 03 May 1961 46,694 Scotland 4-1 Eire (World Cup qualifier) 02 May 1962 67,181 Scotland 2-3 Uruguay 08 May 1963 94,596 Scotland 4A1 Austria no game in 1964 08 May 1965 60,146 Scotland 0-0 Spain 11 May 1966 16,513 Scotland 0-3 Netherlands 10 May 1967 53,497 Scotland 0-2 USSR no game in 1968 from 1969 the Home Nations moved to an end-of-season schedule

Controversial.

Southerly tier 6 update: South of Scotland League (22 games) Dalbeattie Star will be champions unless they lose to Creetown West of Scotland League (30 games) allowing for GD advantage Beith - who are ineligible - will be champions unless they lose both their remaining games and Auchinleck Talbot win all theirs Run-ins:

Broxburn Athletic are CHAMPIONS

Vale of Leithen are RELEGATED

SandyCromarty is mistaken. Lord Mackay was an elder in the Free Presbyterian CofS (the 'Wee Wee Frees'), a conservative minority which had left the Free Church of Scotland (the 'Frees') in 1893... Forbes belongs to the conservative minority of the latter (the 'Wee Frees') who didn't unite with United Presbyterian Church in 1900 to form the United Free Church... However in a more contemporary context she belongs to a liberal majority the FC Continuing left in 2000. Ian Blackford is also a 'Wee Free' - as was Gordon Wilson. Mackay and a liberal minority left the FPs in 1989 forming Associated Presbyterian Churches. (Incidentally the APC has since declined to only 6 congregations; only Inverness + Stornoway still have their own churchbuilding). There hasn't been a Scottish church census since 2016, but on 2nd Sunday in May that year Church of Scotland attendance was 136,910... Free Church (i.e. Forbes & Blackford's denomination) 10,210... UFs 3,220... FC Continuing 830... other presbyterians combined (FPs + APC i.e. Mackay's denomination + RPs + IPC) 2,180.

Holyrood elections happen in May every 5 years. MSPs can call an extra election - by 2/3 majority vote or by going 4 weeks without a FM - but unless after Nov 2025, there'd be another in May 2026.

Hawick do have a gap for 2019-20 (as 2020-21 was null & void); albeit wasn't actually possible to go down that year, and did come 2nd bottom! Vale got kept up in 2019-20 and struggled since: 4pts from 119 games (19pts won but 15pts deducted) 5 wins 4 draws 110 losses 77 goals for 548 goals against -471 goal difference (not including expunged 0-6 and 0-2 defeats v Rosyth) 2019-20 Lowland League 2020-21 Lowland League 2021-22 Lowland League 2022-23 EOS Premier Division 2023-24 EOS First Division (to date) (not including expunged 0-6 and 0-2 defeats v Rosyth)

Brechin basically suffered 3 consecutive between 2018 and 2021 allowing for disruption in 2020... Hawick got relegated from LL to EOSL in 2018, to First in 2019, Second in 2022 and Third in 2023 = 4.

Yousaf's constituents react to resignation Catriona Renton - BBC Scotland reporter It started to pour with rain here in Humza Yousaf’s Glasgow Pollok constituency in the minutes before he resigned as first minister. I broke the news to several of his constituents. It came as a surprise to some but no great shock to others who have been following the events of the past few days. It would be fair to say that many of those I spoke to were not particularly engaged with what is happening. Others did not even know he was their MSP.

Since returning to Hampden in 2016 the Amateur final AFAICS mostly got to use the day after the Scottish but it's now used for Womens... last 4 will have been midweek (Wed, Tue, Wed, Thu).

Occurs to me that as English clubs were banned from preseason friendlies until 1961 (for Scottish clubs 1966 and not at home until 1967): it also was about only chance to meet on a weekend.

Still, at least Jenny Gilruth gives a clean break from Sturgeon-Yousaf continuity and Green beholdenness, a high public profile, and successful record in her 1yr at transport + 1yr at education...

Sunday 15th February 1981 - St Mirren 2-3 Arsenal (9,389)... for the Provan Jewellers Challenge Cup ! EDIT: interestingly moved back 24hrs from Saturday over SFA objections it might suppress attendance at Morton v Aberdeen (which drew 8,350).

If anybody is wondering how both clubs had a free Saturday in February - they'd each exited the FA and Scottish cups at the first hurdle: Liverpool at Bolton; St Mirren at home to Motherwell. It was quite common from 1950s to 1970s for such clubs, if lacking a scheduled league game or an outstanding game wanting rescheduled, to arrange "Anglo Scottish friendlies" - often on Friday night once floodlights became widespread (perhaps as many fans headed for a cup-tie somewhere else on Saturday?). Sometimes these became mini-tours. On this occasion Scottish Cup R2 was actually the week before... St Mirren and East Fife advanced their league game to free themselves for a jaunt. St Mirren went on to lose 3-2 at Leeds on the Monday: Third Lanark lost 1-0 at Accrington on the Saturday... but East Fife jammed in 3 games, losing 4-1 at Accrington on preceding Monday, then winning 4-1 at Carlisle on Tuesday, before losing narrowly 2-1 at Manchester City on the Saturday. There are probably more. Saints headed back down on QF day losing 2-1 at Portsmouth: It was rare for English sides to come here.

54yrs ago: Celtic prepped for European Cup Final v Feyenoord, at... Fraserburgh. All bar 1 crew of lifeboat Duchess of Kent drowned when it capsized responding to a callout in a January storm. Fraserburgh Lifeboat Disaster Match Tuesday 28th April 1970 Fraserburgh 0-7 Celtic Milne (own goal), Wallace, Craig, Hughes x2, Auld, Hood 6,500

Could be some clubs (e.g. out West) who applied before licence application moratorium and happen to reach approval in May or June? Otherwise as you say looking at 5-7 qualifiers for 1-3 ties in PR1.

They currently have league fixtures upto and including Saturday 8th June. Also in SFs of North Junior Cup. Lost in North & Tayside Junior Cup SFs yesterday. I hadn't noticed there now were playoffs in North Juniors. What's the format... 2x SFs > Final? 2 legs or neutral venue? Nairn don't finish league games until Saturday 8th June and 'on paper' can catch East End for playoff.

Correct. They got 1.66% in 2021 Scottish Parliament election... 0 seats. They got 0.7% in 2022 local council elections... 0 seats. (West Dunbartonshire, British Unionist and Rubbish parties won seats but Alba didn't).