HibeeJibee

XL Bully put down after being restrained by police in Coatbridge - BBC News An XL bully-type dog has been put down following an incident in North Lanarkshire. Armed police were dispatched to Broughton Place in Coatbridge on Thursday amid reports the animal was out of control. No shots were fired, but the dog was put down by a vet after being restrained by officers. A 30-year-old woman was reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with an offence under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Good as Mr Bates vsThe Post Office was I'd always pick Berwick-Gretna football over its sequel.

Ironically if they were prosecuted at the Court of Session in Edinburgh the judge, lawyers and senior court officials would likely have done the exact same themselves, and to John Knox no less.

It was June 1796 that Mungo Park of Selkirk found the River Niger - the first European to reach the interior of Africa. Dundee's win now sits closer in time to that event than to the present day.

Harder to play outstanding ties next 3 months than last 6... St Andrews + HofB some midweek league games; Dunfermline still 4x Reserve League; Raith be in playoffs; Cowdenbeath finish Apr 20th.

Bump. Has this effectively ground to a halt?

Press & Journal suggests Final is Friday 19th April: EE Aberdeenshire Cup and Highland League reports (pressandjournal.co.uk)

Excluding racecourses Scotland only has 6 listed stands: Grade A - Main Stand, Netherdale, Galashiels Grade A - Pavilion, The Grange, Edinburgh Grade B - Main Stand, Ibrox, Glasgow Grade B - Grandstand, Northern Meeting Ground, Inverness Grade B - Ayr Dam Park Grade C - St Andrews RFC

Here are some shots showing the equivalent - rather more modest - 'shelf' on the east terrace at Hampden which was built in 1937. I don't think any other Scottish ground added such a clearly 'distinct' upper terrace but somebody may know otherwise.

It was taken down in 1985 when front was covered. So it only lasted 35yrs. On paper it wasn't a wise investment: after 65,840 for the New Year derby in 1950 there were just 13 more occasions competitive Hibs attendances exceeded 45k... 7 versus Hearts, OF, Aberdeen and East Fife (league decider) from 1951 to 1954; the New Year derbies in 1956, 1958 and 1960; Scottish Cup QFs v Rangers in 1965 and 1973; plus a league game v Celtic in 1974... and 7 of those 13 were only in higher 40s. Even the European Cup SF didn't surpass it nor the Fairs Cup QF v Barcelona. Hopes of staging regular high profile cup-ties and internationals never materialised. During the 35yrs in question ER had 1x Scotland B v England B (16k); 1x Scotland v Scotland B (7k); 1x Scotland v Scottish League (45k); 1x U23 international (32k v Netherlands) and 4x U21 (all modest); 4x Scottish Cup SFs/replays (23k, 33k, 27k, 58k for Hearts v Raith in 1956); probably also a few League Cup SFs/replays. However as capacities began to be restricted - especially after the Ibrox disaster and Safety at Sport Grounds Act - it did allow capacity to stay higher than otherwise. Although that was hardly needed from mid-1970s as general crowds further contracted, the club failed to qualify for Europe and slipped down the league (briefly into the First Division!). Still... a monument to optimism.

Buckie progress to Aberdeenshire Cup Final. If as ADFA social media has maintained the Final remains Saturday 20th April then Buckie will need a pair of Mondays to finish league on Saturday 13th.

Wednesday 6th March (R2) Burntisland 0-1 Stoneyburn Armadale 3-2 West Calder Newtongrange 1-0 Fauldhouse Saturday 9th March (R2) Kirkcaldy & Dysart v Bo'ness Athletic (R2) Leith v Thornton (R2) Ormiston v Vale of Leithen (R2) Pumpherston v Newburgh Heriot-Watt Uni v Lochore Tuesday 19th March Camelon v Pumpherston/Newburgh Leith v Arniston* Wednesday 20th March Whitehill v Stoneyburn Saturday 23rd March Vale of Leithen v St Andrews* R4: Heriot-Watt Uni/Lochore v Armadale Kirkcaldy & Dysart/Bo’ness Athletic v Leith/Thornton/Arniston Ormiston/Vale of Leithen/St Andrews v Newtongrange Whitehill/Stoneyburn v Camelon/Pumpherston/Newburgh

Jeanfield 0-1 Luncarty Tantalising...

St Andrews (eight) 8-1 Lochore Getting exciting...

Hawick Royal Albert 2-1 Pumpherston Pumphy took a scenic trip to the Borders of a pleasant evening. Having been in Wooler and Kelso during the day and early evening, the continental 8pm kickoff gave me a chance to make it just in time for the start, and very glad I did... what began as the 'Bore War' ended up an exceptionally entertaining night, culminating in the football equivalent of re-enacting the Siege of Mafeking. On a sticky park the early period was uneventful, though as time wore on more and more dubious offsides were given, mostly against Hawick whose outriders were finding growing success on the counter-attack. Handicapped by being about 4ft 6 and lacking assistants, the stand-in referee was always up against it here... but his increasingly erratic calls might as easily have been ascribed to divining rods or reading tea leaves as far as both teams, benches and supports were concerned. 0-0 at the break. Quality was in short supply but not effort before a modest crowd. Clearly the half-time oranges invigorated both sides and it all kicked off from the restart. Hawick won and dispatched a penalty for a harsh check/obstruction near the by-line, then Pumpherston won a penalty of their own for a harsh handball but cracked it off the bar; before Albert doubled their lead from close range after good build-up, only for the visitors to halve the deficit when duffed clearance was batted straight back at their goal, clean past their AWOL 'keeper, who ended-up fallen prostrate in the mud as if taken out by a sniper. Hawick then shivered the woodwork, tapped in the rebound... only for the ref to chalk it off, for about their dozenth offside of the night. So enraged was the scorer that swearing like a trooper he got himself a straight red for gross dissent. Minutes later another man left the trenches when a crunching tackle won a 2nd yellow - having lost his head when all about him were keeping theirs. Nerves now overtook the homesters and their slender lead. Near me a woman expressed fears of heart failure. Forced to play out a quarter of the game 2 men short the Albert were reduced to desperate defending, often little more than (literally) a thin red line 7 abreast with 1 man screening their front. They were particularly hampered at goal kicks: with their 'keeper apparently unable to launch the ball much more than the length of himself, their centre half had to take the byes, leaving them briefly 3 men short as it landed. Until late-on Hawick surprisingly committed no substitutes to relieve their beleaguered but resolute defenders. Pumphy shelled them relentlessly with high balls, whipped crosses, corners, long range efforts and skirmishing forays from midfield... but just couldn't land a real blow. Time after time shots flew over, screwed wide, came back off the woodwork, or were swatted away by the Albert's stopper. On several occasions it almost defied physics the net didn't bulge. After the referee played an inordinate amount of stoppage time - during which the visitors committed so many to their melee attack Hawick actually managed a couple of breakaways but couldn't finish them - the final whistle finally went. Up went an instant cry of release from the hosts squad and their support, such as may seldom have been heard since the Relief of Ladysmith. I spontaneously applauded their heroic efforts myself. This win reignites Hawick's promotion fight, lifting them to 2pts behind Pumpherston (with 4 games-in-hand) and 6pts of Harthill (with 2 games-in-hand).

Last night's big wins mean Armadale are now just 3pts ahead of Thornton (with 4 games-in-hand) plus 11pts of Edinburgh South (with 6 games-in-hand) - Thistle's next 3 games now look huge: A v Tweedmouth this Sunday.... H v Ormiston next Friday... A v Bo'ness Athletic on Saturday of international weekend.

What's any of this got to do with EOSL?

Those are only Scottish League instances (including C Division) - and Kilmarnock was indeed Division Two. Some other examples in senior football: Scottish Federation 1898-99 East of Scotland League 1927-28 1937-38 1955-56 1966-67 league played in 2 stages 1975-76 1984-85 1990-91 First Division 1994-95 Gala finished 2nd 2019-20 First Division Conference B South of Scotland League 1951-52 1961-62 1968-69 1970-71 1982-83 1985-86 2004-05 Creetown finished 2nd 2011-12 2018-19 West of Scotland League 2021-22 First Division Midland League 1892-93 Central Combination 1897-98 Perthshire League 1907-08 1941-42 1950-51 North Caledonian League 2009-10 2013-14 2014-15 Highland League 1894-95 1897-98 1912-13 1913-14 1939-40 Emergency League 1982-83 2014-15 2020-21 { although latter, while official, is pretty bizarre.

Rather like the old east terrace at Hampden massive earthworks were thrown up - on a bowling club and allotments - to create a 'shelf' of extra standing behind the old east terrace. Original announcement (January 1949): (Ultimately that wasn't sanctioned and capacity topped out at around 70,000). Remember this was a time of crowd optimism which seems unbelievable today. Cowdenbeath that same year started raising Central Park's capacity to 70,000-80,000 as "the Hampden of Fife". Record attendance - 65,860 - came in the New Year game of 1950. (It was just as well capacity had not been permitted well above that as crushing left 2 men dead and over 30 injured). There were supposedly plans to raise capacity to 98,000 by carrying it on round the corners and either end (I'm unsure how!). It was later removed (1985). Pre-'shelf': 'Shelf': This image from July 1949 shows spoil piling well underway: Model of old Easter Road - located in the current West Stand - illustrates the layout very clearly: Btw 1946: 1958:

Over a decade ago the Northern Ireland Executive approved £138m to be spent on stadia redevelopment... football and GAA both received £61m, and rugby got £15m. This was principally to modernise spectator facilities. Football earmarked £25m to rebuild 2 stands at Windsor Park, topped up with £4m of their own cash, and £36m to redevelop facilities across the rest of Ulster football. During the rebuild the foundations of the existing end stand failed - so it had to be rebuilt too, with an additional £6m from the pot plus the insurance money. Windsor Park is now 19,000 all-seater with 3 new stands (the far side stand is c40yrs old). Rugby earmarked all their £15m to rebuild 3 stands at Ravenhill - having already done the main stand for £5m with their own cash just a couple of years prior. Ravenhill now holds 18,000 - half seated and all covered. GAA earmarked all their £61m to demolish and wholly rebuild Casement Park. Following planning disputes and other delays little has happened. Capacity has fallen from 40,000 to 34,500 and now 30,000 while costs have risen from £78m to £308m... that's £10k-per-seat, amongst most expensive in European history! GAA won't go beyond £15m of own cash. Eire taxpayers are contributing £43m. It's clearly proper GAA should receive their £61m (now actually £63m), and probably some more in the circumstances. It's quite clearly improper they should receive £187m more from UK taxpayers, as that is a gargantuan sum of money at a time of pressured public finances, and also vastly more than the other sports and the communities they represent have received. Doing so just to stage 3 games at Euro 2028 - which it would miss anyway if there was much delay during construction* - would be even more bizarre, especially as Northern Ireland are the least likely hosts to qualify. (*GAA have already conceded that even if work started imminently it wouldn't be ready for May 2027 i.e. you're talking just a few months leeway left before a brick has been laid). At this stage rebuilding the stadium more cheaply, on a somewhat reduced scale and a less compressed timetable, looks far more sensible - and reassign the Euro games to say Murrayfield or Sunderland.

Casement Park: West Belfast stadium to have smaller Euro 2028 capacity - BBC News The new stadium to be built at Casement Park in west Belfast will have a smaller initial capacity than originally planned. There will be room for 30,000 spectators when it first opens, rather than 34,500. However, the plan is to increase the capacity after the Euro 2028 soccer tournament. Questions remain about whether the stadium will be built in time for the event. An official estimate puts the cost of the redevelopment project at about £308m and the funding currently is not available. Nonetheless, preparations for the stadium reconstruction continue and there has been a re-think in terms of the initial configuration of the seating. When planning permission for the stadium was granted in 2022 the capacity quoted was 34,578. The reduced capacity at the Euros will ease traffic and parking issues around the west Belfast venue. The stadium will primarily be for GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) games but the design will allow it to host other sports, including soccer and rugby. If built, it will be the only stadium in Belfast with more than 20,000 seats.

Be brave ref who made everybody wait 90mins beyond scheduled KO - as opposed to e.g. saying at 1:30pm "on this occasion I'll give you right up until 3pm" - on the promise applying sand would turn an unplayable park to playable: if it didn't they'd get slated. Struggle to think of such a case before tbh.

Don't often listen these days but had Sportsound on while driving this afternoon. All the presenters and pundits agreed the problem isn't VAR: it's the refs (on the park and at HQ)... they do not "know the game", they are not "being consistent", and they need some kind of outside intervention or extra help with it. Complete through the looking glass moment (not that they realised) - especially considering media's role in the original clamour for this.

... and they did again yesterday most notably with Fauldhouse and Dalkeith taking Whitehill and Lochore to extra time; West Calder going down by an odd goal in 7 at Hill of Beath; and Peebles running Arniston close. However in the end it was a fairly disastrous weekend for Second & Third division sides, with only 6 of them reaching Last 32... and of those Bathgate had a bye in whilst Edinburgh Utd, Thornton, Harthill and Livingston Utd/Hawick were the product of all-tier 8+9 encounters. Bo'ness Athletic alone managed to beat a higher-level opponent and that took them ET against Oakley. So after its opening round the cup has been reduced to largely a Premier & First division affair: Second Round Premier (12) Broxburn, Crossgates, Dunbar/Inverkeithing, Glenrothes, Haddington, Hill of Beath, Hutchison Vale, Jeanfield, Kinnoull, Musselburgh, Sauchie, Tynecastle First (14) Arniston, Blackburn, Camelon, Dunipace, Heriot-Watt Uni, Kirkcaldy & Dysart, Leith, Lochore, Newtongrange, Preston, St Andrews, Vale of Leithen, Whitburn, Whitehill Second (3) Bo'ness Athletic, Edinburgh Utd, Thornton Third (3) Bathgate, Harthill, Livingston Utd/Hawick

Casement Park: Redevelopment could cost more than £300m - BBC News Casement Park: Huge funding shortfall as government reveals redevelopment could cost more than £300m The cost of redeveloping Casement Park in west Belfast for the Euro 2028 soccer tournament could be more than £300m. An official estimate puts the total at around £308m. The figure was quoted in a recent letter by the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris to the Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. However, the price of the project has not been finalised. The original cost of rebuilding the stadium a decade ago was estimated to be £77.5m. Casement Park is one of 10 venues due to host matches at the Euro 2028 tournament, but rebuilding work must begin soon or Belfast will miss out. At present, there is not a funding package in place to pay for the redevelopment, particularly as costs have risen to meet the standards required for the Euros. The letter, which contained the estimated cost of around £308m, was first reported by UTV. They also reported that Mr Heaton-Harris had told the department that the government "will not accept a position where it is expected to cover the scale of funding gap there appears to exist". As things stand, there is a huge shortfall in funding. The Stormont executive has pledged £62.5m, the Irish government has promised £42.8m while the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has said it will pay £15m. In total, that amounts to less than half of the estimated cost. There has as yet been no comment from the GAA on the £308m figure.