Hip Priest

Urgh, you're right... Staying junior would have protected us from playing against any small clubs, guaranteed progression to higher leagues, resulted in the transfer of the ownership of Newtown Park to BUFC, prevented the formation of any other football club in the town, prevented the running of any websites or social media accounts related to the club except for those previously approved by the PolitBUro, and we'd have single handedly saved the credibility of the SJFA Cup. To quote Homer Simpson: By the way, I was BEING SARCASTIC (Seriously, I think the point I'm trying to make is that the times they were a-changing regardless of what we did, and we might as well be at the forefront.)

Absolutely, nothing wrong with setting a challenging target - which this certainly is! - as long as it's vaguely realistic. (Noting, of course, that our LL place next season isn't yet assured.) It's great to see talk of ambition. This time two years ago it looked like we were staying junior, seemingly for the sake of a couple of derbies a year and participation in a once great cup competition, now diminished beyond recognition. What a difference!

With apologies for the digression, although Bo'ness hasn't been in West Lothian in administrative terms at any point in my lifetime, I nevertheless always think of it as being in West Lothian. So it always feels weird when people talk about West Lothian football and aren't including the BU in that discussion - indeed my starting assumption is always that they are included until someone says something that suggests otherwise. I seem to remember there being some sort of one-off cup round about the millennium - possibly called the Millennium Cup... - for West Lothian clubs and Bo'ness not being invited. The rationale was that Bo'ness was "in Falkirk District" or that they already had eight teams for the competition, or something. But we all know they were just sh*ting it cos we were going to win. Anyway, Scottish football has enough identity politics issues without us getting into bitter conflicts over who the real ethnic West Lothianers are, so please feel free to get back on topic.

Ta for the info - thought he was maybe someone who only played a handful of times... but others reminiscing over his class decades later has me wondering why I can't remember him (even with the first name)!

I think this was the season that I really started going to watch the BU every week. I can remember everyone else but struggling with Scott - anyone got anything that might light a spark in my memory?

Bryan Ferry at the City Hall in Newcastle. Seen wor Bryan many times but this evening was one of the very best - heavily Roxy oriented setlist. I may also have spunked a load of money on a Genesis ticket earlier...

These groups have already split themselves out. Asking me, a CAMRA w****r, if I'm "a craft beer fan" (what does that even mean in the UK??) would elicit a response similar to asking John Cleese if he's a member of the Judean People's Front. And it works the other way too! (Also, Brewdog largely abandoned real ale many years ago, so they may be many things but they're not Real Ale Twats...) I share your frustration on the IPAs though. Above para notwithstanding, I'm happy to try anything that looks interesting regardless of dispense method (cos I'm so open minded!). But when I go to an offy with a decent beer reputation to find my faither a couple of different beers - maybe a bitter or a pale ale - for his birthday or Christmas, it's wall to wall sours and milkshake IPAs...

They'd have to be stark raven mad.

Was going through to Embra tonight anyway so I took in the game at Olivebank. Crazy finish! Cheered the equaliser like it was a Bo'ness goal...

A week ago tonight I was at Carly Rae Jepsen at the Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. As you'd expect from one of the great recording artists of our time, it was a strong set list and a really charismatic performance. Top marks to Carly, though the venue was a bit pish. Since then, I got a ticket for Suede at the Usher Hall in the autumn. It'll be the first time I've seen them since their "farewell" tour in 2003. They're playing Coming Up in full... A perfectly decent album, but I can't listen to it (I tried again this week) without feeling it was the sound of a band losing their magic... Still, the album's not that long so they'll hopefully "pad out" their set with some classics!

That probably makes sense. From my own - less comprehensive - records, I see we played that friendly on the Saturday before the Camelon game for which, according to John, Ryan was included as a sub. If I remember rightly we murdered LTHV 1-1 that day. Anyway, that's probably enough Lemetti chat, but glad we've cleared that up!!

I'm absolutely certain(ish) Ryan Lemetti did appear for the BU, at least (and probably no more than) once as a substitute. It was at Newtown - don't ask me which game though! Main recollection of that signing was AMcG talking to the Journal not about the lad's ability but that his family had a chippie. It was quite a nervy showing and he is, or was, quite slightly built, but that was two or three years ago - hopefully he'll do well.

What's Auld Heid actually suggesting when he repeatedly comes out with this stuff? That the current BU Junior committee, or part thereof, will become involved in the running of the senior club? If that does turn out to be the case, are we supposed to be troubled by the prospect of these seemingly talented, hard-working, ambitious individuals contributing to the success of the club? Weird thing to be attempting to wind folk up over, IMO...

I doubt I'll be able to take this seriously but hey, what else is there on the telly on Sunday evenings? Might go for the Battlehawks out of a sense of Missouri solidarity and also (and to honest, mainly) because they have a daft name.

Even if HoB don't win all three in hand (a tall order in this league) but just continue to collect points from those games at around their current points-per-game rate, they'd still close to within three or four - so although that'd still be a good position to be in for Bo'ness, it's hardly "in the bag" territory with a further thirty points available. To add to that, as we know better than anyone, there is no such thing as a banker in this league so that ten game run-in really is a ten game run-in! Agree that it's surely down to Bo'ness/HoB/Broxburn now though. At least one of those teams should surpass the 60 point mark, so when you consider the max points available column for the rest of the pack, it'd be very hard to make an argument for any of them.

Very good set of results for the BU elsewhere today. Almost glad we ended up not playing in case our own score ruined it! Meanwhile, an entertaining game at Newtown ended with Darren Gribben tapping in a 90th minute winner for the Juniors for a 3-2 win over Newburgh. It gladdened my heart to see him back playing and scoring in Bo'ness. Just five minutes earlier it appeared they'd fluffed their lines, missing several good chances on their way to surrendering a 2-0 lead. Just about deserved overall. I know, I know; juniors forum for this pish!

That was every bit as enjoyable as a midwinter, midweek trip to Bonnyrigg promised to be. Third goal with the last kick of the baw possibly a bit harsh, but no complaints really.

Not to say this means it'll definitely be on, but there was nae snaw in Edinburgh/Midlothian as far as I'm aware...

Would have thought any total in the low 30s should be good enough for safety - they might be inconsistent but it's inconceivable that Lithgae could fail to pick up another eight points from half their league programme! With that sort of target in mind, one would fear for Sauchie and, particularly, Nitten, who seem to be on a wretched run and have limited time to turn it around. Blackburn have a couple of games in hand over that pair but have endured a horrible series of results since October (with one notable exception...), and it's been noted that they're having to field a lot of youngsters of late. Sauchie might be the most likely of the current bottom three to pull themselves out of the mire; and if that happens then, on the basis of what I've seen, I'd suggest Crossgates would be the most likely to get dragged in. (But I accept they might have just had a really bad day against us!)

Chill oot fella! I defended your club's methodology. I was merely suggesting that it might not provide a sound basis for one-upmanship in comparison to figures obtained using alternative approaches. You should absolutely free to disregard that advice, but don't expect anyone to take you seriously. ETA: I just mean in relation to crowd wanks. I will of course take grinderbrokeyourhearts seriously on all other matters.

It's not an unreasonable approach to take, and in the absence of actual turnstiles it is at least auditable. It's not really what the compiler is trying to track, though. Moreover it makes a bit of a mockery of some of the crowdwanking (which is usually over differences of a couple of dozen folk) - see recent posts in Lithgae thread!

I took in the Craigroyston/Univ of Stirling EoS game on Saturday and although I didn't do a "proper" count (not that it would have taken me long) I reckoned about 30. Obviously I am happy to be corrected if someone provides an official figure!

Just sitting here in a Matt Cassel jersey watching Mahomes do that.

Definitely one of the best pubs in Glasgow. Good range of interesting, well kept cask ales if that's your thing, but even if it's not, still worth a visit. (I can't comment on the food, however.)

Joke's on you cos they'll be worth more than four quid in a few weeks... It would have been hard to have grudged Lithgae a point at the end (though I'm sure I'd have managed). But over the whole 90 minutes, if there had to be a winner, it was the BU that deserved the three points. Another impressive battling performance even when the game wasn't going their way - many BU teams of the past would have bottled that.