Ivo den Bieman

Yes this must have been shortly after the annual heroic attmept to keep the terracing triffids at bay.

Fill yer boots here on old cup finals lads: some famous games from long, long ago in here: https://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/Scottish+Cup The Pathé site has some astonishingly random games, such as this cup tie from 1955/56 at Firhill with Brechin City the visitors (Thistle win 3-1). No sound / commentary unfortunately. https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA34CXX4QRFF4TSHO2UP2PLPPKC-SCOTTISH-CUP-SIXTH-ROUND-PARTICK-BEAT-BRECHIN-3-1-THISTLE-PROVE/query/Brechin Not Scottish, but this gives a good flavour of Pathé's longer reports; Gateshead 0 Bolton W. 1 in 1953; lots of local colour, toothless old gimmers, rosettes & rattles, and semi-jaked women in headscarves in the crowd https://www.britishpathe.com/video/6th-round-f-a-cup-gateshead-v-bolton/query/Gateshead+Bolton Leading up to the Matthews final later that year, still worth a watch. Very very slow by today's standards but Matthews & Lofthouse really stand out. Geroge Farm, Scotland keeper in goal for Blackpool whilst Bolton captain Willie Moir was from Aberdeen and an international.

Yup. If that pattern of that luckless league place continues, MK Dons will disappear around 2031/32.

Forgotten careers: Neil McBain (1895-1974). McBain begain at Ayr (first picture, taken 1920) before going on to play for Man U, Everton, St. Johnstone and Watford, and seemingly retired from playing in 1931. He had a significant career as a manager with clubs including Watford, Orient, and Estudiantes de la Plata in Argentina (!). Finished at Ayr in 1963. Best remembered as manager of doomed, penniless New Brighton, Merseyside's forgotten fifth league club who were in the Third Division North from 1923-51. During a desperate injury crisis manager McBain had to play himself in the "Rakers" goal in a league fixture at Hartlepool in March 1947 at the age of 51- the oldest player ever toi turn out in a Football League match, and sixteen years after his last appearance for Watford. He was sacked a year later with the Rakers yet again bottom of the league, but to be honest Bill Shankly couldn't have reversed their fortunes. The other photos show him during his career and in pre-season at the Tower Ground, New Brighton's home, in summer '47.

Speaking of Tommy Walker (great to see these 50s designs above!), here's his British Forces all-stars team of 1944/45 which ended on the war on a marathon tour of India. Nutmeg magazine wrote about this gruelling tour a while back. Seems to be almost all Scots players with a couple of Welshmen as garnish.

Dundee Violet team group from 80 years ago, including David Symon, brother of Scot; a post-war cup-tie at Glenesk Park versus Glenafton Athletic (look at the crowd!!!); Glenesk more recently, with a much more contemporary crowd (around 60 committee, family and last of the diehards) when Glenafton won 2-0 there in 2016. I have a real soft spot for Violet. I sued to watch them a bit when I lived in Dundee; Glenesk, bar the covered enclosure, was then an overgrown ruin covered in foxgloves and debris. It's tidied up quite a bit since. At the end of the 2000s it was like Day of the Triffids standing on the old grassbanks there. Dundee back then had a crowd of around 50-100 or so old guys who would go wherever there was a decent game on without necessarily supporting any one club. It's astonishing to look back at these huge crowds now.

Some more on London Caledonian FC, the amateur team for Scots in London, founded in 1886 and a famous non league side until the middle 1920s, after which they went into decline, and didn't re-emerge after WW2. Their ground was on Caledonian Park in Holloway, North London- there's still a public park and sports facilities there but I think the site of their actual league ground has long since had houses on it. London Caley made it as far as the Isthmian League which they won a few times. The Isthmian is now step 7 on the English Pyramid (below Conference South), but back then it was a much stronger league than it is today. Here's some pics: a reprint of their early history from the 20s; a cigarette card; header of a team line against top Essex side Ilford (one of the ancestor clubs of the present Dagenham & Redbridge); match action from a home tie in 1894 (!!) against Luton Town, when the Caley were on the wrong end of a 1-4 gubbing. The predecessors of P&B no doubt scribing furiously in quill pen by gaslight at the full time whistle, advising the selection committee to get themselves to f**k after such an embarrassing defeat. A shame Caley couldn't find a way to keep going; strictly amateur and even then difficult to compete against well resourced semi pro teams paying good money. Only Corinthian Casuals who have an equally exotic history are survivors of that long lost era of amateur football, playing still in the Isthmian League which they helped to found..

Andrew Dallas on target for the Moors too. Had forgotten about him- he did OK at Stenny a while back on loan before being released by The The The Rangers. I wonder if they'll sneak promotion and if Grimsby have anything left in the tank after that extraordinary match against Hollywood Wrexham. Solihull have problems though- their ground is very much on the small side and they will be turfed out of it in the next 3 seasons to make way for the expansion of the neighbouring Jaguar Land Rover plant. Grimsby very much more a 'traditional' league club and likely to be a bit more stable in the medium term.

The English season is almost as long as the Tayside Juniors (aka Midland League) now. I think Solihull Moors v Grimsby Town, for a place in next term's EFL, is the final game of the season next Sunday at West Ham's ground. A day after Tayport play East Craigie in one of those endless cup finals that prolong the non league season up here.

'badly injured' Forest keeper who hobbled off now jigging about in front of their fans

Terrible time wasting by Forest and a poor refereeing display but Huddersfield architects of their own downfall. Poor passing and a bit clueless in the final third.

Oh, has the Winter Palace been stormed?

Emile was genuinely one of the worst footballers I've ever seen play at senior level.

They'd likely have lost by double figures over two games. Thankfully the whole charade seems to be over. Feel sorry for Shadab Iftikhar who did do a good job there, came across as a thoroughly decent guy, and at least made Fort William look like a football team, rather than eleven pissed stagdo guests who mysteriously woke up playing a senior football fixture on a Saturday afternoon. He had an impossible job. The bigger question is how long their utter roaster of a chairman will hang around and what will be left afterward when he inevitably has another massive tantrum and walks away.

fair play

Think that's a wee bit harsh. 30,000 to a third tier play off at the end of the 90s- that sliding door moment against Gillingham, suggests a longstanding and very loyal fanbase. I suppose the question is how that late 90s fanbase has changed since City lost their general reputation from back then, as a badly managed clowncar of a club.

Fine, fine margins though. Twenty minutes beforte the end I imagine Guardiola was going to come under serious scrutiny in the week ahead. Now he's won a title. The turn of a sixpence. Two excellent sides miles better than the rest and it's been a really exciting title race.

A real Lancashire league in the Championship next season: Blackburn Rovers Blackpool Burnley Preston NE Wigan Ath Burnley shat the bed basically. Nae luck.

Most League 1 / League 2 teams will find Caernarfon a tough opponent. They have one or two very good players & unlike Ten Nasty Scousers, have a big & passionate fanbase.

A shame for Bangor who seem to be moving in the right direction again after a long and painful decline

I'm sad to see Cowden go, a good club with a small but fiercely loyal band of supporters. I can remember Mixu Paatelainen's side trouncing us four times in one season and the gulf between the two teams back then was enormous. Hard to believe there's two divisions between us now. It's a decent awayday too which many will miss. All the best for next season.

Yeah not at all sure what they have to complain about. Linfield are a fine side and deservedly held off a strong challenge from Cliftonville. Healy is an enigma. A lethal striker for Northern Ireland but had a surprisingly mediocre club career, other than his spells at Preston & Leeds at Championship level. Some of the frailties / self-doubt which seem to have dogged his club career on display in those interviews. He only ever seemed to truly relax when he was playing for Norethern Ireland. Can't see that he could have done too much more managing the Blues. Surely he must be a strong candidate to take over the national side once the dismal Baraclough reign is brought to an end?

David Healy sounds burnt out tbh. I didn’t realise there was scepticism about him. The ones giving him stick right now will look idiots if he decides to take a break and gets replaced with a Warren Feeney-type diddy.

Danny Grainger ‘takes the reins’ at Workington again after a bruising time with you guys. Always felt he’d do better at Falkirk but sometimes these things just can’t be predicted. Not sure how much he was suited to being no.2 to Peanut who was clearly out of his depth.

Darvel v Tranent will be a very intreresting game indeed. Two very well-matched sides I think. Poor St. Cuthbert's left playing the role of Andorra in this group.