Random Matches You Are Going To...

[Guest]

1 minute ago, DoingThe42 said:

42/42 Dunfermline 2-1 Clyde, League One, 29/04/2023.

There we have it. 291 days after getting the ball rolling in summer of 2022 with Albion Rovers v Cove Rangers in the League Cup, after the darkening months of autumn and the freezing your baws off of winter; after long drives to get home at 2am and long days with cans of Tennent's on the train, at East End Park today it all came to an end.

A party atmosphere (of sorts) for the home side, but it was a bit flat for much of the day as Clyde played well, showing good discipline and looking a much better side than they have for most of the season, while Dunfermline obviously lacked a bit of intensity.

Salkeld has been a fine signing for the Bully Wee and he scored a really well-taken goal to put Clyde in front 12 minutes in. It was the first thing of note to happen in the match. Poor defending, with multiple chances to clear missed, led to Clyde conceding an equaliser right on half-time. It was a shame, as theyd have deserved their lead for their hard work, composure, and discipline.

Second half saw Jon Craig miss a good chance for Clyde, and then the visitors had a goal ruled out for offside, which looked fair enough.

Dunfermline took control as it moved on, and Lewis McCann won it for them with a really good hit after an error by Craig. Tough on Clyde, whose performance deserved a point. But good news from Kelty means it's the play-offs for the BW rather than automatic relegation. And recent performances give cause for optimism heading into those ties.

So, there we have it. 42/42. I'll post up a wee reflection/summary later for anyone who's interested. But it's been a joy.

 

Congratulations just the 240* lower league grounds to go

 

*ish no one seems to be able to agree

[DoingThe42]

4 minutes ago, Autistisches Nilpferd said:

Congratulations just the 240* lower league grounds to go

 

*ish no one seems to be able to agree

Just when I thought next season was looking stress-free.

[Marten]

9 minutes ago, DoingThe42 said:

Just when I thought next season was looking stress-free.

I started that challenge when I finished the 42, now roughly halfway through and I'm loving it.  

[buchan30]

1 hour ago, DoingThe42 said:

42/42 Dunfermline 2-1 Clyde, League One, 29/04/2023.

There we have it. 291 days after getting the ball rolling in summer of 2022 with Albion Rovers v Cove Rangers in the League Cup, after the darkening months of autumn and the freezing your baws off of winter; after long drives to get home at 2am and long days with cans of Tennent's on the train, at East End Park today it all came to an end.

A party atmosphere (of sorts) for the home side, but it was a bit flat for much of the day as Clyde played well, showing good discipline and looking a much better side than they have for most of the season, while Dunfermline obviously lacked a bit of intensity.

Salkeld has been a fine signing for the Bully Wee and he scored a really well-taken goal to put Clyde in front 12 minutes in. It was the first thing of note to happen in the match. Poor defending, with multiple chances to clear missed, led to Clyde conceding an equaliser right on half-time. It was a shame, as they'd have deserved their lead for their hard work, composure, and discipline.

Second half saw Jon Craig miss a good chance for Clyde, and then the visitors had a goal ruled out for offside, which looked fair enough.

Dunfermline took control as it moved on, and Lewis McCann won it for them with a really good hit after an error by Craig. Tough on Clyde, whose performance deserved a point. But good news from Kelty means it's the play-offs for the BW rather than automatic relegation. And recent performances give cause for optimism heading into those ties.

So, there we have it. 42/42. I'll post up a wee reflection/summary later for anyone who's interested. But it's been a joy.

 

Well done mate. 
Best trip/stadium?

worst trip/stadium?

best game?

worst game? 

Edited April 29, 2023 by buchan30

[An Eejit Abroad]

Melbourne Victory 0-1 Brisbane Roar

Att: 6,127

As good an advert for relegation in football as you can get as two poor teams with nothing to play for do very little for 90+ minutes in their last game of the season. Pretty dead atmosphere too in a mostly empty ground. Nice little stadium though and all the sport venues in that part of town make for an interesting walk.

Entertainment provided by a handful of Brisbane fans to my left delighted to see a rare win and an invasion of seagulls. Didn’t notice much in the way of Scottish links though Celtic legend Stefan Scepovic was playing for Brisbane. 

[DoingThe42]

1 hour ago, buchan30 said:

Well done mate. 
Best trip/stadium?

worst trip/stadium?

best game?

worst game? 

I'll get to it tomorrow. Been having a think over it.

[highlandmac]

10 hours ago, Marten said:

I started that challenge when I finished the 42, now roughly halfway through and I'm loving it.  

I've been doing a bit of that too.i now no longer have my 42,with bonnyrigg going into the league&FC Edinburghs new ground but re them I really can't be arsed,I'd rather just go somewhere outwith the national leagues.

Was at the cup winners shield game luncarty-renfrew yesterday,lovely wee ground&enjoyable game that actually meant something so it was competitive 

[VincentGuerin]

14 hours ago, DoingThe42 said:

42/42 Dunfermline 2-1 Clyde, League One, 29/04/2023.

There we have it. 291 days after getting the ball rolling in summer of 2022 with Albion Rovers v Cove Rangers in the League Cup, after the darkening months of autumn and the freezing your baws off of winter; after long drives to get home at 2am and long days with cans of Tennent's on the train, at East End Park today it all came to an end.

A party atmosphere (of sorts) for the home side, but it was a bit flat for much of the day as Clyde played well, showing good discipline and looking a much better side than they have for most of the season, while Dunfermline obviously lacked a bit of intensity.

Salkeld has been a fine signing for the Bully Wee and he scored a really well-taken goal to put Clyde in front 12 minutes in. It was the first thing of note to happen in the match. Poor defending, with multiple chances to clear missed, led to Clyde conceding an equaliser right on half-time. It was a shame, as they'd have deserved their lead for their hard work, composure, and discipline.

Second half saw Jon Craig miss a good chance for Clyde, and then the visitors had a goal ruled out for offside, which looked fair enough.

Dunfermline took control as it moved on, and Lewis McCann won it for them with a really good hit after an error by Craig. Tough on Clyde, whose performance deserved a point. But good news from Kelty means it's the play-offs for the BW rather than automatic relegation. And recent performances give cause for optimism heading into those ties.

So, there we have it. 42/42. I'll post up a wee reflection/summary later for anyone who's interested. But it's been a joy.

 

Well done, mate. Get your fucking feet up.

KTW is going to be at Aberdeen at home, if you're free. Early kick-off so I won't be out before the match, but we'll be in TA after if you're around.

Or are you off to some fucking village somewhere?

[centralTon]

14 hours ago, DoingThe42 said:

42/42 Dunfermline 2-1 Clyde, League One, 29/04/2023.

There we have it. 291 days after getting the ball rolling in summer of 2022 with Albion Rovers v Cove Rangers in the League Cup, after the darkening months of autumn and the freezing your baws off of winter; after long drives to get home at 2am and long days with cans of Tennent's on the train, at East End Park today it all came to an end.

A party atmosphere (of sorts) for the home side, but it was a bit flat for much of the day as Clyde played well, showing good discipline and looking a much better side than they have for most of the season, while Dunfermline obviously lacked a bit of intensity.

Salkeld has been a fine signing for the Bully Wee and he scored a really well-taken goal to put Clyde in front 12 minutes in. It was the first thing of note to happen in the match. Poor defending, with multiple chances to clear missed, led to Clyde conceding an equaliser right on half-time. It was a shame, as they'd have deserved their lead for their hard work, composure, and discipline.

Second half saw Jon Craig miss a good chance for Clyde, and then the visitors had a goal ruled out for offside, which looked fair enough.

Dunfermline took control as it moved on, and Lewis McCann won it for them with a really good hit after an error by Craig. Tough on Clyde, whose performance deserved a point. But good news from Kelty means it's the play-offs for the BW rather than automatic relegation. And recent performances give cause for optimism heading into those ties.

So, there we have it. 42/42. I'll post up a wee reflection/summary later for anyone who's interested. But it's been a joy.

 

Congratulations, a fantastic achievement. I only have Kelty to get to and it's not far away, but will do it next season.

[An Eejit Abroad]

South Melbourne 5-1 Altona Magic

Lovely setting for some NPL Victoria football. Altona went down to 10 men just before halftime with the score at 1-1 and collapsed in the second half. First time I’ve ever seen a winger with bleached hair taking long throws on both touch lines. 
 

South Melbourne used to be called Hellas and have historic links with the Greek community in Melbourne. They were named the Oceania team of the century and used to be one of the bigger clubs in the country pre-A League. Altona is also known as Vardar, after the Skopje club of the same name, and has historic links to migrants from the country now known as North Macedonia. 
 

Good few hundred people there. Nice little cafe in the stand. Stadium is probably what Meadowbank could have been like if they’d put any thought into it at all.

[DoingThe42]

Firstly, this is something I’ve always wanted to do since reading David Bennie’s A Season in Hell book as a kid. He went to all the grounds in the SFL back in 1996-97 and we had the book in the house when I was a boy. It had always struck me as something that would be fun to do. There was a slight concern that it would become a chore and that I’d crawl to the end of it, fed up with fixtures I had to attend and lacking motivation.

But that never happened. Even allowing for Queens Park making me do a trip to Hampden to make the 42 into the 43! The only game I struggled to get out of bed for all season was Airdrie v Clyde back in September. And that was because I’d just been on the bevvy for three days in Riga watching Hearts and had only had one proper nights’ sleep in about four.

The variety was good, and the further I got in and the more familiar I was with what was going on in each league, the more genuinely interesting pretty much each game I went to became. People often look for bigger leagues or major reconstruction, but I think the current format has made It really interesting. I’ve constantly been at games where teams have had things to play for. That's been the case right up to the end due to the small league sizes and the fact that in the lower leagues each division has a maximum of five teams who won’t end up promoted, relegated, or in a play-off at the end of the season. I’ve not been to a single pointless game. Teams' seasons can turn around very quickly, and the fact that a few results good or bad can be the difference between a promotion and relegation battle is great fun.

It’s been a great season. People complain sometimes about the quality of football. I’ve got two issues with that.

Firstly, I don’t really care about technical quality. If I did, I’d just watch La Liga. I want to see meaningful games that are competitive and played in front of crowds that care. And the SPFL provides that in spades, other than at the top of the Premiership. The Championship is excellent. Pretty much every game all season has been a big game. It’s ridiculous. But then League One has had its own dramas, and League Two has been exciting and has provided a really good relegation battle, as well as proper competition for the play-offs.

Secondly, I don’t think any of the leagues have been as bad as some people make out. I think the impact of the introduction of the pyramid can be seen in that none of the League Two teams at the bottom end are utterly fucking awful as has been the case in the past. Obviously, they’re shite, they’re at the bottom of our fourth tier, but they’re not uncompetitively shite or embarrassing. The standard at that point has been dragged up and that should be acknowledged.

It is absolutely crucial that B-teams are never allowed into the SPFL. They would completely disrupt the eco-system and have no place there whatsoever. Sadly, I feel that may be a ticking timebomb.

The main thing that’s been confirmed is that there are loads of great places to watch a game in the SPFL. I love places like Annan, Peterhead, Stenhousemuir with their wee social clubs and friendly staff. If you’re into floodlights and magnificent big terraces, you’ve got Queen of the South. St Mirren v Motherwell and Dundee United v Aberdeen showed that the Premiership away from the Old Firm can provide full houses, good atmospheres, and exciting games.

It’s hard to pick one high or one low etc. I had a great time at Forfar, Elgin, Stranraer, Dundee… Loads of them. Livingston is a shite place to watch a game, but I still had a good day out with my mates. Aberdeen charge thirty quid for a terrible view in a crumbling stand and didn’t even offer Pie of the Month in the away end! But, again, it was fun to go to the fitba with friends. Edinburgh is probably the only utterly irredeemably shite venue in the SPFL. Awful.

Generally, I’ve moved away from being a regular Premiership watcher. It’s hugely expensive, the fitba is not concomitantly better than the lower leagues, and the grounds are generally less enjoyable to visit. Is your average Premiership visit 12 quid better than a League Two game? Not for me. From next season I’ll be watching Clyde more than Hearts, I’d imagine, but doing this has underlined that on any Saturday there are going to be at least ten games I’d be happy to go to. There’s loads out there, and don’t let arseholes like the Sportsound gang put you off looking beyond the stuff the media fixates on.

Average prices per division are below. It should be noted that these prices include games from a range of competitions. Cups, Europe, and some discounts, like going to see Hibs against St Johnstone which was a tenner to get into. So, it's the average cost of visiting the Premiership grounds, for example, rather than actually watching the Premiership

I finished on 2.95 goals a game (raging to miss my 3-per-game target). Hearts and Clyde were the two teams I saw most, followed by Partick Thistle, which surprised me. But I saw them four times. I saw both Dundee and St Mirren play on the opening weekend of the league season then never saw either of them again.

I saw surprisingly successful away teams, given that the final tally was 20 home wins, 16 away wins, and 6 draws.

Average prices of visiting grounds in the:

Premiership: £25.33

Championship: £19.10

League One: £16

League Two: £13.80

Excellent pies were had at Arbroath and Livingston. Glad Peterhead have found their microwave and they gave me a hot one after my frozen solid pie experience there in 2018. Angriest fans were either St Mirren or Forfar. Best overall day out including a great train trip, good pubs, good pies, and a smashing ground is probably Arbroath.

I never got a fucking sniff with all those half-time draws.

Edited May 1, 2023 by DoingThe42

[Eednud]

4 hours ago, An Eejit Abroad said:

Good few hundred people there. Nice little cafe in the stand. Stadium is probably what Meadowbank could have been like if they’d put any thought into it at all.

Up until 1981 and before redevelopment it was the home ground of Aussie Rules side South Melbourne before they flew up to Sydney and became Swans. 

[Crow]

Hill of Beath Hawthorn 4-0 Vale of Leithen (2-0 HT) @ Kier’s Park . EOSFL Premier Division. 2.30pm. The home side ahead from the spot after only 2 mins and gifted a 2nd before half time. 2 further goals ️️ sealed 3 comfortable points in HOB’s their fight to stay up. Crowd 83.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Crow

[Andy groundhopper]

Western League Premier : Cadbury Heath 2 Barnstaple 1 att around 100. Vital win for the Heathens who climb above Keynsham Town(now bottom) and escape relegation. Decent effort, chances wasted, but survival comes at a price - eight trips down to Cornwall again next season, local Bristol clubs finding this a financial burden. Up the road Oldland Abbotonians beat Shirehampton 21 (att around 600) to gain promotion from Division 1.

[Andy groundhopper]

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, Andy groundhopper said:

Western League Premier : Cadbury Heath 2 Barnstaple 1 att around 100. Vital win for the Heathens who climb above Keynsham Town(now bottom) and escape relegation. Decent effort, chances wasted, but survival comes at a price - eight trips down to Cornwall again next season, local Bristol clubs finding this a financial burden. Up the road Oldland Abbotonians beat Shirehampton 21 (att around 600) to gain promotion from Division 1.

Surprised they won. I thought their keeper was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard

[Andy groundhopper]

[SouthLanarkshireWhite]

Betis v Sociedad in the race for the CL. There was 42 500 @ the game even though the Seville Feria was on and packed out at the same time.

 

 

[Elgin Macca]

Shamrock rovers v Sligo.

attendance -5500

price - 15 euro.

good game with both teams trying to play football. Trying to gauge the standard in relation to Scotland I would probably say mid table championship but hard to say. Decent chippy van for half time feed aswell!

[Guest]

Hill of Beath Hawthorn 3-1 Penicuik Athletic

Tuesday night run through to the Kingdom for some East Premier Action 

Haws in desperate need of the points and Penicuik comfortable in midtable. The home side wanted it more for obvious reasons and ran out comfortable winners. A poor second half sees few highlights apart from a dog on the park and commotion next door with cows escaping from their field.

Major mark down to Hill of Beath for not giving me tea in a real mug like Lochore and Thornton. Do enjoy that they are keeping the proud shunkie tradition alive.

Otherwise very impressed, a ground suited to further up the leagues if Haws performances and SFA scheming ever allow it.