Random Matches You Are Going To...

[Le Tout P'ti FC]

Fantastic evening at Ferguson Park. Early kick off at 6:15pm due to broken floodlights. Finished Whitehill Welfare 2 Camelon 1 AET. Whitehill progress to the semi final of the King Cup.

Camelon achieved the near impossible feat of losing from 1-0 up in injury time with a late own goal and two red cards. Whitehill strolled home from there, even allowing themselves the luxury of a missed penalty.

The Camelon Twitter/X report reads not that they died due to hitting themselves over the head repeatedly with a shovel, rather that they played extra time in total darkness and were unlucky to lose. Not near darkness, or gathering dusk, as a normal person would have interpreted it. Nope, their fans were behaving as if they were down a pit head and somebody had forgotten to bring the lamps.

In reality it was a standard mid-April evening, sunset followed by 30-40 minutes of dusk. Perfectly visible at full time as you might judge from my second picture.

I drove home for 25 minutes and would still have had enough light to play football, so their complaints were ludicrous. 

So Camelon become the second team from Falkirk to exit a cup in Midlothian this season and, as ever, this was apparently totally down to the appalling conditions their artisanal footballers had to endure rather than anything their opponents may have done to beat them.

Good game, enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Red Kite]

First siting of a fox on the pitch, at a match.  As the animal headed towards the Ashville goal, during their North West Counties Division 1 South game with Market Drayton  a wag in the crowd shouted, "He's off-side!".  The kind daft humour I enjoy.  Substitiute fox for dog and you get the vibe.

 

[Doctor Manhattan]

12 minutes ago, Red Kite said:

First siting of a fox on the pitch, at a match. 

Two weeks ago: Fox in the box invades pitch and stops play between Portsmouth and Derby

Edited April 16 by Doctor Manhattan
ETA: Fox aside, sounds like a good game with plenty of goals...

[Jute]

Edinburgh City 1-0 Montrose in league 1. Original game was abandoned due to high winds and Montrose were probably hoping for high winds to return to get this abandoned as well as they played poorly tonight and never really troubled City who played well and deserved their win. City Ultras were not allowed into ground tonight due to noise complaints so instead moved to the waste ground closer to the houses who complained. 

 

Edited April 16 by Jute

[Red Kite]

28 minutes ago, Doctor Manhattan said:

Two weeks ago: Fox in the box invades pitch and stops play between Portsmouth and Derby

Had not seen this and it was a decent game, thanks.  A personal first for me.   These EFL foxes are a cut above....

[tamthebam]

25 minutes ago, Jute said:

Edinburgh City 1-0 Montrose in league 1. Original game was abandoned due to high winds and Montrose were probably hoping for high winds to return to get this abandoned as well as they played poorly tonight and never really troubled City who played well and deserved their win. City Ultras were not allowed into ground tonight due to noise complaints so instead moved to the waste ground closer to the houses who complained. 

 

Noise complaints at the Stadium.. what a joke of a place. Did they put the Zumba class off? 

Think I'll bring my kazoo down at the next game.. 

[Spyro]

33 minutes ago, Jute said:

Edinburgh City 1-0 Montrose in league 1. Original game was abandoned due to high winds and Montrose were probably hoping for high winds to return to get this abandoned as well as they played poorly tonight and never really troubled City who played well and deserved their win. City Ultras were not allowed into ground tonight due to noise complaints so instead moved to the waste ground closer to the houses who complained. 

 

Noise complaint at a football ground. Could only happen in Edinburgh... 

[GNU_Linux]

36 minutes ago, Spyro said:

Noise complaint at a football ground. Could only happen in Edinburgh... 

Happened at Dunipace earlier in the season from some of the residents in the houses behind the ground

[Groundhopping Adventures]

22 minutes ago, GNU_Linux said:

Happened at Dunipace earlier in the season from some of the residents in the houses behind the ground

Don't buy a house next to a football ground then

[SlipperyP]

7 hours ago, Jute said:

 

What's going on in this photo.

 

[Jute]

15 minutes ago, SlipperyP said:

What's going on in this photo.

 

Was a free kick for Montrose near the end of the game. Montrose keeper had come up for it and dived just as I took picture.

[GordonS]

Longside 5-0 Whitehills, SJFA North Region Championship, att 60.

Success on my second attempt to get here, after I drove all the way up one Friday evening last February only to find the game off due to a power cut caused by high winds. Longside are an unusual club, they don't appear to have any social media at all, not even Facebook. It's a tiny village yet they have a remarkably well-appointed ground with a large social club and separate pavilion, modern floodlights, impressive personalised ironwork and a substantial brick shelter... the view from much of which is ruined by the two dug-outs, which could have been on the opposite side, obstructing the far goal. You can't have it all.

By chance I've seen Whitehills a few times over the past couple of years and this game followed a similar pattern. They're competitive and right in the game until the moment they're not. Nil-nil at half time turned into 5-0 at full time, with the gaps between goals getting shorter and shorter. Another 10 minutes and it would probably have been 10-0. It's not difficult to see why they're the second-lowest placed team in this part of the pyramid, spared the ultimate indignity only by Cruden Bay losing all 26 of their league games and getting docked 3 points to boot.

 

[atfccfc]

Pumpherston V Livingston United 3-1 at Recreation park. EOSFL Division 3. Entry £6, No Programme due to games being poaponed at the last minute,  but they gave me a couple of old ones from this season. Crowd around 100.

It was a lovely evening so got myself out to watch this game. 

Midtable Pumpherston against winless visitors United. The match started of with both teams struggling with the heavy playing surface. So both resorted to long ball tactics. 

The hosts took the lead on 15 minutes from a corner on the right swung low in and number 9 headed home. They repeated the trick on 30 minutes but from the left when the same player headed home, much to the frustration of the Livingston United goalkeeper. 

Livingston down 2-0 at half time but they create a few chances of their own, but lack of composure in front of goal was their undoing. 

The second half was a bit better from the visitors point of view, they got a goal back when number 5 scored from the edge of the box after another corner. 

But the game was soon put to bed when the industrious number 10 for Pumpherston ran 30+ yards to score the goal of the night to make it 3-1 on 65 minutes. 

 

[GordonS]

East Craigie 0-2 Dundee St. James, Midland League, attendance about 50.

This completes the Midland League for me... or does it. I've only been to a first half at Blairgowrie, does that "count"? I know it doesn't matter but I wouldn't want to be claiming things like completing the grounds in a league if folk thought I was taking the piss. I've been to 21 grounds in this league as I've been to both of Montrose Roselea's, which I very much recommend if you get the chance. 

Another cold evening - will winter never end? - but a very tasty steak pie helped with that. Somehow in my mind I'd decided East Craigie were a bigger club than they actually seem to be. It looks like the ground was just grass banking and a rail until very recently, when they flattened and concreted part of it and put up some cover in the form of what seems to be bike sheds without sides. The pitch was in fine condition, which I understand is typical for Dundee...

Other than the two first-half goals there was little between the sides, with St James' keeper making a couple of very good saves to keep his side ahead. End of season fayre played ay 100mph regardless.

[PSJ.84]

Union Berlin Women 10-0 FC Stern Women (Polytan Cup Semi)

 

Despite going ahead after 10 minutes, the first 20 minutes or so looked like it would be a decent contest, but a seven minute hattrick from Sarah Abu Sabbah killed that notion. Two more goals followed before half time - guess who got one of them. Union added another couple quickly after the break and at 8-0 after an hour it became very much a passing exercise. Abu Sabbah added another couple in the last few minutes to take her tally for the evening to six. 
 

Free entry so really cannot complain. 

[Red Kite]

Our game today was appealing, but decided to stay south of the border due to feeling a bit cack.  Headed for Marine FC's College Road, for their Northern Premier League -Premier fixture against Atherton Collieries  Merseyrailed it out past Everton's new stadium to Blundellsands and Crosby station.  My mate delivers pizzas around here and there are a lot of EPL customers.  Local resident James Carragher is up at ITC.  I headed for Crosby Beach for some fresh air.   For any South Bank Shoe P&Bers, this is the home of Anthony Gormley's Another  Place.  Nice view over to New Brighton and North Wales.  My mate said the club used the money from its fairly recent FA Cup run, including playingTottenham Hotspur, to build their new function suite.  They also developed a relationship with the Spurs' commercial team, getting advice off them.  The announcer stressing the ace music ( just played some XTC) is his choices  today.

[Groundhopping Adventures]

Edinburgh United 2-4 Tweedmouth Rangers

In Switz... sorry Edinburgh today for some East Second Action. Any locals know the architectural reasonings behind the stand? It's magnificent. 

First time ever seeing Edinburgh United and a first visit to Paties Road. You find it in amongst Cricket Pitches, Tennis Courts and Big houses. Proper midden this bit. A eventful first half sees the sides in level despite the visitors missing a penalty. Tweedmouth run riot in the second half. Two consolation goals for United take the shine off the performance but Tweedmouth secure a valuable three points that could go a long way to relegating United and saving themselves. 

Paties Road is fantastic. Cannie believe we didn't come years ago. We'll worth your time if you're looking for football in Edinburgh 

[PSJ.84]

Nürnburg 0-2 Paderborn 

 

Not a great night for the hosts, whose ultras were handing out leaflets before the game protesting against the manager (I think) and playing down the achievements of Bayer Leverkusen due to them not being 50+1. Can’t imagine they’re fond of VAR today either - a goal disallowed for offside and a penalty ruled out for encroachment. Some atmosphere nonetheless. German football is just better, and yes, I did do the typical British tourist thing and end up absolutely blootered.

Edited April 20 by PSJ.84

[Craig fae the Vale]

BSC Glasgow 2-0 Carluke Rovers. 

No game for the Vale today so a short trip to Peterson Park for this Fourth Division match up. Carluke probably the better team but created very little and missed a first half penalty. BSC clinical and scored with their only two real chances at the end of each half.

Glorious day for a game.

[AyrAtlanta]

València 1-2 Real Betis 

Second LaLiga game for me and a far better atmosphere than the Camp Nou last season. Valencia’s singing section behind the goals providing a lot of noise for the 90.

As a self proclaimed Bético, I was very happy to see them win a crucial game in the race for Europe. Isco and Ayoze Pérez absolutely strolled the game against a young Valencia side who have punched above their weight this season. Couple of dubious decisions regarding a disallowed Betis goal and the Valencia penalty which I thought were harsh.

The Mestalla is an unbelievable ground though and a blueprint for how a football stadium should be. Built right into tight city streets with very steep sides that are close to the pitch.