My
personal definitive end point to the domestic football season for the last four
years, has been a climactic sojourn to Scotland to take in a juniors match with
my old mate Mickey Hydes; a native of Ashington, he has been resident in
Scotland, firstly in Cowdenbeath then latterly in Paisley, since 1997. In 2009,
we saw Bathgate Thistle avoid relegation and send their opponents Forfar West
End down in a 5-2 thriller, in 2010 I returned to Bathgate’s Creamery Park to
see Linlithgow Rose beat Musselburgh Athletic 2-1 in the East of Scotland Cup
and last year, Arthurlie defeated Irvine Meadow on penalties after a 2-2 draw
in the Evening Times Cup semi final at a slightly crazed Dunterlie Park. All
three trips have seen the absolute cream of the groundhopping fraternity
descend upon small towns in the Central Belt; today, of course, was no
different in this respect, as upwards of 50 camera and notepad wielding
weirdoes disembarked from the same train as I did.
This
year, the trip was to Hannah Park, in the no horse Lanarkshire town of Shotts,
famous only for the large open prison on the outskirts of the settlement, to
see local heroes Shotts Bon Accord (not the ones who lost 36-0 to Arbroath in
1885, but the ones who’d just won the Scottish Junior Cup 2-1 over Auchinleck
Talbot) attempt to maintain their quest to win the West Superleague Division 1
title by defeating Girvan, one of the 9 games in hand their various cup runs
had saddled them with. A win for the home side (who had opted out of the end of
season Evening Times Cup before they’d even qualified for it) would not give
Shotts the title, as they would still need 2 points from their remaining
fixtures away to Thorniewood United on Monday 11th and Rutherglen Glencairn
(that is not a misprint) on Wednesday 13th to deny Glenafton Athletic the
championship, though both were already promoted to the West Superleague Premier
Division, but it would relegate Girvan (alongside the already doomed Dalry,
Lanark United and East Kilbride Thistle), who could feasibly have moved from 13th
to 6th with a victory, even though a point would have made them safe
and demoted Hurlford United.
The
14 team Division 1 boats a rapid turnover of clubs each year; as well as saying
goodbye to the 4 bottom sides, the two promoted sides could be joined in saying
their fond farewells by Renfrew, if they defeat 3rd bottom Pollok in
a two-legged play off taking place on Monday and Wednesday 11th and
13th June, meaning that 50% of the division would be playing their
football at a different standard in 2012/2013 than in 2011/2012. Meanwhile,
Ashfield FC, who had upset the form book by winning 1-0 away to Auchinleck
Talbot in the first Evening Times Cup semi final on Friday evening, awaited the
outcome of the other Saturday game, which saw Maybole host Irvine Meadow, with
the final pencilled in for Thursday 14th, to ensure the whole season
could be wrapped up in advance of the Scottish Juniors West Region AGM that always
takes place on the third Saturday in June each year. Who says the end of season
is littered with games that are meaningless kickarounds?
These
Scottish trips have their own rituals; I always leave on the 10.30 train from
Central Station, having selected an Ipod soundtrack that is entirely devoted to
Teenage Fanclub. I arrive in Waverley in plenty of time, then panic as I scan
departure boards looking for the correct train and platform. Thankfully I had plenty of time for my
connection, so I was able to select the appropriate destination option,
then settle down to enjoy the 11 stops
on the near deserted (save for the members of the groundhopping brotherhood)
rattler that took me to Shotts. Emerging from the station, I took a left past
the Railway Hotel bar, the Beer World off licence with its polygonic freehand
globe signage, crossed the street and was collected by Mick, who drove us up
the road to Hannah Park.
As
ever in the Juniors, the welcome oscillated between effusive bonhomie, as
evidenced by the Shotts secretary Drew Wood (who achieved a degree of fame by
mentioning on the television coverage on BBC Alba of the Juniors Cup final,
that he’d been banned at the age of 8 from attending Shotts’s previous SJFA Cup
Final victory in 1958 by his mother, as he’d been suffering from chickenpox),
who invited us in to his office to give us the team lists, then asked Mick to
write them out on the whiteboard to be displayed outside the changing room
block, to taciturn suspicion. The latter was palpable as we entered the
hospitality area and asked for 2 coffees; such a request for this bizarre alien
brew was met with a mixture of fear and hostility, as the gents serving
conferred as to whether such an exotic beverage was available. Eventually, two
cups of fearsomely strong Co-op own brand espresso style instant were produced.
Learning from the experience, we accepted the proffered cups of stewed tea, not
to mention chocolate digestives, at half time, so as not to cause a scene.
By
that stage, Shotts Bon Accord were 3-0 up and Girvan had missed a penalty. While
I tend to be relatively neutral during my Junior visits, I did have a feeling
for Givan, having been there aged about 7, while we holidayed on the Wigtownshire
peninsula; I remember eating an ice cream on a cold day in August 1971,
watching the similarly aged Scottish children returning to school. Such
Proustian reveries are enough to provide reason to follow a particular team and
my half time gloom was replaced by unfettered joy, as by halfway through the
second period, Girvan had pulled it back to 3-3, including their second and
third penalties. With 15 minutes to hold on and with them sitting in 9th
place, Girvan lost the head completely; two players were red carded and four
minutes in to injury time, Shotts scored a wickedly deflected winner to send
Girvan down, produce a mass pitch invasion from the local pissed Ned contingent
(who’d kept up a nonstop barrage of singing showing their grasp of 17th
Century Irish politics) and then have one of their own players sent off. It was
as devastating and inevitable as Manchester City’s Premier League victory.
However,
let’s be frank; Shotts Bon Accord 4 Girvan 3 was the best fiver I spent all
year. Prior today, I simply didn’t believe any game could stir the blood as
much as Hebburn Reyrolle 1 Percy Main 2 or Newcastle 2 Liverpool 0 had done,
but this one was the absolute, solid gold game of the season. I simply couldn’t
even begin to do the action justice, so allow me to guide you in the direction
of the match report Mick filed for The Sunday Mail -:
Shotts moved to within one
point of Glenafton at the top of the Super First Division, leaving them with
two games in the coming week from which to clinch the title. In a frenzied game
at Hannah Park, Paul Finnigan’s injury time piledriver procved to be the winner
against nine-man Girvan. This defeat finally relegates Girvan to life in the
Ayrshire League and means Hurlford are safe for another season.
Bon Accord raced into a
three goal lead inside 25 minutes with Stefan McCluskey's opener the pick of
the bunch, when he outpaced three defenders to fire home from fifteen yards.
Mark Sideserf quickly added two more by firing home solo efforts from both
wings. Girvan wasted a lifeline just before the break when from a soft penalty
award Lee McCrea blasted over.
Incredibly Girvan drew
level by scoring three inside the opening 21 minutes of the second half. A
handball gave John Bradford a penalty award which he duly dispatched. He then
grabbed a second after converting when a corner was not cleared and then
claimed a hat-trick with another penalty. Girvan then proceeded to lose two
players, both to two yellow cards with Scott McGilp and Tom Maitland both
falling foul of the referee’s notebook.
A draw would have made
Girvan safe but there was more drama to follow when the nine men finally
conceded when Finnigan's low drive took a deflection to find its way into the
far corner, sparking a wild pitch invasion. Paul Burns gained a second yellow
card and his own dismissal on the final whistle for comments to the referee.
Shotts manager Tony
McInally commented "It is no fluke that we score late goals to win games,
as the spirit and the attitude is there and has been all season. We can now
move on to get the extra point or two required to claim the title and it would
be fully deserved. Credit to Girvan who battled back; it’s a shame for them to
finally go down in this way."
At
full time, with disconsolate Girvan players on tears in the centre circle and
jubilant home fans up to their knees in whatever it was they sang about, an
elderly Shotts fan added some perspective by confiding in me that he’d not
cheered the winner as he felt so sorry for poor Girvan. The hysterical home
support who made their way back down the road would not have shared his sporting
fellow feelings and, who could blame them? These were happy lads, if a little
ambiguous in their intentions to the uninformed onlooker. A hatchback
containing 4 lads in Rangers’ shirts drew alongside me and the driver asked
“hey pal, is this an Orange walk?” In many ways I could see his point.
Roll
on June 2013……
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