My Football Travels

Meadow Park (Irvine Meadow XI v Livingston)

2012-01-09T17:35:00.004Z

I had not updated my blog for exactly a month. One of the reasons is that I have not seen that many matches lately. I still have some pictures in the vault however which I will post in the next few weeks. I just have to make time to do it!

At the weekend the fourth round of the Scottish Cup was played and it featured a number of mouthwatering ties including Peterhead v Celtic, Arbroath v Rangers and Hearts v Auchinleck Talbot. I had not planned to see any football this weekend, also because the weather usually spoils things around this time of the year but it is now actually really mild for the time of the year. Still, the 'high winds' at Gayfield Park are never far away...

I did manage to see a third round Scottish Cup tie back in November. I made the short trip form Paisley to Irvine to see junior side Irvine Meadow XI, who qualified for the Scottish Cup as 2011 West Region Superleague winners, take on First Division team Livingston. Two season ago Medda eliminated Arbroath at this stage of the competition. Their reward was a glamour tie at Easter Road. Around 2,000 Irvine fans saw their team lose 3-0 to Hibs.

Few people expected the home side to repeat the feat of two years ago as Livingston are of a different calibre than Arbroath and it turned out that Livi were much too strong for the Ayrshire side. Marc McNulty, Livi's 19-year-old striker, needed less than five minutes to open the scoring. He added a second and a third to his tally but limped off with an ankle injury just after Rory Boulding had made it 4-0. Six minutes into the second half Kenny Deuchar scored the visitors' fifth. The home fans chanted "We're going to win 6-5" but Bobby Barr made sure it was a convincing scoreline for the West Lothian side as he scored 6-0 a minute before the end.

Not the most exciting game I had ever been to but always nice to see a packed junior ground. Highlight for many of the younger fans was probably the presence of Scotland and Everton striker James McFadden who for whatever reason decided to visit a junior club on a Saturday. I cannot blame as he probably does not get the opportunity on most Saturdays. After he was spotted by a clever local kid he was constantly signing autographs and posing for pictures and he seemed to be happy to do so for which he should be commended.

At the weekend all fourth round ties went ahead as planned by the way, even Arbroath v Rangers, which turned out to be a rather convincing 4-0 win for the Glasgow giants. Livingston had a disappointing result at home against fellow First Division side Ayr United. The Honest Men won 2-1 on Saturday and will play Falkirk in the fifth round, one week after their League Cup semi against bitter rivals Kilmarnock at Hampden Park.

For more pictures of Meadow Park see this post.

Approaching Meadow Park

The main stand

Livingston fans turned up in good numbers as well...

...and they even brought flares, which is a capital crime in Scotland

The south end...

...from where Scotland and Everton striker James McFadden was watching the game, or at least he was trying to!

Looking towards the southern end of the ground.

Some of the Medda and Livi fans were getting closer and closer to each other in the north end but four policemen managed to keep the peace.

Saturday 19th November 2011
William Hill Scottish Cup third round
Irvine Meadow XI 0 Livingston 6
Goals: McNulty 5, 26, 40, Boulding 41, Deuchar 51, Barr 90.
Att: 1,500

Abbey Park (Kilwinning Rangers v Lugar Boswell Thistle)

2011-12-07T16:23:00.001Z

When I found out that the Saltcoats Vics v Darvel match was abandoned I decided to take the train from Saltocats to nearby Kilwinning for the Kilwinning Rangers v Lugar Boswell Thistle league match. After a fifteen-minute walk I arrived at Abbey Park in time for the second half of the West Region Ayrshire District League match between the Buffs and the Jaggy Bunnets.

Kilwininning Rangers, founded in 1899, have won the Junior Cup twice, in 1909 and 1999. They were runners-up in 1910 and 1922. They won the West Region Superleague Premier Division as recent as 2004 but they have been relegated to the third tier since. The Buffs' opponents on 12th November were founded as early as 1878 as Lugar Boswell but have never won the Junior Cup, although they were runners-up in 1956.

When I arrived at Abbey Park Kilwining were already 2-1 up but Lugar appeared the stronger side at times. Although the visitors had goalscorer Krist Stewart sent off after a second booking a draw still seemed possible. Stuart Hannah's goal in the dying minutes ensured three points in the bag for the homeside although the fans did not seem impressed with the hard-fought win.

Entering Abbey Park from Church Street

The enclosure in the west end of the ground.

The north side terrace. These railway sleepers are lethal when wet!

Another look at the north side terrace

Looking towards the small terrace in the east end of the ground

Lugar's Kris Stewart was sent off after picking up a second booking

The club buildings do not look too impressive

A closer look at the south side of the park

Saturday 12th November 2011
West Region Ayrshire District League
Kilwinning Rangers 3 Lugar Boswell Thistle 1
Kilwinning: Lewis 8, Hart 11, Hannah 90.
Lugar: Stewart 10.
Att: 170 (est.)

Campbell Park (Saltcoats Victoria P-P Darvel)

2011-11-29T17:00:00.000Z

I had not updated the old blog for a few weeks because I have been busy with many things lately and adding posts to the site was not one of them. That does not mean I have stopped going to football matches so I will update you on my most recent trips in the upcoming days.

On Saturday 12th November I decided to take a train to Saltcoats to see the Emirates Junior Cup second round tie between Saltcoats Victoria and fellow Ayrshire side Darvel. This fixture had already been postponed twice in the previous couple of weeks but it seemed it was finally game on and the weather forecast looked fine. I picked this fixture as it was a relatively short trip (only thirty minutes on the train from Paisley) and it gave me the opportunity to tick off another Wetherspoon pub, the Salt Cot. I had forgotten about this pub but fellow groundhopper Stephen aka Groundhopper 2000 reminded me just in time.

I got off the train at Saltcoats at 1pm, exactly one hour before kick-off. From the train station it was a short walk to my first stop, The Salt Cot, one of the smaller JD Wetherspoon pubs I have been to but with plenty of real ales available. After I had finished my pint of Avalanche I made my way to Campbell Park, home of Saltcoats Vics and a fifteen-minute walk from the town centre.

When I arrived at Campbell Park it seemed very quiet, and I got that eerie feeling that is well known to most groundhoppers...a quick check on the Saltcoats Vics internet side confirmed that the game was off. It also mentioned that the game was supposed to be be played at Ardeer Stadium, home of Ardeer Thistle. So not only was the game postponed, I had shown up at the wrong ground as well. Unfortunately the SJFA website had the game still down as 'on' at that time and no mentioning was made of a ground switch.

It looked like I had wasted my money on train ticket but I quickly checked the Junior fixtures and found out Kilwinning Rangers were playing at home against Lugar Boswell Thistle. I decided to take the 2:35pm train to Kilwinning.

The Junior Cup tie was rescheduled to Saturday 19th November and the venue was switched to Darvel's home ground, Recreation Park. Despite losing home advantage Vics thrashed their opponents 8-0.

First a pint in the Salt Cot

The gate to Campbell Park remained closed...

Saturday 12th November 2011
Emirates Junior Cup second round
Saltcoats Victoria P Darvel P

Valefield Park (Kilbirnie Ladeside v Livingston United)

2011-11-11T22:20:00.000Z

Another weekend, another Emirates Junior Cup round two match. All it takes is a bit of wind or a prolonged rain shower for a junior game to be called off. The many postponements in the juniors can be frustrating for clubs and fans but it gives me the chance to see a few matches at this stage of the competion.

Last Saturday I went to Valefield Park to see West Region Super League Premier Division team Kilbirnie Ladeside take on Livingston United, a side playing in the East Region South Division, which is a third-tier league. Kilbirnie have struggled in the league so far this season, losing seven of their first nine matches but they started as favourites nevertheless.

I got on my train at Paisley Gilmour Street and got off at Glengarnock station twenty minutes later. From this station it is a ten-minute walk to Kilbirnie's home ground. Valefield is a well looked after junior ground with two enclosures next to each other on one side and a small terrace on the other side. There is also terracing behind both goals. You can buy refreshments at the pie hut or the small licensed bar, selling drinks at the usual affordable Junior prices (I had a bottle of Miller at £1.50). I was disappointed there was no programme issued however. The weather was pretty good for November, slightly chilly but dry and sunny.

Despite the Blasties' poor league form they were much too strong for the West Lothian side, as expected. It only took seven minutes for Kilbirnie to open the scoring as Mark Seagrave's shot went in. Mathew Mclean made it 2-0 only five minutes later. When Stevie Miller converted a penalty five minutes (YouTube clip) before the half-time whistle the tie looked already over.

The home team had a good second half as well but it took them almost 30 minutes to score again as McLean added a second to his tally. Roberts scored a consolation goal for the visitors seven minutes before time.

Tomorrow I will travel to Ayrshire once more for my third Junior Cup round two match this season and it will be an all-Ayrshire affair this time: Saltcoats Victoria are taking on Darvel Juniors. There is a forecast of heavy rain for tonight but hopefully this game will not be postponed for a third time.

Entering Valefield Park

Today's team sheet

The two enclosures

The dressing rooms, pie hut and bar

Great flag

Quote from the Non-League Scotland website: 'The cheapskate supporter can find many ways of viewing games here for free, either by standing on the large hill that overlooks Valefield or by looking through the mesh fence that surrounds three sides of the ground.'

A closer look at the enclosures

The terrace in the north end

The south end terrace

The Kirkland Road entrance

Saturday 5th November 2011
Emirates Junior Cup round two
Kilbirnie Ladeside 4 Livingston United 1
Kilbirnie: Seagrave 7, McLean 12, Miller (pen.) 40, McLean 72.
Livingston Utd: Roberts 83.
Att: 200 (est.)

Portland Park (Troon v Lochore Welfare)

2011-11-04T23:17:00.004Z

Last Saturday I made the 30-minute train journey from Paisley to Troon in South Ayrshire to pay my first visit to Portland Park, home of Troon FC. It is a very short walk from the local railway station to the football ground, it will not take you much longer than five minutes. You can see Portland Park on your right hand side just before you roll into Troon station if you are travelling from the Glasgow direction.

Troon play in the Ayrshire District League, a third tier division in the West Region Juniors set-up. Last week's game was a second round Junior Cup game against representatives from the East Region. Lochore Welfare hail from Crosshill in Fife and ply their trade in the East Region Central Division, which is also a third tier division.

Portland Park is a nice and welcoming Junior ground with a social club and a covered enclosure. There are a few holes in the enclosure's roof but I was kept fairly dry despite the rain that was lasing down for some time during the match. As I had had a fairly late breakfast at home I was not in the mood for trying any of the pies on sale so I cannot comment on the food on offer this time. No programme was issued on Saturday.

The game itself was entertaining although it became fairly one-sided in the second half. Jonathan Baillie opened the score for the home side after 20 minutes. Ten minutes later Troon scored their second but Lochore Welfare's Alan McDonough scored five minutes before the interval.

In the second half the rain got worse and the wind got stronger which was definitely in the home side's favour. Within the the first ten minutes of the second period Troon doubled their goal tally. Lochore could count themselves lucky that the Ayrshire forwards were very wasteful in front of Lochore's goal and 4-1 was the final score.

I am planning to see another Junior Cup tie in Ayrshire tomorrow. Kilbirnie Ladeside will be favourites against Livingston North at Valefield Park.

Entering Portland Park

The pavilion and enclosure

A small terrace in the south end.

Andy Rae's shot after five minutes went just wide.

Lochore Welfare are about to take a free kick

A closer look at the enclosure

A queue at kiosk at half-time but no pie for me today

Mascots are rare in the Juniors but they have one at Portland Park. I hear you thinking: 'Is that a good thing?'

Troon's home ground can be easily spotted from the train

The sun, and a nice rainbow, came out in the second half

Saturday 29th October

Emirates Scottish Junior Cup round two

Troon 4 Lochore Welfare 1

Troon: Baillie 20, ? 30, ? 50, ? 55

Lochore Welfare: ? 40.

Att: 120 (est.)

Tinto Park (Benburb v Cambuslang Rangers)

2011-10-10T21:01:00.004+01:00

I had not planned to see a match this weekend but when my wife told me she wanted to see some shops in Glasgow on Saturday it gave me the opportunity to visit one of the local junior sides. I had not been to Tinto Park in Govan yet but it was high on my to-do list, mainly because of its close proximity to my hometown of Paisley. Benburb play in the Central Division One, the third tier of junior football in the West Region. These days the Bens are a club with fairly modest ambitions with their heyday long behind them. The boys from Govan won the Junior Cup twice, in 1934 and 1936, and the West of Scotland cup four times, the last time as recent as ten years ago.

After I got off my bus at Bellahouston Park I walked to the ground, a five-minute stroll from Paisley Road West. Tinto Park is situated only a few hundred yards away from Ibrox Stadium, home of a slightly more illustrious team in the Govan area of Glasgow. After I had paid my four quid to get in and had bought a programme I immediately noticed the large terrace which runs along the complete western side of the ground. I have read suggestions that it is the largest terrace still in existence in Scotland and it may very well be although with the state of disrepair it is in you cannot expect it to hold more than a few hundred spectators.

It was a miserable day on Saturday but apparently it was even worse last weekend when I enjoyed temperatures of 28/29 degrees in London. The Junior Cup first round tie between Benburb and fellow Central Division One side Cambuslang Rangers was originally penned in for Saturday 1st October but it was postponed due to a water-logged pitch. Yes it is that time of the year again, i.e. October to April.

It is a shame that, on an 'international weekend' when the Old Firm were not playing, not more fans of Glasgow's 'Big Two' make it to these kind of games. Both Celtic and Rangers fans have been protesting, with some justification, against the over-regulation of the way supporters are supposed to behave but Junior football really is the promised land for people who want to experience football as it was viewed decades ago. Crumbling terraces, great banter between supporters of both clubs and you can even take your 'kerry oot' inside with you (do not worry about the 'no alcohol' signs outside some Junior grounds, no-one else does!). There were only about 100 in attendance on Saturday, most of them Cambuslang fans. Bonus points go to the father and son wearing St Mirren jackets. Let the records state that I did not see anyone drink alcohol on the terraces of Tinto Park however, they were a well-behaved bunch (apart from the Cambuslang supporter behind the away dug-out who kept throwing profanities towards the poor referee).

If you have been to a few junior games you will notice there are a few things exactly the same at every single junior match. One of these staples is The Dog. I have not been to any junior game, that was not also witnessed by a canine, usually a very bored-looking one. On Saturday I spotted an Alsation, I am not sure if it was the same one as at Dunterlie Park. Then there is the aforementioned Harmless but Verbally Abusive Fan. Another certainty is the Old Man Looking for Conversation. I felt a bit sorry for the Lang fan who kept on walking from one fellow fan he recognised to the other, whilst negotiating the crumbling steps of the enclosure with the aide of a walking stick, without anyone seeming particularly interested in his company or the sweeties he was offering. I admittedly did not feel sorry enough to start a conversation with him myself.

Unfortunately the football in the lower levels of the Juniors can be quite poor and Saturday's match is a contender for 'worst game of 2011' for me. Both teams were hardly able to create any goal-scoring opportunities with a goalless half-time score the logical outcome. I headed for the pavillion for a pie and bovril (£1). The pie was a good-quality Scotch pie. During half-time I took some pictures of the overgrown terraces opposite the enclosure and in the southern end of the ground. I then quickly fled the rain for the relative comfort of the enclosure.

The second half was slightly better and Cambuslang were starting to look like the stronger team. Eventually Billy Stevenson broke the deadlock after 26 minutes when he scored for Cambuslang. Although Benburb looked frantically for an equaliser it was the Lang who secured their passage into the second round when Aiden Malone intercepted a silly Benburb back pass and walked it into an empty net. Cambuslang will face Yoker Athletic, another Central Division One side, in the second round.

Entering Tinto Park.

The large covered enclosure fifteen minutes before kick-off.

Inside the enclosure.

Luckily the health and safety police are not interested in Junior football.

About 100 fans on the impressive terrace today.

A Benburb foul in front of the home dug-out.

The roof of the Ibrox main stand can be seen between the houses.

An overgrown terrace behind the away dug-out. One elder gentleman did not mind the vegetation.

It does not really make for comfortable standing, especially not in this weather.

Also overgrown terracing in the southern end of the ground.

A closer look at the overgrown south terrace.

At half-time a pie and bovril in the pavillion.

Pennants on display inside the pavillion...

...and some old photographs as well.

Cheers as Cambuslang open the scoring.

Saturday 8th October 2011
Emirates Scottish Junior Cup round 1
Benburb 0 Cambuslang Rangers 2
Goals: Stevenson 71, Malone 90.
Att: 100 (est.)

Cappielow Park (Greenock Morton v St Mirren)

2011-09-23T21:50:00.005+01:00

On Tuesday 23rd August I made my way to Greenock for the clash between arch rivals Greenock Morton and St Mirren. The Scottish League Cup second-round encounter was the first competitive Renfrewshire derby since they were paired in the semi-final draw of the League Challenge Cup in 2005. I was at that match as well, a tense affair at Love Street, which turned out to be the final Renfrewshire derby played at the old Saints ground. Both teams were unable to find the net during 120 minutes of football six years ago but the Buddies were victorious on penalties.

A healthy but strong (and sometimes not-so-healthy) rivalry has remained despite the teams not meeting each other regularly on a competitive basis. During the noughties the 'Ton dropped down the SLF divisions. The Greenock side sank as low as the Third Division in 2002 but recovered fairly quickly. By the time they returned to the First Division in 2007 the Saints had won promotion to the Scottish Premier League. Nowadays the sides usually meet in the Renfrewshire Cup final, a glorified pre-season 'friendly'. Despite its humble status the Renfrewshire Cup has quite a bit of history illustrated by the fact Morton has won it 51 times compared to their Paisley rivals' 53.

Exactly one month ago today I took the 6:20pm train at Paisley Gilmour Street train station and got off at Cartsdyke station at 6:45pm. Since I travel to my work in Greenock every day by train I did not have to buy a train ticket, a nice little bonus. The walk from the station to Cappielow Park is a short one, about 5-10 minutes. The St Mirren fans were allocated the Wee Dublin End, an uncovered terrace that has been turned into an all-seater stand by adding bench seating. With its variety of stands and terraces Cappielow is a great Scottish football stadium, similar in character to Ayr United's Somerset Park and Queen of the South's Palmerston Park. Of course, when in the presence of Morton fans I will maintain that St Mirren Park is a slick and modern SPL stadium and Cappielow is a tip...who am I kidding.

Much like the venue, the match itself was a cracker, a lively encounter between two in-form sides: after eight minutes, Gary Teal put the visitors ahead with a free-kick, my camera said 'memory full' as the ball went in, typical. Truth be told, Morton had been the stronger team so far and, credit where its due, they were not fazed by this early set-back and twenty minutes later the First Division side were 2-1 up, thanks to goals by Michael Tidser and Peter MacDonald. 2-1 was also the half-time score and Saints only had themselves to blame.

The Buddies looked more convincing at the start of the second half. Steven Thompson levelled the score 1o minutes after the interval and five minutes later, Nigel Hasselbaink's spot-kick made it 3-2 to the visitors. Steven Thompson's second came six minutes later but somehow Saints seemed adamant to do this the hard way and complacency (Lee Mair...) struck again: with eleven minutes to go Andy Jackson netted the home side's third goal. Somehow and with five men in defence, St Mirren managed to hang on to their slim lead.

In the third round St Mirren defeated St Johnstone 2-0 at McDiarmid Park. Saint will meet Ayr United at St Mirren Park next month with a League Cup semi-final berth at stake.

For pictures of a capacity crowd at Cappielow (against Celtic) see this post. For last year's Renfrewshire Cup final at Morton's ground see this post.

Terraces in the back, seats in the front: the magnificent Cowshed before the game.

The Cowshed during the game.

The Main Stand, Saints fans were allocated part of it but the majority preferred the Wee Dublin End.

The Sinclair Street End: Gary Teale is about to take the free-kick that put the Buddies ahead: 0-1.

Saints are ahead once more after Nigel Hasselbaink's penalty: 2-3.

Tuesday 23th August 2011
Scottish Communities League Cup 2nd round
Greenock Morton 3 St Mirren 4
Morton: Tidser 17, MacDonald 27, Jackson 79
St Mirren: Teale 8, Thompson 55, Hasselbaink (pen) 60, Thompson 66
Att: 4,959

Tynecastle Stadium (Hearts v Tottenham Hotspur)

2011-09-10T17:18:00.002+01:00

One of the Scottish grounds I had planned to revisit this season was Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh, home of Heart of Midlothian. I had been to Tynecastle before for an SPL match against Rangers. This was almost three years ago, before I had started the website, and I always thought the pictures I took on that day were not on par with the pictures I had taken at the other SPL stadiums. That was a shame since Tynecastle deserved better than that. I found it one of the better SPL grounds and I remembered the brilliant atmosphere as the Jambos beat the Old Firm side 2-1.

When Hearts were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, I immediately decided to try and get a ticket. I had expected the home game to be staged at nearby Murrayfield, since the demand for tickets would certainly outstrip the relatively small capacity of Tynecastle. I was at Murrayfield five years ago when Hearts, who had finished the 2005/06 season as SPL runners-up, were playing AEK Athens in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. AEK were much stronger that night and the 2-1 defeat by the Greek side flattered the men from Edinburgh. It got worse in Athens where AEK won 3-0 and qualified comfortably for the Champions League group stages. At the time Tynecastle was deemed unsuitable for European football and Hearts had no choice but to stage the home game at Murrayfield. An impressive 32,459 attended, double the amount of fans present at the Spurs game.

I had expected the home game at Spurs to take place at Murrayfield as well but it was quickly announced by the club that the glamour tie would be staged at Tynecastle. I knew the club had invested a substantial sum in making sure the ground was UEFA compliant but I thought their own ground would be deemed too small. I do not know if it was possible at all to play at Murrayfield (the Scottish national rugby team were playing Italy two days later) but I was glad the decision was made to go for Tynecastle even though it would make it slightly more difficult to get a ticket. I bought my brief online on the first day of the general sale and the match was declared a sell-out later that day.

I left work a bit earlier on match day (2pm) to give myself plenty of time to travel to Edinburgh. After taking a few pictures of the film set of the upcoming Brad Pitt zombie film 'World War Z' around George Square in Glasgow I took the train from Glasgow Queen Street. I got off at Haymarket, the station closest to Tynecastle, from where I took a bus to Corstorphine in the west of Edinburgh to tick off a new Wetherspoon pub, The White Lady. After a curry, which arrived five minutes after my order, and a couple of pints, I jumped on the bus back to Haymarket where I made my way to the stadium on foot. Although I arrived at Tynecastle quite early I was disappointed to find out all programmes had sold out.

I had a ticket for the Roseburn Stand, which was shared with the Spurs fans, and my seat was about four rows up from the pitch, very close to the action on the park. The proximity to the pitch is one of the characteristics that make Tynecastle such a great stadium. As expected, the stadium was packed to the rafters. Some Hearts fans were optimistic beforehand, thinking they would be able to get a result at home. This was Tottenham's first competitive match of the season after all; their league game against Everton was postponed because of the London riots. Some believed manager Harry Redknapp would field a second-string team against the number three of Scotland and there was hope that Spurs may underestimate the Edinburgh side. Unfortunately for the Hearts fans, and Scottish football, neither was the case. Spurs simply blew Hearts away. My compatriot Rafael van der Vaart opened the score after only five minutes. Jermain Defoe and Jake Livermore added to the tally and after 28 minutes the tie was effectively over: 3-0 to the Londoners. There was a definite gulf in class and there was a feeling in the stands that nothing could be done against this side. Just like their fans, who even started to applaud Spurs goals and substitutes as the game went on, the Hearts players seemed a little too much in awe of the English team. The Jambos were lucky to be only trailing by three goals at half-time.

Things got slightly better for Hearts in the second half, i.e. they conceded only two goals and remembered that the purpose of football is that both teams try to score. Nevertheless goals by Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon ensured the return leg at Whiteheart Lane would only be a formality. Although the match was a disappointment in footballing terms (it was hardly a contest) the Hearts fans were in great form and a packed Tynecastle ensured a great atmosphere. I hope to be back here in the near future, the Edinburgh derby is still on my list.

For pictures of a Hearts SPL match at Tynecastle see this post.

Ticking off a new Wetherspoon pub first: The White Lady.

Approaching Tynecastle.

Mounted police in Gorgie Street.

Police had cordoned off Roberton's Bar, I am not sure if anything had happened here before I arrived.

Long queues at the turnstiles.

The Wheatfield Stand seen from outside.

The Gorgie Stand.

The Wheatfield Stand.

The Roseburn Stand.

The Main Stand.

Thursday 18th August 2011
UEFA Europa League play-off round (first leg)
Heart of Midlothian 0 Tottenham Hotspur 5
Goals: Van der Vaart 5, Defoe 13, Livermore 28, Bale 63, Lennon 78
Att: 16,279

Fullarton Park (Bellshill Athletic v Greenock Juniors)

2011-09-09T23:38:00.000+01:00

Regular readers of my blog may have wondered what was going on as I had not updated the site for four weeks. I have been quite busy with work and there was the small matter of a fortnight-holiday on Majorca from which I returned today. I will post reports and pictures of the matches I have seen during the last few weeks in the next few days.

Four weeks ago tomorrow I decided to see Bellshill Athletic's first home game of the season against Greenock Juniors. I had seen Bellshill getting humped 7-3 by St. Roch's on the previous Saturday in a cracking game and I was wondering how they would bounce back from that. Athletic have experienced two successive relegations in the last couple of seasons and if the result at Provanmill Park was anything to go by it may be another difficult season for the team originally from North Lanarkshire. I say 'originally' since they will be playing their home games at Fullarton Park in Tollcross, the home of Vale of Clyde, from this season. The good thing for me is that it makes it easy to see another football match when I am shopping in Glasgow with my wife...

This was my second visit to Fullarton Park. I was at Vale of Clyde v Clydebank last season and somehow managed to arrive 17 minutes after kick-off. This time it was even worse: I had made a last-minute decision to visit this match and was a bit unlucky with the bus from Paisley to Glasgow city centre. I never had to wait for the number 62 from the Argyle Street to Tollcross but by the time I arrived at the ground the game had been 40 minutes old and I had missed two goals. I still had to pay the full price to get in however (£4) but was pleasantly surprised to find out a programme was issued for this game (£1). As you can tell from the pictures, the attendance was poor, I think there were about 60 fans inside the ground. When the referee blew the half-time whistle (score 1-1) I walked to the bar and bought a bottle of Miller, it was a relatively sunny day in Scotland and was going to make the most of it.

Bellshill were struggling again today but it was not as bad as the performance at Provanmill Park a week earlier. Greenock's John Carter scored his second of the day (apparently...) 18 minutes into the second half and the Inverclyde team were deserved winners, at least judging from the second half.

For the 2011/12 season Bellshill have struck a ground share agreement with Vale of Clyde.

Not many fans from either team on the crumbling terrace. Fullarton Park is not the most impressive junior ground but it is one I really like for some reason. The beers (cold and cheap) definitely help!

Not many people in the enclosure either.

Bellshill were not as poor as in the previous week.

Bellshill under pressure in the second half.

Moments before the final whistle: Greenock are hanging in there, some tempers are flaring.

Saturday 13th August 2011
Central District First Division
Bellshill Athletic 1 Greenock Juniors 2
Bellshill: Currie 17.
Greenock: Carter 39, 63.
Att: 60

St Mirren Park (Scotland U21 v Norway U21)

2011-08-12T19:55:00.004+01:00

Last Wednesday I went straight from work to St Mirren Park to see Billy Stark's Scotland Under-21 team take on their Norwegian counterparts. The 4pm kick-off time was slightly inconvenient but it also made it possible to see both the youngsters and the full Scotland team in action in one day. Craig Levein's men were playing Denmark in a friendly, or 'international challenge match' as they are called these days but I had already decided that one game was enough on a school night. The horrendous weather helped me not to change my mind!

I was pleased to hear that all home qualifiers for the Under-21 European Championship will be played at St Mirren Park, which means regular international football at my doorstep including the crunch match against my home country on 29th February 2012 (I do not think I have seen many games on 29th February by the way). I can recommend the U21 games, you will see some good football and they are great value and it was a shame only 1,654 fans turned up. Tickets for the game on Wednesday were only a fiver but I was lucky to get a free ticket from a Scotland fan outside the ground who did not want any money for it.

It was a great Scottish performance but it was marred to an extent by Steven Saunders' Achilles injury early in the first half. Hull City's Tom Cairney scored the opening goal in the first half. Aberdeen's Ryan Jack made it 2-0 after 30 minutes into the second half and three minutes later Dundee United's Stuart Armstrong scored the third. A convincing win for Scotland and hopefully they will be able to build on this for the upcoming qualifiers.

For pictures of St Mirren home games at St Mirren Park see this post and this one. For last year's U21 game against Sweden at St Mirren Park see this post.

Wednesday 10th August 2011
Scotland 3 Norway 0
Vauxhall Under-21 International Challenge Match
Goals: Cairney 20, Ryan 75, Armstrong 78.
Att: 1,654

Provanmill Park (St Roch's v Bellshill Athletic)

2011-08-12T18:20:00.001+01:00

Just like the previous Saturday when I saw Rossvale v Kilsyth Rangers at Petershill Park I took a train from Glasgow Queen Street to Barnhill for a bit of Junior action in between shopping with the missus last Saturday.

And just like last week the occasion was the Sectional League Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser of the West Region Junior season. Bellshill Athletic, who played in the Superleague Premier Division as recent as 2009/10, took on St Roch's at Provanmill Park in the northeast of Glasgow. Despite two successive relegations, Bellshill should have been the favourites: they play in the Central Division One, one tier above St. Roch's who play in the Central Division Two. However, Bellshill have been struggling so far and are bottom of the Section 3 table with nul points (the winners of each section will face each other in a knock-out format). Amazingly last Saturday's game ended up with lowly St Roch's thrashing Bellshill 7-3.

The first half was entertaining and when the ref blew his whistle after 45 minutes Bellshill could count themselves lucky with a 2-2 half-time score, which was mainly thanks to St Roch's wastefulness in front of goal. Shortly after the interval the Candy Rock really went to town and it did not take long before they were 5-2 up. Bellshill managed to pull one back but it was not the start of a comeback as St Roch's managed to score another two.

Normally I always like to give you the names of the goal scorers as well but neither of the two teams have an updated website and there appear to be no local rags reporting on the exploits of the two clubs. To make sure this will not happen again I will make notes of the goal scorers and times scored like a true anorak groundhopper from now on.

On another note, at the start of this post I mentioned visiting Petershill Park last week: Provanmill Park is the exact opposite of Peasy's home ground: run-down but full of character and steeped in history, the way a junior ground should be!

Great value, only 40p per goal scored!

Unfortunately these turnstiles are no longer in use.

The is how you enter Provanmill Park these days.

The Red Road towers were dubbed 'Suicide Central' last year.

St. Roch score in the first half.

A small enclosure in front of the club building.

A crowd of about 80 showed up today.

In the second half St Roch's scored...

and scored...

...and scored.

They did not hold back and scored another two.

That's ok, I'll hold it in!

Saturday 6th August 2011
Surridge Sectional League Cup Section 3
St Roch's 7 Bellshill Athletic 3 (HT score: 2-2)
St Roch's:
Bellshill:
Att: 80

Petershill Park (Rossvale v Kilsyth Rangers)

2011-08-03T20:55:00.001+01:00

On Saturday I was doing some holiday shopping with my wife in Glasgow but I managed to see my first competitive match of the season in between. The Sectional League Cup is the competition that traditionally opens the season for the Scottish Junior sides in the West Region. I went to Petershill Park in Springburn to see Rossvale's second competitive game in the Juniors set-up against Kilsyth Rangers. Their first match was a respectable 2-2 at home against Cumbernauld last Wednesday, also for the League Cup.

I took the 1:32pm train from Queen Street to Barnhill (a 10-minute journey). Rossvale have arranged a groundshare deal with Superleague Premier Division club Petershill. From Barnhill train station it was a very short walk, about five minutes, to Petershill Park. Rossvale, who hail from Bishopbriggs in East Dunbartonshire, will make their debut in the Central Division Two this season as the 64th West Region Junior club.

Petershill Park, which opened in 2007, has a capacity of about 2000, with an all-seater stand holding 562 spectators. The pitch is of the artificial variety and there are floodlights, two features that are highly unusual for Junior grounds. Unlike most other grounds in the Juniors Petershill Park is very sterile and therefore lacks a bit of atmosphere. A big plus is the bar under the stand and therefore I give Petershill Park a pass mark nevertheless.

Kilsyth Rangers had a dream start on Saturday when they were handed a penalty after only two minutes after one of the Rossvale defenders clumsily handled the ball. Joe Barclay did not fail from the spot and put Rangers ahead: 1-0. Barclay scored a second goal after fifteen minutes played. The newcomers were struggling in the first half and they must have been relieved they were only two down when the referee blew the half-time whistle.

Although I was at Petershill Park as a neutral I did not want Rossvale to get a doing but that was exactly what happened in the second half. Kyle Dempsey scored 3-0 only five minutes after the interval. Francis Kelly then added a fourth to the Rangers tally with a 25-yard shot. The fifth Rangers goal was scored by Kenny McLillan. Alan Sime managed to pull one back for Rossvale but as the cliche goes, it was too little too late. Ryan Nimmo scored the late sixth Rangers goal.

After this rather one-sided affair I walked back to Barnhill station where I had to wait 20 minutes for my train back. Instead of going all the way back to Queen Street I got off at Duke Street station in Dennistoun, about 100 yards from the flat in Roslea Drive I used to live in about ten years ago and I was happy to see how much the area had improved in the past decade. After a twenty-minute walk I was back in Glasgow City Centre.

Entering through the turnstiles.

Petershill FC were playing away at nearby St. Roch's today.

Joe Barclay scores from the spot to put Rangers 1-0 ahead after only two minutes.

Kyle Dempsey scores the third goal five minutes after the interval.

The stand holds over 500.

Dug-outs and a small terrace on the other side.

No stands or terraces behind either of the goals.

Saturday 30th July 2011
Surridge Sectional League Cup Section 8
Rossvale 1 Kilsyth Rangers 6
Rossvale: Sime
Kilsyth Rangers: Barclay (pen.), Barclay, Demspsey, Kelly, McLillan, Nimmo
Att: 80

Mitsubishi Forklift Stadion (Almere City v FC Lisse)

2011-07-25T18:25:00.006+01:00

Last week I spent five days in the Netherlands for my work. I stayed in the Bastion Hotel in Amsterdam/Amstel which is a 30-minute walk from the Amsterdam ArenA. However Ajax were not playing any home matches last week but of course I had to see at least one game, preferably in a stadium I had not visited yet. It turned out Jupiler League side Almere City were playing a pre-season friendly at home against Topklasse side FC Lisse. At first there was some confusion as the Almere City website listed the fixture as FC Lisse-Almere City but later the club confirmed to me on Twitter that the game was to be played at the Mitsubishi Forklift Stadion, the home of Almere City.

I left my hotel at about 5:45pm and had to walk through a rain shower of biblical proportions. Despite carrying an umbrella I arrived soaking wet at Duivendrecht train station about twenty minutes later. I then had to buy my train ticket to Almere (€9.80 return). This is not as straightforward as it sounds since in the Netherlands even larger stations like Duivendrecht do not have a ticket office meaning all tickets have to be bought from a ticket machine. This would normally not be a problem for me however most of these machine only accept Dutch bankcards (and I do not have a Dutch bank account) and no cash or foreign debit or credit cards. Luckily there was one machine that also accepted cash but to make things more complicated you cannot pay with banknotes, only coins are accepted. As I already knew this I had made sure I carried enough €2 coins to last me through my five-day stay.

I jumped on the 6:10pm train to Almere and got off at Almere Parkwijk at 6:38pm. The Almere City website said kick-off was at 7pm which meant I was probably going to miss the start but I was not too concerned about that. I was happy too see that there was no sign of the torrential rain I had endured in Amsterdam only thirty minutes earlier and I made my way to the stadium. Despite its population of almost 200,000 Almere is a very new town: the first house was completed in 1976 and it only became a municipality in 1984. The town is situated in the province of Flevoland, which completely consists of reclaimed land. The new province was not introduced to professional football until 2005 when FC Omniworld were admitted to the Jupiler League. They were renamed Almere City in 2010 and are as far as I know the only football club in the Netherlands with 'City' in their name.

It has not been plain sailing for the Flevolanders since they were admitted to the second tier of the Dutch league pyramid. Their highest position in the Jupiler League was 13th place in 2008. In 2009 they ended bottom of the league in 20th position. As there was no relegation at that time the club stayed in the Jupiler League. The season after they fared slightly better and finished in 14th place. Last season they were bottom of the league once more. By now there were only 18 teams in the Jupiler League after the relegation of FC Oss to the newly-formed Topklasse and the demise of HFC Haarlem in 2010. It looked like Almere City were going to be the second team to be relegated from the Jupiler League but when RBC Roosendaal folded at the end of the season it became clear that Almere would have a professional football club for at least one more season.

I arrived at the ground just after 7pm and was pleasantly suprised when I found out I did not have to pay to get inside. Unfortunately however I had to wait for another thirty minutes to see some football as kick-off was at 7:30pm and not the advertised 7pm. About 150 people had found their way to the stadium, which holds about 3,000. City have struggled to attract a significant support to regular league games as well. Crowds of just over 1,000 are common and the situation is similar to that of the Scottish Football League teams in the 'new towns' of Cumbernauld and Livingston. Many people living in these towns were born elsewhere and cities and have taken their football team allegiances with them as well. Whereas people in Cumbernauld support Celtic or Rangers rather than Clyde, Ajax are a far more popular club in Almere than City.

When the action on the pitch finally got underway it seemed Almere City were a lot stronger than the men from Lisse even though the two teams would normally have played in the same league in the 2011/12 season. Somehow Almere were not able to find the net until Paul de Lange scored from the spot after Mikhail Rosheuvel had been brought down. Almost immediately after the opening goal the referee blew his whistle: half time.

I then did something I normally do not do: I left the stadium before the second half started. I had not found the football too exciting and I thought about the relatively long journey back to the hotel ahead of me (combined with an early start at work the next morning). The fact I had not paid to get into the stadium made the decision to leave a little bit easier. When I arrived back in my hotel room just after 10pm I found out that Almere City had won the match 4-0.

Approaching the Mitsubishi Forklift Stadion.

There is a small stand behind one of the goals. This stand housed the Ultras Almere (look closely...).

A larger stand along the east side of the stadium.

A covered terrace along the west side.

No stand behind the other goal.

Paul de Lange's spot-kick just before half-time.

The plaque says: 'professional football: it's possible in Almere.'

'Playing football is not allowed.' A sign you do not expect to find inside a football stadium.

Wednesday 20th July 2011
Friendly
Almere City 4 FC lisse 0
Goals: De Lange 45, Ribeiro 50, Burgzorg 58, Felixvaal 87.
Att: 150

Stadion Suche Stawy (Hutnik Kraków)

2011-07-07T22:35:00.005+01:00

On Sunday 12th June I flew from Edinburgh to Kraków for my work for the second time in two weeks. I had not expected to return to Poland as quickly as that but I was not complaining also because it gave me chance to see one ground in Kraków I had not visited a fortnight ago. Stadion Suche Stawy is the home of Hutnik Kraków, currently playing in League IV, the fifth tier of the Polish league pyramid. In the 1990s however they spent seven seasons in the top flight. In 1996 Hutnik finished the season in third place and qualified for the UEFA Cup. After getting through two qualifying rounds they were eliminated in the first round proper by AS Monaco.

I had not visisted Suche Stawy the last time I was in Poland because the ground is about six or seven miles away from the city centre and really too far too walk. I therefore took the number 15 tram from the city centre which dropped me off right outside the stadium. I saw that one of the gates was open but unfortunately I was not able to access the stadium properly because there was another fence in place.

Various sources on the internet give two different figures for the capacity of Suche Stawy: the English Wikipedia entry says 12,000 and the Polish one gives a figure of 6,000. I suspect the current capacity is 6,000 and the larger figure is the capacity as it was a few years ago as it looks like terraces have been converted to all-seater stands fairly recently.

Both Wisła and Cracovia have played home games at Suche Stawy recently whilst their own grounds were being redeveloped. The Polish national team also played two friendlies in this stadium: in 1980 they beat Algeria 1-0 and in 1994 they proved too strong for Hungary (3-2).

Edit 08/11/11: Fabio Capello's England squad will use Stadion Such Stawy as their training ground during Euro 2012.

The facade of the east stand.

A closer look at the main entrance.

The gates at the northern end of the ground.

Looking towards the south stand.

The north stand.

The west stand.

The east stand.

Dunterlie Park (Arthurlie v Irvine Meadow XI)

2011-07-06T17:40:00.000+01:00

On Saturday 11th June I saw my last game of the 2010/11 season at Dunterlie Park, home of Arthurlie. The men from Barrhead were playing 2010/11 West Region league champions Irvine Meadow in the semi-final of the Evening Times Cup Winners Cup, the traditional end-of-season competition in the West Region.

The journey from Paisley to Barrhead is a very short one. I took a bus from Paisley but Dunterlie Park is situated very close to Barrhead railway station which has a direct link to Glasgow Central. Since there were no other football games scheduled for today there was a large crowd at the match, in fact so large that all food at the pie stand was sold out only twenty minutes after kick-off. Today's attendance figure was probably also boosted by the reasonably good weather at the start of the afternoon however the rain started soon after kick-off.

Arthurlie opened the score five minutes before the interval. John McLay's goal was against the run of play but the goal visibly increased the 'Lie's confidence and they had a few more chances before the end of the first half. However, Medda equalised after 68 minutes with a Michael Hughes header. Hughes then scored another header 15 minutes later and it looked like the Ayrshire team were through to the final. Arthurlie were not giving up however and Stephen Keown scored the equaliser three minutes into injury time.

Penalties were going to decide who would play Shotts Bon Accord in the final. The 'Lie showed composure and won the series 4-2 which led to a second pitch invasion within a minute. Arthurlie's goalie Neil Parry was surrounded rather prematurely immediately after his second save but Gary Arbuckle's decisive penalty ensured the celebrations could start for real.

Five days later Arthurlie would win the Evening Times Cup by beating Shotts Bon Accord 1-0 at Newlandsfield Park. This was a match I was not able to attend because I had to travel to Poland once more for my work.

A Medda corner in the first half.

Great old terracing at Dunterlie Park.

I queued up for a pie but everything was sold out before I got to the end of the queue.

Today's team sheet.

A good turn-out today.

Today's weather was typical for June 2011.

A closer look at the enclosure.

Arthurlie score the late, late equaliser.

The Barrhead side won the penalty shoot-out 4-2...

...prompting the local youth to invade the pitch.

The gates to Dunterlie Park after the game.

Saturday 11th June 2011
Evening Times Cup Winners Cup semi-final
Arthurlie 2 Irvine Meadow XI 2 (Arthurlie win on penalties 4-2)
Arthurlie: McLay 40, McKeown 90+3.
Irvine Meadow XI: Hughes 68, 83.
Att: 700 (rough estimate)

Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana (Wisła Kraków v Polonia Warszawa)

2011-06-26T16:20:00.006+01:00

On Sunday 29th May, after already having taken pictures of the grounds of Garbarnia and Cracovia I made my way to the newly renovated home of Cracovia's bitter rivals Wisła Kraków. Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana is a very short walk from the Cracovia stadium. Henryka Reymana was the Polish top scorer twice and made a large contribution to Wisła's first two league wins in 1927 and 1928. Wisła have been crowned Polish champions thirteen times in total. Since 1999 they have won the Ekstraklasa eight times including last season.

I arrived at the ground at around 1pm. Wisła were scheduled to play Polonia Warszawa at 5pm. After this match, the final league game of the season, the team would be handed the championship trophy. This led to a lot of interest from the Wisła supporters and I understood from the Wisła website, with a little help from Google Translate, that the game was a sell-out. Although I was disappointed about that, I wanted to take a few pictures of the stadium nevertheless even though I did not expect to see the stadium from inside today.

Even though it was four hours before kick-off there was already a large presence of riot police at the stadium. Polish football still has a lot of problems with a hooliganism and you would expect the police to turn up in large numbers at such a high-profile game. When I arrived near the stadium a bus transporting members of the riot police had collided with one of the Kraków trams. From what I could see there were no major injuries.

I then walked to the stadium and I noticed that the ticket office was very busy. I asked a member of staff in English if there were still tickets available but he did not speak English. Then I asked another two guys outside but again they did not know what I was talking about. I tried it in German but they did not speak German either. When I asked another guy he indicated me to wait. He walked away and came back with someone who apparently spoke English. He told me that there were still tickets available but I needed a form of ID, such as a passport which I had luckily brought with me. The ticket office had a large number of windows and when it was my turn I was hoping that the guy would be able to understand me but it turned out he spoke perfect English. The only tickets available were in the C stand behind the goal but I was more than happy with that. Amazingly, a ticket was only 25 złoty, which is slightly less than six pounds.

After having bought the ticket I walked back to my hotel to freshen up and I returned to Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana a few hours later. Upon entering the ground I was searched, as is the norm in the Netherlands as well, but I was also asked for my passport and my name and passport number were checked with the name and number on my ticket. This was all done in a very friendly manner. I then made my way to my seat. I believe that this was the first time this part of the stand was used and that that was why there were still tickets available. Everything looked very new. The stadium is still not complete and the largest stand was not in use, even though it looks like it is almost complete. When finished the new ground will have a capacity of just over 33,000. Amazingly, there will not be any Euro 2012 games played at this new stadium, despite it being the home of the league champions in the second largest city of Poland.

The atmosphere at the game was brilliant and exceeded all my expectations. The fans in the opposite end of the ground were the most vocal but the supporters in 'my' end were certainly not quiet either. After a few incidents with supporters in recent months the Polish FA had decided there would not be any away fans allowed at games in the top three divisions and therefore there were no Polonia supporters in sight. The fans in my stand seemed all very civilised and there were loads of women and children as well. The football on display was of a lesser quality. It fact it was a terrible game and Wisła deservedly lost by two goals. Although the fans were clearly not happy with their team's performance on the night they had come here for only one reason: to celebrate the 13th league title. After the game the trophy was presented to the team and shown to the fans but the whole built-up took ages. No-one seemed to mind however and the party atmosphere continued.

After the game almost all Wisła fans walked to the main square in the city centre where the players would once again show the trophy. I walked to square as well but it had been a very long day for me, I had got up at 4am that day, flown from Scotland to Poland and walked around Kraków all day and I was not really in the mood to wait for another hour or so for the Wisła squad to turn up. Also I had to work the next day so I did not want to go to my bed too late so I made my way back to the hotel at around 9pm. I regretted that decision when I saw these images the next day but all in all it had been another great groundhopping day.

The bus-tram collision outside the stadium. You can see some policemen with some minor injuries.

Luckily there did not seem to be any severe injuries.

When I took this picture all bystanders were given the Polish version of: 'Move along folks, there's nothing to see here,' or something similar.

Approaching the stadium from the south in the afternoon: this is the Trybuna G.

Wisła fans outside the stadium before kick-off.

Approaching 'my' stand, the Trybuna C, from the north.

The Trybuna E, which is the family stand.

The Trybuna C.

The Trybuna G housed the most fanatical fans.

The main stand was not open yet but looks as good as completed.

A Wisła corner-kick. If you look closely you can see a few Wisła fans on an elevated platform who acted as 'conductors', showing the fans in the Trybuna C how and when to clap etc.

The Wisła squad were presented with the league trophy after the game.

Dutch coach Robert Maaskant received a bicycle as a gift from the squad.

A lap of honour after the presentation.

Wisła fans on their way to the main square after the game...

...with again a large police presence but no trouble.

Sunday 29th May 2011
Ekstraklasa
Wisla Kraków 0 Polonia Warszawa 2
Goals: Smolarek 22, Baluster 39.
Att: 24,000

Stadion Cracovii im. Józefa Piłsudskiego (Cracovia)

2011-06-25T22:40:00.003+01:00

I took these pictures of Stadion Cracovii, home of Cracovia, on Sunday 29th May. As I explained in my previous post I was in Kraków for six days for my work. After having taken some pictures at the ground of one-time Polish champions Garbarnia I walked to the ground of Kraków's second club, which took me about 30 minutes.

Founded in 1906, Cracovia is the oldest Polish football club still in existence. They have been Polish champions five times although the last time they won the league was in 1948. Nowadays it is all about making sure they stay in the top flight, the Ekstraklasa, and Cracovia managed to avoid relegation once more last season. Their main rivals are the far more successful Wisła Kraków, whose stadium is only half a mile away from Cracovia's.

Cracovia have been playing football at this location since 1912 however the current stadium only opened its doors in September last year. Unfortunately, I was unable to enter the modern ground, which has a capacity of about 15,000. Therefore only exterior shots but who knows, I may come back here one day.

Approaching the ground from the east.

The stadium evacuation plan.

The North Stand is occupied by several retail outlets.

A glimpse of the pitch.

The West Stand.

The South Stand, which is the main stand.

Stadion Garbarni (Garbarnia Kraków)

2011-06-19T22:05:00.005+01:00

The fixture I had originally pencilled in for Sunday 29th May was the Scottish Junior Cup Final at Rugby Park. However on Thursday 26th May it was confirmed that I would be travelling to Kraków in Poland for a week for my work. This trip had been in the pipeline for a few weeks and I had enough time to do some research on football grounds I could visit as well. I flew from Edinburgh to Kraków at 6:30am and arrived at my hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn just south of the city centre, just before 11am local time. Luckily they already had a room ready so I could check in right away. After unpacking my bag I changed into a t shirt and three-quarter length shorts as temperatures were a lot higher than in Scotland and I was ready to explore the city.

The first stop was Stadion Garbarni, only a very short walk from my hotel, probably about ten minutes. The ground lies within the city boundaries however the location of the park had a rural feel to it. The gate was open so I was able to get inside the stadium.

Garbarnia were founded in 1921 by a group of workers from the then nearby tannery. This is not really a surprise when you know that 'garbarnia' is the Polish word for 'tannery'. In the beginning the club did not have its own stadium and led a rather nomadic existence. However in 1926 they moved into the Stadion Garbarni przy ul. Barskiej. This stadium was demolished in 1973 to make way for the Forum Hotel, a hotel that was meant to be amongst the most luxurious in then-communist Poland. This monstrosity currently lies dormant and I looked right at it from my hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Garbarnia's current ground was opened in 1990. This surprised me as it looks much older than that. The club currently play in League III, the fourth tier in Polish football. They have seen much better days however, albeit quite some time ago. In 1929 Garbarnia reached second place in the top league, only eight years after they were founded. In 1931 they did one better and were crowned Polish champions. After World War II the club lost its status as one of the top sides in Poland and they have only had a few short spells in the top league in the last sixty years or so.

The Forum Hotel was built on the site of the former Garbarnia stadium. The hotel has been closed for years now but it is currently the biggest billboard in Poland thanks to the TK Maxx advertising on the other side of the building. This picture was taken from my hotel room.

The home dug-out.

Looking toward the main stand.

The away dug-out.

Old-fashioned terracing in the northern end of the ground...

...with old-fashioned fences.

Seating in the main stand. The top half of the fences was sawn off at the start of last season to provide a better view to the fans in the main stand.

A great-looking clock and scoreboard. Hard to believe this stadium is only twenty years old.

Again the main stand.

The terrace in the north end.

And looking toward the east.

Glebe Park (Brechin City v Ayr United)

2011-06-15T19:58:00.001+01:00

I am running slightly behind with my blog as I I have been quite busy at work lately and I have spent two of the last three weeks in Kraków, Poland for my work as well with not much opportunity to add any updates. However I have added all recent pictures to the My Football Travels Facebook page including pictures of the Wisla Kraków v Polononia Warszawa game.

Before I went to Poland I added another Scottish Football League ground to my list: Glebe Park, home of Brechin City. The occasion was the home team v Ayr United, the second leg of First Division play-off final. The first leg had ended in a 1-1 draw. From what I had heard the Honest Men were the stronger side in that first game but were unable to finish Brechin off. The men from Angus even managed to score the equaliser in the final five minutes of the match. As both teams were quite evenly matched throughout the season it seemed both sides had all to play for.

I had not been to Glebe Park before. The main reason for this is that I usually travel to matches by public transport and Brechin is a relatively difficult place to get to if you stay in Paisley. The easiest way is to take a train to Montrose and jump on a bus from there as Brechin does not have a railway station. This also requires a bit of planning in advance as train tickets from Glasgow to Montrose bought on the day of travel are usually quite expensive. Luckily, Tony, a friend of mine who is an Ayr United supporter, had arranged for me to travel along with him in his brother-in-law's Fiesta together with two more Ayr fans. The four of them picked me up in Glasgow city centre at around 11:45. We arrived in the village of Brechin at around 2pm. Brechin is definitely a village, with a population of about 7,000. Although it is sometimes referred to as a city, for example in the name of the football club, this is simply for historical reasons, mainly the fact that there is a cathedral.

After we had parked the car on the car park of the Cooperative supermarket, which is near the ground, we made our way to Hudson's Bar next to the Northern Hotel, which had been taken over by Ayr fans. The atmosphere was excellent, with a DJ in the car park at the rear of the pub. At about 2:45pm we walked to Glebe Park. Ayr fans were allocated the fairly modern Trinity Road Stand, which holds about 1,000 and was filled to capacity today, and about half of the Hedge Side. The famous hedge is the most typical part of Brechin's stadium but with its mixture of well maintained terraces and stands it is a very attractive ground all round. I tried to buy a programme but did not see any programme sellers inside the ground. After paying my £14 at the gate I did not see any inside the ground either. When I asked a steward about it he figured they had probably sold out by now. I know I may sound like a total anorak, and I probably am, but this really annoyed me as I have programmes of all the other 37 Scottish grounds I had visited previously. I decided I would not let it spoil my day and would try to get one on eBay the next week.

The Ayr fans were loud and boisterous today and seemingly convinced that there was only going to be one outcome today: a win for the Honest Men and promotion to the First Division. However things did not seem to go very well for the team from the west coast in the first half. Not long before half-time I decided to go for a pie. There was a massive queue at the pie hut and staff that were obviously not used to four-figure crowds. It was a long wait and I even missed the first goal: United's Jonathan Tiffoney meant to pass back to goalkeeper Alan Martin but apparently no one had told him about the notoriously strong winds in this part of country and the ball rolled into his own net. Then, to make matters worse the pies had sold out by the time it was my turn to order. The guy in front of me had bought the last one. Since I had waited for so long I did not want to leave empty-handed and went for a cheeseburger instead and so did Tony. I have to say it was one of the poorest attempts at a cheeseburger I have ever sampled.

We made our way back to the top of the Trinity Road Stand and saw a stronger and more determined Ayr United in the second half. Nevertheless they struggled to find the net. With thirteen minutes left on the clock Mark Roberts equalised, which led to joyous scenes in the Trinity Stand. However this was nothing compared to the celebrations after Michael Moffat put the men from Ayr 2-1 ahead two minutes before time. Moffat's goal even sparked a mini pitch invasion. After the referee had blown the final whistle the Ayr fans invaded the pitch en masse, and of course I decided to join them. Tony even lifted match winner Moffat on his shoulders. When I returned to the stand I could not believe my luck when I found an immaculate match programme under one of the seats. Coupled with the £20 note I had found in the stand as well I had no more reason left to complain about the trip to Angus. At around 6pm we left Brechin and we were back in Glasgow at around 8pm.

Approaching Glebe Park: the Trinity Road Stand in front of us.

Ayr United supporters in the Trinity Road Stand.

The Main Stand.

Another look at the Main Stand. Small but perfectly formed.

The Hedge Side.

Looking toward the Cemetery End.

Some naughty boy with a flare...

A mini pitch invasion after Moffat's goal minutes before the final whistle...

...and a proper one at full-time! Looking towards the Trinity Road Stand.

Ayr United players celebrating promotion with the players.

Sunday 22nd May 2011
Scottish Football League First Division play-off final (second leg)
Brechin City 1 Ayr United 2 (aggregate: 2-3)
Brechin: Tiffoney 44 og.
Ayr: Roberts 77, Moffat 88.
Att: 2,404

Greenfield Park (Shettleston v Thorniewood United)

2011-05-28T09:55:00.003+01:00

Even though the weather we have had in Scotland lately has made it feel like autumn or even winter it is definitely springtime. That means the days are longer and we can go to midweek junior games with evening kick-offs. Most junior grounds do not have floodlights and games are usually only played on Saturday afternoons but come May they are played on basically every day of the week. The ones on Friday nights are my favourites as it means a perfect start to the weekend and I am not really bothering my wife.

On Friday 20th May I decided to go to Shettleston v Thorniewood United, an encounter in the West Region Central District First Division. I took a train from Paisley to Glasgow Central, then walked to Glasgow Queen Street and jumped on the train to Edinburgh, the new connection via Bathgate that is. Unfortunately there had been line problems and the train was six minutes late. I was on a tight schedule and it meant I would miss kick-off. After a very short train journey of only a few minutes I got off at Carntyne station, in the east end of Glasgow, and walked to Greenfield Park which took me less than ten minutes.

Greenfield Park is a great junior ground: it has two enclosures, a lot of crumbling terraces and supposedly a good social club as well (which I did not have time to visit). Tonight's game was important for both sides. Thorniewood, who were already promoted, were still in with a chance to win the league. If they beat Shettleston and Kilsyth Rangers lost the next day the title would be theirs. Shettleston needed a win to be still in with a chance to avoid relegation. Unfortunately both sides did not get what they wanted and the game ended in a 1-1 draw, although I think this was a fair result on the night.

After the game I walked back to Carntyne station and discovered the next train was due in 30 minutes. After a half-hour wait that felt like a two-hour wait I was on my way home.

Tonight's game: Shettleston v Thoniewood United.

Greenfield Park seen from outside.

The two enclosures.

No junior ground is complete without a brick wall painted white.

Another look at one of the enclosures.

The social club behind the white wall, beautiful crumbling terracing in front of it.

Shettleston score seven minutes before time.

The leafy east end of Glasgow...

Friday 20th May 2011
West Region Central District First Division
Shettleston 1 Thorniewood United 1
Shettleston: McCormick 83.
Thorniewood: Devlin 87.
Att: 150 (est.)

Keanie Park (Johnstone Burgh v Blantyre Victoria)

2011-05-14T22:00:00.002+01:00

Last week I went to Keanie Park to see Johnstone Burgh versus basement boys Blantyre Vics in Central District First Division. Johnstone is only four minutes by train from Paisley and the walk to the ground is a short one as well. I arrived at Johnstone station well before kick-off which meant there was still time for a pre-match pint in the Silver Tassie. I then made my way to Keanie Park, which is a nice and tidy ground. The weather was great at first as well until it started raining in the second half.

Vics were already relegated before this game but still somehow managed to beat Burgh 4-0. This result meant that the drop to the Central District Second Division loomed for the Renfrewshire side as well and after today's result their fate was confirmed. For most of the match this had seemed a typical goalless draw. Burgh looked slightly stronger but were unable to find the net. With 13 minutes to go Vics were awarded a penalty. Vics' number 7 scored and then Burgh fell apart and conceded three more goals in the next 13 minutes.

The entrance to Keanie Park.

Burgh's warm-up: throwing the ball at each other...

The club building.

Johnstone is on the Glasgow Airport flightpath.

Burgh goalkeeper Fraser Wilson was carried off after just five minutes.

This Blantyre free kick did not go in.

The enclosure was not very popular today, even after it had started raining in the second half.

A closer look at the enclosure.

Saturday 7th May 2011
West Region Central District First Division
Johnstone Burgh 0 Blantyre Victoria 4
Goals: 77 (pen.), 80, 86, 90.
Att: 65 (est.)

Merksworth Park (Dalry Thistle v Musselburgh Athletic)

2011-04-24T13:35:00.004+01:00

I went to Dalry today for the second leg of the semi-final of the Scottish Junior Cup. Dalry is a village in North Ayrshire and 23 minutes by train away from Paisley. Just like the other semi-final played today (Bo'ness United v Auchinleck Talbot, I was at the first leg last Saturday) this was an East against West confrontation. The other semi-finalists have eleven Scottish Cups between them whereas Dalry have never reached the final and Musselburgh have won the coveted trophy only once, in 1923 (as Musselburgh Bruntonians).

After a 23-minute train journey I got off at Dalry. Normally it is a 10-minute walk to the ground but a badly timed orange walk caused some disruption to the traffic in the village. Kick-off was delayed by fifteen minutes to allow all supporters to be inside the ground before kick-off. Although temperatures were around 27 degrees in London today according to the BBC website it was only about 12-13 degrees in the west of Scotland and it had been raining all morning as well. Luckily the rain had stopped at around 2pm and at around 3pm the sun even came out providing a suitable backdrop for this semi-final.

Musselburgh went into this second leg as the favourites. They had won the first leg 1-0 and ply their trade in the East Region's top division. Thistle were relegated from the West Region Super League First Division last season and now play in the Ayrshire District League, which is the third tier of the West Region. When Scott Gibson scored for the Burgh after 25 minutes things started to look really bleak for Thistle but being 2-0 down on aggregate at half-time meant a comeback was still possible.

In the second half Dalry looked much stronger but somehow they were unable to score. Even when they were awarded a penalty, Craig Menzies hit the post, despite sending the keeper the wrong way. With fifteen minutes to go Dalry were awarded a free-kick, about 20 yards out, and James Canning curled it past the wall beautifully: 1-1 (see this YouTube link). This was also the final score as both sides squandered a few more good chances. No first Junior Cup final appearance for Thistle on 29th May but what a great run it has been for them.

An orange walk took place when the supporters were making their way to Merksworth Park causing disruption to traffic and delaying kick-off by fifteen minutes.

The home supporters' entrance to the ground with the orange walk going past.

A healthy crowd had turned up today, I estimate about 2,000.

Musselburgh seemed the more composed side in the first half...

...and were 1-0 up going into the interval.

The enclosure at half-time.

Again the packed enclosure in the second half.

Musselburgh supporters, on the left, had turned up in numbers.

Dalry's James Canning steps up to take a free-kick fifteen minutes before time...

...and curls it in beautifully.

Saturday 23rd April 2011
Emirates Scottish Junior Cup semi-final second leg
Dalry Thistle 1 Musselburgh Athletic 1 (agg: 1-2)
Dalry: Canning 75.
Musselburgh: Gibson 25.
Attendance: 2,000 (est.)

Beechwood Park (Auchinleck Talbot v Bo'ness United)

2011-04-20T21:48:00.006+01:00

On Saturday I went to Auchinleck, East Ayrshire, for the first leg of one of the Scottish Junior Cup semi-finals. The other semi played was Musselburgh v Dalry but I opted for the match in Ayrshire since I had not been at Beechwood Park and the journey was slightly shorter. To travel from Paisley to Auchinleck by train you have to hop on the train to Glasgow Central and from there catch the train to Carlisle. Auchinleck is the first stop after Kilmarnock and since the Ayrshire village is very small it was a short walk to Beechwood Park.

After I paid my £7 to get inside I quickly realised that the ground was actually segregated and I had somehow ended up in the away end. Since this was the 'boring' end as far as the ground is concerned I quickly walked over to the home end. Most supporters (there were about 2,000 of them) were inside well in time as there seemed to be high expectations from both sets of fans; even the teams kicked off two minutes early.

Beechwood Park is a well looked after junior ground with fairly large uncovered terraces on one side and behind one of the goals (today's away end). There is a small covered terrace behind the other goal. This is where the vocal younger Auchinleck fans congregated (and drank their tonic wine). The large stand on the other side of the ground holds 500 and used to be part of Hamilton Accies' old Douglas Park. Talbot, who play in the West Region's top tier, have won the Junior Cup eight times, which is a record.

A tenth cup final appearance (Talbot were runners-up only once) looms for the Ayrshire club after last Saturday's match. The game was turned on its head after 20 minutes when David Forrest pulled down Auchinleck's David Gillies just outside the box. Referee Barry Cook gave Forrest his marching orders but Talbot did not score from the resulting free-kick. However six minutes later Brian Young put the Ayrshire club 1-0 up. Immediately after the interval David Gillies made it 2-0. Talbot had a few chances to all but book their place in the final but somehow were not able to score a third. It will be a tough ask but Bo'ness are still in with a chance when the two teams meet at Newtown Park for the return leg on Saturday.

After the game I walked back to the railway station and it turned out that even junior football attracts its share of nutters who are not too interested in the football itself. Despite a large police presence in the village I still witnessed a few minor scuffles.

The large terrace opposite the stand was packed.

1,914 crammed inside Beechwood Park.

The Loons are a group of fanatical Auchinleck supporters. Note the eight stars above the club crest, which represent the eight Junior Cup wins.

The covered enclosure.

The stand, which was purchased from Hamilton Accies, holds 500.

Bo'ness United fans in the far end.

There was a supposedly strict alcohol ban however, as this picture taken in the enclosure shows, this was not enforced at all.

Despite playing with ten men Bo'ness had some chances in the second half.

The large terrace after the game.

There was a large police presence in the village (population: 3,500) and unfortunately I witnessed a few, undoubtedly drink-fuelled, ugly scenes.

Saturday 16th April 2011
Emirates Scottish Junior Cup semi-final first leg
Auchinleck Talbot 2 Bo'ness United 0
Goals: Young 26, Gillies 47.
Att: 1,914

Koning Willem II Stadion (Willem II v Roda JC Kerkrade)

2011-04-17T22:00:00.008+01:00

On Saturday 2nd April, whilst in the Netherlands for a few days, I paid my first visit to the Koning Willem II Stadion, the home ground of Willem II. I had been at Helmond Sport the night before but this game was my main reason for visiting my home country twee weeks ago. For some reason I had not been at Willem II before and the club from Tilburg now look certs for relegation to the Jupiler League.

Willem II were close to the drop a few times in recent seasons, but when they finished second bottom in 2006 and 2010 they managed to stay up by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs. It seems very unlikely now that the Tricolores will even reach the safety net of the play-offs as the bottom team in the league will always be relegated. This will be a loss to the Eredivisie: Willem II have been playing in the Dutch top flight for 23 consecutive seasons now and were runners-up in 1999. This meant qualification for the 1999/2000 UEFA Champions' League. The Tilburg side also qualified for the 1998/99 and 2004/05 UEFA Cup tournaments. The fans have remained loyal and the game against Roda was still visited by 12,000 supporters.

As there are still quite a few grounds in the Netherlands that I have not visited I tend to prefer Roda JC away games. Travelling to Eredivisie away games is different from away days in Scotland however. For most games you cannot just hop on a train or drive to the away team's town, visit a few of the local pubs and walk to the ground. Instead you have to get a so-called combi ticket: you book a seat on a supporters' bus and you will get you match ticket when you are on the bus. The bus will then drop you off at the away end.

Again I travelled by 'combi' bus two weeks ago. Eight buses filled with Roda fans made the journey to Tilburg. This is an unusually high number as these trips are not everyone's cup of tea. You are not exactly treated like royalty upon arrival at the away ground, although some clubs are friendlier than others. I remember being treated to free coffee and rolls at Heracles Almelo but the reception at Willem II was unwelcoming even by Dutch standards. Kick-off was scheduled for 7:45pm and we arrived at the Koning Willem II Stadion at 7:30pm. Plenty of time to get everyone in in time you would think however all Roda fans were supposed to enter the stadium through a single gate and everyone was being searched (normal in the Netherlands), one person at a time (not normal, especially considering the number of stewards at the gate). The steward, or rather 'stewards' as I was searched twice, did not appear to be able to speak and did not even give me the obligatory 'Enjoy the game.' All this carry-on meant I was in my seat ten minutes after kick-off. No programme sellers to be seen either, which is a certain way to get me really annoyed. However Willem II redeemed themselves here when I was sent a programme through the mail last week after I had sent the club an email about it.

Luckily I had not missed much much of the action but there was plenty to come. After half an hour Roda defender Pa-Modou Kah fouled Jan-Arie van der Heijden. Referee Richard Liesveld did not hesitate and pointed to the spot. Andreas Lasnik converted the penalty and the home team were 1-0 up at the interval.

In the second half both teams really went to town. Only minutes into the second half Kah redeemed himself and scored the equaliser. The Norwegian could consider himself lucky he was still on the pitch at that time as Liesveld had not booked him for the second time after a reckless foul in the first half. Eight minutes later Bart Biemans scored 2-1 and Willem II were in the lead once more. Five minutes later Morton Skoubo equalised again. Another two minutes later Ruud Vormer put the men from Kerkrade in the lead for the first time on the night. Dave de Fauw scored 4-2 with 15 minutes left on the clock and Roda seemed to have secured the three points. However Lasnik pulled one back for the Tricolores: 3-4. Ruud Vormer then scored his second of the night before Maceo Rigters scored the final goal of the night 4-5.

This result meant that Willem II could not escape the bottom-three anymore and some of the Willem II fans turned out to be bad losers. Objects were thrown into the direction of the away end but we now know that the large netting is not just there to obstruct the away fans' view. Somehow however some 'supporters' managed to open a fence and got access to the away stand and missiles were thrown once more. A few of the Roda fans were hit and, typically, a few of them were young girls who will probably not be allowed to go to an away game again. After the game I heard some of the Willem II fans had felt 'provoked' by taunts from the Roda fans referring to what now seemed like certain relegation for the Tilburg side. Apparently they had forgotten about their own chants two years ago when Roda were staring relegation in the face.

After being pelted with pointy metal objects at FC Den Bosch a few years ago I had already decided I will never take my wife to an away game in Holland again. Police and stewards were nowhere to be seen and it cannot be a surprise that away games in the Eredivisie are basically only visited by young men (I still count myself amongst them...) as families, women and people who, probably rightly, feel they are to old for this s*** will not bother. It is often said: 'if you treat people like animals, they are more likely to behave like them.' I think that definitely holds true in these circumstances. Some individuals, on both sides, would have embarrassed the monkeys at Edinburgh Zoo.

Still, you make the best of it. Roda had won another three points and are now on their way to the play-offs for a Europa League spot. I also had a great time with my Dutch mates, whom I do not see that often, the weather had been great and I am already looking forward to the next away trip, perhaps in six months' time or so.

We arrived at the ground fifteen minutes before kick-off.

A long queue at the away end. Everyone was searched one by one.

This picture of me being welcomed by the Willem II stewards was taken by my mate. Note how only one person was searched at a time. This did not prevent the next steward from apparently not noticing I had already been searched and I was submitted to the same procedure once again.

I had not come across this on my travels before but not all stands at Willem II have names. I call this one the 'South Stand.' Note the large netting.

The Eretribune or Main Stand.

Another stand without a name. Let's call it the 'East Stand'.

The Kingside Stand is the stand populated by the more fanatical supporters. Stands in Dutch stadium are often called 'sides' when they are in fact 'ends', see also the Bunnik Side at FC Utrecht.

The 'South Stand' after the game.

The Kingside Stand.

The East Stand.

The Eretribune.

Saturday 2nd April 2011
Eredivisie
Willem II 4 Roda JC Kerkrade 5
Willem II: Lasnik 30 pen, Biemans 57, Lasnik 80, Rigters 90.
Roda JC: Kah 49, Skoubo 62, Vormer 64, De Fauw 75, Vormer 83.
Att: 12,000

Lavans Stadion (Stadion De Braak) (Helmond Sport v FC Emmen)

2011-04-09T22:20:00.003+01:00

Last weekend I was in the Netherlands for a short football trip. The 'main event' was going to be Willem II v Roda JC (report to follow soon!) on the Saturday but I had decided to also see a match in the Jupiler League, the second tier in Dutch football. The Jupiler League teams all play their games on Friday nights. I usually stay at my parents' in the town of Heerlen when I am over and this somewhat limits the teams I can see as I usually travel by train and Heerlen is tucked away in a southeastern corner of the Netherlands, near the Belgian and German borders. This means I cannot go to grounds that are too far away because I would not be able to catch a train back, which basically rules out clubs like Veendam, Go Ahead Eagles, Cambuur and AGOVV. Helmond, near Eindhoven, is one of the towns with a representative in the Jupiler League that are near enough to travel back and forth to on a Friday night.

A return ticket from Heerlen to Helmond cost me €32, which I thought was quite dear for a journey roughly the equivalent of Glasgow-Edinburgh. After an hour I arrived at Eindhoven station where I had to change and after a 10-minute journey I got off at Helmond. The walk to the stadium took me about 25 minutes. Helmond Sport's home ground used to be called 'De Braak' but was renamed 'Lavans Stadion' last year for sponsorship reasons. Upon arrival at the ground I took a few pictures and bought my ticket for the North Stand, which only set me back €9.50. There was a healthy crowd of well over 3,000 inside the 4,100-capacity stadium but the atmosphere was quite subdued as is the norm in this league. Nevertheless the lads on the North Stand were putting in a good effort now and then.

Helmond Sport are one of these quintessential Jupiler League teams. I could not remember them ever playing in the Eredivisie but, according to Wikipedia, they had a short spell in the top tier during the 1982/83 and 1983/84 seasons. Helmond have been reasonably successful so far this season, sitting in third place, and a place in the promotion play-offs looks as good as certain. Tonight's opponents Emmen have never played at the highest level. They only started playing professional football in 1985 but were close to promotion a few times in the late nineties and early noughties. The last few seasons, including the present one, have been rather disappointing for the Emmen fans.

Presumably the Helmond fans had expected a win tonight but it was not to be. Eldridge Rojer scored the opening goal for Emmen in the sixteenth minute. Marc Höcher equalised fifteen minutes later and the half-time score of 1-1 seemed fair. In the second half Helmond upped the ante but were unable to find the net until Ilja van Leerdam scored 2-1 minutes before time. Since Emmen player Jeffrey de Visscher had received a second booking five minutes previously the three points seemed to be in the bag for Helmond. Emmen were not giving up however and Randy Wolters stunned Helmond four minutes before time with the equaliser. I have to say goalie Wouter van der Steen, who replaced the injured Robert van Westerop, looked suspect for both goals.

After an entertaining game I made my way back to the train station and was back at my parents' before midnight.

The Noordtribune or North Stand was built in 2000.

The Oosttribune or East Stand.

The Westtribune or West Stand.

Again the Noordtribune.

The Oosttribune.

The Emmen fans can be seen in the faraway corner. The lads on the pitch were taking part in some competition where they had to shoot a crate off the crossbar in two attempts. I think three of them actually managed to do so, I have no idea what the prize was.

Both teams entering the pitch.

There is no stand in the southern end of the ground. There used to be terraces but these were demolished in the 1990s.

The Noordtribune seen from my seat.

This injury-time free-kick did not go in and the night ended disappointingly for Helmond.

Friday 1st April 2011
Jupiler League
Helmond Sport 2 FC Emmen 2
Helmond: Höcher 30, Van Leerdam 82.
Emmen: Rojer 16, Wolters 86.
Att: 3,117

Haarlem-stadion (HFC Haarlem)

2011-04-06T16:00:00.012+01:00

Last weekend I was in the Netherlands again. Apart from seeing my family, my main purpose of this trip was the Willem II v Roda JC game on Saturday. After having arrived at Schiphol Airport my first stop was the city of Haarlem, where I had planned to visit Haarlem-stadion, the former home of HFC Haarlem. Haarlem, founded in 1889, played their final match on 22nd January 2010, a 3-0 defeat by Excelsior at Stadion Woudestein in Rotterdam. Three days later the club were declared bankrupt. The stadium is a twenty-minute walk from Bloemendaal train station. Unfortunately it was absolutely pouring and I arrived at the ground soaking wet. I was delighted the gate to the stadium was open but because of the horrendous weather I did not take as many pictures as I would have done on a sunny day.

Haarlemsche Football Club Haarlem won the Dutch Cup twice, in 1902 and 1912. In 1946, before the introduction of professional football in the Netherlands, they were crowned champions of the Netherlands. After the start of the professional era in the 1950s Haarlem played a rather meaningless part. Their relative heydays were the 1970s and 1980s during which Haarlem played mostly in the Eredivisie, the Dutch top flight, and even managed, with a squad that included a 19-year-old Ruud Gullit, to finish in fourth place in 1982. This meant qualification for the UEFA Cup. Belgian side AA Gent were eliminated in the first round and the opponents in the second round were Spartak Moscow. Although Spartak won both legs, the events on the pitch were, although only in hindsight, overshadowed by what happened in the stands of Spartak's ground, the Lenin Stadium (now Luzhniki Stadium).

The Luzhniki Disaster was a human stampede in which, according to the official statistics, 67 Russian fans were killed. Many estimates of the actual death count are much higher however, some estimate as many as 340 were killed in this stadium disaster. The Soviet authorities tried to keep a lid on the tragedy and it was not until much later, after Gorbachev had become leader of the Soviet Union, that it was talked about openly in the Russian press. Initially the authorities, as was often the case and not just in the Soviet Union, blamed the football fans for the disaster. It was not until much later that a completely different picture was painted. Some Spartak fans were throwing snow balls at policemen who were stationed inside the ground. The large football crowd acted as a relatively secure cloak of anonymity and provided some people with a rare chance to have a bit of fun at the expense of the authorities. The police were not amused however and after the game they closed off several exits to make it easier to find the culprits on their way out. Not surprisingly the police were never held responsible for the tragedy. The stadium manager, who had only been in the job for a couple of months, was made a scapegoat and spent 18 months in a labour camp. The Haarlem players who played in Moscow only found out about the disaster years later.

In 1984 Haarlem ended the season in fourth place once more although this time fourth place did not mean qualification for Europe. In 1990 the Roodbroeken ('Red Shorts') were relegated to the First Division from which they never managed to escape. Even though they even finished bottom of this league a few times, relegation from the Dutch First Division was not possible at the time, a set-up followers of the Scottish Third Division will be familiar with. It was decided that from the 2009/10 season two First Division teams would be relegated to the newly formed Topklasse and Haarlem were 'favourites' to be one of the first two clubs in almost forty years to make the drop from the second tier in Dutch football. Instead they became the first club to disappear from Dutch professional football altogether since both FC Wageningen and VCV Zeeland folded in 1992.

Only months after the demise of the club amateur side Nieuwe Haarlemsche Football Club Haarlem was founded. They merged shortly after with HFC Kennemerland. Haarlem-Kennemerland, who now call Haarlem-stadion their home ground, currently play in the Tweede Klasse, the sixth tier in the Dutch league pyramid.

The overgrown terrace in the east end of the ground had already been closed for a while.

The Kick Smit Tribune. Kick Smit (1911-1974) was a Haarlem player who was capped 29 times and scored 26 goals for the Netherlands. He represented the country at the 1934 and 1938 World Cup finals.

The Noordtribune or North Stand.

View from the Oosttribune or East Terrace. The Westtribune was demolished only a few months ago.

Again the East Terrace.

Ravenscraig Stadium (Greenock Juniors v Thorniewood United)

2011-03-21T09:45:00.006Z

On Saturday I saw my first game at Ravencraig Stadium in Greenock, a ground I have been passing by on my way to work for the last ten years but I had never seen it from inside. Ravenscraig is the home ground of both Greenock Juniors and Port Glasgow Juniors. It is also an athletics stadium with a running track and a large stand which seats about 650 spectators. Unlike Dam Park in Ayr, which I visited two weeks ago, this athletics venue is in a terrible state of disrepair. I just found out however that Ravenscraig is about to undergo a major refurbishment and Saturday's game was Greenock's last at the stadium for the time being. I am glad I was still able to take a few pictures of the 'old' Ravenscraig but the refurbishment, which is set to start this week, looked long overdue.

The game I saw on Saturday was an encounter in the Central District First Division, the third tier in the West Region set-up of the Scottish Juniors. Home team Greenock Juniors were playing Thorniewood United of Uddingston in Lanarkshire. It was a very entertaining six-goal thriller and it was a shame only about 50 people, many of them supporting Thorniewood, turned out to see it. I do not know what kind of numbers Port Glasgow Juniors usually attract in terms of home support, however looking at the distance between Ravenscraig and the town of Port Glasgow it cannot be much more than that either. Despite the small crowd there were still pies and Bovril (but no tea or coffee) on sale during the interval. After the game I headed to Branchton train station again, a ten-minute walk, for the 25-minute train journey back to Paisley.

Approaching Ravenscraig Stadium.

The stand seen from outside. It is in dire need of a bit of TLC...

The stand holds about 650.

Wooden benches in the stand.

The view from the stand. Small terraces can be seen on the other side. The high-rise building that dominates the Greenock skyline is Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Lee Mitchell scores for Greenock: 1-0.

Thorniewood's Steven Mullen scores the equaliser: 1-1.

Thorniewood take the lead after Chris Queen's scores: 1-2.

After the interval Greenock's Thomas Docherty equalises again: 2-2.

Thorniewood go 3-2 up again thanks to a Chris Lafferty free-kick.

Greenock player manager Stevie Mooney was then sent off after picking up a second booking...

...however Greenock still manage to draw level. Ryan MacDonald scores 3-3.

Saturday 19th March 2011
West Region Central District First Division
Greenock Juniors 3 Thorniewood United 3
Greenock: Mitchell 20, Docherty 54, MacDonald 80.
Thorniewood: Mullen 22, Queen 32, Lafferty 56.
Att: 50 (est.)

Dam Park Stadium (Whitletts Victoria v Clydebank)

2011-03-06T16:00:00.003Z

Yesterday I went to Ayr for the Scottish Juniors West Region First Division clash between Whitletts Victoria and Clydebank. This was a vital game for both clubs as both are vying for promotion to the Super League Premier Division and were sitting in the top two spots in the First Division league table before Saturday's match, which was played at Dam Park. Whitletts' traditional home is Voluntary Park but this ground, which is also used for greyhound racing, was closed recently by South Ayrshire council as there were major health and safety concerns. Dam Park is a council-owned athletics venue and spectators are quite far from the pitch but the facilities are better than at many other junior grounds. Clydebank, in their previous incarnation, had played at Dam Park once before. This was for a league cup tie against Ayr United in 1972. Clydebank lost 5-0 almost 40 years ago but they had a much easier ride yesterday.

Tommy Martin missed the chance to put Bankies ahead after only twenty minutes when his kick from the spot went about a yard over the crossbar but when Whitletts' Rikki Harvey was sent off not much later for a dreadful stamp on Martin Clydebank's dominance became too much for Whitletts with goals from Stevie Dymock and Mark Hailstones before the interval and a Gordan Moffat goal two minutes after the break. Craig Main scored for the home side with seven minutes left on the clock, but as the footballing cliché goes, it was all too little, too late. Clydebank are top of the league now although all other rivals for promotion have at least two games in hand.

Approaching Dam Park.

The stand at Dam Park holds 478.

The ground is primarily an athletics venue.

Tommy Martin missed a penalty in the first half.

Whitletts' Rikki Harvey was sent off for a stamp on Tommy Martin.

A closer look at the stand at half-time.

Whitletts Goalie Steven Douglas saved this effort...

...but Gordon Moffat scored for Clydebank from the rebound.

Another look at the stand after the sun had come out late in the second half.

Saturday 5th March 2011
West Region Super League First Division
Whitletts Victoria 1 Clydebank 3
Whitletts Victoria: Main 83.
Clydebank: Dymock 35. Hailstones 44. Moffat 47.
Att: 250 (est.)

Celtic Park (Celtic v Rangers)

2011-03-04T19:25:00.005Z

Two tribes...

On Wednesday night I made the short journey from Paisley to the East End of Glasgow for the fifth round Scottish Cup replay between arch rivals Celtic and Rangers. The first game on 6th February ended in a 2-2 draw after Rangers had been up 2-1 at the interval. Celtic were playing with ten men after their goalie Fraser Forster was sent off late in the second half but somehow Scott Brown managed to equalise with 25 minutes left on the clock. His subsequent celebrations in front of Celtic hate-figure El-Hadji Diouf have since been known as 'doing the Broonie.'

Since Celtic and Rangers will also meet in the Co-operative Insurance Cup Final and, as always, four times in the league, there will be seven Old Firm encounters this season. This may have been one of the reasons for tickets for this game going on general sale two weeks ago. Normally it is almost impossible to get tickets for any of these matches through the official channels if you are not a season ticket holder for either of the clubs. Since I had not seen an Old Firm derby at Celtic Park yet I was not going to pass up on the chance to get my hands on one of the coveted briefs. Remarkably however tickets were still available shortly before the game and Celtic even advertised the match on the radio.

I was inside the ground about 30 minutes before kick-off and took my seat amongst the home support. The football on show tonight was disappointing and comparing the players on the park with those I watched in Old Firm clashes when I moved to Scotland ten years ago show how much standards have dropped in the SPL, although Bert Konterman may still struggle to be in the Rangers starting eleven in 2011...So I will not say much about the football but I do not think that is what these games are about anyway.

It is all about the hype that is created by the supporters and the media before these games and sometime after. And, as we have seen time and time again, even seasoned professionals often cannot handle this hype. Celtic truly dominated the game after Steven Whittaker was sent off after 37 minutes after picking up a second booking for fouling Emilio Izaguirre. Somehow this led to a spat between El-Hadji Diouf and the Celtic bench and it all kicked off again when both teams went for the dressing rooms at half-time.

Only three minutes after the break Mark Wilson scored what turned out to be the only goal of the night and, in true Old Firm style, Wilson's effort smashed off Saša Papac’s head. The Rangers left back had to be stretchered off the park but predictably the Celtic fans sang that they 'just couldn't get enough.' Celtic were unable to score a second goal even though Georgios Samaras hit the post. Madjid Bougherra became the second Rangers player to be sent off in the dying minutes when the Algerian received a second yellow card after a cynical foul on Kris Commons.

After the final whistle and Celtic's quarter final appearance confirmed (which also means Rangers cannot win the domestic treble of course) it really kicked off with Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant coach Ally McCoist squaring up and Diouf being red-carded after picking up a second booking for approaching referee Calum Murray. Bizarrely, despite the sending-off, the Senegalese striker still walked up to the end of the pitch to throw his shirt into the away section.

Despite all the turmoil on the pitch I did not encounter any aggression outside the stadium or on my way to Glasgow Central (I did not see anything untoward after last year's Old Firm at Ibrox either) and I arrived back home just after eleven. The football was dire but the entertainment was top-notch!

For more pictures of Celtic Park see these posts: (v St Mirren, v AZ, v FC Utrecht)

Celtic Park seen from the Gallowgate.

The two teams coming on the pitch.

Celtic free-kick in the first half, Rangers fans in the corner.

Steven Whitaker received a second yellow after fouling Emilio Izaguirre.

El-Hadji Diouf argues with the Celtic bench.

You'll never Walk Alone at the start of the second half.

Celtic free-kick in the second half.

Diouf was red-carded after the final whistle but still stayed on the park and threw his shirt into the away end.

The Jock Stein Stand after the match.

The South Stand.

The Lisbon Lions Stand.

Wednesday 2nd March 2011
Scottish Cup 5th round replay (first game: 2-2)
Celtic 1 Rangers 0
Goal: Wilson 48.
Att: 57,847

Murrayfield Stadium (Scotland v Wales)

2011-02-18T19:05:00.001Z

A non-football post this weekend as my wife and I went to Edinburgh last Saturday to see the Scottish rugby union team play their first home game of the 2011 Six Nations Championship. Scotland were beaten 34-21 by France in their previous game but the three tries they scored against one of the usual favourites had led to some optimism in the Scotland camp. From what we witnessed against Wales however it had been another false dawn, one of many I have seen in the ten years that I have followed Scottish rugby.

The home game against Wales is my favourite of the Six Nations fixtures, because of the size of the Welsh travelling support, the atmosphere they create in Edinburgh and the idea that Scotland have a good chance of winning it although the Welsh have beaten Scotland many times in the past decade.

My wife and I had booked a room in the Apex European Hotel, which is situated conveniently close to both Murrayfield and Haymarket railway station. After getting off the train at Haymarket we dropped off our bag at the hotel and hopped on a bus to the city centre. Our first port of call, as always, was Tiles Cafe Bar, where we had a few drinks and lunch as well. We also watched Wayne Rooney score that goal against Man City and discovered that apparently everyone in Wales is a Man Utd fan. After a few Leffes we walked to George Street where we made a stop at the new JD Wetherspoon pub, the Alexander Graham Bell, before we headed for the stadium. We passed our hotel on our way to the ground so we decided to check in quickly and we found that our bag was already in our room. We were in our seats at Murrayfield just in time for kick-off.

The game itself was disappointing with a Shane Williams try giving Wales an early lead and Scotland never looking like they were able to win this match. A saving grace was our seats near the aisle and exit which made it easy to go and buy a beer now and then without missing too much of the action. The sale of alcohol is banned in all football stadiums in Scotland but the ban was lifted in other sports grounds such as Murrayfield a few years ago. In the last few years poor organisation leading to ridiculous queues at the various bars made it sound like a good idea in theory only. However this year the SRU finally got their act together and it only took a few minutes to buy a bottle of Carling (no Leffes unfortunately). Will we ever be able to buy a beer at Ibrox or Celtic Park? I cannot see it happening any time soon.

After a depressing 24-6 defeat we drowned our sorrows in the hotel bar but we will be back in good spirits again next weekend for the game against Ireland. We will have the same seats but there will be no overnight stay on 27th February.

For more pictures of Murrayfield see these posts: 2005 Heineken Cup Final, 2009 Heineken Cup Final and Scotland v England (2010).

Approaching Murrayfield from Roseburn Street.

In our seats before kick-off. That does not happen very often when we go to Murrayfield.

The West Stand.

Looking toward the North Stand. You can see some empty seats. 7,000 tickets remained unsold.

The East Stand.

The South Stand.

An empty West Stand after the game.

The North Stand.

The East Stand.

Saturday 12th February 2011

RBS 6 Nations Championship
Scotland (3) 6
Pen: Parks 2
Wales (16) 24
Try: Williams 2; Con: Hook; Pens: Hook 4
Att: 60,259

Somerset Park (Ayr United v St Mirren)

2011-02-09T06:45:00.002Z

Last Saturday I paid my second visit to Somerset Park in less than three weeks. On 20th January I had witnessed the Honest Men knocking Hibs out of the Scottish Cup. In the fifth round St Mirren came calling and this time I was in the Railway End as a St Mirren supporter. I took the train to Ayr (a 40-minute journey from Paisley) and had a pint in the local Wetherspoon's, the West Kirk, before heading for the ground, a short walk of about fifteen minutes from the town centre.

The game was made all-ticket on advice of Strathclyde Police and Saints had been allocated 2,500 tickets of which they sold about 2,300. A crowd of just under 6,000 showed up today and created a great cup atmosphere at Somerset Park. Craig Dargo scored the first goal for Saints after barely six minutes and added a second to his tally in the dying minutes of the first half. The chance of another upset by the part-timers started to look very slim until United's Mark Roberts scored from the spot thirteen minutes after the interval. St Mirren managed to hang on to their slim lead however and Dargo had a couple of chances to complete a hat-trick but manager Danny Lennon took him off fifteen minutes before time. This resulted in the Paisley contingent chanting: 'You don't know what you're doing!' but Lennon afterwards explained Dargo had started to look tired. It was a bizarre decision in my opinion but Saints are through to the quarter-final where they will meet Aberdeen at home.

For more pictures of Somerset Park, see this post and this one.

A pre-match pint in the West Kirk.

The Main Stand.

Queues at the away end.

A packed Somerset Road End.

2,500 Saints fans in the Railway End.

The Main Stand was sold out. Saints fans in the foreground.

The North Terrace.

A packed Railway End.

Mark Roberts' spot-kick ensured a tense finale.

Saturday 5th February 2011
Scottish Cup 5th round
Ayr United 1 St Mirren 2
Ayr United: Roberts (pen) 58.
St Mirren: Dargo 7, 45+1.
Att: 5,997

Easter Road (Hibernian v St Mirren)

2011-02-08T06:45:00.004Z

Every five years I have to take a day off to go to Dutch consulate in Edinburgh to renew my Netherlands passport. As my passport had already expired in January and I have a groundhopping trip to Holland booked in for April I had to do this as soon as possible and I decided to make the appointment with the consulate on Wednesday 2nd February as this date coincided with Hibs v St Mirren. This SPL game was originally scheduled for 4th December last year but it had fallen victim to the Big Freeze. This was actually my third midweek fixture in as many weeks. Unlike many fans I do not mind them, especially when they are not too far away as it adds a bit of spice to the working week.

My mate Tony, who also holds a Dutch passport, went along to Edinburgh with me but, being the smart fellow he is, decided against joining me on my visit to Easter Road. I started the day with a breakfast at the Counting House in Glasgow and we took the 11am train to Edinburgh. I had an appointment at 12 noon with a photographer in Edinburgh to have my passport pictures taken. After a twenty-minute walk to the photo studio near East Meadow Park we had to walk the whole way back again but we made a stop at McEwans Ale House in Clerk Street. We then walked to the Dutch consulate which is opposite a new JD Wetherspoon pub, the Alexander Graham Bell, in George Street, so after handing in our forms and having our finger prints taken we decided to give it a try. After one pint we moved to the next Wetherspoon's in George Street, the Standing Order. After visiting three more pubs Tony took the train back to Glasgow and I started to walk in the direction of Leith. There was still a Wetherspoon's pub in Edinburgh I had not visited so I made my way to the Foot of the Walk, which was quite a trek from the city centre.

I had one pint and then walked to Easter Road. I had visited the home of Hibernian two seasons ago and at the time sat, or rather stood, amongst the home fans in the East Stand. In the meanwhile this stand had been demolished and replaced by a new single-tier stand. This makes the ground look a lot more modern but it has taken away a bit of the character of the stadium. Last week I went as a St Mirren fan and I took my seat in the South Stand. As both teams are near the bottom of the league this game was crucial but only a few hundred St Mirren fans had made the trip to Edinburgh. It was a woeful display and it was clear that the league table does not lie. Hibs however managed to score through Derek Riordan 17 minutes after the break. By the time David Wotherspoon added to Hibernian's tally in injury time I had already left the stadium in order to make the 10pm train back to Glasgow.

For more pictures of Easter Road see this post.

A new JD Wetherspoon in George Street, the Alexander Graham Bell.

Then off to the Standing Order.

Passing the Playfair on my way to Leith. It looked like it was closed for refurbishment.

The Foot of the Walk in Leith.

The new East Stand.

The West Stand.

The Famous Five Stand.

Wednesday 2nd February 2011
Scottish Premier League
Hibernian 2 St Mirren 0
Goals: Riordan 63, Wotherspoon 90+3.
Att: 9,436

Newlandsfield Park (Pollok v Arthurlie)

2011-02-01T17:46:00.006Z

Last Saturday I made the short journey by train from Paisley to the South Side of Glasgow for the derby between Pollok and Arthurlie in the top division of the Scottish Juniors (West Region). Newlandsfield Park is easy to reach from Glasgow Central as the ground is situated next to Pollokshaws East railway station.

Pollok FC were high on my list of 'junior clubs to be visited' as they are one of the most popular clubs in the junior set-up and the fixture against traditional rivals Arthurlie of nearby Barrhead was the one I had been waiting for. I got off the train at around 1pm and the 1:45 kick-off meant I still had some time to tick off one of the two JD Wetherspoon pubs in Glasgow I had not visited yet. The Sir John Robert Maxwell is a five-minute walk from Pollokshaws East train station but the slow service in the pub, not unusual for a Wetherspoon's, meant I only had time for one pint if I did not want to miss the kick-off at Newlandsfield Park.

Pollok's ground was opened in 1928 and, according to the official website, has a capacity of 4,000. There is no seating and the large enclosure can hold 1,500. The average gate for league games last season was 507, which makes the Lok one of the best-supported junior sides. At the moment Pollok are top of the West Region Super League Premier League.

Although no official attendance figure has been released yet I estimate a crowd of 800-900 turned up on Saturday (Edit: an official attendance figure of 784 has now been confirmed). Pollok opened the score after 10 minutes when Iain Diack sent (what looked like) a cross into the goal area and the ball ended up in the net via the woodwork. The Lie then went on a frantic search for the equaliser but 1-0 was still the score at the interval. Halfway through the second half Frank McKeown headed the deserved equaliser into the net. Only minutes later however Pollok were awarded a penalty. Diack was not so lucky this time and his spot-kick was saved by Neil Parry. The game ended 1-1 each, which meant Pollok are still top of the league and Arthurlie are now runners-up, one point behind their Glasgow rivals but with a game in hand.

First things first: a pint in the Sir John Stirling Maxwell.

The gates to Newlandsfield Park.

High-rise flats overlook the ground.

The large covered terrace.

A closer look at the enclosure.

This Arthurlie free-kick did not go in.

Arthurlie scored the equaliser in the second half.

Arthurlie players do not agree with the penalty that referee Don Robertson awarded to Pollok.

Unfortunately for Pollok, Arthurlie goalie Neil Parry stopped Diack's penalty. The ball that looks like it is in the net is actually a ball lying behind the net...

Saturday 29th January 2011
West Region Super League Premier League
Pollok 1 Arthurlie 1
Pollok: Diack 10.
Arthurlie: McKeown 67.
Att: 784

Excelsior Stadium (Airdrie United v Greenock Morton)

2011-01-26T08:08:00.013Z

Last night I took in another midweek Scottish Cup replay. This time it was off to the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie for Airdrie United v Greenock Morton. The game in Greenock last week had ended in a 2-2 draw. The Diamonds, playing in the Second Division, were two up against First Division side Morton but the Ton still managed to earn a replay. Although this replay must surely have been one of the biggest games of the season for Airdrie ,there was not much of an atmosphere. Only about 1,000 Morton and Airdrie fans showed up and neither set of fans made much noise.

The stadium does not ooze atmosphere anyway. Built in 1998, the 10,000 capacity ground does not have much character and looks very similar to grounds like New St Mirren Park. I had planned to visit the Excelsior Stadium two seasons ago but upon arrival at the ground the game against St Johnstone turned out to be postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. This should be a much rarer occurrence these days as a 3G artificial pitch was installed last summer. Although the drainage problems of the Airdrie ground were notorious it has made the park look even more 'plastic'.

I went to Airdrie by train, a 30-minute journey from the lower-level station at Glasgow Queen Street. This train goes all the way to Edinburgh nowadays, via Bathgate and Livingston. I did not have time to go to a pub before the game but there is a welcoming social club under the main stand. I ordered a pint of lager but the barrel had to be changed so I opted for a bottle of Miller instead. Later however the lady behind the bar came over to me with a pint, free of charge, because I 'had waited for so long,' which I thought was a very nice gesture.

After having downed my free pint quickly I made my way through the turnstiles. As mentioned before there was not much of a cup atmosphere and Morton were 1-0 up after less than 15 minutes. Somehow the First Division side took their foot of the gas a little and the 1-0 score at the interval flattered the Lanarkshire club. However somehow the Airdrie fans did not appreciate they were playing against a team from a higher division and their attitude toward their own team was very negative throughout the duration of the game. In the second half the Ton scored three goals in ten minutes and by the time Allan Jenkins scored 4-0 about half of the home crowd had already left. Two late Airdrie goals made the scoreline look more respectable but Morton had the last word when Carlo Monti scored 5-0 from the spot, after Eddie Forrest was sent off.

For more pictures of the Excelsior Stadium see this post.

Approaching Excelsior Stadium.

Memorabilia in the social club.

The Morton fans were housed in the East Stand.

The North Stand remained closed...

...as did the South Stand.

The Jack Dalziel Stand. By the time I took this picture many Airdrie fans had already left.

Airdrie's Eddie Forrest was sent off.

Airdrie's bench were not impressed with the straight red and penalty.

Carlo Monti scored the fifth Morton goal from the spot.

There are still 'Airdrieonians' bins inside the stadium. Airdrieonians FC folded at the end of the 2001/02 season, that saw them finish runners-up in the First Division behind Partick Thistle. A local business man bought Clydebank FC, relocated them to Airdrie and changed their name to Airdrie United. A year later a new Clydebank FC were founded. The 'new' Bankies play in the western region of the Scottish Juniors set-up.

Tuesday 25th January 2011
Scottish Cup 4th round replay (first game: 2-2)
Airdrie United 2 Greenock Morton 5
Ardrie: Mackay-Steven 77, Sally 80.
Morton: O'Brien 14, Jenkins 61, Graham 68, Jenkins 71, Monti 84 pen.
Att: 1,033

Rushmoor Stadium (Farnborough)

2011-01-21T19:04:00.001Z

These pictures of Rushmoor Stadium (formerly Cherrywood Road) I took two weeks ago when my wife and I spent four nights in the south of England for the Lakeside World Darts in Frimley Green, Surrey. Last year we stayed in nearby Frimley and I took a bus to Aldershot to take some pictures of the EBB Stadium (formerly Recreation Ground), home of League Two side Aldershot Town FC. I had to wade through 15 inches of snow to take a few shots of the exterior of the ground as there was, unsurprisingly, no way to get inside without being classed as a trespasser.

I had thought about going to Aldershot once more but it would probably have been more of the same (minus the snow) and I had found out in the meanwhile that there was a newly promoted Blue Square South team, in the shape of Farnborough FC, that plied their trade in the vicinity. On the Saturday morning I walked to the ground from our hotel in Frimley Green, which took me about 45 minutes. Unfortunately, I was once again unable to get inside the ground. Therefore once more some exterior shots. The record attendance at Rushmoor Stadium is 3,581 (an FA Cup game against Brentford in 1995). I am not sure what the current capacity is, Wikipedia gives a figure of 4,200, however a new stand is under construction now as you can see in the pictures as well.

The Prospect Road End Stand is currently under construction.

Turnstiles leading to the Prospect Road End.

The Farnborough club shop and the new PRE Stand.

Turnstiles leading to the Charles Mortimore Stand, the main stand.

Turnstiles leading to the Moor Road End.

I was able to look over a crumbling concrete wall behind the Moor Road End. We are looking out on the East Stand here.

Once more the East Stand, this time a frontal view.

Finally we are looking out on the Moor Road End from behind the Prospect Road End.

Somerset Park (Ayr United v Hibernian)

2011-01-20T21:28:00.006Z

Yesterday I made the short train journey, about 40 minutes, from Paisley to Ayr for the Scottish Cup fourth round replay between Ayr United and Hibernian. The first encounter at Easter Road had ended in a goalless draw. I had not seen that game but apparently both sides rued missed chances that could have secured their passage to the fifth round. Many in Scotland, including myself, believed Ayr could win this replay. The Edinburgh side are traditionally one of the stronger outfits in the SPL but things have not gone to plan since manager Colin Calderwood took over from John Hughes in October of last year. Prior to last night's match the Hibees had only won two of their thirteen games under Calderwood. The men from Leith have an atrocious record in the Scottish Cup anyway considering their pedigree. The last time they lifted the oldest trophy in football was 110 years ago. And then there was the CIS Insurance Cup semi-final at Hampden in 2002: Ayr United, playing in the First Division at the time, eliminated Hibs 1-0 after extra time and reached their first ever major final. The Honest Men lost 4-0 to Rangers but they probably were not too upset about it.

Nowadays United have to strut their stuff in the Second Division. They said goodbye to full-time football after last year's relegation but they are once more in contention for promotion to the second tier of Scottish football. Somerset Park is a great stadium for groundhoppers but unfortunately unsuitable for a club with the ambition to play SPL football in the near future. There is one main stand and three fairly large terraces. Although the official capacity is just over 10,000 there was a great atmosphere inside the stadium with a crowd of under 4,000. I witnessed most of the first-half action from the North Terrace, including Mark Roberts's goal after 18 minutes. From that moment the crowd really started believing an upset was possible. Hibs had a few good chances but it was one of those nights for them.

In the second half the tension was relieved temporarily when a streaker, dressed only in a Borat-style mankini, entered the pitch and ran along the Somerset Road end of the pitch. Soon after however the nail-biting resumed. Then finally, Somerset Park erupted at the final whistle, followed by a good-natured pitch invasion. In the fifth round the mighty St Mirren will visit Somerset Park so I will be back on 5th February!

For pictures of Somerset Park in daylight see this post and this one.

Long queues at the turnstiles.

The Somerset Road End.

The Main Stand.

Hibs supporters in the Railway End.

The North Terrace.

A streaker on the pitch in the second half.

Pitch invasion after the final whistle.

Tuesday 18th January 2011
Scottish Cup 4th round replay (first game: 0-0)
Ayr United 1 Hibernian 0
Goal: Roberts 19.
Att: 3,826

Western Park (Renfrew v Lochee United)

2011-01-16T14:40:00.007Z

Last Saturday I saw a match at a 'new' ground for the first time in almost two months. Renfrew FC (currently fifth in the West Region First Division) were playing host to Dundee club Lochee United (fourth in the East Region Superleague) in the third round of the Scottish Junior Cup. This was a game that was supposed to have been played on 27th November but had been postponed several times because of the arctic weather. Saturday's game looked doubtful as well because of the torrential rain we had seen in this part of Scotland in the past few days . Luckily however the match was given the green light after a morning pitch inspection. The actual journey to the ground was one of the less exciting ones as Renfrew is situated only a couple of miles from Paisley and my wife dropped me off outside the ground (I took one of the many buses back to Paisley after the game).

Despite the importance of this game I counted only about 150 supporters, which was understandable considering the horrible weather today. Still, a couple of dozen diehards had made their way from Dundee. Fortunately the terrace behind the southern end is covered and, despite a few leaks, kept everyone reasonably dry. Apart from the large enclosure there is not much too say about this ground. There are some overgrown, and very steep, terraces on the eastern side of the ground however because of the weather I did not venture too far away from the enclosure. Also there is no pie stand so I was not able to buy any refreshments within the ground which was a first for me in the juniors. I had read on the Lochee United site that there were some problems with burst pipes at Western Park so I do not know if you are normally able to buy a pie or a coffee inside the ground. Apparently Renfrew are hoping to move to a new ground near Blythswood Retail Park in 2012. Surprisingly however a programme was sold today, a decent effort at £1.

Despite the horrendous weather I did not regret leaving the house because I was rewarded with an entertaining cup tie. Lochee United confirmed their status as favourites to reach the fourth round by taking the leas quickly. Paul Blackwood and Grant Lawson ensured the Bluebells were 2-0 up after only 13 minutes and I am sure many in attendance at Western Park feared the worst for Renfrew but somehow they pulled one back just before half-time and when Lochee defender Joe Pepper was sent off things started to look rosier for the West Region outfit. Despite playing with only 10 men the East Region side seemed to be able to hang on to the slim lead reasonably comfortably however, until Renfrew equalised in they dying minutes. This means both teams will have to do it all over again in the replay in Dundee this Saturday.

The entrance to Western Park.

The club building has seen better days.

Watch the umbrellas, it was not a nice day to go to the football.

Only a grass bank at the northern end.

Despite the sending-off Lochee seemed to hang on to their lead quite comfortably...

...but both teams will have to meet again this Saturday.

Today's team sheet.

The club buildings are in a very poor state.

Thankfully Western Park has a large enclosure.

Saturday 15th January 2011
Emirates Scottish Junior Cup Round 3
Renfrew 2 Lochee United 2
Renfrew: Prentice 43, Reid 90.
Lochee Utd: Blackwood 9, Lawson 13.
Att: 150 (est.)

Firhill Stadium (Partick Thistle v Raith Rovers)

2011-01-05T08:30:00.006Z

Fore more pictures of the Jags at Firhill see this post and for pictures of a Glasgow Warriors rugby game at this ground see this one.

On 26th December I saw my first match in over five weeks at Firhill in the north of Glasgow. Partick Thistle were playing host to Raith Rovers in the the Scottish First Division. Before the arctic weather struck I had made all kinds of plans for Boxing Day. I had considered paying my first visit to Glebe Park to see Brechin City v Ayr United. I had also though about going to Blackburn where Stoke City were visiting Ewood Park. I only discovered last week however that there were no trains on 26th December apart from a few local lines in Glasgow. This meant that my options had become extremely limited. I could have taken a train to Airdrie, I still have to see a game at the Excelsior Stadium, but the Second Division clash against East Fife had fallen victim to the weather. Hibernian were playing Aberdeen at Easter Road and I have not seen the new East Stand yet but there were no trains to Edinburgh today and I did not feel like taking the Citylink bus. Celtic v St Johnstone did not look like the most attractive fixture to me and I had not expected tickets to be on sale on match day for Motherwell v Rangers at Fir Park.

Firhill therefore seemed the easiest option. This was also the first time I took pictures at a football match at the home of the Jags and the first time I have seen Partick Thistle play at home since 2003. Of the four senior teams in Glasgow Partick Thistle's ground is the closest to the city centre, a fifteen-minute walk from Sauchiehall Street. This short walk was a particularly treacherous one yesterday because the pavements were extremely slippery and a few times I was very close to falling flat on my face. Luckily however I made it to the stadium in one piece. I bought a programme and a match ticket (which you have to buy at the ticket booth outside the ground and hand in at the turnstile) and took my seat in the Jackie Husband Stand. This was the only stand open today. As far as I know away fans are usually allocated the North Stand but today the supporters from Kirkcaldy were seated in the northern end of the Jackie Husband Stand. Although I understand that it is cheaper to have only one stand open it does not do much for the atmosphere.

The match was not the most exciting one I had seen in 2010 and there were no goals. Both teams had a few chances and a draw was a fair result but I would have preferred a 1-1 or 2-2. After the game I made my way back to Glasgow Central train station on foot but black ice had made it an extremely treacherous journey. Nevertheless, as always, I made it home in one piece.

Approaching Firhill.

The Main Stand.

First you have to buy a ticket from the ticket booth outside the Jackie Husband Stand, which you then hand in at the turnstile.

The Jackie Husband Stand.

This used to be the South Terrace.

The North Stand was closed today. Away fans were seated in the Jackie Husband Stand.

The Main Stand was closed as well.

Again the Main Stand.

The Jackie Husband Stand at half time.

Sunday 26th December 2010
Scottish Football League First Division
Partick Thistle 0 Raith Rovers 0
Att: 2,036

The big freeze continues

2010-12-03T08:00:00.008Z

It looks like there will be no football in Scotland this weekend with almost all SPL, SFL and SJFA fixtures scheduled for 4th or 5th December postponed. For some reason the SFL Second Division tie between Alloa and Peterhead at Recreation Park has not been postponed but surely that can only be a matter of time.

Edit 04/12: After a pitch inspection at 8:30am the game at Recreation Park is set to go ahead!

Links Park (Montrose v Whitehill Welfare)

2010-11-21T21:05:00.003Z

Yesterday I went to Montrose for the third round Scottish Cup tie between SFL Third Division side Montrose and Whitehill Welfare from the East of Scotland League. I made use of the Sunday Mail offer (a return ticket to any destination in Scotland for a fiver with Citylink) and took a Citylink bus from Glasgow to Dundee. In Dundee I got on a train and arrived in the town of Montrose 30 minutes later. I was in Montrose last year but unfortunately did not get to see any football then as the league game against Queen's Park was postponed due to high winds. Because of the rainfall during the last few days I was afraid another cancellation was a possibility. I had checked all websites and phoned the club and the game was definitely on. After entering Links Park I realised that the pitch is artificial and there had not been much risk of it being waterlogged!

Thanks to the few hours I had spent in Montrose last year I knew the town and its pubs a little and, just like last year, I had a couple of pints in the Picture House, a large Wetherspoon-esque pub in Hume Street, near the train station. From the station it is a short walk, less than ten minutes, to Links Park.

Montrose's ground is dominated by the large main stand (1,300 seats). There is also a covered terrace behind one of the goals. Behind the opposite goal there is a small uncovered terrace and there is room for standing on the side opposite the main stand as well. Due to its proximity to the North Sea it can get very chilly inside the stadium.

Today's opponents Whitehill Welfare are currently sitting fifth in the top division of the East of Scotland League, one of the three 'non-league' senior leagues in Scottish Football, the other two being the Highland League and the South of Scotland League. Whitehill reached the third round of the Scottish Cup by beating Highland League oppostion twice, first Lossiemouth and then Wick Academy.

Despite being the underdogs on the day Whitehill found the back of the net after only seven minutes as Jordan Hall scored with a 35-yard strike. Paul Tosh equalised from the penalty spot after he was fouled by William Kidd. The big turning point came after Whitehill's Alan Cornett was sent off for handling in the area and Tosh converted another penalty. After the interval, the East of Scotland League side put in a brave performance even though they were a man short. However, Gordon Pope's goal fifteen minutes before time drove the final nail in the coffin for the men from Rosewell. No doubt the Gable Endies will be hoping for a money spinner when their name is pulled out of the hat along with the SPL sides tomorrow.

Approaching Links Park.

The entrance to the ground.

The main stand.

The covered terrace behind one of the goals.

Whitehill players celebrate after surprisingly taking the lead.

Montrose were looking for the equaliser. This effort went just wide.

Despite the rain there was a group of vocal Montrose supporters on the small terrace behind the other goal. They moved to the other end for the second half.

Paul Tosh's penalty levelled the game.

The pressure on the Whitehill defence continued.

Paul Tosh converted a second penalty for the Gable Endies.

A closer look at the covered terrace.

And a closer look at the main stand as well.

Saturday 20th November 2010
Scottish Cup 3rd Round
Montrose 3 Whitehill Welfare 1
Montrose: Tosh 21 pen, 40 pen, Pope 75.
Whitehill Welfare: Hall 7.
Att: 435

Prestonfield Park (Linlithgow Rose v Clydebank)

2010-10-30T21:30:00.007+01:00

Today I went to Linlithgow in West Lothian, which is 30 minutes on the train from Glasgow Queen Street. The occasion was the Scottish Junior Cup second round tie between holders Linlithgow Rose and Clydebank at Prestonfield Park. I arrived in Linlithgow about an hour before kick-off so there was enough time for a couple of pints in one of the many pubs on the town's High Street. I picked Platform 3, which is an excellent small pub just outside the train station.

After two pints of Deuchars I made my way to Prestonfield, which is a ten-minute walk from the station. Lithgae's ground is a great-looking junior ground with a covered enclosure on one side and a modern-looking main stand, the Davie Roy Stand, on the other side. There is a high grass bank behind one of the goals. Behind the other goal there is room for standing and access to the social club. After the torrential rain of the past few days I had feared a waterlogged pitch but fortunately it was dry and sunny today. About 900 Lithgae and Bankies fans were in attendance.

The home team, 2010 Junior Cup winners and current East Region Superleague leaders, were the obvious favourites to progress to the third round of the biggest competition in Scottish junior football. Clydebank, who knocked out cup holders Auchinleck Talbot last season, were close to opening the score when a Ross McPherson header hit the crossbar. However Dario Quinn's header gave the Rose a deserved lead at half-time. After the interval Bankies seemed the keener side but they had trouble creating clear-cut chances and 1-0 was the final score.

After the game I had one more quick pint in the Old Post Office on the High Street before I took the 4:33pm train back to Glasgow.

First a couple of pints in Platform 3, a pub just outside the train station.

Entering Prestonfield.

The covered terrace was packed today.

The Davie Roy Stand.

A closer look at the Davie Roy Stand.

Looking towards the northern end of the park.

The grass bank in the southern end of the ground.

After the poor weather of the last few days some welcome rays of sunshine at Prestonfield.

The Bankies were unable to find the net today.

The Davie Roy Stand after the game.

The Black Bitch pub near Prestonfield is named after Linlithgow's coat of arms which shows a black dog chained to an oak tree.

Saturday 30th October 2010
Emirates Scottish Junior Cup Round 2
Linlithgow Rose 1 Clydebank 0
Goal: Quinn 34.
Att: 900

Tour of Estadio La Rosaleda (Málaga CF)

2010-10-24T19:35:00.009+01:00

I did not get to see a game this weekend which meant I finally I had some time to post the pictures I took during the stadium tour at Esatadio La Rosaleda, home of Málaga Club de Fútbol. On Monday 6th September 2010 my wife and I took the train from Benalmádena, the resort we were staying in, to Málaga. I do not think there is a direct bus link from Maria Zambrano, the main train station in Málaga, to La Rosaleda so we embarked on a 30-minute walk to the stadium. The alternative would have been a taxi but it is an easy walk, no steep hills or anything like that and basically one straight road.

The stadium was opened in 1941 and there have been several renovations in recent years. The current capacity is 28,963. La Rosaleda also hosted three World Cup first round group matches in 1982, including Scotland v New Zealand (5-2) and Scotland v Soviet Union (2-2). The other game was the mouthwatering clash between the Soviet Union and New Zealand (3-0). The stadium is not owned by the football club, its ownership is shared between the municipality of Málaga, the Málaga Provincial Council and the autonomous Government of Andalusia.

Before we left for Spain I had already seen there was the possibility of a stadium tour on the club's official website. Luckily we were able to get tickets for the home game against Valencia on 28th August but I thought it would be nice to see other parts of the grounds as well. Normally the tour, which includes a visit to the museum, costs €10, however there was a reduced fee of €5 in place now because the stadium was once more being renovated and we were not able to see some parts of the stadium that are normally part of the tour. That meant we did not get to see the press room, home team dressing room or the hall of fame. My wife and I were the only visitors when we arrived at the museum at 10:30 and we were given a private tour by Rocío. She spoke a little English but it would probably help if you understand Spanish (which I do not) because we were not given a lot of additional information by the guide and all plaques etc. in the museum were in Spanish only. Luckily the short film that was shown in the museum had Spanish subtitles.

All in all an interesting visit especially if you are not able to see any games at the ground.

Approaching the ground.

The ticket windows.

I assume this picture was taken after Malaga CD had beaten Real Madrid 6-2 in the 1983/84 season.

Executive seats in the Tribuna.

The Fondo stand.

The Preferencia stand.

The Gol stand.

The away dressing room had just been painted.

And again the away dressing room.

Also a new lick of paint in the massage room.

The home dugout.

The new seats for the fourth official.

The away dugout.

The Tribuna seen from pitch-level.

The Fondo end seen from the pitch.

The Gol end seen from the pitch.

Málaga won the Intertoto Cup in 2002 which meant qualification for the 2002/03 UEFA Cup. They exceeded everyone's expectations and reached the quarter finals in which they lost on penalties to Portuguese outfit Boavista.

Last season's strip I believe.

Good to see that dodgy football songs are not only recorded in Britain and Holland.

Plenty to see in the museum but some knowledge of the Spanish language would definitely be helpful.

Showpark (East Kilbride Thistle v Clydebank)

2010-10-18T20:30:00.003+01:00

Last Saturday I went to East Kilbride to see East Kilbride Thistle take on Clydebank at Showpark in the Scottish Juniors West Region Super League First Division. It takes about 30 minutes on the train from Glasgow Central to East Kilbride, the largest town in Scotland. The Jags were only founded in 1968 (East Kilbride is one of the Scottish 'new towns') and their biggest achievement has been winning the Scottish Junior Cup in 1983. Since their promotion in 2006 Thistle have been playing in the second tier of the West Region junior set-up.

After I got off the train I still had 40 minutes to kill before the 2pm kick-off. Showpark (one word and not 'Show Park') is only a five-minute walk from the train station so I had a quick pre-match pint in the Montgomery Arms. I then made my way to the ground. Showpark looks a bit run-down like so many of the junior grounds. There is a covered terrace which is so far from the pitch that you would struggle to see any of the action on it. A crowd of about 250 was in attendance, many of them Clydebank fans.

The Jags had an excellent first half helped by a sloppy Bankies defence. Anton Heffron put Thistle 1-0 ahead after 28 minutes. It became even more difficult for Clydebank when Darian McKinnon received a straight red card for a foul on Colin Sweeney. I had missed the incident but it was a controversial decision judging by the reaction from the Clydebank players and supporters.

Surprisingly Clydebank looked the stronger team after the interval and it was not obvious that Thistle were only playing against ten men. Halfway through the second half Barry Crawford equalised after an initial effort hit the post. Then an eventful few minutes saw East Kilbride bag all three points after all, courtesy of a Jordan Murch goal five minutes before time or, as the Clydebank Twitter feed put it: "85 mins EK 5 yc for what looked like a punch at Dymock. Then Ek score then EK 9 yc for a get it up you to fans then Ek 3 rc for a foul".

Both teams will meet again three weeks from now as EK Thistle will visit Holm Park in the first round of the West of Scotland Cup and it promises to be a juicy tie.

The entrance to Show Park.

Today's team sheet.

The snack bar and a covered enclosure which seems a bit far from the pitch.

A closer look at the enclosure and snack bar.

On the left the dressing rooms.

Both sets of players leaving the dressing rooms for the first half.

A pleasant autumn afternoon at Showpark.

A crowd of about 250 turned up today.

Number 6 Anton Heffron scored East Kilbride's first goal.

Darian McKinnon was sent off at the end of the first half.

Despite being reduced to ten men the Bankies searched frantically for the equaliser.

Clydebank were 1-0 down at the interval.

A spirited second-half display led to a deserved equaliser for the Bankies after this header hit the post.

Saturday 16th October 2010
West Region Super League First Division
East Kilbride Thistle 2 Clydebank 1
EK Thistle: Heffron 28, Murch 86.
Clydebank: Crawford 74.
Att: 250 (est.)

Fullarton Park (Vale of Clyde v Clydebank)

2010-10-10T21:35:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I took in another junior game, this time it was Vale of Clyde v Clydebank at Fullarton Park in Tollcross, Glasgow. Despite the relatively short distance from my home in Paisley to the East End of Glasgow I somehow managed to get inside the ground 17 minutes late. I had taken a number 9 First bus to Glasgow City Centre where I hopped onto the number 61 First bus to Shettleston but I never thought the three-mile journey would take as long as it did. There seemed to be a bus stop every 50 metres with people getting on and off at every stop. It was however only a very short walk from my eventual stop on Tollcross Road to Fullarton Park.

Unfortunately I still had to pay the full five quid to get in, I had hoped there would not be anyone at the gate anymore, but I could not complain of course. Fortunately I had not missed any goals. The ground is not the most impressive of the junior grounds I have been to but it seemed very well looked after. There is terracing along one side and a roof over a grass bank on the other side. There is also a welcoming social club and I had an excellent bridie (£1) and a bottle of Miller (£1.50).

The two teams played with passion and referee Steven Reid handed out eight yellow cards. Both sets of supporters were not happy with the referee's performance and the level of abuse hurled at the poor guy makes you wonder why anyone still wants to be a referee at this level. Stevie Dallas opened the score for the Bankies just before the interval. Robert Coulter scored the deserved equaliser ten minutes before time.

The entrance to Fullarton Park.

Terracing and the club buildings.

Clydebank are getting ready to take a free kick.

Vale goalie Brian Hamilton saved this Clydebank effort.

The grass bank on one side is partially covered.

There is terracing on the other side however. The dressing rooms (left) and social club (right) are behind the terraces.

Clydebank started the second half leading 1-0.

However the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Saturday 9th October 2010
West Region Super League First Division
Vale of Clyde 1 Clydebank 1
Vale of Clyde: Coulter 81.
Clydebank: Dallas 43.
Att: 250 (est.)

Gemeentelijk Sportpark Kaalheide (Roda JC)

2010-10-08T11:43:00.007+01:00

I was visiting my parents in the Netherlands last weekend and decided to take some pictures of Gemeentelijk Sportpark (=Municipal Sports Ground) Kaalheide. Fortunately the gate was open and I could walk into the ground without any problems.

Gemeentelijk Sportpark Kaalheide was opened in 1950 and was Roda JC's home ground until 2000 when the Pride of the South moved to the 19,600 capacity all-seater Parkstad Limburg Stadion. It is situated in the town of Kerkrade, a small town in the most southern part of the Netherlands near the German border, only 6 miles from the German city of Aachen.

Roda JC were only founded in 1962, the result of the merger of Roda Sport and Rapid JC. In 1973 Roda JC were promoted to the Dutch top flight, the Eredivisie, and they have never been relegated since, although it took a penalty shoot-out win in the play-off finals at Cambuur Leeuwarden in 2009 to secure a slot in the Eredivisie for last season.

I started visiting Kaalheide during the 1994/95 season. Roda were at their best at that time. They only lost two league games in the whole season and finished the season in runner-up spot behind European champions Ajax. For the 1995/96 season I bought my first season ticket and I remained a season ticket holder until I moved to Scotland in 2001.

Kaalheide was built as a multi-functional stadium and was (and still is) used as an athletics venue as well. This was a common concept in the Netherlands, and the rest of the continent for that matter. The running track around the pitch ensured that the terraces behind the goals were a fair distance from the pitch and this, combined with the fact that these terraces were uncovered, contributed to a widespread dislike of them by both home and away supporters. Luckily the home supporters had an alternative.

The picture above was taken in either November or December 1998 from the North Terrace, a roofed terrace where the more fanatical supporters used to congregate. It looks like Roda won and my guess is that this was the derby against MVV of Maastricht on 27th November 1998 (2-1). The Main Stand, which was renovated as late as 1992 can be seen in the background. The two ends behind the goals were not covered and these terraces were generally not very popular. Away supporters were allocated one half of the West Terrace until the late nineties. Later the away fans were moved to the East Terrace to make it easier to segregate the opposing supporters' groups outside the ground.

The official capacity changed over the years and was considered to be around 15-16,000 in the late nineties however sell-outs have always been rare at Kaalheide. A record crowd of 23,000 saw Roda JC lose to Anderlecht (2-3) in the second leg of the first round of the UEFA Cup on 26 September 1976 (3-5 aggregate). This is still a record for a Roda home game.

Unlike many other older stadiums in the Netherlands Kaalheide is still in use, both as an athletics venue and as a football ground: it is Roda's training ground and the reserve team play their games at Kaalheide. The North Stand was however demolished in 2005 because it had fallen into disrepair and was in danger of collapsing.

The Main Stand was renovated as recently as 1992.

The West Terrace.

The roofed terrace which ran along the nothern side of the pitch was demolished in 2005.

The East Terrace.

Again the uncovered West Terrace.

The grass bank that replaced the old North Terrace.

The Main Stand seen from the West Terrace.

The Main Stand.

These two pictures I took when Roda were still playing at Kaalheide around 1999 or 2000...

...I cannot remember the occasion!

Stadion Woudestein (Excelsior v Roda JC)

2010-10-08T06:55:00.004+01:00

Whilst visiting the Netherlands I saw my first game at Stadion Woudestein last Saturday. I went as an away fan as my team Roda JC were playing Excelsior, currently two points ahead of 'big brother' Feyenoord and with Sparta plying their trade in the Jupiler League they currently are the highest ranked team in Rotterdam. Still, they are the least popular of the three professional sides in Holland's second largest city. Woudestein has a capacity of only 3,500, making it by far the smallest stadium in the Dutch top flight. Despite its small capacity the ground was not sold out last Saturday with only 3,214 in attendance despite the club's promising start to the season, including a 3-2 defeat of Feyenoord. Predicted by many as 'certs' for relegation they are currently lying twelfth in the 18-team Eredivisie.

Excelsior do not have a fan base that justifies their place in the Eredivisie. Founded in 1902 they are one of the older professional sides in the Netherlands. Although Excelsior and Feyenoord had cooperated for many years their partnership became official in 1996 when Excelsior became a feeder club for Feyenoord. Feyenoord stalled young and talented players at the Woudestein club to give them valuable playing minutes in the Dutch second tier. Although the agreement between the two Rotterdam clubs was controversial amongst many supporters the club were promoted to the Eredivisie in 2002. They were relegated again the following season but were promoted once more in 2006. This time their stay in the top league lasted two seasons and Feyenoord ended the partnership in 2008. However only five months later the two Rotterdam clubs agreed on an even more extensive partnership and Excelsior were promoted to the top tier once more last season.

This was my first Roda JC league game in almost four years I am ashamed to admit but I had been looking forward to this one for a while. Roda have started this season extremely well; they have not been playing glorious football on a weekly basis but they have kept on grinding out results, just like last Saturday. The team from Kerkrade were the dominant side in the first half but Wouter Gudde opened the score for Excelsior after some shambolic Roda defending. Pa-Modou Kah equalised early in the second half and a draw looked like a fair result. However Anouar Adouir sealed another win for Roda in the 88th minute to the delight of the travelling fans.

I made the journey to Woudestein on a supporters bus, which is my preferred method of travel to away games in the Netherlands because it is cheap (€30 for non-members including match ticket) and relatively comfortable and the atmosphere is always top-notch. The bus left from the Roda ground in Kerkrade at around 5pm. After journey of just over three hours we arrived at Stadion Woudestein. As mentioned above, the stadium is very small but I was pleasantly surprised to see terracing in the away end. The journey back to Kerkrade went slightly quicker and I arrived back at my parents’ house on Sunday morning just after 2am.

The not so impressive entrance to the away stand.

Nice tea hut...

I was pleasantly surprised to see these terraces in the away end.

The Zuidtribune or South Stand.

The I.J.B. Albers Tribune.

The main stand is called the Henk Zon Tribune.

Celebrations after Kah's equaliser.

Roda kept on searching for the winning goal which finally came in the 88th minute.

'Get off that fence you naughty boy!'

Roda players celebrating...

...after another victory!

Saturday 2nd October 2010
Eredivisie
Excelsior 1 Roda JC 2
Excelsior: Gudde 38.
Roda JC: Kah 69. Hadouir 88.
Att: 3,214

Trendwork Arena (Fortuna Sittard v Cambuur Leeuwarden)

2010-10-04T21:25:00.003+01:00

Last Friday I witnessed Fortuna Sittard's first win of the season in the Jupiler League, the second tier in Dutch professional football. The opponents were Cambuur Leeuwarden, who will still be considered one of the favourites for promotion to the Eredivisie but whose form has been somewhat indifferent so far.

I was in the Netherlands for a few days, mainly to visit Excelsior v Roda JC in Rotterdam on Saturday night, and I had decided to pay my first visit to Fortuna's ground for about 10 years on the Friday night before. Sittard is only about 15 minutes on the train from Heerlen, where I was staying at my parents', and the Trendwork Arena, as it is now called for sponsorship reasons, is a 20-minute walk from the train station. The ground was opened in 1999 and has a capacity of 12,500. Despite Fortuna's woes there were still about 3,000 supporters in attendance. These were all home fans as the visiting team had not brought any supporters with them.

The last time I had paid a visit to what was then called the Wagner & Partners Stadion I was there as a Roda supporter visiting our biggest rivals (together with MVV of nearby Maastricht). This was on Wednesday 31st January 2001, only six days before I left for Scotland. Fortuna were an established Eredivisie side and won 1-0 on the night.

In 1968 Fortuna '54 of Geleen and Sittardia merged as 'Fortuna Sittardia Combinatie', which later became 'Fortuna Sittard'. In 1984 Fortuna reached the final of the Dutch Cup against Feyenoord, which the Rotterdam side won 1-0. As Feyenoord won the league as well in 1984 Fortuna were allowed to compete in the Cup Winners' Cup and reached the quarter finals in which eventual winners Everton proved too strong (5-0 over two legs). In the late nineties Fortuna had a well-respected team with young and talented players like Mark van Bommel, Kevin Hofland, Fernando Ricksen and Wilfried Bouma. The manager was current Holland manager Bert van Marwijk and the men from Sittard reached the Dutch Cup final for the second time in 1999, in which they were unsuccessful once more as Ajax won 2-0. In 2002 Fortuna were relegated to the First Division where they have been struggling ever since. It is actually a miracle that the club still exist. The proposed merger with Roda JC in 2009, which was extremely unpopular with both sets of supporters, only fell through when it was in the final stages. Any celebrations from Fortuna fans were short-lived as the KNVB, the Dutch FA, decided not give the club a licence for the 2009/10 season because of alleged financial mismanagement. However Fortuna argued against this decision in court and the judge ruled that the KNVB had made serious procedural mistakes when they decided not to grant Fortuna a licence and therefore they were allowed to continue playing professional football in 2009/10.

Of course this was not the end of Fortuna's problems. They were struggling in the league again last year and even though they had already finished bottom of the league for three successive seasons there is now the possibility of relegation from the Jupiler League, for the first time in decades, to the Topklasse, a newly-formed league comparable to the English Conference, which is meant to work as a bridge between the amateur and professional leagues. Fortuna had only managed one draw before last Friday, and had started the season on minus-two points because the KNVB were again not happy with the club's financial management.

Seen in this light the celebrations after the final whistle on Friday were totally understandable. Fortuna looked quite a confident side for a team that had not won this season yet and defender Rick Geenen scored after only ten minutes. Danny Guijt scored the equaliser in the second half but it was Geenen's second goal of the night that handed Fortuna the full three points.

Approaching the Trendwork Arena.

Turnstiles leading to Section E.

The club shop did not look very inviting. I had not planned to buy a Fortuna scarf anyway...

Both teams entering the pitch.

The 'N Side' Stand.

The 'Z Side' housed some school children. The away section on the right was not in use tonight, as apparently not one single Cambuur supporter could be bothered making the long journey south.

I took my seat in Section C, I do not think the actual stand has a name.

The Hoofdtribune or Main Stand.

Vak C.

Under the stand at half-time.

Friday 1st October 2010
Jupiler League
Fortuna Sittard 2 Cambuur Leeuwarden 1
Fortuna: Geenen 10, 69.
Cambuur: Guijt 54.
Att: 2,946