Albion Rovers v Sunnybank
Scottish Cup Round 2
Saturday 23rd October
Another first for our adventure; we're off to witness a match between a professional and a junior side. Today Third Division Albion Rovers play North Junior Super Division side Sunnybank in the second round of the Scottish Cup.
My presence has been requested at my dad's house for 12.45pm, but for the first time this season I'm early. The reason being is that the Aberdeen v Hibs game is on the box. I must thank Emma for getting ready well under her usual time frame to drop me off for the 12 noon kick off.
We leave at half-time and I'm in a great mood as the Dons are already two up. I'm not getting carried away though as we've thrown a lead away more than once this season. It's an easy drive along the M9 to the Coatbridge turn off, made even easier by two further goals for Aberdeen. It's a shame we let them score two goals before the end but seeing as this is our first victory since the 21st August I'm not too bothered.
We drive into Coatbridge about 2pm and park near the ground. Normally we would sit in the car for a while but my stomach's rumbling away and I decide we should go into the ground and seek out some nourishment. Last week when I was short on cash my dad paid for me to get into the Inverness game so it's only right I return the favour this week (and probably the next few weeks too). However, when we enter the turnstile the attendant tells me concession tickets can only be bought at the next gate, I go to give my dad the money and he wanders off telling me to keep my money and buy him a pie instead. Cheers dad but next week I'm paying for us both, okay?!
Walking up the stairs into the ground we can see that Cliftonhill is a proper old-school ground; wasteland behind either goal, deserted, condemned terracing on the far side and a wooden stand that looks like it's seen better days. We ask for directions to the Club Shop and are told to take the stairs down into the innards of the stadium. Once we find it we're disappointed to hear that there are no pin badges on sale and amused when the attendant tells us 'they only got Albion Rovers strips in three weeks ago and you'd have thought the Red Cross had broken through'.
We make our way back up into the sunshine and head towards the Albion Rovers' cafe for some nourishment. Must admit the pie here is up with the best we've had so far and my dad scores it an eight out of ten and I decide to have a second in quick succession.
Standing beside the pie stand we get talking to a bloke, Martin was his name. Turns out Martin's an Edinburgh man, a Hibs fan too and of course I take much pleasure in reminding him of the score from earlier. He, like my dad, is a fountain of football knowledge and we chat to him for a while before the game kicks off and then he sits near us in the stadium. We had to make three attempts to find the correct vantage point. First time we sat in with the away fans, second time my dad couldn't fit his legs into the space available and even the third seat has areas that are blocked by the stanchions.
I'll admit to thinking prior to the game that this could have been the lowest attendance yet but I've underestimated the size of the away support as there are easily two coach loads down to support their team.
The game kicks off and the Sunnybank fans are first to sing us a song but it's Albion who are first on the attack; a great cross from Reid to the front post is caught on the half volley by McLeod and it takes a great save from the Sunnybank keeper Sweeney to turn it round the post.
Sunnybank shock their Senior League opponents with a goal after ten minutes. Albion fail to clear their lines and the loose ball falls to Nicky Gordon who drills it home from eight yards. Two minutes later they almost doubled their lead when from a corner a Fettes volley is cleared off the line. The locals are not happy!
Sunnybank fans are very vocal, although it does seem that they keep singing the same song - we're black, we're white, we're f***ing dynamite, we're Sunnbank, Sunnybank.
The first Albion effort comes after twenty-five minutes when a long free kick into the box is headed goal-wards but the keeper nonchalantly plucks it out the air with one hand. Nothing else really happened in the first half other than the Albion fans giving us a rendition of "They've only got one song" to the Sunnybank fans after another burst of the aforementioned song.
Oh, that and the fact I've nipped down for my third pie of the game only to be told there are none left. Och well a steak bake will have to do ha ha (editors note: he does get fed at home!).
Into the second half and Sunnybank went close after fifty minutes when a bullet header from Fettes was saved well by the Albion keeper Gaston, although if he'd directed it either side of the goalie he would have scored.
As the game progresses Sunnybank sit deeper and deeper in their own half inviting pressure onto them. They resort to kicking their opponents as the game descends into a right old fashioned blood and snotters affair. This is epitomised by Sunnybank's number four Gary Clark, he is, as my dad comments, 'a proper hatchet man'. Bartlett is booked for a wild lunge at the Albion right back.
Karma comes back to bite Clark as he's clattered in a challenge and has to be substituted, which is probably just as well for his assailant as I'm sure revenge would have been swift and deadly.
Albion blew two great chances on the hour mark, Gemmell's low shot is saved by Sweeney and the rebound fell to Hamilton who pinged it past the post. It's all Albion now and Gemmell again finds the side netting, and then he heads past the post. Sunnybank players are cramping up all over the pitch, although this is seen as a deliberate attempt to run down the clock by the home fans.
With ten or so minutes left the home fans cheer loudly when they hear the referee's whistle as they think a penalty has been awarded for their side. He has in fact blown as Canning has tried to do a 'Maradona' and punch the ball into the net. The Sunnybank fans take great delight in laughing at this misunderstanding.
Gemmell really should have equalised with five minutes to go but a fantastic challenge from Donnelly just as he pulled the trigger meant it went out for a corner. Right at the end of the match a corner was again headed by Gemmell but again the keeper was up to the task.
At the final whistle the contrast in the two sets of supporters couldn't have been greater. The boos from the home fans were loud but not as loud as the cheers from the Sunnybank fans who rapturously cheer their team off the pitch.
The result's a fair one though, Sunnybank were the better team in the first half and could have been two or three up and far all the Albion pressure in the second they never really troubled the Sunnybank keeper. So it's the junior side who march into the next round and who knows maybe we'll catch up with them again.
The Statistics
Ticket: Adult £10, Concession £5
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 357
Pie: £1.50
Pie Marks: 8/10
Man of the Match: Me - Nicky Gordon (Suunybank), Dad - Nicky Gordon
Final Score: Albion Rovers 0 v Sunnybank 1
Mileage: 72 miles
Fascinating Fact of the Day: The lamps in the floodlights at Cliftonhill were bought from Cardiff Arms Park when it was knocked down to build the Millennium Stadium and the seats were bought when Third Lanark went out of business.
Next Game: Dens Park (Dundee)
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