Day Twenty Five: Dunfermline Athletic (East End Park)

Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle

Scottish Division 1

Tuesday 14th December

I'm sat at my desk at work when I'm happily interupted by a phonecall from my dad. He's calling with the news that after a second pitch inspection, the Falkirk game's off; there's only one other game on tonight and that's Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle.

It's a shame the Falkirk games off as it means that my mate Andy, the Dunfermline fan, who returns from a 6 month trip jet setting around the globe on the 23rd December. So far I've managed to put my dad off visiting East End Park in the hope that Andy, currently on a round the world trip, would have been able to join us but unfortunately he's going to miss out on our trip to East End Park. Sorry mate, but perhaps we can catch them away from home at some point.

With the road congestion around Edinburgh city centre I decide it makes more sense for me to meet my dad at his house rather than him struggle across town to pick me up at work then turn round and go back the same way. I was hoping for a 5pm finish, but it's nearer 6pm by the time I get away. I then make a schoolboy error and drive along Queensferry Road to Cramond. Thank god I don't have to drive out there every day, I'd go mental stuck in all that traffic.

It's almost 6.40pm by the time I pull into my parents street and find my dad sat in the car with the engine running and the heater on. He tells me he's checked the Dunfermline website and has learnt the car park beside the ground will be open, so hopefully we'll take our seats in time for the 7.30pm kick off.

After an easy drive over the bridge and into Dunfermline we're then surprised to see a road closed sign being guarded by a traffic warden. He tells us that not only is the car park shut, all on street parking is also prohibited too and the nearest car park is up the road, and through two roundabouts.

The car park we find our way to still has a covering of snow and ice in places and you'd have thought that as the police have instructed fans to use this car park that they might have made it a little safer. Once out of the car it's an even more dangerous trek to the ground, walking through the 'tundra' as my dad called it was an experience not to be repeated as my dad tells me we'll be walking round the long way. Fair enough as there were several times I thought I was going to have to dive in there and stop my dad from taking a tumble.

Standing outside the front of the stadium to get my photo taken I notice a bloke watching us, for a while I thought he was going to offer to take a picture with both my dad and I in it. His offer as it turns out is much better than that, he asks 'Are you paying to get in tonight?'. He gets a nod of agreement from me and then offers me his season ticket booklet and says 'you might as well use this seeing as I'm on my own tonight'. I ask him if he's serious and yes he was. Brilliant, that's £17 more towards Christmas presents.

Once through the turnstile I hand him back his season ticket and ask him if he wants any money for the pass or if I can in fact buy him a programme. He turns to me and says he gets them for free as his son plays for Dunfermline, so I thank him for the game and tell him I hope his son scores the winner, he laughs and says 'I doubt it, he's a centre half'.

My dad follows behind me and as we walk up the steps towards our seat he passes to me a ticket and says that another bloke asked him the same question, 'Are you paying to get in?' and offers up his spare ticket. We reckon it's karma after the winter wonderland walk through the snow to the ground.

Seeing as we've saved £27 I'm off to the pie stand to spend my money. They don't have a pie stand here, they've got a cafeteria and it looks like it's stocked and run by Stephens the bakery. I use the excuse that I've not had any dinner when I arrive back at our seats with two scotch pie's and two bridies. (Editor's note: these were steak bridies as oppose to Forfar bridies)

The pie turns out to be a disappointment. It's very salty, very greasy and way too hot. A five out of ten at a push reckons my dad. The bridie on the other hand is lovely, the pastry is great, the filling is plentiful and it takes me an age to finish it.

Dunfermline run out to a belter of a tune - Into the Valley by The Skids.

Dunfermline, the current Division One leaders are first to try their luck. It's good work down the line by Calum Woods, who passes it on to Graham who then beats his defender and fires a great ball across the six yard box but it fails to find an team mate.

Partick Thistle, who according to my dad have the best strip in Scotland, go close after ten minutes when Paton plays a deep ball to the back post where Paton catches it on the volley and it looks to be flying in until a deflection takes it past the post.

The home side are playing the more attractive football, with lots of neat one touch passes and it's from one of these passages of play that Graham almost catches the keeper out with a floated shot that clips the top of the crossbar and goes behind.

Simon Donnelly had a header on target for Partick but it's well saved by Smith in goal.

Woods then tries a delicate dinked ball over the last line of the Dunfermline defence but it's just a little to hard and it bounces through to the keeper. After the big centre defender makes a hash of turning to chase after the ball, the bloke beside me says to his mate 'he couldn't turn in a bloody car park!'.

After a Partick player is brought down and is treated by his medic, a voice in the crowd shouts out 'Dig a hole and bury him', nice eh?

The Dunfermline players and fans are claiming for a penalty just before half time as it looked like McDougall was pulled over in the box. It would have been a soft penalty, but as my dad has said we've seen them given for less this season.

Half time comes and the next forty five minutes have to improve as this has been a dull game so far.

Dunfermline come out with more purpose in the second half but it's a good fifteen minutes Graham makes a good run to the each of the box, he plays a good ball down the line to Cardle who instead of crossing the ball tried to shoot from an impossible angle and ballooned it miles over the bar. The crowd, especially the bloke sat beside us are not pleased.

Jim McIntyre, the Dunfermline manager, responds by making a double substitution on the hour mark. It's another five minutes before Scott Fox, the Partick keeper, has to make the first save of the second half. With twenty minutes left a brilliant defensive header by Partick's Boyle prevents Willis from knocking it in at the back post. At the other end of the park, a Buchanan cross is headed goal-wards by Rowson. The ball bounces in front of the Chris Smith in goal and he only grabs it at the second attempt.

Dunfermline's Clarke was booked for dissent after screaming at the referee after a very close offside decision. Moments later he was almost celebrating a goal when he got on the end of a cross but his effort went just wide.

Partick Thistle almost sneaked it at the end when Flannigan created space for himself and shot just wide from twenty five yards.

The final whistle goes and we've just witnessed our first nil nil draw of the campaign. In truth it's been a really dull game, even duller than the Queens Park v Albion Rovers game. Twenty five games before we witness a dull no scoring game in Scotland has been a pretty good effort.

My dad's off to watch Kilmarnock next weekend on his lonesome so tonight was my last game off 2010. Next game for me is the Edinburgh derby on New Years Day, I'm going to go out on a ledge here and predict there will be a bit more bite and entertainment in that game.

Merry Christmas to y'all, see you in 2011. x

The Statistics

Ticket: Adult £16, Concession £11

Programme: £2.50

Attendance: 1,743

Pie: £1.60

Pie Marks: 5 / 10

Man of the Match: Dad - David Graham (Dunfermline) Me - Paul Cairney (Partick Thistle)

Final Score: Dunfermline Athletic 0 v Partick Thistle 0

Mileage: 28 miles

Fascinating Fact of the Day: The late great Jock Stein started his managerial at Dunfermline. He led them to their first Scottish Cup, beating Celtic 2 - 0 in a replay in 1961.

Next game: Tynecastle (Heart of Midlothian)

Day Twenty Four: Greenock Morton (Cappielow Park)

Greenock Morton v Dundee
Scottish Division 1
Saturday 11th December

Well we're back on the road after a few weeks hiatus due to the weather. We had three options available today, Partick Thistle, Dunfermline & Morton. We decide on Morton hoping that by going to the furthest away ground we'll be rewarded with a fine game of football. I'm just hoping that the game will be on once we get there.


Andy; we're going to hang fire going to East End Park till after the 23rd December, that is when you're home isn't it? (Editor's note - correct at time of going to press).

I don't have to be at my dad's until 12.45pm but seeing as Emma needs the motor this morning to get out to her folks house for 11am it's an early drop off for me at 10.30am at ma & pa Pattison. A pleasant surprise greets me as the front door is opened by my youngest nephew Max; the time flies playing snap, the jumping on the bed game and Lego and suddenly my dad's waiting for me in the car and we're off.


After the devastation the snow and ice has caused for the last week or so my dad is a little worried that this thaw will mean that the traffic on the M8 will be heaving and that it will take us a while to get to Greenock. Traffic's lighter than expected and we drive straight through Glasgow with ease and arrive at the car park adjacent to the ground about 1.45pm. It's way way too cold to think about leaving the car until for at least another 45 minutes though.

When we do leave the car, we wander down the hill and find that the Morton Club shop is located in a lorry trailer parked outside the ground. It's one of those trailers that look likes it could be a chip van but instead of deep fat fryers and battered sausage its full of hats, scarves and luckily for my dad pin badges.


I don't know if many of you have been to Cappielow before, the two ends behind the goal are open to the elements, the stand opposite the dug-outs, known as the 'Cowshed' has half seating / half terracing so we decide on the main stand which is all seated & covered. We indulge in what has now become the pre-match pie and take it to our seats. After trying to squeeze into a couple of seats, my dad decides he needs to find a seat on the aisle as there is very little room for his 6ft 4" frame. It's almost as tight a squeeze as Albion Rovers ground.

The pie was strange. It was toasting and the meaty contents were spot on but the pastry crust was weird, it was it looked like it hadn't been cooked and the texture was all soft and spongy. All in all a 7 out of 10 effort.


The two teams run out and it's good to see both sides are wearing their home strips. It's Morton who are making all the running early doors. Six minutes in and the Morton fans are shouting for a penalty as a cross comes off the hand of the Dundee centre half McKeown. Morton are pinging the ball from one side of the pitch to the other, their right midfielder Allan Jenkins is winning everything in the air and the pace of the left winger O'Brien was causing the Dundee defence difficulty.

A rasping shot from Jenkins is saved brilliantly by Douglas but the ball falls right at the feet of Brian Graham who somehow managed to put it over the bar. I reckon even Chris Iwelumo would have scored that one.

On the far side of the ground there are a bunch of Morton fans doing the bouncy bouncy and to be honest it looks quite enjoyable and at least they'll be keeping warm in the blistering cold.

Dundee force a corner mid-way through the first half and it's floated over to the back post where Forsyth meets it on the half volley but it's saved by Colin Stewart. Leigh Griffiths is next to try his luck but his tame effort is easily saved.

Dundee defender Weston's attempted clearance smacks off the back of one of his team mates straight into the path of Morton's O'Brien who leathers it towards goal. Rab Douglas pulls of a wonderful save but his parry falls straight to Graham who with an open goal must score. Unbelievably for the second time in this half he manages to hit it over the bar. Chump!

Shortly before half time a cross Jenkins heads the ball over Douglas and looks certain to open the scoring but a great clearance off the line by Forsyth.

The sides go in level at half time, perhaps this is a bit unfair on Morton who've certainly had the lions share of possession. During the half time break the stadium announcer thanks the Italian branch of the Greenock Morton supporters club for making their annual pilgrimage to Cappielow.

The second half kicks off. Dundee have the first chance of the half with a free kick just on the edge of the box, but it's smashed straight into the wall. Up the other end of the park, a shot by Tidser is again saved brilliantly by Douglas. There are two blokes sat behind us who comment on the fact that the last time these two sides met here it was Rab Douglas who kept Dundee in the game and it looks like he's going to do the same here.

With just under half an hour to go Dundee are awarded a penalty. After a period of pinball inside the box O'Donnell is chopped down and Matthew Lockwood tucks it away in the bottom left hand corner. It's an undeserved lead.

Leigh Griffiths tries to double their lead with an audacious effort from forty yards but it sails miles wide and his team mates are quick to let him now their displeasure. A Douglas clearance falls to Harkins who controls it on the bounce, takes a couple of touches and smacks it on the volley but it ends up going just wide.

Goal for Morton! A brilliant cross from the right wing is headed in by Brian Graham, who finally gets one on target. The crowd go mental. Their joy is cut short by the linesman on the far side who signals for offside. Judging by the abuse he got from the fans up that end of the park I'm guessing it's a close call.

Griffiths picked up a soft booking with minutes to go when he refused to give the ball back for a Morton free kick. He's lucky not to get himself sent off in the final minute as he takes about two minutes to take a corner.

The game finishes and Dundee leave with the three points. An undeserved three points though.

It's good to get back on the trail, and although it's not been the greatest game we are happy that it didn't finish nothing each. Twenty four games in and we've yet to witness a nil nil draw, here's hoping I've not jinxed it.

The Statistics
Ticket: Adult £17, Concession £11
Programme: £2
Attendance: 1568
Pie: £1.30
Pie Marks: 7 / 10
Man of the Match: Dad - Rab Douglas (Dundee) Me - Andy O'Brien (Greenock Morton)
Final Score: Greenock Morton 0 v Dundee 1
Mileage: 142 miles

Fascinating Fact of the Day: There are two theories why the team are called Greenock Morton. The first is that at the time the team was formed the Mayor of Greenock was a gent called Alexander Morton. The second theory is that all the players who turned up for the first session lived in a street in Greenock called Morton Terrace.

Next game: Falkirk Stadium (Falkirk)

(Editor's note: changed to Dunfermline - 14/12)

A Few of our Favourite Things

So, as you'll no doubt be aware we didn't make it along to Rugby Park on Saturday to watch my dad's team beat mine for the second time this season. A combination of poor weather and poor health meant that we decided against the journey.

I'm glad I didn't make it along to witness Aberdeen fall to their eleventh defeat of the season in the SPL. The Aberdeen Board obviously decided enough is enough and tonight they've sacked Mark McGhee and his assistants go. Here's hoping it starts some sort of recovery at Pittodrie.

We'd also planned to go to Raith Rovers on Tuesday but the snow put an end to that. It looks more than likely that our trip to Dunfermline on Saturday will be off as well. So seeing as it might be a while before I get to report on Game 24, here are a few of our favourite things and some stats to keep you going:

Mileage so far: 3,164 miles

Best pie: Both Aberdeen & Albion Rovers scored 8 out of 10

Favourite Game: My Dad has gone for three games. First one I'm sure he's doing on the wind up as it's the Aberdeen v Kilmarnock game where his lot won in the 93rd minute. The other two are the Motherwell v Hibs game and the Montrose v Stranraer game. My favourite game so far has been Stranraer v Morton, granted it was fairly one sided, but you don't see eight goals that often - nae Aberdeen puns from you lot.

Favourite Goal: My Dad went for Leigh Griffiths's 25 yard thunderbolt for Dundee against Partick Thistle. I have chosen Jamie Stevenson for East Stirlingshire against Elgin City.

Honourable mention must be given to Paul Emslie who in the first game we went to scored for Peterhead from forty yards.

You can go to www.scottishfootballleague.com/sfltv.com/goal-of-the-month for July/August to see the Paul Emslie goal. The judges didn't agree with me for my goal, but what do they know eh! The November goal of the month competition has yet to be posted.

Favourite Stadiums: My Dad has chosen Palmerston Park (Queen of the South) or Victoria Park (Ross County), whereas I have to admit Ibrox Park looked amazing for the Champions League match the other night; but I could never pick it as a favourite and so I it's Bayview Stadium (East Fife) with it's sea view and adjacent disused power station I've gone for.

Best Day Out: Again, my Dad's being greedy here going for either Montrose, Elgin or Stranraer. I'm going to plump for the very first day, the long 322 round trip to Peterhead and the realisation that we were actually off and running.

Best Atmosphere: Dad & I both chose the Dundee v Partick Thistle game. This was the first week after Dundee were docked 25 points after plunging into administration and the place was jumping.

The Ground Time Forgot: Cliftonhill - Albion Rovers

Surreal Experience: Watching Queen's Park v Albion Rovers play at the National Stadium. A stadium which holds 52,000 but on this day there were only 529 of us there.

Best Quote: There was only ever going to be one winner -- "You're not in f**kin Kansas now Dorothy, this is Dumbarton". The greatest put down I've ever heard to a player wearing red boots.

So there you go a few of our favourite things from the twenty three games so far, no doubt come the end of the season almost all of the above will change. although I reckon we could go to every ground in Britain and never hear a quote better than the 'Kansas' one.

Our next game is scheduled to be the Celtic v Kilmarnock game on the 11th December. Guess we'll just to wait and see how this weather turns out.

Day Twenty Three: Rangers (Ibrox Park)

Rangers v Manchester United
European Champions League
Group C - Match Day 5
Wednesday 24th November


Now if some of you were quick of the mark and read last nights version of this report you'd have seen me bumble on about how my sister won tickets for tonights game in a ballot at her work.

After a quite word in my ear from my dad I've been informed that this is in fact incorrect. It turns out that although she did win them, she had to purchase them at face value for us and give them to us as early Christmas presents. £84 pounds worth of early Christmas presents!! I must thank her for the generosity and for incorrectly reporting how we came by the tickets on Wednesday.


I can't believe we're off to Ibrox and we'll be sat in with the Rangers fans. I dislike Rangers more than any other team, although Manchester United are a not to distant second. I can't believe I'm going to be sitting in with Rangers fans either. Still I've brought my old Aberdeen strip to change into after work to wear underneath my jumper just so i don't feel so dirty ha ha.

It's a 4.30pm pick up from outside work this afternoon for the drive over to Glasgow. I'm a bit late getting away from my desk and by the time I get outside I see two of my friends, Dave & Gavin also waiting.

For some reason I thought only Gavin was getting a lift so I haven't informed my dad he needs to take the baby seat he has for his Grandson out of the back seat of the motor and probably should have offered one of them a seat in the front as there a bit taller than me. Must admit it didn't look too comfortable sat back there, Gavin's almost sat on Dave's lap.

We've set off so early to take advantage of the fact Isla's also managed to get us a friend's permit for the car park right beside the stadium. Normally it's a forty five minute drive to Ibrox, but seeing as we're leaving just as the rush hour starts my dad reckons it will be nearer two hours before we get there.

No-one could have foreseen the traffic leaving Edinburgh however and we're sat nose to tail at Hermiston Gait and then we move at a snail's pace all the way to Motherwell. By the time we get to East Kilbride my dad's had enough and decides to go round the back of Glasgow and attack the drive into Ibrox from the other side.

When we get to Ibrox it's only twenty minutes to kick off and the stadium car park is full. We're denied access and have to perform a quick about turn and park elsewhere. Dave jumps out early as he's off to meet his old boy before the game, Gavin kindly poses for the pre -match photo and then bids us farewell and runs off to catch up with them. They've got seats in the main stand, we on the other hand are round in the Govan stand. I'll be honest Ibrox Park is quite an impressive building, the facade of the main building is, as Gavin informs me, a listed building. I reckon this may just be the busiest game we've been to yet, the place is heaving. Part of me is a bit jealous as it must be great having these sort of games every season.

Walking round to the turnstile I see one of the funniest things I've seen in a long while - a bloke dressed head to toe in a Union Jack outfit. I couldn't get my camera out quick enough but take it from me, he looked a total numpty.

This is followed by another funny moment. The entrance to the away end is heavily policed, some on foot and some on horseback. They were splitting the two sets of supporters up with a definite no go area in the middle 'Manchester fans this way, Rangers fans that way' was the shout. Simple you'd think. Not so for a group of Burberry capped, shell-suited Rangers fans who decide to stroll straight down the middle. One policewoman on horseback gave them a shouted word of warning to move to the designated area and when ignored she swung the horse around so it's head smacked into the head of the lead dissident. Priceless so it was. After a few choice swear words the young fella decided against a second smack and moved out of the way.

Eventually we find our way into the ground and decide that seeing as we missed out on dinner to head straight for a pie. A most other grounds we've been to there has been one, two at the most stands where you can buy food, not here there are food stands as far as the eye can see. After purchasing two we go and try and find our seats.

Again huge thanks to Isla as the seats are smack bang on the half way line. They are almost at the back of the stand though and my dad looks like he could have done with a wee shot of oxygen by the time we took our seat. We sit down just as the Champions League music is playing and the atmosphere inside the ground is electric.

The Ibrox pie is a major let down. A five out of ten at the most says my dad, too crumbly and far too hot, a poor show.

In the national papers today there was an article which stated that UEFA officials would be in the stand tonight to listen out for any sectarian singing. Rangers and Celtic have both recently been criticised for this and Rangers had been warned that they could face possible sanctions and fines if this persisted. It was great then that in the area around us some Rangers fans managed to hold off for a full 51 seconds after the game started before giving us a quick blast of a King Billy ditty.

The first piece of action takes place in the Rangers penalty box when Berbatov goes down in the box looking for a penalty after Steven Davis has barged into him making a tackle. He went far too easily and neither the referee, his penalty box assistant or the Rangers fans are fooled.

Wayne Rooney is getting booed every time he touches the ball in these opening minutes.

Fabio De Silva floats a ball into the box after seven minutes but Berbatov headed it straight into McGregor's arms.

A Rangers free kick on fifteen minutes is played in by Davis and headed into Kenny Miller's path six yards out but he could only head wide. Rangers have to win this game to have any real chance of progressing from the group and it's chance like this that must be taken.

I haven't yet figured out how I'm going to react if and when either team scores. It's tough enough for an Aberdeen and a Kilmarnock fan to be sitting in with Rangers fans I really don't think I could manage to stand and applaud a goal they scored. Same goes for Man United, although there's the added onus not to cheer them as I'd most likely get a thump round my skull from all the Rangers fans sat around me.

There's one boy sat a few rows behind us who seems to be having a competition with himself to fit as many swearwords into a sentence as possible. He's all 'Get stuck into the Manchester F**ks' & 'Come on Rangers, we're better than these Northern bastards', he uses some other technical terms that are a bit too severe for the blog. I'm just delighted I'm not sat beside him.

Twenty five minutes in and Berbatov crosses to Rooney who makes a hash of his volley. He doesn't look match fit or even interested. Still his name is sung loudly by the thousand or so Man United fans in the Copeland Road stand.

Rangers are sitting to far back in their own half, inviting Manchester to attack them. Paul Scholes is in total command of the midfield and his pin point cross field passes are a joy to watch.

Good one touch football down the right wing by Manchester United and Nani finds space but he toe-pokes the ball miles into the crowd. Five minutes before half time De Silva crossed and a Rooney header had the keeper well beaten but it hit the crossbar and was cleared. This is as close as they've come so far.

Rangers responded immediately and good work by Davis and Naismith put Miller through on goal at the corner of the penalty box. Miller ran directly at the keeper and shot when the better option was clearly to cut it back to one of his team mates in front of goal. Van Der Sar saved comfortably with his feet and the resulting corner came to nothing.

Remember the shouty boy i mentioned earlier? Well now he's having a shouty conversation with himself, one minute he's shouting that 'Rangers are better than this pish' the next he's shouting 'what do you mean pish, this is Manchester United they've won this trophy mare times than us'. He's probably being the most entertaining part of the game so far.

The most disappointing thing is the number of sectarian songs we're hearing and the amount of times a players religion is mentioned in a derogatory manner. I mean how do they even know this information.

Half time passes by, I can't be bothered with the trek to buy us another pie and the Cheerleaders are way over the other side of the pitch. I do notice however that the stadium announcer only plays Rangers songs at half time to gee the support up.

Both teams restart with the same personnel on the pitch. Nani doesn't take long to remind us of the great Olympic diver he could be as he falls to the ground after the slightest touch and wins a free kick just on the D of the penalty box. Rooney steps up and floats it up and over the wall and just the wrong side of the post. A Giggs cross is just behind Berbatov and he can only manage to volley it high and wide shortly after.

The games opened up it a fair bit now and Rooney plays a beautiful ball to Carrick just inside the box. Carrick hit it well but it was to close to McGregor who made a comfortable diving save. Carrick will feel, Fergie too no doubt, that was the best chance so far.

Rangers came back through good work by Weiss as he skipped past a couple of United players and passed towards Naismith. United defender Evans misjudges things and Naismith managed to get a toe poke on goal that was saved by the keeper.

Up the other end and Berbatov got in the way of a team mates shot on the edge of the box, he instantly controlled it, turned and fired a shot on target that McGregor did well to save.

He then threw the ball out to Miller and for a moment it was two on one in Rangers favour. The whole of the Govan stand were screaming at Miller to pass the ball inside to Naismith who would then have been through on goal all alone but Miller dilly dallied and when he did play the pass it was a poor one. Miller was booed from every part of the ground after this. Yet again he seems to have got stage fright on the big occasions.

After another Rooney miss the Rangers fans started singing ' You'll only score in a Brothel, score in a brothel' to him which was quite amusing.

Ryan Giggs bombed down the left wing and played a great ball into the middle and only a brilliant piece of defending from Broadfoot stopped it landing on the head of Berbatrov, who from only yards out would have scored. Berbatov then played a great wee chipped pass into the box for Rooney but all got his feet all tangled up and the ball was cleared. He's clearly not match fit.

Some Rangers fans have started leaving already and there is still ten minutes to go. My dad reckons this is to ensure they catch the next subway train into the town centre and connecting trains for journeys further afield. Maybe it's because my team don't qualify for these games to much these days but I think we'd all be staying until the final whistle. I mean they could still nick this yet.

The Manchester United fans clearly think this is as far as Rangers are going to progress in the Champions League as they start singing ' Thursday night, Channel 5' as a reference to the fact that once you get knocked out of this competition you get relegated to the lesser Thursday night time slot and Europa League football.

With five minutes to go Da Silva tries to get on the end of a boucing ball in the box where he's crudely stopped in his tracks by a high boot to the face from Naismith and the referee points to the spot. The home fans are incensed around us, but I'm sure once the get home and see it on the box they'll see it's a definite penalty and a sore one too.

Rooney steps forward and places the ball on the spot. There's a mass exodus of Rangers fans who start to leave even before he sends McGregor the wrong way and it's one nil United. Took some bottle to get up there and take the penalty especially as he's played so poorly, but I guess that's why he's paid the mega bucks eh?

The Manchester fans then start singing 'We must be sat in a brothel, sat in a brothel' in reference to the previous song about Rooney.

Rangers can't find a way back in the final five minutes and at full time the stadium announcer informs everyone that Valencia have won 6 - 1 and Rangers are confirmed as having come third in the group and that a Europa League spot awaits them.

All in all it was a pretty poor game, and for a while I thought this might turn out to be the first nil nil of our adventure. The atmosphere with exception of the sectarian songs was brilliant and the view unbelievable but I'm glad it's time to go and I can leave the home section of Ibrox never to return again.


The Statistics


Ticket: Early Christmas present from my sister. Otherwise it would have been £42 per adult.
Programme: £4
Attendance: 49,674
Pie: £1.60
Pie Marks: 5 out of 10
Man of the Match: Gavin & Dave Steven Davis (Rangers) Dad - Paul Scholes (Manchester United) Me - Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Final Score: Rangers 0 v Manchester United 1
Mileage: 107 miles
Fascinating fact of the Day: Largest crowd ever in Britain was in 1939 for a league match against Celtic when 118,567 attended the game.

Next Game: Rugby Park (Kilmarnock)

Day Twenty Two: Airdrie United (Excelsior Stadium)

Airdrie United v Beith Juniors
Scottish Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 20th November



I wake up feeling slightly worse for wear , it's self inflicted as I was out at a friends last night playing darts & Guitar Hero till 3.30am and walked from Stockbridge to my flat and got to bed about 4.30am. I could have done without the 9.15am wake up call but needs must as I'm off to sort my barnet.


After surprising my girlfriend with breakfast upon my return from the hairdressers, I decide to surprise my dad by turning up before my 12.45pm pick-up deadline. For the first time in a long time he's not sat in the car waiting for me when I get there. Instead he's sat in front of the TV raging at the Kilmarnock keeper for his part in the awarding of a penalty just on half time for Rangers at Rugby Park.


We set off just before one for the short drive over to Airdrie to meet my Uncle Raymond and take in the 3rd round clash between Airdrie United and Beith Juniors in the Scottish Cup. Last time my dad and I saw Airdrie was up at Forfar in September. Airdrie had some great young players on show that day and I'm looking forward to seeing how they get on today. My dad and Raymond are from Ayrshire, both are supporting Beith today and would rather they sat in with the away fans but for the purposes of the blog are happy to sit in with the home support.


We arrive at the ground just before 2pm, Raymond rolls up in his car about ten minutes later. It's far too cold to think about venturing into the ground yet so he comes and sits in the warmth of our car. My dad and Uncle are just like any brothers as it seems as they soon start winding each other about a variety of subjects.


As the kick off time approaches we leave the warmth of the car to go take the required photo outside the ground and visit the Club shop so my dad can purchase his pin badge before we go through the turnstiles.


Before we take our seats we take the now traditional pre-match pie. Straight away just from looking at it I can tell it's going to be a disappointing affair. You can tell Raymond is just a novice at this pie tasting lark as he comments on it being a good pie. My dad and I look at each other in disbelief at this and explain to him that he's wrong. Sure, it may have a decent crust and it is boiling but it's way too dry.

Excelsior Stadium looks like it's been put together using red, white and black Lego bricks, it's open at all four corners and the wind just rips through it. Here's hoping we're in for an exciting game to warm us up.

There's quite a large away following and my dad reckons it must be empty in Beith this afternoon. There quite a noisy and boisterous bunch too with their hooters, banners and beach balls. It's unsurprising then that they're the first to sing us a song, a nice rendition of 'What a shitty home support!'.

As Airdrie run out I'm disappointed to see that their teenage prodigy Tony Watt is only on the bench. Reading the papers you'll see that Watt has been on trial at Liverpool and Celtic already this season. My dad reckons Jimmy Boyle, the Airdrie Manager, doesn't want to risk him against a junior side.

It[s a decent start to the game with both keepers being called into action within the first ten minutes. Airdrie are utilising the pace of their front three by playing the ball over the top of the last defender so they can run on to it. Beith are happier to play the ball to feet and try and play round their league opponents.

Airdrie's Devlin tries his luck cutting in from the left wing to smash a shot at goal, Robertson does brilliantly to tip it round the post, nothing comes from the corner. Up the other end of the park, Martin Stewart has a great chance to score when he runs on to a through ball only ten yards from goal but he somehow manages to get the ball tangled up in his feet and the chance has gone.


Airdrie beginning to take hold of the game and it's Jamie Stevenson who's next to try his luck but this time his shot is easily saved. Moments later Gary Muir bursts from his own half and is blatantly chopped down in full flight by a Beith defender. Sheridan will consider himself a lucky boy to have a defender behind him otherwise it would have a red card he got and not a yellow.

The Beith fans haven't stopped singing and dancing all game and the Airdrie stewards are having a tough time getting them to sit in their seats.


Airdrie go closest yet when Chris Craig cuts in off the left and smashes in a drive which scrapes the top of the bar and goes over. Ryan Wallace then forces the Beith keeper into another save and from the corner, Paul Lovering heads against the bar. Craig is booked moments later for a bad tackle as he went straight through the Beith player.

Beith score just after the half hour mark, great work by Joe Bradley, who Raymond tells me started his career with Celtic, on the right wing passes to Stewart who plays a delightful ball in behind the Airdrie defence. Brian McKeown is onto it in a flash and slots his finish into the bottom corner. The away fans go mental, the home fans aren't to happy.

A horrible challenge on Ryan McCord leads to Sheridan receiving a booking. The home fans think this should have been red however. It was a bad tackle but only worthy of a yellow.

Beith are much better now that they've gone a goal in front and they are playing great one touch football. It's just a shame for them that the half time whistle comes to soon.

I take the opportunity to buy us all another pie, Raymond blouses out and settles for a cup of tea. Poor show eh?

The Airdrie manager decides it's time for the wonder kid to come on as Tony Watt emerges from the tunnel minus his tracksuit. The home fans are delighted to see him take the park. I'm happy to as he's been one of the stand out players I've seen so far.

Airdrie force a corner within the first thirty seconds of the second half, unfortunately Gibson heads over. On the hour mark Marc Ridgers in the Airdrie goal saves his team going two behind when he reaches out to tip the ball off the head of the attacker.

You can feel the tension in the ground. Everyone supporting Airdrie must be thinking that their team could be the next to fall to a junior side. Remember the last round when Albion Rovers got beat by Sunnybank.

Watt had the chance to level when he found himself all alone at the back post as a cross came over, but all he managed was to head the ball two yards wide. It was a bad miss made even worse moments later as Beith scored a second.

Bradley played a great ball between two defenders and the pacey Kenny McLean raced onto the ball and toe-poked the ball beyond the keeper as he raced out of his area. The away fans go mental. The home fans are outraged. One Airdrie fan sat just in front of us starts clapping the Beith goal before launching in to a vicious tirade at the Airdrie management team.

Airdrie are just holding on now and are really lucky not to go three down when a long free kick out of the Beith defense is ignored by the Airdrie defence and Bradley races onto it. He takes the ball round the keeper but hits it a bit hard and by the time he catches up to the ball he can only hit it against the outside of the past and wide. Some Airdrie fans have started clapping the away side.

The game turns on its head with thirteen minutes to go. Airdrie's Lovering and Beith's McShane go for a 50-50 ball and McShane wins it and the ball goes out. Lovering launches himself into the air as the players clashed and then goes into his gymnastic routine rolling over and over.

The home fans are baying for blood, and the home players surround the ref screaming for a red card. We're with the Beith fans and bench, disgusted at the Airdrie left back. Unbelievably the ref reaches into his pocket and pulls out a red card and sends McShane off. As soon as this happens Lovering jumps to his feet and makes his way into the box.

The resulting free kick is whipped in and Lovering guides a back header into the top corner from six yards out. He then has the nerve to celebrate by running right pass the away bench who not surprisingly rise to this provocation and the linesman and stewards have to step in. It's moments like this in football that really make you mad. What a cheat!

Airdrie should have equalised minutes later when cross is headed goal wards by Lovering and Bain tried to knock it in but only managed to sky it over the bar.

With three minutes to go Beith's McKeown played the ball to Spence who had a great chance to win it but only managed to push his shot into the side netting. The whole Beith bench were up on their feet thinking it had gone in.

There are no fourth officials outside the SPL and as a result we've no idea how much injury time will be played. If there is any justice the referee should atone for his previous error and blow his whistle now. He doesn't and in the third minute of injury time a Bain shot is wickedly deflected past the Beith keeper and nestles in the net.

Bain sprints to the home fans, who spill on to the pitch in celebration. Some idiot near us runs down the stairs to the Beith dug out and screams at their management team. He doesn't have the bottle to hang about though and turns and runs away when the assistant manager reaches out for him.

Seconds later the referee whistles for full time. Never have I felt more injustice at the final whistle. Beith were by far the better team and did not deserve to be going away with just a draw.

I was really disappointed with the Airdrie performance, I'd gone there expecting to be entertained and I've come away feeling cheated. God knows how the Beith supporters feel, I hope they get the victory their team deserve in the replay.


The Statistics

Ticket: Adult £15, Concession £10
Programme: £2
Attendance: 1,412
Pie: £1.50
Pie Marks: 6.5 / 10
Man of the Match: Dad - Kenny McLean, Raymond - John Sheriden, Me - Joe Bradley (All Beith Juniors players)
Final Score: Airdrie United 2 v Beith Juniors 2
Mileage: 67 miles
Fascinating Fact of the Day: Many people think Airdrie United are a re-incarnation of the old Airdrieonians who went bust in 2002. They are in fact a re-incarnation of Clydebank. A local Airdrie business man bought Clydebank when they too were in financial difficulty, moved the club to Airdrie and he called them Airdrie United.


Next Game: Ibrox Park aka Castle Greyskull (Rangers)

Day Twenty One: Queen's Park (Hampden Park)

Queen's Park v Albion Rovers

Scottish Division 3

Saturday 13th November

So here we are; five months in and we're half way through our adventure and what better place to celebrate it than at Hampden Park? Granted, it won't be the full Tartan Army experience but I'm sure we'll enjoy it.

We're off to watch Queen's Park, the oldest side in Scottish football (formed in 1867) and the only amateur side playing in the professional leagues in Britain. The club's motto reflects this: Ludere Causa Ludendi. Which means: to play for the sake of playing.

For the first time in a while, I'm almost on time to meet my dad for the drive through to Glasgow. As is now the norm, we listen to Radio Scotland's 'Off the Ball' on the drive through, although it isn't up to it's normal high quality, mainly due to the fact that motormouth Archie MacPherson was one of the guests.

We arrive at the national stadium bang on 2pm and decide it's far too cold outside to venture into the ground straight away. As we're not sure which turnstiles will be open we ask at the main reception and while we're there we ask to be directed to the club shop. I think the fella on the desk may have misheard as he directs us downstairs to the Scotland shop. No Queen's Park stuff on sale here and asking the bloke on the desk for directions to the is like pulling teeth - painful. 'Go and ask upstairs' says the moody bugger. Turns out the Queen's Park shop is inside the stadium and not at the reception area.

After finding our way to the correct turnstile I'm amazed to find that it's only going to cost my dad £2 to get in, 2 quid!! I quickly inform him that he's going to be buying the pies when we do get inside.

When we do get inside it's weird, the stadiums massive, way too big for a Division 3 side. We've entered through turnstile P for goodness sake, how many other sides in this division are going to have so many turnstiles. It's the only one open mind.

This is the first ground we've been at that has a television inside showing live football, so while my dad buys himself a pin badge and two pies I watch Man United stage another of their late comebacks and draw two each with Aston Villa.

The pie turns out to be a decent effort, it's piping hot but is let down by his 'greasy bottom', so says my dad.

We make our way to our chosen seat for the game and it's only when we get in you notice the insignificance of only 400 or so folks in a ground that holds 52,000. The two sets of supporters sit within four sections of each other, the home and away fans are separated by plastic tape. Queen's Park home games must be the easiest games for the stewards at Hampden; in fact it seems as there are more ball boys than stewards.

Before the game kicks off we all stand for a minute's silence in respect of Remembrance Sunday.

The Albion Rovers fans are the first to sing us a song, which for the first ten minutes is the only excitement of the game. That and the fact that when the ball gets booted out of the pitch on the other side of the ground it takes two or three minutes for it to be found.

First chance falls to Queen's Paul Harkins when he dinks the ball over the static Albion defence and runs on to it himself and it takes a cracking challenge from Reid to clear it. The first shot on goal doesn't come until twenty minutes in but Ian Watt hits it straight at Gaston in the Albion goal.

It's all Queens and Watt is finding space and as a result he's getting a lot of the ball. After he makes a quick burst down the left wing, he squares a great ball straight to the feet of the on-coming Tony Quinn, whose shot is nearer the corner flag than the goal.

This seems to sum up the performance of both teams so far. Decent build-up play but in front of goal they offer nothing.

Albion are pretty poor and it seems like they've not improved since we saw them the other week being beat by Sunnybank in the Scottish Cup. Only Gemmell and Love show any sign of offering anything going forward. It takes until the final minute of the half for Albion to have their first shot on goal, and that comes from a free kick. And, I might add, a free kick that in my and every home fan in the grounds' mind shouldn't have been awarded. Referees have been given a hard time recently but this one - David Somers - made some poor decisions throughout the game.

Gemmell hits his free kick straight into the wall and then hammers the rebound straight into the chest of the the Queens' keeper Adam Strain.

At half time I nip down and purchase us some more nourishment and while I'm down there I take in some of the many photos on the walls showing Scotland perform throughout the years.

Within the first minute of the second half Queens have the ball in the net when Watt runs onto a through ball and curls it into the top corner. I'm as surprised as he is to hear the referee's whistle and see the linesman's flag up for offside; as he was clearly onside when he scored.

There's a gent sat four or five seats to our left who has been talking to himself throughout the game and he is outraged at the decision. One minute he's full of praise for the Queens team, the next he's throwing dog's abuse at the players. We reckon that he used to come with some friends but over the years they've moved away, unable to cope with his 'passion' for the team. At one point even the steward near us looks over and clocks him and she looks as nervous as we do.

A free kick is floated into the Albion penalty box after the hour mark and somehow Meggatt manages to head the ball straight into the ground at his feet instead of goal wards. Substitute Smith then has the best moment of the game so far when he goes on a run beating three or four Albion defenders before hitting a weak shot towards goal. That pretty much summed up the game so far, all talk and no action.

After this the Albion manager throws on a few substitutes in an effort to liven up his team's performance and it is one of these subs who turns the game in their favour. With twenty minutes to go, the Queen's defence give Gemmell too much time to shoot and although his effort was blocked, it fell to Hamilton who lashed the ball home into far corner with a sweet right footed drive.

The home fans and especially the bloke beside us were incensed at the fact that they had gone behind and many called for the manager to make substitutions and change things up.

Queen's won themselves a corner after a goal-bound shot was headed clear. From the corner Meggatt put a free header a yard or two over the bar. Watt was then taken out by Donnelly as he sprinted down the wing towards the penalty box. Many of the home fans were calling for a red card but that would have been a bit harsh. My dad and I agreed that bringing the boy down was the right thing to do as Watt would have been in on goal otherwise.

Queen's hit the free kick straight into the arms of the keeper who then booted a huge clearance forward. The ball took one bounce over the defence and Gemmell was through with only the keeper to beat. Instead of taking time to control it, he took the ball on the bounce and tried to lob the keeper and only managed to hit it well over the bar. A bit of composure and he could have wrapped things up for Albion.

In the final minutes Eaglesham raced onto a blocked Albion clearance and looked certain to even things up but the Albion keeper made a brave diving save at his feet.

When the referee blew for full time the restless natives called for the committee to make management changes.

Neither team really deserved to win this game, Albion were really poor in the first half and showed very little in the second whereas Queen's had plenty of the ball but did absolutely nothing with it once they got in to the penalty box.

Here's hoping that this isn't the last time we're back at Hampden this season, maybe one of our teams will make it to a cup final. Aberdeen are in the semi's of the League Cup and who knows they may turn their fortunes around and meet Kilmarnock in this seasons Scottish Cup Final - well you've got to have a dream eh!!?

The Statistics

Ticket: Adult £11, Concession £2

Programme: £2

Attendance: 529

Pie: £1.60

Pie Marks: 7 / 10

Man of the Match: Dad - Robert Love (Albion Rovers) Me - Ian Watt (Queen's Park)

Final Score: Queen's Park 0 v Albion Rovers 1

Mileage: 97 miles

Fascinating Fact of the Day: Diego Maradona scored his first goal for Argentina at Hampden Park in a 3-1 victory over Scotland in June 1979.

Next Game: Excelsior Stadium (Airdrie United)

Day Twenty: Dundee (Dens Park)

Dundee v Partick Thistle

Scottish Division 1

Saturday 6th November

Driving down to meet my dad I realise I'm running a little late when he phones me to check I'm actually up and on my way. Still we leave Edinburgh just before 1pm so we should have plenty of time to get to Dundee.

We'd originally planned to go to Dens Park later in the season but seeing as how they've gone in to administration for the second time in seven years and are about £300,000 in debt we've moved the visit forward just in case they don't make it that far.

We drive up to the ground just before 2pm, it takes a while to find a parking space but we're walking over to the ground shortly after. We take a quick detour to the club shop so my dad can continue the tradition of buying a pin badge from all the teams in the lower divisions, and to help out with the crippling debt at the club. Whilst we are in there we buy a programme and are given two huge red cards free of charge. The significance of these will be explained later.

We decide to sit in the main stand in the hope that it may be a bit warmer than any of the other three stands, which are a bit more open to the bitter cold. My dad and I went in through two different turnstiles and found out that we didn't come out together on the other side, we did however meet up at the top of the stairs and after finding our seats in the stand my dad went off for the pre-match pies. It was decided that due to it's crunchy pastry, meaty content and temperature that a 7.5 out of 10 score should be given.

As the stadium fills up it's clear to see that the Dundee fans have come out in their thousands to show their support for their team, although we can't help think that if they turned out like this every week Dundee probably wouldn't be in the trouble they find themselves. As the teams run out the tannoy announcer asks us all to show our displeasure towards the SFL bigwigs who this week handed out a 25 point deduction to the club for going into administration.

This may seem controversial but I believe that Dundee desrve to be hit with a fine and a point deduction, I mean this is the second time in just seven years that they've found themselves in this situation. It would be unfair on the rest of the teams in this division if they were simply allowed to get away with it - as my dad said though it's not something I going to shout about at this moment in time.

The game kicks off and Dundee are straight on the attack but a header on goal is easily saved by the Partick Thistle keeper. Prior to the game when the teams were read out the Partick keeper was named simply as 'trialist', turns out it's Scott Fox; who up until Dundee found themselves in trouble was the goalie here at Dens. With the predicament Dundee now find themselves in, Fox was one of those players that was let go.

Three minutes in and some great work in the box by Dundee's Irvine, who controlled the ball on his chest and overhead kicked the ball across goal, his cross was met at the back post by O'Donnell but his shot went just wide.

The home fans are quick to welcome the Partick Thistle manager Iain McCall back to Dundee with a nice chant - You're a wee fat bastard Iain McCall and follow it up with a rendetion of You'll never see your tolley Iain McCall. All this hatred simply because he used to manage their local rivals Dundee United.

Ten minutes in and a shot Harkins goes close for the home side when his half volley scraped the outside of the post. After Partick's first cross into the box is comfortably saved by Rab Douglas, he throws a long ball out to Nicky Riley who skipped past two challenges and played the ball to Leigh Griffiths. Griffiths took one touch to control the ball and rifled a screamer past Fox from easily 35 yards out. It was a belter of a goal, one of the best we've seen so far and Dens Park went mental.

Lockwood then smashed in another long range effort and although the keeper dropped it he was the first to the rebound to prevent his side going two behind.

It was a full twenty minutes before Partick really tested the home defence but Hardie's header was tipped over for a corner. From this Douglas dropped the ball under pressure and must have been releaved to see Doolan fail to take advantage and smash the ball over the top.

Partick Thistle were forced in to two substitutions due to injury in the first twenty-five minutes. Things could have been much worse moments later when Kinniburgh was lucky not to see red for trying to pull down Griffiths when he was the last defender. Referee Charlie Richmond let the advantage be played before pulling the game back and awarding a free kick. Some referee's would simply have blown up after the offence and both my dad and I agreed the Thistle defender was mighty fortunate not to be sent off.

From the resulting free kick on the edge of the box Sean Higgins saw his shot beat both the wall and the keeper but unfortunetly for him it went the wrong side of the post. This was the final action of the first half.

During the half time break we were treated to the stadium announcer thanking a succesion of supporters for their money making schemes to help pull Dundee out of the mire, a passionate speech by Stuart Murphy - who sits on the Dundee Board as the Fans representative - who complained bitterly about his sides treatment by the SFL and then four Dundee Legends were introduced to the crowd. I didn't catch all their names but the home fans greeted them as legends should be greeted.

The Partick Thistle fans on the other hand booed throughout all of the above.

Iain McCall must have given his side the full hair dryer treatment at half time as they started the second half much much stronger than there poor perfomance in the first. It was however scrappy for the first ten minutes or so as the nerves were beginning to show amongst the Dundee players, who must be awre they can't afford to drop any points.

The equaliser came just before the hour mark when a long ball over the top of the Dundee defence was chased down by Buchanan and he won a corner for his persistence. The Dundee defender Weston was raging at his fellow defenders for their failure to track back and clear the ball.

The corner wasn't cleared properly and fell to Brian Hodge on the each of the box and he did really well to keep his shot down and power it through the sea of bodies of front of him and in to the bottom corner.

Partick then sat back and were happy to try and hit Dundee on the break but this only allowed the home team to pile on the pressure and they crowd tried to play their part by singing non-stop. The referee was being kept busy as he made Partick's Paton the fifth player to be shown a yellow card.

Dundee's Irvine very nearly put his side back in front with a smashing effort from twenty five yards that Fox did brilliantly well to get down and tip past he post. The linesman then did something I didn't catch that annoyed the home fans and bench, so much so that the the referee had to come over and give Dundee manger Barry Smith a long talking too.

With five minutes to go 38 year old Rab Douglas made an amazing one handed save to tip a Boyle shot over the bar.

It looked like it was going to end one each but with five minutes to go a Lockwood shot on target was deflected into the net by on-loan player Jamie Adams and the place erupted. Honestly the noise was deafening and it was as if Dundee had won the league.

There was still time however for Douglas to make a world class save in the final minutes when he plucked a Kinniburgh header out of the top corner with a one handed save. Surely now Dundee would hold on for all three points. After what seemed like an age he blow the final whistle at 4.55pm and the home fans celebrated.

The home team walked off the pitch to David Bowie's song Heroes and they desrved such recognition as they all played for the colours today. Partick Thistle may feel a little disappointed to lose a goal in the final moments but Dundee were the better side throughout. It's along way back from -12 points but with performances like this the home fans can at least hope that they may catch Partick who are joint second bottom of the league with Striling and Morton on plus 12 points.

The Statistics

Ticket: Adult £19, Concession £10

Programme: £2.50

Attendance: 6022

Pie: £1.40

Pie Marks: 7.5/10

Man of the Match: Dad - Robert Douglas (Dundee) Me - Leigh Griffiths (Dundee)

Final Score: Dundee 2 v Partick Thistle 1

Mileage: 117 miles

Fascinating Fact of the Day: Dundee & Dundee United have the two closest stadiums anywhere in the world in professional football.

Next Game: Hampden Stadium (Queen's Park)

Day Nineteen: Albion Rovers (Cliftonhill)

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)