Berwick Rangers v Stranraer
SFL Division 3
Saturday 18th September
After a two week break for me, it's a cross border trip to Berwick-upon-Tweed to 'Ground 14' for the SFL Division 3 clash between Berwick Rangers and Stranraer. This is a first v second clash as both teams have started their league campaign unbeaten. It's some feat for Stranraer as back on the 1st August we witnessed them get humped 7 - 1 at home by Morton in the cup.
It's a unique starting time for me today as this is the only time I'll be picked up before a match, as it makes more sense to drive from my side of town to the ground. So I've been forewarned to be ready for a 12.45pm collection time. Just as well really as I had a bit of a late one the night before and am still brushing my teeth when the doorbell goes.
It's a quick easy exit onto the A1 and a straightforward drive south. Saturday afternoon on BBC Radio Scotland offers us the wonderful Off the Ball with Stuart Cosgrove and Tam Cowan. If you haven't listened before I recommend you give it a shot as it's always hilarious. One particular gem today was the story of a Romanian boy, aged four, who after watching a DVD of Mary Poppins jumped from his parents' fourth floor flat holding an umbrella. Don't worry he's okay just a few bumps and bruises. It's therefore okay to laugh - we did.
With such listening enjoyment, we've made good time and arrive at the ground about 2pm. Today is the first time we have to pay to park at the ground, well there is no other option really but the 50p charge does get us a ticket for the half-time draw and who knows what riches that could bring us.
I've missed my football fix over the last two weeks and results for Aberdeen haven't been that great, so I'm looking forward to a good game as we enter the ground. The pitch itself looks in cracking condition; the stadium not so. First thing we notice is that it's a Fish 'n' Chip van and not a normal pie stand offering up the local delicacies. This is never a good sign. The second thing is that there's a Speedway track running right around the side of the pitch. The Berwick Bandits race here, and if we'd known this we could have stayed for an evening's entertainment as they were racing at 7.30pm.
Before taking a seat in the stand we venture to the chip van for a pie. Initial doubts are confirmed when we're presented with a pie in a tray. Presentation wise mine doesn't look too healthy and I took a napkin it to try and sook up some of the excess grease. We take our 'nourishment' to our seat in the stand and are greeted by the fact that no matter where you sit there will always be a pole restricting our view. The opposite side of the ground is terracing only and I'm too old for that, so we stay where we are put up with it and try and enjoy the pie. Callum, just for you, we take a photo of the said pie for your visual enjoyment. You'll maybe get more out of it than we did. As my dad rightly stated ' far too greasy, the bottom falls apart in your hand and it's bloody roasting'. He was thinking five out of ten but we decided on a four and a half. Poor effort.
In the match programme I read the opening statement from the Berwick Chairman in which he hopes today's attendance is greater than last week's total of 441. Looking around the ground I'm not so sure and to be honest I can count only 11 Stranraer fans. It's a hell of a drive that's true but you'd expect more than that. We can also see a group of stewards on the touchline, nothing strange about that except they're about 50 years old and are wearing jackets stating they're part of the 'Rapid Reaction Team'. This surely false advertising.
The home team are first to threaten in this game, although Gribben and McMullan waste their chances. They're nearly nearly punished after 7 minutes when Stranraer's huge French striker Armand One make's a neat turn in the box and fired in a shot which Peat got down well to gather. The same man went close again with a good header was again well held by the keeper.
The home side went closer still on the quarter hour when Gribben, who's on something of a hot streak scoring two hat-tricks in the last two games, smashes his close range effort of the upright and O'Reilly mis-kicked with an open goal in front of him.
The game then descended into a stramash of long punts and mis-placed passes by both sides before a great through ball by Berwick's McLeod sent Gribben away. He turned the defender inside out and slotted the ball past the despairing dive of the keeper into the corner. It was all Berwick after this and they thought they scored a second about 5 minutes later but the linesman called it back for offside. Even so, if their strikers had been able to keep their heads, or recognised the better option was to pass instead of go it alone, they could have been three up at half time
During the interval we decided against another pie and settled in to wait to see if we've won the half time draw. It's back to work on Monday for me as ticket 03302 is not a winner.
The second half kicks off and the home team are still in control; McMullan forcing the keeper into a good save. I don't see a way back into the game and it stays this way until after a period of play in the Berwick box the far side linesman starts waving his flag furiously to draw the referee's attention. Whatever he saw no one else did, no Stranraer players get involved. The referee points to the spot and gives a penalty, he then walks over to Berwick's Notman and sends him off for a pull back on a striker. Gribben gets booked for booting the ball away in disgust. Agnew makes no mistake from the spot.
Finally the home fans show a bit of passion and let us hear their voices, still no singing though. When the home side make a substitution, a lone voice from the terracing shouts 'take off the linesman!!'.
Stranraer take the lead on 68 minutes, when an Agnew cross is stuck away by Winter. Stranraer have a few more chances to kill the game off and leap frog their opponents to go top of the table
Berwick are getting restless and the challenges are also flying in and the referee gives yellow cards to two more home players. It's ultimately down to the Berwick manager to play his hand throwing on Alan Brazil with ten minutes left. With a few minutes remaining Gribben makes a mazy run into the box, crosses it and there's Brazil two yards out to tap it home and earn his side a draw.
It's the correct result as both teams have had the chance to win it. True it took a intervention from the linesman to give Stranraer a way back.
As we're leaving the stadium announcer informs us that today's attendance was 489. The chairman got his wish, there were 48 more people here than witnessed the last home game. Onwards and upwards....
The Statistics
Ticket: £10 (£5)
Programme: £2
Attendance: 489
Pie: £1.80
Pie Marks: 4.5 /10
Man of the Match: Dad - Armand One (Stranraer) Me - Andy McLean (Berwick Rangers)
Final Score: Berwick Rangers 2 - Stranraer 2
Mileage: 110 miles
Fact of the Day: During the 1988/89 season Berwick Rangers were nearly bankrupt and were locked out of their own ground and forced to play at other grounds.
Next game: McDiarmid Park (Tuesday 21st September)
only 4.5 out of 10, yet still looks vaguely appealing.
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