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Post by CC on Jan 25, 2020 21:15:23 GMT
The Wee Blues' attempt to bridge the gap on the rest of the Third Division one point at a time continued today in Airdrie. A 0-0 draw is a good result against a team that outclassed us at Stair Park in November and are challenging for promotion. As usual, Max Currie made several good saves in Lanarkshire. Meanwhile Falkirk, who come to Stranraer next week, blew Forfar away 6-0, with four goals in the last ten minutes severely damaging the Loons' goal difference.
That 4-2 defeat at home to Forfar in December now looks even worse than it did at the time. Had Stranraer won the teams would now be level on points and with very similar goal differences. All 3 League games since then have been draws, and all were away games. That's a distinct improvement but it's not enough. We need to win some matches, PDQ.
Other results today:
Clyde 2 East Fife 1 Peterhead 1 Dumbarton 0 Raith 4 Montrose 3
Peterhead's win puts them 12 points ahead of Stranraer in 8th place. With the team that finishes 9th going into the play-offs and Forfar now stranded halfway between ourselves and Peterhead in the table, 9th place is what the Wee Toun need to be aiming for with 15 matches left in the regular season.
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Post by CC on Jan 31, 2020 8:43:51 GMT
It will be 1 February tomorrow and we've not seen a match at Stair Park since 14 December. Wouldn't it be grand if a few more Cleyholers decided to give the team an hour and a half of their time? In recent games it seems that the Fitba Bar in town is better-patronised than the ground itself on a Saturday afternoon. And Falkirk are interesting opponents who have already given us a couple of beatings this season, have notched 8 goals with 0 conceded in their last 2 games and are, consequently, ripe for taking down a peg or two.
I'll be interested to see Connor Sammon playing for Falkirk. He is one of those players who shows great promise early in his career but suddenly loses it and begins to hit the skids for no obvious reason. A former Irish internationalist, he was signed for Sheffield United along with Billy Sharp in the summer of 2015 and the idea was that he became half of a great goalscoring partnership, but while Sharp is now a living legend at Bramall Lane Sammon struggled all year long and was dumped when his year was up. Now he finds himself in Scotland's third tier where he plays second fiddle to Declan McManus, a man who knows where the net is and how to find it, especially when defenders don't bother marking him in the 6 yard box, eh, Blues?
Stranraer will not be fielding either Robert Jones or David Dangana, who have both left. It would be unfair to call Jones deadwood because we did actually see him score, his height gives him a presence and Dumbarton obviously think he will do a good job for them. Young Dangana, I'm sorry to say, seems unlikely to be seen in the SPFL again. He is certainly not going to make it into Aberdeen's senior team and if he does reappear it will probably be from the bench at a 4th tier venue. He is a hardworking lad but the extra spark that makes someone a professional footballer doesn't seem to be there.
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Post by CC on Feb 1, 2020 18:21:03 GMT
GRITTY BLUES GET A DESERVED POINT ON A WINDY AFTERNOONI'm proud of the Stranraer team after a terrific second half performance earned a draw against Falkirk's full time professionals today. Statistics will show that Falkirk had much more possession and more shots on goal but the Blues might have won the game; the Bairns' goal had a couple of narrow escapes in the last half hour while, admittedly, a Falkirk striker missed a chance so simple that their supporters behind the goal were in mid-air before they realised his shot had gone wide. The wind ruined the first half as far as Stranraer were concerned. The few balls that were not overhit were easily headed back whence they came by visiting skipper Buchanan at the heart of the Dark Blue defence. And Falkirk's shirts are, it must be said, very dark indeed, like a Bishop's socks. Winger Aidan Connolly was given so much space by the Blues defence you'd have thought he had just come off a plane from Wuhan, so when he scored his side's goal after half an hour it was no surprise to see him left with so much time he could afford to miscontrol the ball and then steady himself again before kicking it into the net. It came from some fine work down the right wing and a neat low cross that demonstrated it was possible to play dangerous passes as long as the ball was kept on the ground. Stranraer's team was considerably different than the one we last saw at Stair Park. With Andy Stirling injured and James Hilton left on the bench we were wondering where the creativity was going to come from, but it was clear from the start that Ryan Stevenson is a considerable improvement on the side's previous centre forwards. With his steely grey hair and tattoos he looks as if he has recently been released from Barlinnie, and he has, naturally, lost his pace but he's a box of tricks and he can hold the ball up. When he collects a pass on his chest it doesn't automatically rebound to an opponent, and he tries to use it intelligently. Still, Falkirk were good value for their half time lead, it was really cold in the stand and there didn't seem a lot to look forward to after the break. So, it was a pleasant surprise when, with the breeze now blowing into their faces, the Blues swiftly began to look more dangerous in the second half. Joao Victoria had hardly had a touch in the first 45 minutes but he began to show what he can do with some good running and a fair bit of skill on the ball. Now, it was Falkirk who were overhitting their passes, and pretty soon Stranraer scored a goal not dissimilar to the one that had put the visitors ahead. Stevo sent a low cross into the box that cried out to be converted and Ryan Thomson did just that. The Blues had a lot of defending to do for the rest of the game, and did it admirably. Declan McManus became so frustrated that he talked himself into a yellow card for arguing with the ref over what was clearly a foul, but he is a hard-working player and his team mates' inability to find him with the ball was driving him to distraction. The conditions certainly played a big part but on the evidence of today Falkirk are certainly not going to walk it back into the Second Division. The more they tried, the worse they became, and it was clear that they had been expecting an easier game than Stranraer gave them. A point is neither here nor there at the end of the day. Forfar won at home against Clyde so the Blues are 8 points adrift again, but they should be well satisfied with their performance today. Falkirk might have superior fitness and a lot more skill in their side but Stranraer certainly had more spirit. We might still be overwhelming favourites to go down but the fans might just experience a few more enjoyable days watching the team battle bravely against the odds before the season finishes.
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Post by CC on Feb 3, 2020 10:12:18 GMT
One or two (no more than that) Falkirk fans on the Pie & Bovril forum have been giving it large about how the pitch at Stranraer should have tatties grown on it and we all have chips (kinda appropriate, eh?) on our shoulders and so on. I've never understood, and never will understand why some people think that supporting a bigger football team or coming from a larger town makes them, in some mysterious way, superior to folk from smaller places who follow wee clubs. Look, if you support Liverpool and I support Gretna that just means that you enjoy a part of your weekend more than I do. If you are one of the 0.5% of Liverpool fans who actually go to see them play it also means that you wake up on Monday morning a lot worse off, financially.
I doubt that the average male from Falkirk is better endowed, cleverer at maths or more appreciative of the arts than one from Stranraer, any more than anyone in Stranraer is superior to people in Kirkcolm or someone from Glasgow in any way better than his equivalent in Falkirk. Since the Bairns are unlikely to attract many glory-hunters it's a reasonable assumption that a lot of them follow the team because they don't have the gumption to try staying somewhere else for a while or to think of anything more fulfilling to do than to travel across the country, stand in the cold, watch their team underperform and then start crowing on a football forum about what country cousins we are in the South West.
Should Falkirk be promoted they will be in the same division as Dundee next season. I'm sure they'll not be best pleased if Dundee's fans take to social media to have a laugh about the Bairns' own three-sided stadium situated in a bare field miles out of town. Falkirk's supporters improved the atmosphere at Stair Park on Saturday by doubling the attendance; it probably made a pleasant change to play a game in a 4-sided ground.
There. I just took the piss out of the Falkirk Stadium. Does that make me feel like the Big Boy in the playground? Perhaps for a second or two, aye.
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Post by CC on Feb 8, 2020 18:09:40 GMT
GALE COMES OUT ON TOP AT STAIR PARK
The Blues' cunning plan to cut the deficit at the bottom of the table one point at a time continued this afternoon in an entertaining game against promotion-chasing Raith. Just like last week, there seemed no grounds for optimism at half time but a battling second half performance rescued a 1-1 draw.
With Andy Stirling restored to the side after injury Stranraer started positively, and the Raith goalie did well to get his fists to a corner kick which almost dipped under his crossbar, but soon enough Rovers got on top. There as a crispness and a sparkle to their attack which the Blues couldn't match, and as the clock ticked towards half time a goal for the visitors was looking more and more likely. When it came, 10 minutes before the break, it as a fine effort from John Baird, who timed his run perfectly to get behind the defence but still had a lot to do. Fair play to the lad. With coolness and skill he took the ball round Max Currie and then found the net in spite of three defenders all racing back to try to keep it out.
For the rest of the half all we could hope for was to keep the score down to 1-0. Wily Blues skipper Jamie Hamill gave his colleagues time to compose themselves a couple of times by hammering the ball out of the ground in order to ensure that no further damage was done before the ref blew his whistle to send the players into the dressing rooms for a warm half time cuppa.
Immediately after the break it was clear that the tide was turning. By now the wind was making a mockery of any attempt by either side to play neat football. It was playing some weird tricks; attempted short passes finished up travelling 30 or 40 yards while long balls were repeatedly turned into short ones by sudden gusts. A corner landed in the Rovers goal but only after the ref had already blown for a foul. Stranraer needed a lucky break, and got one when Jordan Allen went down under a challenge from Michael Miller as he made for the by-line and, I must admit to my surprise, a penalty was awarded. The ball was twice blown off the spot before Stevo could take the kick, but when he did so he gave the 'keeper no chance.
After that both sides battled bravely to try and find a winning goal in very difficult conditions. Whereas last week against Falkirk the Blues wasted time to hang on to their point, today they were sprinting to take throw-ins and corners, demonstrating that they believed a rare win was on the cards. After James Hilton was introduced from the bench there was more focus to Stranraer's attack, but the howling gale finally defeated everyone. A draw was a fair result, and although Raith will be disappointed and see the draw as a missed opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the table they have nothing to reproach themselves for. It was the weather wot won it in the end.
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Post by CC on Feb 13, 2020 17:25:16 GMT
When Forfar came to town in December the match could have been described as crucial. Events since then, including the game itself which we lost 4-2, mean we can probably downgrade the importance of Saturday's scheduled game at Station Park. With Storm Dennis coming to stay over the weekend there must be considerable doubt about whether there will be a match at all. If there is, since our lads have played in gales and done pretty well on the last 2 Saturdays, we might be in with a chance, although even of we were to win we would still be faced with a small mountain to climb. Wouldn't it be grand to get that elusive 3rd win of the season, though? While the Loons deserved to beat us at Stair Park the guy I considered to be their best player has left the club, which is something to feel positive about.
5 successive draws have done nothing to help our plight at the bottom of the table but they do represent a distinct improvement. If we can come out equal against teams who might well be 2 divisions ahead of us next season, it bodes well for prospective results against League Two opponents should we, as currently seems 99% certain, end up being relegated.
I've no doubt that some neat wheeler-dealing over Xmas and January has left the squad improved on the one that lost that vital game. Not only are the new boys a step up from their predecessors but some of the existing team have grown into the side as well and put in some nice performances. I thought Jordan Allen was particularly good on Saturday, while even some of Raith's fans were impressed by the way Adam Cummins coped with the Rovers' attackers. With Stirling, Hilton and Victoria all available we now have a choice of creative midfielders to choose from, although James Hilton's cameo last week suggested he might make an effective partner for Stevo up top. He certainly looks ready and willing to do the old fellow's running for him.
Ryan Stevenson has set a grand example for people undergoing mental health problems. A couple of years ago he was alienated from the game. His heart wasn't in it, and his performances for Dumbarton showed as much, but now he has got his mojo back at the age of 35. These things don't happen overnight. It can be a long road to recovery with many a banana skin along the way, but he did the right things at the right time. He chose not to move to Australia when, obviously, he never really wanted to do so, lay low for a while, eased himself back at Troon and has now made an unexpected comeback into the Scottish League. Fair play to him, and to the club for recognising the potential mutual benefits that could result from giving him this fresh chance.
One more thing. Please, Stranraer, don't wear that grey kit, because it will clash with Forfar's pale blue. I know that neither of our other outfits are really suitable either, but, if necessary, keep your coats on. Then you'll be easily distinguishable from the other team and you'll keep the cold out too.
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Post by CC on Feb 16, 2020 10:29:32 GMT
So we can take any of the last 2 reports and simply copy them out. The Wee Blues went to Forfar, played in a gale, went in at half time 1-0 behind, equalised early in the second half and the match finished in a draw. Groundhogs were spotted in the vicinity of Station Park.
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Post by CC on Feb 22, 2020 19:58:05 GMT
4-2 sounds respectable till you discover that after an hour East Fife were winning 4-0 and the game was up. They say the League table disnae lie, which means that Stranraer are the worst side in the Scottish third tier by a considerable distance. That we also have the lowest crowds in the division, and consequently the lowest budget, doesn't help at all but it would have been nice to have made a better effort. 2 wins and 13 defeats in 25 League games is a pretty bad return; there's no way of dressing that up, I'm sorry to say.
Ah well. The fans can at least look forward hopefully to a better season next time with that lovely Ibrox lolly sitting in the bank. There'll be a D&G derby with Annan Athletic and the A75 will no doubt be slowed to a crawl by all the fans who will be making the journey in both directions.
Most clubs' supporters would be demonstrating in the car park and demanding the manager's arse on a plate after such a rotten season but we're not like that in Stranraer because we know the difficulties involved in keeping the club running when we are so out on a limb and so few townsfolk could care less about their club. I fear that the Blues come a poor third behind Rangers and Celtic in the affections of Cleyholers. If the weather is cold again on Tuesday night I'd not be surprised if fewer than 200 souls pay to get into the match against Montrose. Still, the fixture does provide another chance to recite this poem about Montrose by William Topaz McGonagall, who would probably have been a Dundee supporter so that he could write:
It was in the cold winter of 1963 That a famous run in the European Cup was achiev'd by Dundee. Till at last, in their dark blue shirts, and shorts so white They were knocked out by Milan on an unusually wet night.
Bonnie Montrose
Beautiful town of Montrose, I will now commence my lay, And I will write in praise of thee without dismay, And in spite of all your foes, I will venture to call thee Bonnie Montrose.
Your beautiful Chain Bridge is magnificent to be seen, Spanning the river Esk, a beautiful tidal stream, Which abounds with trout and salmon, And can be had for the catching without any gammon.
Then as for the Mid Links, it is most beautiful to be seen, And I'm sure is a very nice bowling green, Where young men can enjoy themselves and inhale the pure air, Emanating from the sea and the beautiful flowers there.
And as for the High Street, it's most beautiful to see, There's no street can surpass it in the town of Dundee, Because it is so long and wide, That the people can pass on either side Without jostling one another Or going to any bother.
Beautiful town of Montrose, near by the seaside, With your fine shops and streets so wide, 'Tis health for the people that in you reside, Because they do inhale the pure fragrant air, Emanating from the sea waves and shrubberies growing there; And the inhabitants of Montrose ought to feel gay, Because you are one of the bonniest towns in Scotland at the present day.
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Post by Degman on Feb 23, 2020 8:14:50 GMT
Of course relegation is not nice, but the prospect of seeing the Blues at Galabank is something to relish. Its nigh on impossible to get to see the Blues at Stair Park without turning it into an expensive overnight, I ain't getting back to Stafford on a Saturday night it would be Sunday afternoon by the time I get home. My mate and I are both Scottish football lower league fans. We started to go to Gala Bank in 2012 to watch my mates team East Stirlingshire, and have continued to go; even though Shire have ended up in the Lowland League. About £34 is the cost to get to Annan from Stafford and return on the same day plus the entrance cost if you get advance train tickets. A reasonable cost fir a good day out.
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Post by CC on Feb 24, 2020 8:57:52 GMT
Of course relegation is not nice, but the prospect of seeing the Blues at Galabank is something to relish. Its nigh on impossible to get to see the Blues at Stair Park without turning it into an expensive overnight, I ain't getting back to Stafford on a Saturday night it would be Sunday afternoon by the time I get home. My mate and I are both Scottish football lower league fans. We started to go to Gala Bank in 2012 to watch my mates team East Stirlingshire, and have continued to go; even though Shire have ended up in the Lowland League. About £34 is the cost to get to Annan from Stafford and return on the same day plus the entrance cost if you get advance train tickets. A reasonable cost fir a good day out. It's the 66th birthday today of Plastic Bertrand, the French punk rocker whose hit single Ça plane pour moi greets the Annan Athletic players when they run out for the second half, or at least did so last season when I went to Galabank a few times. £34 does sound like a good bargain for a journey between Stafford and Annan; the cheapest I can find for a return ticket between Stranraer and Sheffield is £201 but maybe I've not been looking in the right place. I wouldn't fancy playing a Cup tie against East Stirlingshire. The Shire went out this year in front of a very partisan capacity crowd at Broxburn, where the home fans pretty much sucked Zander Miller's winning goal for the Brox into the net. That would not happen at Stair Park where the Blues fans tend to be pretty laid back. The win over Dunfermline, which was by far the high spot of the season, was achieved in spite of Pars' fans providing around 50% of the crowd. It's a shame Stranraer don't get more fans but there's no rule saying that living in or near a town means you have to support the local football team, any more than you have to go to the pictures (which is just as well here; we don't have a lovely cinema like Annan has) or to the pub (which is also difficult when you live in a village 6 miles away and the last bus leaves before it gets dark). Should the Blues drop out of the League sometime in the next few years, which is entirely possible since there are several better-supported, progressive teams in the West of Scotland's lower leagues who are aiming high, it's doubtful that more than a couple of hundred local folk would mind too much. I would, though. Football is not the be-all and end-all of my life by any means but I like going to SPFL games and I'd find it hard to work up much enthusiasm for D&G derbies against Dalbeattie or Gretna. While I'm not up to date with the English non-league scene I expect either of those wee teams would receive a sound thrashing if they met, say, Stafford Rangers. EDIT It turns out that Plastic Bertrand didn't sing Ça plane pour moi after all. The voice was actually that of the producer, Lou Deprijck. I guess putting out a record in someone else's name must be one of those crazy things that French artistes get up to, like becoming an existentialist or taking Russian citizenship. EXTRA EDIT Roger François Jouret, aka Plastic Bertrand, is not French; he's Belgian. None of this explains why Ça plane pour moi is played before the second half at Annan's home games. In case anyone's wondering Stranraer's equivalents are some mince apparently called Life is Life, and Elton John's I guess that's why they call it the Blues.
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Post by CC on Feb 25, 2020 18:21:07 GMT
No match the nicht, which is a good thing. Who would fancy sitting in a freezing cold stand when the game could be re-arranged to a balmy Spring evening instead? I'm not surprised it's been called off since the whole of the South West has turned into a bog. We went down to the Isle of Whithorn today and there were stones all over the place after washing up from a beach, and many houses have their floodgates up or sandbags at the ready.
Has anyone ever considered changing the Scottish fitba season to summer, as in Ireland and Scandinavia? It sounds like a good idea to me; I enjoy watching a match on a sunny evening and after half a century I have had enough of sitting around watching players trying to control the ball on a muddy field and wishing I'd remembered to wear long johns under my troosers. If it's cold at Stair Park on a winter afternoon imagine what it must be like at Peterhead, or Inverness?
I admit that I would not have gone to tonight's game if it hadn't been postponed. There's a documentary I want to watch on television, I can sit comfortably inside a sleeping bag with my feet up and it's 7 miles in the dark and another 7 back to get to the match. Add to that the fact that the Blues are already as good as relegated and it wasn't a tempting prospect at all. On an evening in June, on the other hand, with bats and swifts flying around and fans wearing T-shirts and sandals rather than duffel coats and Russian hats, it might be good fun.
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Post by CC on Feb 26, 2020 19:50:18 GMT
No match the nicht, which is a good thing. Who would fancy sitting in a freezing cold stand when the game could be re-arranged to a balmy Spring evening instead? So much for the balmy evening of football fun. The game has now been arranged for 10 March, which is only a couple of weeks away. Why there's such a rush to get the match played before the Vernal Equinox is a mystery to me, but there we go. It'll be flasks of hot cocoa rather and thick socks again. Like women, it seems that Scottish lower division football fans are simply born to suffer.
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Post by CC on Mar 1, 2020 15:43:18 GMT
...and now the postponed game against Peterhead has been re-arranged for 17 March, meaning that the Blues will have 3 home matches in 8 days providing there are no more storms in the meantime. It's no easy to imagine many folk wanting to see all three; I shan't be around for the game against Clyde but that's fine by me because I've seen enough of the Bully Wee in the last 12 months already. I'm no promising to see the others either; it depends on how cold it is, what's on television and whether I can face the prospect of seeing another defeat.
Is there a curse on Stair Park that means we have to avoid arranging evening games in April, when it's both lighter and warmer in the evenings and more Cleyholers might feel tempted to go along? For the game against Forfar the attendance, low as it was, was boosted by at least 2 English groundhoppers who sat behind me. I can't see many making the trip on a cool March evening in the dark. No, change that sentence: I can't see any making the trip on a cool March evening in the dark. Did we make so much extra money from the Cup tie at Ibrox that the club don't actually need to attract any paying spectators for the rest of this season?
The club asked fans on Twitter to vote for who they wanted to see on the programme cover at the next home game. I'd have voted for a picture of some sunshine just to remind everyone what it looks like. We've not seen it, either in reality or metaphorically, for far too long.
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Post by Drew Steignton on Mar 1, 2020 21:48:22 GMT
It's certainly the case that many leagues in England are now keen to rearrange games at the earliest opportunity.
If that's true in Scotland there wouldn't be much hanging around because there are relatively few midweek games. Leagues often get blamed for this sort of stuff when it's been voted on by the clubs.
An issue in England is that play-offs extend to the eighth tier. In non-league we have the process of league boundaries being redrawn each May. The season needs to end by a specified date and extensions are rarely granted by the national FA.
It's becoming more and more difficult in the SW as the winters appear to get wetter and wetter. The Peninsula League desperately wants an extension but it's the FA's say.
The usual balancing act. A club may moan about playing three or four games a week and then be peeved if a week or two is added at the end. Then, if they're in a border zone, they'll want to know about next season as soon as possible. League secretaries can't win down here at any level where the pitches aren't good in the first place and clubs have little time and money.
And, of course, we like our leagues to have lots of clubs.
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Post by CC on Mar 2, 2020 8:45:47 GMT
I really think there's case for English football below the National League and for Scottish fitba in general to switch to summer, thereby ruling out the need for so many postponements and rearrangements. Both could also help themselves by not arranging so many Cup competitions, many of which the clubs themselves seem to think are a nuisance and barely worth bothering with. The FA Trophy seems to mean very little in England these days and the Tunnock's Wafer thing here is simply another chance for SPFL teams to look silly when their teams are beaten by Cymru Premier clubs in front of sparse crowds.
Rugby League has not suffered at all from its winter to summer move. The game does have serious problems below Super League but they are nothing to do with the weather and all to do with the allocation of money. We all recall those Saturday afternoon games with Eddie Waring in which by half time it was impossible to tell the teams apart in their muddy kit. Cricket on sunny evenings and then under lights also seems to go down very well with the paying public. It would be grand to take a picnic to a match at Stair Park in July and if the game was bad at least the view beyond the Coo Shed would help to make up for it.
A fan like you would love it, Drew. You could get your walking boots on early in the morning and stroll across Dartmoor to watch Tavistock, or along the estuary to a game at Topsham or Exmouth while the sun is still out. You could also go to an afternoon match on the train and still be able to see out of the windows on your way home.
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