Green versus green

Leith is in the spotlight tonight, as Celtic, who have already lost to Hearts in Gorgie this season, seek to avoid more capital punishment in Edinburgh this evening. They face Hibernian at Easter Road, competing for a place in the semi-final of the Scottish Communities League Cup.

Since the match is taking place around a mile from where I live, I was very tempted to be there. But the lure of watching the game on Sportscene and saving precious football pounds proved more of an attraction in the end, compounded by the thought of more Old Firm gloating.

So far - with half-time approaching - Colin Calderwood's decision to put out an attacking Hibs line-up (partly because he lacks resources elsewhere, compared to the Hoops) is paying off, with the Leith side one up as a result of a deflected own-goal within the first five minutes.

Celtic are also struggling on the left, failing to cope with deep balls, hesitating at set pieces, and squandering chances. The one that produced the biggest local cheers, unsurprisingly, was a shot that clicked off the outside of the post from former Hibee Anthony Stokes.

Oh how sweet it would be to have an SLC last four without either Celtic or Rangers in it. I haven't made a League Cup Final yet, but I'd go for it if two other teams made it to Hampden.

Reality bites big time in the second half, however. Four Celtic goals in 24 minutes. Ivan Sproule off for Hibs for a second bookable offence. The ten men have 20 minutes to avoid further humiliation. Glad I didn't go now... 
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Meanwhile, in another era...

Who will reign after Spain?

Well, it's Alicante and the moment of truth for Scotland tonight. Realistically, there's little chance of claiming points against World Champions Spain. As Pat Nevin has just said on BBC Sportscene, a victory here would be the best result in the Scottish national team's football history. So the weight of Euro-qualification rests heavily on Lithuania's ability to silence the Czech Republic.

Six minutes in and things are looking decidedly grim. 1-0 to Spain. But even worse, the Czechs are 1-0 up in Lithuania through an early penalty. That's the one that really hurts.

8.40  Steven Naismith picks up where he left off in Liechtenstein the other night, missing an opportunity in front of goal.

19.50  The Czech Republic are now 2-0 ahead, courtesy of Jan Rezek (who took a dive to win a penalty at Hampden). Scotland are all but eliminated from the European Championships, with less than a quarter of their own game over. Worse than I imagined. (My wife has ventured the opinion that, "on the positive side", it can't be blamed on whatever happens in Alicante this evening. I've had to explain that, with Scotland and football, there isn't a positive side -- just different kinds of unrelenting misery!)

34.00  To be fair, Scotland are doing pretty well, given the scale of the task. Great move between Naismith and Darren Fletcher, with the Manchester United man just failing to keep the ball down from his strike on goal. Then in a further attacking move, Alan Hutton is caught offside.  An excellent wing move by James Morrison, too.

41.00  Magnificent save by Scotland 'keeper Allan MacGregor, and then, at the other end, a corner from the men in blue and a flashing shot from Charlie Adam. A reasonable shout for a penalty for a push on Gary Caldwell, too. But no-one shouted, and within a minute David Silva had made it 2-0 to Spain with a superb left-foot strike. His second of the evening.

Meanwhile, the Czechs are now 3-0 in front. Game and tournament over.  Congratulations, however, to the Republic of Ireland, who are into the play-offs for Euro 2012 after beating Armenia 2-1.

Meanwhile, in the second half, Scotland have been doing a good job of getting behind the Spanish defence. Substitute David Goodwillie made it 3-1 with a fine, confident penalty -- and then wasted a chance to create a tap-in for Craig Mackail-Smith by blasting over the bar himself. Inexperience or selfishness: one or the other. Perhaps both.

90.00  Christophe Berra has done well at the back, incidentally, and on 74 minutes almost created a second goal with a well-placed header. Morrison could have put Goodwillie through, too. But his intended pass was too well advertised. 

A pretty good Scottish performance overall, despite it being a disappointing evening.
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Back on the tortured path

Having watched Scotland's last three games (the friendly against Denmark, and the Euro-qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Lithuania) at Hampden Park, this evening I'm settling down in front of the television with thousands of other hopeful souls as the Scots take on Liechtenstein at the Rheinpark Stadion.

Greetings to all my friends in Vaduz. I'll be commenting on the action as it develops, in between biting my nails. The BBC's live stream is here.

The team line-ups are as follows:  Liechtenstein - Jehle, Ritzberger, Kaufmann, Martin Stocklasa, Rechsteiner, Martin Buchel, Hanselmann, Nicolas Hasler, Polverino, Beck, Frick. Subs: Benjamin Buchel, Eberle, Michael Stocklasa, Flatz, Niklas Kieber, Wolfgang Kieber, Bicer. Scotland - McGregor, Hutton, Berra, Caldwell, Bardsley, Morrison, Adam, Fletcher, Bannan, Naismith, Mackail-Smith. Subs: Marshall, Goodwillie, Robson, Cowie, Wallace, Whittaker, Forrest.

What are we going to witness, I wonder? A big test for Craig Mackail-Smith, for sure. It has to be an attacking stance, too. As Scott Booth has observed on BBC Radio Scotland: "If we can look confident and take the game to them, I think we can create chances. Getting an early goal is a key thing."

18:31  A lively start, and also good to see that the Liechtenstein anthem was respected, despite being set to the same tune as 'God Save the Queen'. The pitch doesn't look good.

18:41  Charlie Adam's free kick finds Steven Naismith, who gets a head-flick to the cross. But his effort slips wide. Mackail-Smith has also had a couple of chances. Positive from Scotland, but no real signs of the much needed breakthrough yet.  I think we're going to win, but probably only by a goal.

18:49  A great shot from Thomas Beck of Liechtenstein, and an equally fine save from Allan McGregor in the Scotland goal. The midfield are focussed on moving the ball upfield, but they looked dozy at the back.  Mackail-Smith hits back, but he is caught offside. (Note the the BBC commentator: Brighton is not in the Midlands).

18:55  Having rounded the 'keeper, Naismith should have done much better than hitting the ball into the side-netting. Then Barry Bannan comes close.

19:03  Goal for Scotland! Craig Mackail-Smith heads over the oncoming Jehle, who has looked good so far. A crucial lead.

19:46  Well into the second half, and Scotland look comfortably in control. But they are not turning chances into more goals. Phil Bardsley has just missed a chance provided by Bannan's sweeping cross. Things are looking safe at the moment, but it only takes one slip to put the Scots in danger.

20:00  Nineteen minutes plus time added on to go, as  Liechtenstein make their first substitution. James Forrest is on for Bannan for Scotland. It's going to get very tense unless Scotland can claim another goal.

20:03  Another Liechtenstein substitution. I expect David Goodwillie to be on for Scotland shortly, probably for Naismith. But first it's Cowie for Adam. Keep the ball up the park, lads. Don't try to sit back deep on a 1-0 lead at this stage. (I can see that assistant coach Peter Houston agrees with me!)

20:10  Seven minutes plus left. This is a workmanlike performance against relatively low-grade, if well-organised, opposition. But Spain are going to be a different proposition altogether on Tuesday night.

20:14  Not exactly elegant viewing or a beautiful game, but if the job is done we will all be content. The bagpipes and drums sound out from the 2,000 Scotland supporters. With all the flags and banners, it almost looks like a home game.

20:18  Great attempts by Naismith and Christophe Berra, and excellent saves once more from Jehle. Three minutes time to be added on for stoppages.

20: 21  That's it, all over. Phew! 

Final score:  Liechtenstein 0 -v- Scotland 1.
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Rallying the home support

First published in Sons View, 01 October 2011, Dumbarton -v- Albion Rovers

Last week’s positive display and 2-0 victory away at Forfar Athletic was a real boost for Sons, and we are all hoping that the good work will continue at home against Albion Rovers this afternoon.

If performances at SHS had matched Dumbarton’s away form, we would be sitting comfortably in the play-off promotion zone. As it is, we are at the other end of the table and our aim today is to put a good distance between ourselves and our visitors, to achieve stability at the Rock, and to push upwards.

Today’s game will be our fourth home league outing this season, and astonishingly Sons are still searching for that elusive first point on domestic turf in 2011/12 – having leaked 13 goals during those 270 minutes of football, while scoring just four.

By contrast, we’ve picked up 11 goals and seven points from two wins and a draw in the last three away games – though because of various commitments I’ve unfortunately had to miss them all. I was present for the opener at Airdrie United, but the less said about that one, the better…

The superstitious among my Sons friends have therefore suggested that I should stay away so we stand some chance of getting a good result. On the other hand, people who haven’t quite figured out probability theory reckon that, following three ‘tails’ in a row, a ‘heads’ is now more likely!

The truth is that breaking this particular duck is a football issue, though chance and the fans obviously make a difference. As the cliché has it, “football is a funny game”, and one of its abiding curiosities is that the familiar territory of your own stadium can prove the toughest arena of all to get things right.

Why? Well, sometimes there are factors at play which have little bearing on the location, like injuries, flukes, refereeing decisions, tactical changes and the sheer quality of the opposition.

Even so, the level of expectation is inevitably ratcheted up on home soil. The team is playing in front of a majority of its own supporters, and – let’s face it – home fans can be the first to get on your back (“not least at Dumbarton!” I hear some of you crying).

So today the men in gold will definitely be wanting some verbal encouragement from you, even (perhaps especially) if things are not going Sons’ way on the field.

Ironically, just a handful of away supporters can make much more noise than a significantly larger local crew. It’s healthy lungs and the solidarity of being an embattled minority that makes the difference. Today we need to reverse that.

Having been out on the pitch for 70 minutes myself, during the Play for the Sons match, I know that you pick up a good deal of what’s shouted. So it would be great if we could all make it positive this afternoon, following the fantastic example of many of our younger fans.

I have an additional reason to be looking forward to this game, because the Match Ball Sponsorship has been taken out on behalf my wonderful parents-in-law from the USA, Willard and Alice Roth. I have no doubt that the traditional Scottish hospitality will be extended to them.

As someone once put it, neither Alice nor Willard “know one end of a football from the other”, but I think they’ll recognise a goal if (when) Sons get a few, and sampling the local food and drink is bound to go down well.

Let’s hope we’re feeling content at the end of 90 minutes, too. ’Mon Sons!


TALKING ALBION

Albion Rovers are ten years younger than Dumbarton, having been founded in Coatbridge in 1882. Our history has been well entwined with the Wee Rovers; particularly during the time we shared Cliftonhill as part of the transition from Boghead to the Rock, and in the recent managerial figures of Paul Martin and Jim Chapman.

In 2009/10 Albion missed a promotion play-off position by a single point. Last term they put that right, earning promotion to the Second Division by beating Queen’s Park and then Annan Athletic to escape the Third Division.

I saw the first leg of their play-off semi-final at Hampden, and they looked a determined, well-organised outfit. As with Sons, it has been a difficult start to the new season for Rovers, but they don’t intend to be tourists at this level.

Over the years Albion’s major honours have been wins in the old and new Second Divisions (the second and third tiers respectively), incidentally.
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Gloriously behind...

No, not Dumbarton in the Irn Bru SFL Second Division (though that too), but me in terms of reproducing match reports and summaries, posts from Changing Scottish Football and other bits of football writing (Sunday Post et al) here.

I'll try to have a proper 'catch up' next week.
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Stirlingshire Cup semi-final

My preview was first published on the official DFC website.

There's more football action at the Rock this evening, as Dumbarton welcome Stenhousemuir for the semi-final of the 2011/12 Stirlingshire Cup.

Admission for the game, which starts at 7:30pm and is sponsored by the Stirlingshire Football Association, will be just £5 (£3 concessions), and there will be a souvenir programme on sale for only 50p.

Sons have won the Stirlingshire Cup trophy twice in a row now, with the last triumph being a 2-0 victory at SHS over a young side put out by First Division big boys Falkirk on a cold night last season.

Come along this evening and give your support to a Sons team seeking silverware for the third season in a row. Fourth, taking into account the Third Division Championship.
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Hard-fought draw for Sons at Brechin

My match summary was first published on the official DFC website here. 

Dumbarton earned their first point of the season with a creditable 3-3 draw away at Brechin City this afternoon. Sons weathered an early second half collapse and a sending off, after leading 2-0 at the break.

Goals from Scott Agnew (11 mins) and Jamie Lyden (28 mins), plus some good goalkeeping from Jamie Ewings, saw Dumbarton two up inside the first half hour and well in front by half-time.

But within two minutes of the restart Gary Fusco had pulled one back for the Hedgemen. Then on 51 minutes Alan Lithgow was sent off for a last-man foul on former Rock favourite Derek Carcary, and Paul McManus converted the resulting penalty. Five minutes later David McKenna capitalised on a defensive error to make it 3-2 to Brechin.

Dumbarton battled hard for an equaliser, despite being a man down, and a wonderful 25-yard free kick from Agnew delivered the goods on 89 minutes. Another away trip beckons for Sons next Saturday, this time to East Fife.
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A great second half effort

Hearts' new manager Paulo Sergio must have found that one of the hardest half-time talks of his career. Spurs' superiority is so great in the first-leg of the Europa League qualifier at Tynecastle, that it's difficult to see what they can do. Well, other than closing down space, putting pressure on the ball, going for man-marking, and running themselves ragged down the flanks. But it's the morale factor which also matters hugely.

Whatever Sergio said, it seemed to have worked some early magic. A series of Hearts attacks, three corners, a couple of close ones - including a great opportunity when Andrew Driver cut in from the right and almost found Ryan Stevenson with a low cross. Tottenham have barely been out of their half in the first 11 minutes. And a fabulous run from Templeton, just denied by a very pacey Walker. Good to see.

But then Gareth Bale breaks and makes it 4-0 to Spurs. Cruel. Let's hope the  Jambos can come away from this with some dignity in tact. Fantastic breakaway goal for Spurs. Hearts fans sportingly applauding... and chanting, "We're going to win 6-5!"

5-0 to Spurs, and footballing credit to them. Men versus boys, sadly. 
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Hearts on the rack

Great to discover that the big Scotland-England clash is on ITV4 tonight. Even though I'm a Leither and a Son, I'd have loved to have got a ticket for the game at Tynecastle tonight. But it's going to be a tough watch, I fear.

On paper, even a weakened Tottenham Hotspur team playing its first competitive game of the season in this Europa League qualifier against Hearts are easy favourites - they are ten times as wealthy, for a start. And sadly, due to a little defensive over-crowding and a really unlucky deflection, Spurs have their away goal within the first five minutes - Van der Vaart being the man who's done the initial damage.

At the moment, just getting the ball is the Scots' main problem. John Sutton has just had a shot. But it would best be described as a long-range speculative punt. Then, oh dear, on 13 minutes Jermaine Defoe makes it 2-0 and the Spurs fans start to chant "easy","You're supposed to be at home" and "Are you West Ham in disguise?"

You won't catch me saying this often, but 'mon you Jambos! I fear that their main task now is avoiding too much humiliation. (As I type this, Defoe makes it 3-0).

Incidentally, the ITV commentators and summarisers haven't bothered to learn a single thing about Hearts.  Such arrogance.
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A bit of football romance

First published in Sons View, 30 July 2011, Dumbarton -v- Dundee

The long road to Hampden and the Scottish Communities League Cup Final on 18th March 2012 begins here at Dumbarton this afternoon, with an ambitious first round tie against First Division opponents Dundee. It’s a match we’ve all been looking forward to for some time, ever since it was announced a full two months ago at the Ravenscraig Sports Centre in Motherwell.

For Sons this game against comes on the back of a positive pre-season programme, plus our first knock-out competition triumph for a long while – Saturday’s last-minute 3-2 victory against East Stirlingshire in the Ramsdens Challenge Cup, which has earned us a second round home tie against Berwick Rangers and the chance of yet further progress. Who’d have thought it?

That said, Dumbarton’s all-round performance will need to be ratcheted up more than a few notches from last weekend if we’re going to get anything out of this afternoon’s game. The first half against the Shire was a bit of a non-event. Things got exciting following the break, but then after Sons had established a comfortable 2-0 lead they almost threw it away through lack of concentration. Thankfully, Pat Walker’s final burst of inspiration rescued the tie.

But the men from Dens Park are bound to be a far tougher proposition. So more than caution will be required. Sons have to dare to go out onto the pitch believing they can take the game to Dundee.

Leaving aside the really big ones, which teams like ours play little or no part in, cup competitions generally have become something of a devalued currency in the world of modern football. Certainly league campaigns are a better guide to the real quality and status of a team. But there’s something energising about the unpredictability of a knock-out competition which it’s important not to lose: the luck of the draw, the light relief from routine pressures, the opportunity to play sides you don’t normally meet, the chance of an upset, the adrenalin rush… and, yes, the romance of a ‘shot at glory’.

So the great thing about a game like today’s is that it means everything and nothing. If we pull off a surprise and get a win, it’ll be a tremendous boost. If not, there’s no great damage done. The target for Sons in 2001/12 is undoubtedly to secure safety in division two as soon as we can, and then to look towards the play-offs. But a bit of cup excitement would add flavour to the main task.

Indeed, we shouldn’t forget that this year Dumbarton could actually end up winning silverware for the fourth season in a row. In 2008/9, Sons won the third division championship. Then there was the Stirlingshire Cup claimed in 2009/10 against Stenhousemuir, and retained versus Falkirk last term. This season we could make it three consecutive wins.

Yes, I know that many regard the regional trophy as a mere ‘tea cup’ event for testing out youth players. But it actually dates from 1883/4 (the year after Sons last won the Scottish Cup, incidentally), it’s one of the oldest cup competitions in the history of football, and the trophy itself – if you have a look at it – is fabulous. Like today’s outing against Dundee, what’s not to enjoy?

TALKING DUNDEE

Unlike Dumbarton, who have never reached the final, today’s opponents Dundee have won the Scottish League Cup – which began officially in 1946/7 – on three occasions. Their last triumph was back in 1973/4 (1-0 against Celtic), and they also took the trophy in 1951/2 (versus Rangers) and the following season (against Kilmarnock).

More recently they have lost out to what was fleetingly the ‘New Firm’: local rivals Dundee United in 1980/1 (when the final was played at Dens Park instead of Hampden) and Aberdeen in 1995/6.

In the biggest competition, the Scottish Cup, both Dumbarton and Dundee have claimed the trophy once, Sons at the tail end of the nineteenth century and the Dee in 1910.

The Dark Blues had to work particularly hard for their silverware that year. History records that it took a total of ten matches for them to lift the cup, including two replays for both the semi-final against Hibernian and the final against Clyde. The epic started in the first round with a replayed tie against non-league Beith.

The League Cup, which is this year sponsored by the Scottish Government, started life as a development of the Southern League Cup – which was itself introduced in 1940, when wartime restrictions on football led to a suspension of the Scottish Cup.

The final of the competition has been played elsewhere than the national stadium on seven occasions during its 64-year history. Twice at Dens Park, twice at Ibrox, and three times at Celtic Park.
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Getting set for the challenge

First published in Sons View, 09 July 2011, Dumbarton -v- Motherwell (Friendly)

The long weekends of ‘no football’ (other than relentless media speculation about multimillion pound transfer deals not involving Dumbarton FC) are over. So here we are at SHS once more, watching a reshaped Sons squad limber up for the 2011/12 season with a series of home friendlies against higher-level opposition – and then two away fixtures with Alloa (closed doors) and Clydebank.

Everyone says that you can’t read too much into a friendly. But that isn’t entirely true. While the result may not be a predictor, the coaching staff and players are always looking out for individual or tactical issues that need attention, and there are usually telltale signs of what is to come.

Last term, for example, Sons played good imaginative football against two of this year’s pre-season competitors. The 2-1 win versus Partick Thistle was a real morale booster, and in many respects the 2-2 draw against St Mirren was even more impressive. But then Dumbarton’s frailties were made manifest by English opponents Oxford United, and we also struggled with shape and fluency in the games against Annan and the Bankies.

The difference was between playing sides with a more open style that suited Sons’ best football instincts, in contrast to games where grit, grind and lack of space clamped our style. In retrospect, that pretty much summed up 2010/11. A dismal start and an uncertain ending (salvaged by an excellent display away to Second Division Champions Livingston) were clamped around a spell where Dumbarton suddenly started producing up-tempo, quality football. It was a strange mixture, but we were thoroughly relieved to stay up, and this time hope to build on the strengths and show rather more consistency.

In theory, playing against promotion aspirants the Jags, from the First Division, SPL survival-or-better hopefuls the Buddies, and Cup Finalists and regular dark horses Motherwell should really test our mettle – with the on-the-road fixtures providing a different type of challenge. It looks a good mix.

I last saw Motherwell live at Hampden, when they were well beaten by Celtic in a match that had moments of real quality but never quite took off. Like many I had been hoping for an upset. But since my seat was at the Hoops end, I decide to keep fairly quiet about that, and in the end had no cheers to suppress!

The ’Well are a side deserving the greatest respect for what they have been able to achieve on (for the top flight) relatively slender resources. But for a club like Dumbarton, what they, Partick and St Mirren have at their disposal in terms of players and budgets is something Sons can only dream of. That said, everyone in the Second Division will be in the same economically-straitened boat this time, and there is no reason why we should not be competitive. Starting right now.
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Talking friendlies

First published in Sons View, 09 July 2011, Dumbarton -v- Motherwell (Friendly)

DFC's John Bell

Dumbarton 8, Celtic 0. How does that sound for a good result in a friendly?  No, you’re not dreaming. It actually happened. Though admittedly the year was 1892 and Sons were reigning Scottish Champions! Things may not have been entirely uphill since then, but we have more past glory to bask in than many. The Scotsman recorded Dumbarton’s triumph over ‘Buffalo Bill’s’ on Saturday 2 January – though subsequent research alleges that the Wild West man switched his allegiance to Rangers.

The report is a classic of its kind:  “Dumbarton came away occasionally in brilliant form, but the [Celtic] ground defence was at its best. Still they were beaten sometimes. Taylor scored for the Dumbarton in twenty-five minutes, and Boyle put on a second a minute after. Before other five minutes Bell put on a third. Duff’s goalkeeping was very indifferent. Dumbarton were fairly beating their opponents, who fell away considerably. With five minutes to go Thomson put on Dumbarton’s fourth. Dumbarton’s front play was brilliant, Bell’s considerably so. Another came from Thomson before the interval. Half-time: Dumbarton, five goals: Celtic, nil. After a brief interval the teams resumed, and Dumbarton began best, but Celtic struggled through to the end.”

Sons soundly beaten by, er... Sons

First published in Sons View, 09 July 2011, Dumbarton -v- Motherwell (Friendly) - a report of the Play for the Sons game...

An estimated 160 plus crowd, vocal in support, turned up at SHS to watch the first ever Dumbarton supporters’ fundraising game at the Rock on 4 June 2011. There was a smattering of youthful (and some not-so-youthful) talent on display, splendidly attired in the Sons’ 2010/11 home and away strips – which the players got to keep, in exchange for subscribing up to £250 each for the club.

The game itself saw a convincing win for Dumbarton Away, with the men in white pushing forward confidently in the opening stages of the game. Andy Scott in the Home goal made a fine outstretched save to his right on 9 minutes, turning a dangerous looking 20-yard shot from Alan Kennedy round the post, after the forward was set up by eventual Man of the Match Brian McMutrie.

But the big sticksman – who also had a fine game throughout – then found himself trapped off guard at the far post by a tricky inswinging cross on 14 minutes, following a good cross field ball from Alan Kennedy. The uncleared ball then fell for Ian McEwan to open the scoring with a close range header.

The Home side tried to regain some control in the middle of the park, but were finding it difficult to break through the Away backline, despite some good skill from Craig Campbell and Ross Black, and an effort on goal by Alex Stewart which did not really trouble Joe McCaughey in the Away goal. The match had started to even out a little when David Ferguson took advantage of a defensive slip to slot the ball just past the oncoming Andy Scott. 2-0 on 22 minutes.

Scott Mackie went on an impressive run as the home side tried to push back, creating an opportunity for Chris Whitfield, Tom McAllister and Paul Duffy were also full of running throughout. But it was the Away’s midfield moving into attack which continued to impress, with Gary McMurtie and Andrew McCulloch contributing to several build-ups, while Sean Bangs, Alan Smith, Allan Clarke and Andy Mackie played tidily and looked relatively untroubled for them at the back.

The substitutions were of the rolling variety throughout. For the Away side, Liam McVey was full of running and creativity. Alec Darroch tried to add sharpness up front for the Home side, and Simon Barrow came on in a defensive midfield role, but initially lost shape chasing a pacy attack before adopting a conventional right-back position in the second half. Robert Faulds made a couple of significant stops for the Homes and Darroch had a few half-chances in front of goal.

In the meantime, an extended sequence of cross field passes and sweeping moves from the Aways created another opening for Ian McEwan, but this time Andy Scott beat him to the post. McVey was rewarded for all his running on 34 minutes, as MacEwan burst through the Homes’ defence and the wily number 14 made it 3-0 for the Aways.

In the second half, Home centre-half Iain McPhee, who worked hard throughout, marshalled defenders Jordan Brownlee, Scott Mackie and  Simon Barrow to try to close down the Aways attacking prowess. Neil Jenkinson was keen to get forward for the Aways, who always seemed keen to push the game upfield, their confidence buoyed by going in three up at the break. 

While McCaughey continued to have a relatively quiet afternoon in the Away goal, Scott was kept busy for the Home side – who, despite a number of corners and near misses, succeeded in keeping their opponents out again until the 62nd minute, when the ever-threatening Ian MacEwan rounded the ’keeper who had denied him several times, and made it a decisive and deserved 4-0. 

Tom McAllister for the Homes had forced a stop out of McCaughey not long before that. But the gold and blacks never really looked like scoring. Jordan Brownlee was treated for cramp not long before the end, having chased and tackled hard in the Home defence, which was also backed up by Alec Darroch. He, along with Chris Whitfield, had come closest to forcing a couple of breakthroughs at the Away end. However, the final result was never in doubt.

A stroll in the Dolomites

As teams in Scotland get their training regimes into gear for the new season, Bayern Munich have set up camp again in the picturesque Dolomites. Last year they comfortably beat a select IX from the Italian administrative district of Trentino 5-1. This time it was more a gentle rout, televised by Eurosport in between bouts of the Women's World Cup. The German Bundesliga outfit came out 15-0 victors. Their hosts were drawn from Serie D side Trento Calcio 1921 (also nicknamed i Gialloblu or gli Aquilotti) and some even more lowly outfits. The locals looked like they were enjoying themselves, despite the result. Next on the card for Bayern is the Qatar national side - a rather different proposition. Good fun, though. And as you can see, some stunning views.
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Emerging from the tunnel

Yes, I know. I haven't written anything about the momentous Dumbarton supporters' game I featured in on 4 June yet. Fear not, further evidence and analysis will follow. Life has just been rather full over the past week. In the meantime, here are the footballing gladiators emerging for the second half. I hove into view on 12 seconds. Such excitement!

A time of reckoning

First published in Play for the Sons souvenir programme, 04 June 2011, Dumbarton Supporters Home -v- Dumbarton Supporters Away

Given the other commitments players have – not least to their families after a busy season – I reckon it’s fairly unlikely that retained, past or new members of the Dumbarton squad will be in the stand this afternoon to pass polite judgement on their supporters… but a few of them (the less squeamish) might have been rather tempted to turn up!

After all, they are the ones who have to put up with the ‘helpful advice’ and ‘vociferous encouragement’ that we hurl at them week in and week out. So now, for some of us at least, it’s the time of reckoning. You’re about to witness exactly how well the fonts of supporter wisdom at the Rock can do when they step on to the pitch for a full 90 minutes.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starting to brick it… and I still have five-and-a-half days of training left before the Big Occasion as I pen this. When the Play for the Sons initiative was announced, it was, for me and for several others, a “no-brainer”. Did we want to cough up some cash for the Trust and in the process don the real strip of our beloved Sons before being captured on film and in eternal memory on the SHS pitch? Er… that would be a definite “yes!”

Of course not everyone was so brave, reckless and foolhardy. Some of the players you’ll watch this afternoon play the game on an occasional or regular basis. A few of them turn out for the real Supporters XI… and quite a lot more mysteriously discovered that they had “something else on” or were “too old” to take part. They shall remain unnamed here. But we, the foolish, know who they are!

I don’t fit into either category, incidentally. I wasn’t sensible enough to claim (rightfully, I suspect) that my 53-year-old limbs and failing eyesight aren’t really up to the job. But that’s OK. I’m sure you’ll figure that out for yourself. Nor have I played anything like regular footie of late. Actually, I haven’t stepped onto a full size pitch for 38 years. And I suspect that one was rather diddy by comparison. “Simon, this may not go so well”, my inner adult is telling be. Oh well, too late now.

Of course quite a few of today’s line-ups will be taking this darned seriously. Well, we all will in a way. Football fans never remain jocular within scent of a competitive football game. But others will have to make light of their own failings, perhaps.

A good friend dropped me a note about this game the other week. “Out of interest”, he asked, affecting a deceptive lack of mockery, “what position will you be playing in?” Then he added, helpfully: “By the way, before you answer that, can I just point out that ‘rubbish’ isn’t a position?”

“What options does that leave me?” I responded. “That’s easy,” quoth he. “Just tell them you’ll be the decoy!” I think you may be about to find out he’s right.

Meanwhile, to all involved in this match, and in its preparation, I’m sure you will join me in sending thanks. Good luck to both teams. May mine win. And remember, should you be tempted to kick me or shout too many insults… I’m married to a lawyer!

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The author is no relation to the numpty on the pitch who bears a striking resemblance to him.