Scenes from a day out at the Rock

Football is a social occasion as well as a sporting one. My home matches involve a 120-mile round car trip from East to West, Edinburgh to Dumbarton, courtesy of Sons View programme editor Graeme Robertson and golf pro Cliffe Jones (who I particularly have to thank for the crested shirt I'm wearing in the new profile pic). We like to call it 'the Optimist Express'. Or something like that...

The Embra Massive usually arrive around 12.30pm, which allows time to catch up with friends old and new. This Saturday that included a spot of impromptu photography for young Lewis McPhee and his uncle Iain, along with DFC mascot Pellie the Elephant - who has been on best behaviour since his return to action at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium. (Sorry, Caroline, the one with you in it didn't come out).

From time-to-time I've sold Sons View at both the home and away ends, as well as writing for it. But leading the dedicated regulars in the sales force is Denise Currie, the former Sonstrust chair, who rarely misses a customer. Here she is in action before the home game against Stenhousemuir - one we really had to win... and did.

As you can see, the back row in block N had a pretty tense time for most of the match. Minutes after this photograph was taken, however, we were celebrating in style, following Sons' super sub Derek Carcary's beautifully taken 77th minute winner. The last 13 minutes and the goodly chunk of time added on, largely occasioned by the nasty looking knock sustained by Jon McShane and his subsequent stretchering off, certainly took its toll. Best wishes to Jon, who was clearly in agony.

With Club historian and (more to the point of this anecdote) announcer Jim McAllister unusually elsewhere this afternoon, Trust director Alan Findlay leant his sonorous tones to the task of proclaiming some good news, for once. An away trip to high-flying Alloa is next up on the calendar. A result at Recreation Park would amount to a real turnaround for the Sons.
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