Whose league reconstruction?

FansFirst Scotland, the policy and campaign group, has written an Open Letter to the chief executives of the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.

It follows the group's public statement yesterday, and precedes the imminent launch of the FansFirst Plan, which sets out an alternative path for the future of the game in Scotland, drawing directly on ideas tested with supporters.

The Open Letter can be read here. The Statement unpacks the issues is greater detail, and can also be found on the FansFirst Scotland website.

The full press release on AllMediaScotland can be found here. 

Geggsy's tough call

Despite their torrid time in the SPL, my nearest professional football neighbours, Hibernian, are now in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, having dispatched First Division Ayr United this afternoon.

Outwith beloved Dumbarton, my sympathy is with fellow Leithers, of course. The taxi-driver who ferried me to a BBC Radio Scotland interview last week is a Hibee, as are many of my neighbours. Following Scottish football from England in my youth, I remember well the Pat Stanton era, the 1973/4 UEFA Cup matches against Leeds United (I have the first-leg programme), and more from Hibs' glorious past.

That said, I'm also an underdog backer, and the Honest Men now have midfielder Andy Geggan, a former Son who gave great service at Dumbarton, with 145 appearances and 9 goals between 2006 and 2011. So I'd have had reason to cheer this one going either way, frankly.

As it turned out, it wasn't Geggsy's day. His bundling over of Isaiah Osbourne at a Hibs corner gave the visitors a penalty, which Wolves loanee Leigh Griffiths put away for his home town club with aplomb. It was a tough call for Geggan, but a fair one.

Andy might have had something at the other end, too. On 55 minutes Ayr's Micheal McGowan sent in a good cross, Geggan fired, but Hibs' Graham Stack made an effective save.

So it was not to be for the First Division side. The Leithers went through 2-0, the other goal coming on 6 minutes from Roy O'Donovan. I'm backing them for the Scottish Cup this year, Celtic notwithstanding.

Catching up...

Yes, I know, it's been ages. Almost six months, to be precise. Some of you may have wondered whether OnlyJustOffside has died. No, it's just been the victim of circumstance - namely a rather crazy work (and life) schedule. Over the next week or so I hope to get up to speed again: particularly curating my Sons View columns, a few newspaper pieces, reports and summaries from the Dumbarton FC site, Changing Scottish Football material, and more. But I'll have to squeeze that in between paid work and other priorities. Hopefully though, "watch this space" will gradually give way to "watch this filled space".