A day out in the borders

Football is not just about arriving, it's about the journey. That's inevitably true for away games in the lower leagues - especially the ones where you end up getting tanked. But that's another story (above). This one is about a very pleasant day out in the Scottish Borders, courtesy of the three person Edinburgh Sons' Supporters club and an enjoyable armchair-bound light lunch at the Aston Hotel on the outskirts of Dumfies. Definitely recommended. As you can see (top picture), our mode of transport was a bit more comfortable than the trusty Dumbarton bus, though presumably the view, with its heather, sheep and rolling hills, was equally scenic. This is not a part of the world I have much familiarity with, but it really is stunning. I shall be back.

As for Queen of the South's Palmerston Park ground: it's a tidy little 6,412 venue (3,509 seated), and the pitch is very good indeed. Bowling green perfect on this occasion. I was required to relinquish my plastic water bottle before entry, but the steward was suitably polite and apologetic. Not what you'd get south of the border. He explained that a couple of years ago a few away fans had decided to, um, "re-fill" their empty bottles and discharge them at the home side; hence the restrictive rule. Welcome to the First Division, eh?

Thankfully the hospitality inside was rather more congenial. The QoS programme is attractively produced, and the all-seater single tier Galloway News stand on the east side of the ground affords good shelter for the away support and no lengthy queues for refreshments. Apart from the result, it was a most enjoyable outing, and another Scottish senior ground ticked off my list. 

As for an omen for the rest of the Sons' season, what better visual encouragement could you ask for than the sunset over the bus stop at Hunter's Tryst in Edinburgh, for the last leg of my journey home? "Every cloud has a multi-coloured lining just waiting to burst through," I told myself determinedly, as I recollected that fifth and final Doonhamers' goal...

(Those seeking even more trainspottery information about Palmerston Park could consult the estimable Scottish Football Ground Guide, presumably while waiting for their life to arrive in the morning mail. *Cough* Only kiddin'. )
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Off to Palmerston

The tidings that Dumbarton have signed 19-year-old St Mirren striker Jon McShane on a 6-month loan deal, and that he's going straight into the squad to face First Division Queen of the South in the opening round Co-operative Insurance Cup tie this afternoon, is good news. As I mentioned in my Clydebank match comment, Sons have created very little in the box during the pre-season friendlies, even when beating the likes of Partick Thistle 2-1. Hopefully McShane, though young (and that's a theme with this squad) will sharpen things up front. On my way...
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World Cup memories

No, not the recent affair in South Africa, which was a spectacular occasion (though not so much for the footbal), but the first ever such occasion, when Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 to win the Jules Rimet trophy on this day 80 years ago in 1930. The match turned out to be a repeat of the Olympic Final in 1928. Apparently some team from Britain won in 1966 on the 30 July, too. But I'm hazy on the details.
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Not banking on it

The first meeting in nine years between Dumbarton and the re-tread version of Clydebank at SHS last night was a pretty low-key affair on a pleasant, sunny evening. The aspirant juniors showed some purpose, however, and things began to look more interesting in the second half after the Bankies' Mark Hailstones latched on to a penalty strike from Steven Dymock which had been blocked by Sons 'keeper Michael White.

From that point on Dumbarton pressed harder and grabbed an equaliser courtesy of a fine 25-yard strike from Martin McNiff - whose home shirt I am sponsoring this season. Clearly a vital factor. Following the break, both sides had predictably started to bring on the substitutes. Sons' three trialists were among the first to leave the fray, having not made a huge impact.

Overall, the game was rather directionless - with occasional flashes of skill, but neither side coming up with a plan to break down the other. Dumbarton were unable to turn their general superiority into territorial or penetrative advantage. Neither side managed more than a couple of half-hearted shots on goal, and as on  previous friendly outings, Sons created nothing of significance in the area. In theory, this should have been men versus boys. In practice, it was boys versus slightly older boys.

These are still early days for the reshaping Dumbarton. There have been good performances against St Mirren and Morton. The players moving in from youth development looking promising, but relatively untested. They've done well coming on later in the match, but have struggled to impose themselves when coming on from the start. The real test is to come.
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Back on home turf

First published in Sons View, 25 July 2010, Dumbarton -v- Morton

‘The Far Post’ (as in: the title of my column in Sons View) is no more. As of Wednesday 14 July 2010 it just got a whole lot closer. Edinburgh, in fact. For me, 40 years, 7 months and 2 days of being a Sons supporter based down in the south of England (not counting a short sojourn in the Midlands) came to an end as I crossed the border by train at around about 9.45pm that evening.

So here I am – finally living in Scotland, clutching my shiny new Dumbarton season ticket, and finding myself the newest member of the Edinburgh Sons supporters’ club, along with noble proggie editor Graeme Robertson and Glencorse golf-pro legend Cliffe Jones. Just imagine, all those opinions in one small car. Frightening!

Seriously though, being a Sons regular has been a life-long ambition for me – albeit one I never seriously expected to fulfil until retirement, which is technically 13 years hence… though the way things are going, many of us will be struggling for a crust way beyond the age of 65.

But life is constantly surprising. Six months ago we had no immediate thoughts of moving. Then Carla and I spotted just the place we were looking for while staying with friends in March. We realised we had loads of Edinburgh contacts, both personal and professional, and that it was where we most wanted to be. So we decided to ‘go for it’. Four months later, and here we are.

For me the distant Scottish roots on my mother’s side have always tugged strongly at the heartstrings, and I’ve long hankered to live north of the border. It feels like a homecoming already, but there are still adjustments to be made – and I’m not just talking about the Scottish-English dictionary! In football terms, things look pretty different, too.

My beloved (who has barely a fiba bone in her body) already has to acclimatise to a rather different regime to my ‘Far Post’ one. That involved regular but infrequent forays up to Dumbarton – the cost of each trip being roughly equivalent to the price of my new season ticket – plus maybe a dozen trips to my local team: in recent years, Exeter City.

Now I’m close enough to the Strathclyde Homes Stadium not to need a ‘local interest’. But on the downside, from the family viewpoint anyway, there are 18 home fixtures already in the diary, plus the looming attraction of that hitherto uncharted territory known as ‘away games’. Some of them will be nearer than the home ones, of course. The others will depend on domestic and work commitments.

Today’s Alba cup-tie with Morton is one that I couldn’t fit onto the calendar, unfortunately. But I’ll be following the text and Twitter updates loyally – just like the old days. After a positive pre-season build up, it’s the first big test for Sons ahead of next month’s Division Two opener at Station Park against newly promoted Forfar.

Jim Chapman’s freshly assembled squad will take some time to bed in. But there have been some positive indicators in the friendlies, especially that highly creditable 2-1 victory over Partick Thistle, and a 5-2 win in a ‘closed doors’ encounter with Queen’s Park.

My arrival in Scotland happily coincided with the visit of Oxford United, and to add to the English connection, I found myself parked next to Dean King – a fellow Englishmen who’s been a regular at the Rock for the past few seasons. There’s a growing little band of Sons Sassenachs at SHS.

Unfortunately, Dumbarton ended up on the end of a 2-0 defeat against the ‘Us’, a well resourced full-time outfit who are determined to make their mark in the English Football League after returning there (following four seasons’ absence) on the back of a blaze of Conference play-off glory at Wembley.

After a shaky start, with the wind unsettling them all over the park, Oxford soon showed their class, dominating the first half. They then faced a spell of Dumbarton pressure at the beginning of the second period. In truth, however, United could easily have claimed another couple of goals, as Sons failed to pose any substantial threat up front and looked occasionally disjointed at the back.

What you notice about lower league English sides is that they’re fast, fit, well-built and constantly pressure the ball. Plenty of lessons for Jim and the boys there, then. Hopefully Sons will have moved up a further gear after the visit of St Mirren. A Cup win isn’t essential, but it would be a great tonic for the campaign ahead.
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Being friendly everywhere but the pitch

First published in Sons View, 13, 17 & 19 July 2010, Dumbarton -v- Partick Thistle, Oxford United, St Mirren

So the South African summer football extravaganza has come and gone, with England dipping out of the cup faster than my teabag this morning, and here we are again watching Dumbarton limber up for a new season via an interesting bunch of friendlies.

I say “limber up”, in a way that suggests mild exercise, but the July schedule actually looks pretty packed. There are seven games this month, five of them here at the Rock, plus one closed-doors outing. That includes the Challenge Cup encounter with local rivals Morton (almost a tradition now!) and a Co-Operative Insurance Cup tie away at Queen of the South.

Following pre-season training, where the new lads have a had a chance to get the feel of Sons set-up, things got underway with a trip to Annan Athletic, now well settled in the Third Division and looking to make a bid for progress up the League. That sets the scene for what is going to be a challenging trio of games against top opposition – Partick Thistle, who will be hoping that 2010-11 will see a revival in their quest for SPL status; Oxford United, back in the English Football League following four years’ absence; and Premier boys St Mirren, who we know all-too-well from Cup and friendly exploits in recent years.

Then in the midst of Dumbarton’s trophy-hunting games comes a visit from former rivals, neighbours and indeed guests (the old Bankies outfit spent six years playing ‘home’ games at Boghead Park, followed by Cappielow), Clydebank. Billy McGhie’s outfit, re-formed in 2003, claimed a play-off spot in Scottish Junior Football Association West Region Division One last term. They also ended up Central League Cup Winners in front of an impressive 8,122 spectators at Rugby Park.

With the Jags and the Buddies in the friendlies roster, gaffer Jim Chapman has gone for some continuity with the shape of previous pre-season outings. But there are changes, too – including top-and-tail matches against lower level (though not to be underestimated) opposition.

Last year, Sons endured a torrid July after the terrible loss of captain Gordon Lennon, and then a deep dip at the beginning of the Second Division campaign. Those events framed a raft of top-level ‘friendly’ opposition resulting in 5-0 drubbings by Dunfermline and Middlesbrough respectively, fifteen goals conceded and none scored in five matches, plus two defeats in the Annan Cup. Our minds were naturally elsewhere, on Guido and his family, but it wasn’t exactly a morale-booster.

This time our English opponents are from way down south and League Two, rather than a newly-relegated northern EPL side stuffed full of foreign talent. Having spent all of my 52 years in England so far (though that will hopefully have changed by the time you read this), I’ve seen Oxford United quite a few times – and make no mistake, the U’s will be tough opponents.

Though they have been languishing in non-league football for the past four seasons – far longer than anyone predicted – Oxford United are a club with a proud history and a large infrastructure. In 1985-6 they were in the top flight of English football, won the League Cup at Wembley (beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0) and would have qualified for the UEFA Cup the following season, had it not been for the ban on English teams resulting from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster.

So when the U’s crashed out of League football in 2005-56, following a defeat to Leyton Orient which saw the London club win promotion (I still have the T-Shirt, as Orient are a team supported by several of my friends), they not only saw the end of 44-years continuous presence among the professional elite, but were also the first team to have lost League status having previously won a major trophy.

Oxford draw much of their support from the local town, but they are also boosted by university students, too. Their 12,500-seater Kassam Stadium has hosted between 5,000 and 7,000 people for Blue Square Premier games on a pretty regular basis, breaking Conference attendance records on the way – at least, before the arrival of Luton Town.

Now the Headington outfit, who have survived a range of financial and management turmoil, are back where they and their followers believe they belong, and they’re determined to make the most of it. A good showing in Scotland is no doubt part of their current plans. Dumbarton will give them a warm welcome, but Sons fans will be hoping that this does not extend to an excess of generosity on the pitch!
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Football's finance secrecy league

A leading global development agency (one I've had a long association with in various ways) has just published a fascinating report on financial secrecy, tax havens and offshore ownership in football - as part of an initiative to expose the way tax avoidance is keeping millions in poverty, as well as imperiling community-based football clubs. Blowing the Whistle: Time’s Up for Financial Secrecy (*.PDF Adobe Acrobat file) has been produced by Christian Aid in association with the Football Supporters’ Federation and Supporters Direct, to highlight the damage that financial secrecy can cause, and to demand urgent reform. To arrive at the Football Secrecy League, Christian Aid endeavoured to find the true owners of every club in the English, Scottish and Welsh leagues, as well as the Irish League in Northern Ireland and the League of Ireland in the Republic of Ireland.
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The future is still in our hands

First published in The Grecian, 08 May 2010, Exeter City -v- Huddersfield

Well, it’s come down to the big one. For Exeter City, today’s final match of the season against Huddersfield will determine, in combination with results elsewhere, whether the Grecians will be playing again in League One next season.

I feel like immediately adding, “don’t panic!” For while there is absolutely no hope of anything other than frayed Devonian nerves on an occasion such as this, one reality stands out in the midst of all the statistical variables attaching to precious points and vital goals. And it’s this: City’s future is still in their (our) own hands.

This truth does not make life any easier at St James’ Park today, but the fact that a win will secure survival whatever Tranmere Rovers do at least means we are not depending upon anyone else for flubs and favours.

That said, there is bound to be a lot of radio and mobile phone checking going on across the terraces while the action unfolds on the pitch. In the old days (which, in spite of my deceptively youthful appearance, I am old enough to remember!) it meant waiting for some guy in a phone booth to pass on the information ages after it happened. Now, at least, communication is instant.

Among the other abiding clichés about a relegation decider like this is that “it’s like a cup final.” Which is true in the “all or nothing” and “everything to play for” sense. That said, it will probably end up mattering to us much more than to Huddersfield Town, and there’s no trophy to be collected at the end… though if the Grecians are victorious “our cup will overflow”. Literally, I suspect!

Of course, it isn’t accurate to say there’s nothing in this for the Terriers. Last Saturday’s magnificent Lee Novak winner in stoppage time against Colchester means they have a mathematical chance, albeit a slim one, of an automatic promotion place if Leeds fall flat on their faces against Bristol Rovers. Meanwhile, they are guaranteed a play-off place, so the worst pressure is off.

Exeter City, meanwhile, will be wanting to lure the Town out of defence and strike back decisively. I saw the Terriers in action at Leyton Orient a few weeks back, and I can report that they are well organised, dogged, can show some flair, and have a loud and proud away support. The atmosphere this afternoon is going to be hot and bothered, for sure.

In reality, we can pretty much expect that our most significant relegation rivals, Tranmere, will claim three points over doomed and troubled Stockport, although with only pride to play for and the bookmakers off home, it isn’t a real upset isn’t beyond expectation. Rovers will be tough and professional, though, and will anticipate more trouble for Exeter than for themselves.

What all this means is that, while it will be natural to wonder how Gillingham are faring at Wycombe, or whether Orient are being subjected to a massive defeat at Colchester (unlikely), it would be far preferable to stay focussed on ‘doing the job’ on home soil.

This will definitely be Paul Tisdale’s message in the dressing room. Given those astonishing wins against Torquay and Cambridge two seasons ago, which saw the Grecians return to League football, no-one can say that this isn’t a gaffer who knows how to equip his carefully sifted side for the big occasion and the one-off vital triumph. That’s why my money – or at least my heart palpitations – are on Exeter City eyes to be smiling come 5pm.

For me, it would be a fitting conclusion to my years in beautiful Devon. Sadly, I shipped off to Birmingham full-time earlier this year, and should be going to Edinburgh (and closer to my Scottish delights, Dumbarton) in a few months time.

So this is an ‘adieu’ column, at least in terms of the regular fortnightly gig. I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to pen a few one-off pieces for next season, whatever fortunes prevail today, and I will definitely continue to look out for City and get down here for a game when I can. That’s what holidays are for!

Looking back, I began to follow the Grecians in 2003, when my wife and I moved to this fair city. That was the fateful year that Exeter dropped out of League football, having won our last match against Swansea – another reason why the fans have reason to be glad it’s “all down to us” this afternoon, despite the tension.

Whatever today’s results, City, the fans and the Trust will definitely be seeing League Football again next term. Never forget that. Just go out and play, struggle, cheer… and succeed. ’Mon you Grecians!
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Almost at the final frontier

First published in Sons View, 24 April 2010, Dumbarton -v- Arbroath

It’s been said that there are two kinds of people in the world. Those who think there are two kinds of people in the world, and those who don’t. I’m very much in the latter category. Life is glorious, mixed-up and unpredictable. And that’s before we even get to football, let alone Dumbarton FC’s 2009-10 season.

Mind you, football fans might still constitute an exception to my general refusal to think about human beings in binary opposites. Because let’s face it, when we’re not being misguided optimists, we’re being mildly (or extremely) irritating pessimists.

Don’t let the ones who pretend to be aloof and reserved fool you, either. They’re just confused, or pretending they’re viewing things from an imagined loftier height. They may say, “I’ll wait and see”, but their guts are secretly grumbling “we can still do it” or “we’re scuppered”. Possibly both.

According to my ‘pastry theory’ of football satisfaction, that’s why so many pies get consumed in grounds up and down the country. It’s the only sure way of quelling that unstoppable lurching of the stomach between victory and defeat. The one that announces an impending kick-off.

In short, show me someone who’s indifferent to the careless swings of semi-rational expectation which accompany the build-up to any match involving their team, and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t really love the game… or wishes to dear life that they didn’t!

Besides, this has hardly been a season for the even-tempered. Last week, Sons visited league leaders Alloa Athletic and stunned them with a Winters and Wyness powered 2-1 victory that kept the play-off hopes alive. Just. Unfortunately, Brechin City forgot to lose for a second week in a row, while Dumbarton had previously managed to claim only one point from the bottom-placed side in a six-goal SHS thriller. Frankly, many of us would have settled for a boring 1-0 win.

But, that, as they say, is football – and this is the last chance saloon. Or at least, it is if Brechin didn’t win at home to the Blue Brazil on Tuesday. If they did, it’s consolation time. Me? I’m writing in anticipation that all is still to play for – that like the General Election we are all loving, hating or not caring two hoots about at present, the final verdict on the Sons’ first year back in SFL Division Two will go down to the wire.

In theory (which has counted for little this term) two straight wins against Arbroath and Clyde ought to be well within Dumbarton’s grasp. But given our inferior goal difference, that would still leave us needing the men from Angus to claim no more than two points against Cowdenbeath again (away) and Stirling Albion (home). Then we could still be fighting for a First Division spot in August.

Well, it would be mathematically possible, but even if the result on 20 April went our way, you’d have to be solidly in the reckless optimism camp to think it’s actually going to happen. Oh, go on then: the Hedgemen have been inconsistent, they’ll be anxious about Sons staring up their rear (so to speak!), and they’re facing two sides still in contention for an automatic promotion spot. There, solid reasons why they might fluff . Believe me? Thought not. Ah, but you still hesitated, didn’t you? We all want to think the dream is possible. Therefore, however tenuous, it is.

Meanwhile, if the dust has not settled, the Sons will need all their Rock-like qualities today and next week, because the worst of all outcomes would surely be that Brechin do indeed gain only two points by the final whistle next Saturday, while Sons have thrown theirs away needlessly. Please, no.

Ah well, later tonight we can forget our cares for a bit and enjoy the end of season dinner dance and awards ceremony. See you there, I hope. A few months ago I was contemplating an extra ‘exiles’-sponsored Personality of the Season award. But that’s a plan still waiting to be hatched.

My own vote would have gone not to an individual, but for everyone involved in the Sonstrust, not least the hard working people on the committee and Trust director Alan Findlay. Heroes, one and all. Thanks also to the gaffer, the players, the staff and all involved in running and supporting the club.

It seems a long way back, but after the triumph of the Third Division Championship we were hit as hard as we could be by the tragic loss of Gordon Lennon. Today we remember him again, and we’ll go on remembering – by going forward, together. Let’s hope for a little football magic this afternoon, too. That would be appropriate.
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We've got to want to succeed

First published in The Grecian, 24 April 2010, Exeter City -v- Charlton Athletic

Brace yourselves, then. Until recently not much Flybe traffic was getting through in the wake of all the volcano ash around, but Exeter City most definitely need ‘take off’ this afternoon, and over the coming two games away at Hartlepool and here at St James’s against Huddersfield, to ensure that we do not crash and burn in the last few kicks of the season.

To say last week’s 3-1 defeat at Tranmere was a disappointment would be an understatement. If the result had gone the other way, City would have been eight points clear of danger before Tuesday night’s catch-up game for Rovers against Brentford.

It hardly needs saying that “if” is the most impotent word in football, especially when combined with hindsight. The previous Saturday is ancient history now, and all Exeter eyes, hearts and minds are now fixed on the task of overhauling Charlton Athletic, who in turn will be desperate to pick themselves up from their Norwich defeat in order to secure a play-off place and keep the side in with a slender chance of automatic promotion if Leeds slip up again – as they might.

But frankly, what’s happening at the top of League One is of little interest or consolation to Grecian hearts, more intent as they are on not being broken than in wasting tears on the jostling of the big boys. The relevant fact for Paul Tisdale’s team is that Charlton will be in no mood to show generosity or quarter today. So this game has all the ingredients for hard fought, end-to-end entertainment. But let’s be honest, City fans would happily settle for 93 minutes of unalloyed goalless boredom if a winner in the last gasp of time-added-on was guaranteed. Which it won’t be.

This season the Grecians have had their ups and downs (more of the latter, as our league position shows) and along the way have displayed more than a few moments of promise, quality and inventiveness. But it is mistakes and lapses that have cost them precious points and left, if not a mountain (let’s be positive), at least a steep hill (let’s also be realistic) to climb. So bring on the jets, boys!

Beating Charlton is going to be very hard, but it is well within the realms of possibility. As I mentioned in my programme note for the (disappointing) Leyton Orient game, I saw the O’s take on and overcome Athletic 1-0 at the Valley back on 25 January. They did it by being at the top of their game, matching the Reds for flair, pace and commitment, and then making sure that they hassled and harried every ball.

After what proved to be the winner went in, it looked for a time as if Charlton were going to steal back. But then Orient pushed forward again, not by sitting on a lead (or recklessly trying to add to it while leaving them exposed, either), but by moving up from the back and continually trying to take the game to their opponents.

It was heart-stopping stuff, and anything like that this afternoon would be welcome entertainment. But the outcome is what really counts, for both sides. The pitch at St James’ is hardly likely to be as smooth and invitingly playable as the Valley was that cool February evening either, but City surely know how to play at home – and as the gaffer rightly suggested earlier on this term, it is likely to be our Devon exploits that keep us in this division, rather than travelling fortunes.

Positively, then, two of the Grecians’ final three games are on domestic territory. The trick is that they are also the toughest ones. My guess is that six points will do it. But nine has to be the target, to ensure that City really are masters of their own fate, following Brentford’s helpful victory over Tranmere on 20 April. My late grandad’s Bees have inadvertently kept City buzzing just that bit louder over the past few days. Now is the time to turn up the volume against the east Londoners again.

Meanwhile, as we agonise over every kick, ball and decision, a little secret mantra will be doing the rounds in the stands and on the Big Bank: “Gillingham, Tranmere, Wycombe, Southend… stay down.” For while wishing none of them any ill-will (and I don’t), those are the sides who will stand between Exeter City and League One football again in the summer – after England’s World Cup fortunes have… oh, I’ll let you finish that sentence as you wish!

Realistically, the Gills and the Rovers are the real survival rivals. But no half-thoughts should stray in their direction today. Every ounce of effort and grit is needed within St James’ Park to will on Exeter City to a morale-boosting, point grabbing win. We’ve got to want to succeed. Then we can.
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Time travelling with the Son

First published in Sons View, 13 April 2010, Dumbarton -v- Clyde

At this stage in the season, football fans and programme columnists alike are known to stare at the remainder of the fixtures list, blink, take a sharp intake of breath, note that there are only three games remaining after today’s match… and wonder where on earth the season went!

Up until Christmas, there’s “a long way to go.” Then, by the time January has slipped away without anyone quite realising it, we’re on the rapidly accelerating path to the end of April and the beginning of May – when reputations are won and lost, prizes collected or discarded, and addicts are beginning to contemplate the horror of a Summer without the Beautiful Game.

In this case, of course, there will be plenty of post-season football. But while the sun shines down in South Africa, we know we will be facing another World Cup without Scotland’s presence. There’ll still be plenty to enjoy and cheer, of course. Between now and then we can also take occasional breaks from contemplating Dumbarton’s prospects, in order to read about yet more stray limbs falling off Senor Capello’s squad of budget millionaires.

But such joys remain weeks away. In the meantime, we have Clyde at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium again. The red, white and blacks last visited the Rock on 22 August, in the midst of Sons’ grinding six-games-without-a-win start to the campaign. Nevertheless, nearly a thousand spectators turned out that day, and while Dumbarton went in 1-2 down at half time, a strike from Roddy Hunter and then a header from Iain Chisholm salvaged a point at 3-3, interspersed with another lapse of concentration at the back. Plenty of goals, but the gaffer was not amused.

Wind forward seven months, following that awful fixture-numbing freeze, and almost a month ago today Sons made up for that poor start by claiming a pleasing 2-0 victory over today’s visitors at Broadwood. This time new ’keeper Jan Vojacek and the defence were in solid form.

Mind you, having lost to Stenhousemuir three days earlier, in a yo-yo period when Spring struggled to show its head, Dumbarton fans arrived in Cumbernauld on 16th March hopeful (we were playing the side at the foot of the league) but still apprehensive (anyone can beat anyone in the Second Division).

Thankfully, the outcome was a David Winters wonderland, with a brace from the talented youngster securing the win. Just as happily, Scott Chaplain (home to Stenhousemuir) and Dennis Wyness (away at Stirling Albion) have also emulated the ‘take two’ trick, and by the time you read this there may have been yet more double-helpings in the goal department for Sons.

As for the Bully Wee, however, there have been precious few bright moments amid the gathering relegation gloom. Clyde had to release almost their whole squad to avoid administration at the end of last season, when they were demoted from Division One. At the beginning of this month, they parted company with manager John McCormack, who had been appointed only weeks before Christmas. In between they’ve seen an influx and outflow of players, misplaced former gaffer John Brown’s body, and suffered a string of body-blow results home and away.

However, Sons should not be complacent. Teams who are doomed can often feel a release of pressure leading to recovery on the park. Even in the dark days before arriving here, the Bully Wee have taken points of every side in this division bar Cowdenbeath. They have also achieved some gritty draws on the road. So Dumbarton need to be sharp and attentive to claim the points we badly need.

There’s also history to contend with – and for me a couple of those incidental connections we all enjoy reading into the football runes. Clyde’s first ground was on the banks of the River Clyde at Barrowfield. They have also won the Scottish Cup on three occasions, the last being a 1-0 win over Hibs in front of 95,123 at Hampden, a couple of months after I was born in 1958.

If my youthful interest in Scottish football had been a bit more focussed on happenstance, I suppose I might even have ended up following the Bully Wee – who I still think of in terms of their traditional association with South Lanarkshire and southeast Glasgow, incidentally.

Then again, I can’t actually imagine supporting anyone but the Sons. I’m not sure quite how I got here. But I’m glad I did. Let’s hope the boys leave you feeling that way this afternoon, too.
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Plenty of time to be wrong... again

First published in Sons View, 10 April 2010, Dumbarton -v- East Fife

Only a week ago I found myself expressing scepticism about the notion that Dumbarton might seriously be battling for a play-off place. The gap seemed too big and the level of consistency required too great. Now, following back-to-back away wins against Stirling Albion and – most recently – Brechin City, I’m starting to have inklings of belief again. Darn it.

After that deeply disappointing home defeat to Peterhead, I really did think we’d blown it. It seemed as if Sons’ ability to play well but not claim the requisite result, or alternatively to play less consistently and reap dire consequences, would be our early undoing. Then we claimed two well-crafted victories against teams in the top four, and it looks as if it’s on again.

Football is like that. When it’s not providing little cameos of joy, it toys with your emotions in the cruellest ways imaginable. Being a natural sporting pessimist (or a typical Sons supporter, some might say!), it isn’t the shattered dreams and thwarted desires that get to me. I’m well used to those. No, it’s the dashed cynicism! If you can’t even be right when you’re being harshly realistic… well, I ask you, what hope is there?

Of course everything could be turned upside down again after this afternoon’s encounter with East Fife, who topped the Hedgemen on 30 March by twice as many goals as we achieved on Tuesday night. Two, that is. This triumph aside, the men from Bayview, who only a couple of seasons back marched triumphantly past us into the Second Division after beating East Stirlingshire at Firs Park, have had a tough time. That means just one win in five, following convincing victories in mid-March against the Blue Toon and the Red Lichties.

Today, the Fifers come to SHS looking uncertainly over their shoulders at the drop zone and urgently needing points to move towards safety. Dumbarton, on the other hand, cannot afford to take their feet off the accelerator if fourth spot is to be in any sense a genuine prospect. The present situation is that in spite of our 1-0 win over Brechin, Sons still trail the men from Angus by two points, the game they have in hand, and a massive goal difference of 16.

To put that another way, we need to claim six points over Brechin – the only side we can realistically overhaul for a play-off place – out of a possible 15 available from the remaining five games, this afternoon’s included. With two games each against Stirling and Cowdenbeath plus one against Alloa and another with our opponents today, Brechin have a more difficult run-in than Dumbarton. On paper. On the pitch? Who knows. There’s virtually no margin for error as far as the Sons are concerned, while we are relying on City to slip up two or three times – or those competing for automatic promotion to do us a favour.

One good thing about a situation like this is that there is all to play for and not much to lose. Fifth spot, which I have been predicting for some time (though there’s plenty of scope for me to be proved wrong… yet again) would be no shame. Dumbarton fans would have absolutely jumped at it after the first six weeks of the 2009-10 campaign. But there’s an ambition in the dressing room and elsewhere in the club which will not remain satisfied with mid-table. That’s positive, though there’s also evidence that unrealism about your prospects can be just as harmful in football as aiming too low.

The point is, what we have to do is “just go for it, and see what happens.” Those rigged old fitba adages keep biting back because, well, they’re true. You can calculate and conspire to your heart’s content from the terraces, and even from the dressing room. But real fortunes are shaped in a few rash or spectacular moments on the grass. Fortune is settled by foolishness, bravery or a bit of both. Unless you’re Barcelona, that is. Then you know you can sweep all before you, as poor Arsenal discovered while the Sons were winning at Glebe Park.

Meanwhile, I can report (as someone married to an American) that it was Tartan Day in New York on Tuesday, and my friends across the Atlantic were celebrating all things Scottish, while closer to home some were remembering the Declaration of Arbroath. Let’s hope a good portion of that pride and passion rubs off on the Sons of the Rock, actual and honorary, today.
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Loyal to the red, white and red again

First published in The Grecian, 10 April 2010, Exeter City -v- Leyton Orient

Football loyalty can be an intense, tribal, frightening thing at times, especially when it comes to identification with a particular team and locality, or the rivalry embodied in a fiery derby match – like the one Exeter City fans hope they will be enjoying with Plymouth Argyle next season.

To make that possible, the Grecians need to stay in League One so as to be ready to welcome the Pilgrims back to where City-ites think they really belong! That remains a challenging task, too, with this tough match at St James’ against fellow strugglers Leyton Orient next on the menu. Then there are five matches between City and safety.

In midweek manager Paul Tisdale named the two qualities that he thinks can make the crucial difference between success and ‘the other option’ this term. They are “steely determination” and “the freedom to play.” They sound opposites. How can you be tight and open, constrained and free, disciplined and adventurous all at the same time, you may ask?

Yet that is the epitome of the modern game at its highest levels. When I played the knockabout stuff at school, you could have teams that did well because they were really strong in attack, or rock solid at the back, but not vice versa. It was the old “we’ll simply score one more than you” or “if we don’t let a goal in the worst we can end up with is a draw” syndrome.

In professional football you still come across that kind of thing. But it is far less common. The artistry of the game has merged with its science, and aptitude in one department alone has had to give way to competence in all. Of course the Barcelonas of this world can become sublime rather than merely great because of the exceptional talent of a Lionel Messi, but even they have to integrate that magic into a formula which eliminates weaknesses and builds on potential in every area.

The ’70s vision of ‘total football’ may never have been realised fully and consistently anywhere, apart from flashes of Brazilian, Spanish and Dutch genius over the years. But the notion of ‘deep football’, in the sense of combining across the board, is the ubiquitous aim now. As a result, my estimate is that the fitness, strength, skill, application and adaptability at the core of third-tier English football would have put today’s sides at least a division higher twenty-five years ago. Maybe more.

You can argue over that later. The task in hand is this game with the lads from East London. It’s what the pundits terms, with mocking self-awareness, “a six-pointer”. The winners, if there are such (and no-one would really benefit from a draw), will not only claim three points for themselves but take three away from one of their competitors for the dry land of 20th place. This is where Orient sit right now – with the Grecians just three points, three places and two goals ahead.

Below that mark lies a watery grave, a dip in finance and support, plus football in the fourth tier for 2010-11. No-one on the pitch, on the bench or behind the scenes for either club will be wanting to think in those terms for at least 90 minutes. But it is a reality that shadows us all.

That said, the Grecians enter this tussle with a booster from some good recent results and form. The gritty 0-0 draw away at Brentford over Easter follows victories against Colchester, Walsall and Bristol, interspersed with single points from Wycombe, Southend and Oldham.

Orient, on the other hand, who only a couple of months ago were drawing with Leeds, thumping Bristol Rovers 5-0 and beating Charlton 1-0 at the Valley (I saw the last two of those, and impressive they were), now find themselves on the edge of crisis – if not dangling right in it. Six defeats in the last seven games, slumping nine places from 11th on 2nd February, and sacking manager Geraint Williams after a 3-1 humiliation by Hartlepool… all this puts a very different complexion on their season.

Now former Yeovil boss Russell Slade has come in to try and rescue Barry Hearn’s team, with this trip to Devon his first outing in that role. City hardly need telling that sympathy or complacency cannot be allowed any head- or pitch-space today. Personally, however, I want to see both these sides remain in League One. It’s that loyalty question again, with mine spread (though not split).

I’ve been following Exeter City as my local side now for seven years. But in English terms (41 years of my life having been fully dedicated to Dumbarton up in Scotland) Orient have been my ‘London team’, thanks to my friend Kevin Scully, an Os fanatic and Rector of St Matthew’s Bethnal Green. Sadly, he can’t be here this afternoon – though he usually travels with the Orient faithful.

I’ll be in the Exeter stands nevertheless. I want it to be a great game; and whatever the result, I definitely hope for a couple of repeat fixtures next season.

[Pic: Fr Kevin Scully (right) and Mark Smith - the Orient faithful]

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Too much spare change?

There's a good interview with Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill - for whom I have immense admiration as a person, a professional and a 'football man' (dreaded phrase!) - in today's Observer newspaper. Among the choice quotes from interviewer and interviewee are these, concerning the time and tide of fortune amidst the madness that is 'the modern game'.

"Taking a year to do anything in football these days is strictly prohibited. The preferred delivery date is yesterday." - Paul Hayward.

"While you can have it in your own demeanour, you should not be self-deprecating to the extent that what happens is [that] people hammer the crap out of you." - Martin O'Neill.

"It would make me laugh, make me smile, if some manager came in and said he had a five-year plan for a football club. Fine, if you actually own the football club at the same time." - MH again.

And even then...
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Maybe, just maybe...

OK, Mr Findlay (before you tell me), that was the optimum outcome today: both Dumbarton's satisfying 2-1 win away at Stirling Albion, and Brechin's defeat by Peterhead. The Blue Toon have to be looked out for, of course, but Sons have a game in hand over them. What's certain is that if there is to be any chance of nabbing fourth place and a tilt at the play-offs, a run of solid wins will be needed. Great news, therefore, that Dennis Wyness (pictured) claimed a brace of goals. He's taken a little time to bed in, but the promise of Wyness's experience and David Winters' youthful guile could be critical. Scott Chaplain has been nabbing chances, too. In the remaining games, victories will be required against East Fife, Clyde (home and away) and Arbroath. Alloa away on 17 April will be very tough. In a way, the decisive match will be Brechin on Tuesday. A win there could be a turning point. Less than that could be, in a different sense too. There's still a lot to play for.
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Back on the pitch...

"Only just offside? More like off the pitch altogether!" wrote a friend in a recent email. Fair comment. With work being incredibly busy, and life being very full (in a good way, including the odd match ... and some of them were a little odd!), I have been sadly neglecting this oasis of football near-sanity for six weeks or so. But with the Easter weekend opening up some space on the wing, I'm back.

So while Dumbarton head off to Forthbank to take on Stirling Albion this afternoon, I'm putting my feet up here in Birmingam, ticking off one or two tasks on my domestic list, and starting to do the back-posting of my columns from Sons View and The Grecian. While watching anxiously for updates on the Sons' fortunes, of course.

Meanwhile, with back-to-back wins against Colchester and Walsall, my ex-local side Exeter City are looking in much better shape to avoid the drop from League One. There's a long way to go, though. After Brentford away, the Grecians take on Leyton Orient at home. I've actually seen the Os more times than City this term, because of my trips to London and my friend Kevin Scully being a devotee. There's an outside chance I'll make it back to Devon for that encounter. I guess I'll be hoping for a draw.

On the other hand, my true beloveds, Dumbarton, who I will next see on the occasion of their last home game, against Arbroath, on 24 April, have had a really up-and-down season: moments of skill and inspiration followed by moments of laxity and indecision, from what I've seen and heard. In the match preview for today's beano with the Binos, the hugely estimable Alan Findlay writes, with loyal and official optimism, that "Sons' battle to claim a first division play-off spot continues." Hmmnn.. well, I'd like to think so, but short of a convincing win this afternoon I fear it's all over, and my longstanding prediction of fifth place remains. We'd have taken that at the outset of the campaign, no question.

This is the score: If Brechin lose today and DFC win, the mighty Sons of the Rock will still be 5 and 6 points short of the Hedgemen and Stirling, with our two nearest play-off rivals holding one and two games in hand respectively. Since there will then be 18 points left for Sons to play for, that's a pretty big gap to overhaul. Possible, if Dumbarton go on the kind of run that won us the Third Division Championship last term, but not a possibility the bookmakers would be losing too much sleep over, I suspect. That said, I'd be delighted to be wrong, wrong wrong (yet again).

Mind you, if Sons do make the play-offs, my fear then would be us getting promoted and finding ourselves financially scuppered. It's a warped old (mind) game.
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Just too much excitement?

First published in The Grecian, 02 April 2010, Exeter City -v- Colchester United

Ah, the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. An ideal time to relax, unwind, enjoy some good weather (hopefully) and let the stresses and strains of the first three months of the year disappear as we spend time pottering in the garden, playing with the kids, enjoying a distracting hobby, or taking in a game of football…

Hold on, though. If you thought this afternoon’s clash between Exeter City and Colchester United was going to be some kind of stress sinecure, you maybe haven’t been paying sufficient attention to what’s been going on in League One of late!

Here is an encounter between two sides at opposite ends of the table, with competing aspirations and rather different fortunes of late, who will both be stretching every fibre and sinew to secure another three points. A relaxing afternoon is unlikely, at least if you have the slightest concern for the fate of either team.

At this stage of the season, with eight matches separating us from the final verdict for 2009-10, every game has the potential to develop the spirit of a crucial cup-tie – dogged, thrilling, unpredictable and nail biting. And that’s just in the terraces!

For the Grecians, the pressure of the past few weeks has been alleviated by a positive run of results, culminating in a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Walsall at St James’ Park last Saturday. In five games, City have claimed nine points and six goals, conceding four. That followed seven games without a win, during which time we gave away eleven goals and scored just five, following the euphoria of a 2-0 home victory over Leeds United on 16 January.

In recent seasons, Exeter have been known among fans and observers for making a strong finish, often after a period of uncertainty or slump. That capacity to respond well under pressure has contributed to the not inconsiderable achievement of two Wembley play-off finals and back-to-back promotions from the Conference and Football League Two over the past three years.

This time, however, the Grecians have faced an unrelentingly tough eight months, lightened by some fine performances and one or two notable victories, surely – but also marked by high quality opposition, little room for manoeuvre or mistakes, and results which have proved disappointing compared to the degree of endeavour and skill invested by Paul Tisdale and his aspiring side.

Right now, however, City are showing the determination to dig themselves out of the League One relegation mire. Following that Walsall win, Exeter sit two points and three places above the drop zone, with just two sides holding games in hand over us. The team are in the position they need to be – namely, in control, of their own fate.

That is vital. Having to rely on other teams to drop points for you is perilous at any stage of the season, but most especially when it is heading towards its climax – because that is the time when you can least rely on those below or around you to do you a favour. Everyone is scrabbling for advantage, especially those for whom it could be a matter of survival or non-survival come May.

It hardly needs pointing out that three points for the Grecians this afternoon would be a further huge boost to the confidence of team, fans and city alike. Far from ‘job done’, but heading towards the mid-table boredom that, frankly, we all crave. A point would not be sniffed at either, in normal circumstances, but it is ‘full house’ that the lads will be going for in every game leading up to Huddersfield at St James’ on 8 May. That is the best route to safety.

Meanwhile, our opponents will have very different ideas. Colchester United sit on the bottom edge of the League One play-offs, with three hard games against top table rivals Millwall, Swindon and Charlton in the offing. This away trip to Exeter forms the bridge between those matches and a run of results which has been dispiriting, to say the least.

If the Grecians have been able to talk about revival of late, the men from Essex, and what claims to be the oldest town in Britain, will be feeling desperate to end a run of six games that has included three defeats (versus Walsall, Carlisle and Bristol Rovers) in spite of seven goals scored.

The last two matches against lowly, battling Wycombe Wanderers and mid-table Brentford have seen four scored and four conceded in two draws. Last Saturday the U’s gave away two more points in the 93rd minute, so they will be wanting to make sure they are as tight as possible against City this afternoon. An absorbing encounter is in prospect for a ‘relaxing’ Easter Saturday.
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