SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 7/3/26.

An odd thing happened at this game.

We looked like an actual football team.

Unlike last week where we started as if we hadn’t seen each other before, this was cohesive right from the kick-off. We peppered their box with crosses and though balls.

Mind you with every wasted promising situation I was beginning to think that this had them scoring from their first opportunity written all over it. Thankfully that wasn’t to be.

Diminutive midfield loanee Alexander Smith (known as Smudge or Smudger apparently) was putting himself about to good effect with some great footwork. He also carried out defensive duties, tracking back well and harrying opponents.

It was frustrating not to be ahead at half time.

That frustration ended on 51 minutes. A great cross from the overlapping Ali Omar – we seemed to be playing three at the back with him on the left – found Gordon Walker free towards the back post. His bullet header was diverted by the keeper onto the bar but it came down and bounced off his back into the net.

Spartans then began to play with a bit more urgency but didn’t trouble loanee keeper Aidan Rice much except for a good save he made with his feet.

Then Scott Tomlinson got the better of a defender whose feet got in a muddle and his cross was converted under the keeper with a great back heel flick by Leighton McIntosh.

The third came because Spartans were overcommitted.  A swift counterattack saw Scott Tomlinson cross again this time for Scott Honeyman to deliver the coup de grace.

Players and fans were enjoying themselves now even if there was time for Aidan Rice to make a good save from the only threatening shot he faced from outside the box.

We need this kind of performance to carry on to Tuesday night against Stranraer. Especially since Edinburgh City also won yesterday to keep within touching distance of us.

SPFL Tier 4, Forthbank Stadium, 28/2/26.

Given recent results – we haven’t won this year – I was in two minds about going to this. But Forthbank is about the nearest ground in the Division to my home so if I wasn’t going to this where would I go?

Another baffling selection choice from manager Frank McKeown. No width picked at all. It looked as if he’d sent the team out to play for a draw; an utterly daft exercise as it’s wins we need and we’ve only now got ten games left to secure any.

Still, we had more of the possession first half but lacked confidence in shooting. Leighton McIntosh came on to a good cut back from Scott Honeyman but miscontrolled the ball into the air which gave the keeper time to narrow the angle for his subsequent volley. All the other cutbacks went to a defender’s foot.

We were ragged in the middle of the park and let their players advance considerably before making any sort of challenge.

Then Stirling got a mysterious penalty, Brett Long penalised for a challenge which appeared relatively inoccuous, with Brett, Mark Durnan and the attacker getting there at the same time. Long was booked though and despite taking an age to get back into his goal was easily sent the wrong way from the spot. It was about the only shot he had to face all day apart from a longish range effort in the second half. Stirling were poor which makes our approach all the more frustrating.

We came out more strongly in the second half and made their keeper make a few saves from long range but Stirling didn’t appear to be bothered about trying to score a second.

Triple substitution time came a bit earlier than usual, the ineffectual Ryan Blair and Jack Duncan being replaced by new loanee signing (and diminutive) Alexander Smith and Scott Tomlinson respectively _ potential width at last – and, more surprisingly, Adam Livingstone off for Ally Roy.

Scott Honeyman seemed to have been fouled in the box but was booked for diving – it certainly hadn’t looked like a dive.

Smith began to grow into the game and had a great low cross begging to be buried but Gordon Walker blasted the ball wide when it looked easier to score. (Walker’s crossing was poor all game, rarely getting past the first man.)

In the end we got a deserved equaliser when Smith popped up on the right, came back on his left foot and delivered a beautiful cross for Mark Durnan to head home. Cue delight on the pitch and the away stand. It was noticeable that Durnan immediately ran towards the fans to celebrate.

Stirling woke up for a bit, then, but their efforts came to nothing.

This was a game where we needed three points and they were there for the taking. The players are, I’m sure, up for it. The manager seems to have other ideas.

SPFL Tier 4, Galabank, 10/2/26.

Well, I wasn’t at this, but it could vey well be the death knell for our SPFL tenure.

Made worse by the fact their winner was scored by Joel Mumbongo who couldn’t hit a barn door for us last season.

It’s now five points taken from the past thirty three possible. That’s not just relegation form. It’s oblivion.

We’ve only won twice at home in the league all season.

And this Saturday we’re at home again – to Stranraer, historically our Kryptonite.

There’s no hiding place any more. We’ve played the same number of games as Edinburgh City and are only two points in front – which could be evaporated by game end on Saturday (though they are playing leaders The Spartans.) But we can’t rely on others.

The overly hasty appointment by new owner Mario Lapointe of Frank McKeown as manager after Stevie Farrell was given the boot looks increasingly disastrous.

Mario may have a brain for business but it seems he doesn’t know a lot about football.

It’s now very, very difficult to see where even a point is going to come from – never mind a win.

Moreover, finishing bottom will mean we’re gone. We won’t win the Tier 4 play-off. And going down into the Lowland League (West) will be all but impossible to come back from.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 31/1/26.

Well, this was a six-pointer and we lost it. So, instead of being 8 points ahead of them with a win or 5 with the draw we are now only two in front.

We started the season ten points ahead due to their fifteen points deduction. They have now made up eight of a difference – and nine of them were against us. They seem to have a hex on us.

We started well enough and had most of the possession and loads of corners. Mark Durnan had a good header well saved by the keeper before we scored. From a corner the keeper only just tipped the ball against the bar and the header back came down from the bar again and fell for Leighton McIntosh to put it in from two yards. Said keeper by the way ought to have been off for continuing to contest his yellow card for time wasting while Leighton McIntosh was gettng treatment for an injury. He must have been at it for at least two minutes moaning at the linesman.

They hadn’t troubled Brent Long in our goal at all then not long before half-time Adam Livingstone was booked for walking into somebody – they fell over at the slightest excuse all game, refs really should be more wise to this – and as a result backed off a challenge in the ensuing attack allowing his man inside where a pass to a free man led to an uncontested shot into the net.

It was all over when they scored again even though there was most of the second half to go.

Yes we did hit the bar twice but that’s what happens when you’re on a bad run.

I would have said Edin City didn’t deserve to win they only had three shots on target all game but they scored twice and we didn’t so they did deserve it.

It now looks increasingly likely we will finish bottom and I can’t see us winning the play-off. It will after all be against a team who will have momentum with them.

New owner Mario Lapointe’s lack of knowledge and instinct for football is costing us big time. The decision to replace sacked manager Stevie Farrell with his deputy Frank McKeown within a day or so is utterly inexplicable.

It’s a more scary time to be a Sons fan now than it was when we were in admin.

The Design, Meaning and Symbolism of World Football’s Most Famous Club Badges, Bloomsbury Sport, 2018, 255 p. First published by Pintxo Förlag, Sweden, 2016.

This book does exactly what its subtitle suggests, exploring the history of football club crests (that is what are called badges in the UK) or club emblems used on shirts, programs and stationery.

The contents are divided by country. There are 27 English club emblems discussed in detail, 12 each from Spain, Italy and Germany, 9 from France, 20 from the rest of Europe, 6 US clubs, 3 Australian and 5 South American. The entries give a potted history of the badge and (some of) its variations – many clubs have not kept a history of the changes – that club’s date of founding, its present stadium and capacity, its nicknames plus names of selected historic players, along with illustrations and descriptions of the relevant badge’s evolution.

As an addendum 126 “notable crests” are illustrated with the relevant badge, founding date, stadium and capacity, nicknames and country.

Sadly, despite its historical importance as the first outright winner of the Scottish League* and its badge depicting an elephant with a castle on its back Dumbarton FC’s striking emblem is not included. I note that Coventry City’s badge also has an elephant and castle and is given as one of the notable crests.

Manchester United’s historic players’ list contains Bobby Charlton and George Best but does not include Denis Law (though he appears with Derek Dougan in a photo on the Wolverhampton Wanderers pages) Sunderland’s list misses out Len Shackleton (I know a Mackem whose favourite, oft-repeated, football tale relates to him.)  Tottenham’s omits Danny Blanchflower. I first supposed the author is perhaps too young to be aware of these illustrious forebears but Charlie Buchan is in Sunderland’s list and he predates Shackleton by twenty plus years.

One of Aberdeen’s nicknames – along with ‘the Dons’ and ‘the Reds’ – is said to be ‘the Dandies’. I must confess that I had never heard of this though it does appear on the club’s Wikipedia page.

This is an agreeably idiosyncratic way of discovering something of the histories of the various clubs discussed.

*Neither is that of the first winners of the (English) Football League, Preston North End, though that too is fairly distinctive.

Pedant’s corner:- The author is Swedish and the book’s first publication was in Sweden so it is perfectly understandable that some infelicities should occur. No translator is listed so the author may have performed that function himself.  I noted a misplaced comma, “the claret and blue colours was the main motive” (the claret and blue colours were the main motif,) “the 1997 Champions’ League sinal” (final,) “forceably relegated” (forcibly,) “(1963/640” (1963/64,) “the Ukraine” (just ‘Ukraine’.) Arguabaly (Arguably,) “one star resembles ten titles” (one star represents ten titles.)

SPFL Tier, Meadowbank Stadium, 6/12/25.

Well. Not a good start to the new era. It might as well be a continuation of the old one. (Oh, wait.*)

We lost four goals again. That’s three games in a row now. And we lost a goal early on – to another penalty conceded. Yet another penalty followed just before half-time and things were made worse before the break by losing another goal at 45+5 minutes.

We couldn’t even keep it tight after the break. 4-0 down after 47 minutes.

I’m guessing Edinburgh City took their feet off the accelerator then – or it may have been their substitutions weakened them. Whatever, we actuually managed to score three unanswered goals from then on, two of them penalties of our own – but all much too little too late.

*The installation of Frank McKeown, the previous assistant manager  under Stevie Farrrell, late in the week probably means it is a continuation. I would have said it’s an ill-considered appointment except it maybe wasn’t considered at all. It smacks too much of haste and didn’t really inspire much hope, a feeling only underlined by this loss.

McKeown has a lot to do to win the fans over and increasingly the same might apply to new owner Mario Lapointe, to whom many thanks are due for saving the club from going under totally but whose lack of knowledge of Scottish football and the way things work is beginning to look a touch ominous.

Manager Stevie Farrell has gone.

Relief is immediately followed by trepidation.

The club has to get the appointment of the new manager right. It’s a big ask to turn the situation round but we simply cannot afford to finish bottom of the league and risk the play-off.

Scottish Cup, Third Round, The Rock, 29/11/25.

Is this definitively the worst result in our history?

I know Talbot are only two divisions below us and Bonnyrigg were (nominally) four when they beat us in the same round nine years ago.

I said at the time that was the worst result we’ve ever had. But that was only 1-0.

This, by contrast, is an utter humiliation.

Surely manage Stevie Farrell has to go? (In his post-match interview he said he doesn’t run away from problems. However, if he had any care for the club’s future welfare he would resign. Now.)

If he stays we’ll certainly be renewing acquaintance with Talbot again next season as we’ll both be in the Lowland League West. (They are a stick on for that, being licensed, plus unbeaten in the West of Scotland League Premier from which ten clubs are likely to be promoted to the LLW in the reconstruction of Tier 5, while we’ll finish last in Tier 4 and lose the Pyramid Play-off.)

The fans have had more than enough of him but unfortunately I don’t have confidence that the powers that be at the club have the will to sack him.

So after six games against 3 B teams and 3 from the division above us in the league phase of the Challenge Cup as was (now the KDM Evolution Trophy) we ended up 11^th and so have been “drawn” to play Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the first knock-out round  (the draw was largely pre-determined by the league placings.

Since they won all six games they have played so far this season I doubt we’ll get any revenge for them defeating us in the final of the equivalent competition in 2018.

Well, with one potential banana skin negotiated, we have ended up with an even bigger one, Auchinleck Talbot at home.

Talbot are second top of the West of Scotland League’s top division (two levels below us) but have won every game so far. Moreover, they have  beaten SPFL teams in the Cup before. (In January 2019 they beat Ayr United at home in Round 4, later that year they beat newly promoted Cove Rangers in Round 2 in the next season’s tournament and in 2021 they beat Hamilton Accies in Round 3.)

The game is due on the weekend of 29^th and 30^th November.