SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 5/9/26

A win is welcome but I couldn’t say we really deserved it.

The game was very bitty but while Elgin looked good at times with passing and movement they didn’t threaten our goal at all first half. They were the better team footballing wise, though. At least they looked as if they had a clue what they were supposed to be doing, whereas, of course we didn’t. In particular our set-piece delivery continues to be atrocious.

At least we seem to have dispensed with the playing out from the back rubbish. Returned keeper Harry Broun, brought back to the club due to Aidan Rice being injured playing for his parent club, maybe doesn’t suit that, but who knows?

It was selection bingo all over again and we seemed to be back to the 3-5-2 which served us well enough towards the end of last season, but with Leighton McIntosh dropped for new boy Robbie Cleary who partnered Deryn Lang up front.

Josiah Sowa was agreeably tenacious at left wing-back but it nullified his attacking qualities.

In effect our first was a one man effort by Robbie Cleary and the second not something you’ll see very often.

Ali Omar took a free-kick from inside our half. At first I thought, “He’s overhit that, what was he thinking?” then, “Where’s the keeper? It might beat him,” then “It’s going in!” then, “Was it a direct free-kick?” which of course it was.

We stood off them too much after the subsequent substitutions, our midfield disappearing, and of course the inevitable happened.  We’d managed to survive the one minute off the field for a treated injury but were still re-organising back with eleven men when they scored. Too easily.

The performance wasn’t great – too many misplaced passes, no creativity, no penetration – but sometimes you win when you don’t deserve to. And you can’t rely on a worldie like we saw today.

I’m sure a different manager could get more out of these players. They’re good enough; they just need better direction.

SPFL Tier 4, New Central Park, 22/8/26

Well we took the lead – through a penalty given for handball (but like most of those given these days it did not look intentional.) Leighton McIntosh put it away well.

We then proceeded to shoot ourselves in the foot almost immediately by giving away a foul a few yards outside the box. There wasn’t any need for the challenge. Unlike us they had someone who can hit the target from there.

A minute later we were down – and out. An uncontested shot from just outside the box wrong-footed Aidan Rice but I was still puzzled as to why he didn’t make an attempt to get down to save it.

Every time they went up the park our defence looked uncomfortable. A recurring theme.

Things didn’t change much in the second half. We did have an opportunity when the ball broke to Kai Kirkpatrick (I think) but his effort was blocked wide and the return ball across the box was begging for a firm foot to direct it in but it only got a tickle. Had we equalised then who knows what would have happened? Otherwise we had only two Scott Honeyman volleys from too far out which went wide or over.

Their third was as a result of an underhit back pass. Though Aidan Rice forced the forward wide the cutback was perfectly played to the supporting attacker.

Four games played, three lost, eight goals conceded and only one point above bottom spot. Feels far too familiar.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock, 15/08/26

The score tells you all you need to know. We were beyond gash.

No  team ought to lose a goal after 4 minutes – especially from a crossed free-kick which goes all the way past every defender to the back post. That it was given for something relatively innocuous only made it worse. But there was no way back after that. We looked bereft of ideas and the persistence at trying to play out from the back only ever looked like putting us in trouble.

The subs at half-time, and subsequently, didn’t improve things, whatever cohesion we had had disappeared completely and we were even more alarmingly open at the back. They had enough chances to score seven only poor finishing and a god save from Aidan Rice kept the score down. Their second and  third came from another two of his saves but our defence wasn’t following up quickly enough.

Just about our only chance came when Mikey Doyle fed our trialist who came on halfway through the second half, but he took the ball too quickly, sending it over the bar.

So Edinburgh City’s incredible record against us continues. They’ve won every single league game between the sides. Only a win in the 2020-21 play-offs is to our credit.

Mind you, they looked like they knew what they were doing and we didn’t.

Improvement required urgently. Vast improvement.

SPFL Tier 4, The Rock,* 8/8/26.

Well; this was better. At times we looked like a football team. We even had three shots on target in the first half.

Still, every time they got up the park my heart was in my mouth.

They had several efforts during the game which squeezed past the post but I don’t actually remember Aidan Rice having a save to make until late on. However, I thought they were going to equalise when a cross begged to be buried at the back post but the guy headed it over the bar.

Like last week we also did a lot of faffing around at the back, playing the ball between the centre halves and keeper. I know the manager wants them to do this as it supposedly creates space up the park but players at our level are too prone to mistakes to make this anything but a nervy experience. It could have cost us a couple of times when they were closed down quickly but we managed to get away with it.  The ball usually ends up lumped forward anyway – or else out of play.

Throughout the first half they committed niggly foul after niggly foul but with no consequence. The first two yellows went to Sons players, captain Mike Doyle and then loanee Owen Hartington. Not until some time after we had scored did they got one.

Their keeper, Jay Hogarth, formerly of this parish, did have a great save earlyish in the second half from a Doyle header. Not long after that we got what turned out to be the winner. Leighton McIntosh tied their defence in knots and looked to have been fouled in the box but the ball rolled free to Scott Honeyman, who duly did the needful.

Thirty minutes of purgatory followed as they naturally pressed forward and we made fewer forays forward, before the ref finally blew his whistle.

Josiah Sowa was a bit more effective than last week but I wish he’d get a cross in earlier. Owen Hartington and David Craig were good in midfield too but Leighton McIntosh deserved his Man of the Match award for his tireless work.

It’s looking to be a tight league. After two games nobody has won twice and only one team has yet to gain  a point. Scary really.

*Now the stadium’s official name. Huzzah!

SPFL Tier 4, Forthbank Stadium, 1/8/26.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose; or, it’s déjà vu all over again.

This panned out more as I feared than as I hoped. The similarities to a lot of our displays of last season are disquieting.

We were okay for the first ten minutes or so but never troubled their keeper. When they got the ball we looked distressingly open, though. One of their players was booked quite early and almost immediately committed another yellow card offence but wasn’t shown it. He should have seen red.

If we hadn’t given away the penalty (it looked a foul certainly) things might have been different I suppose but we always looked vulnerable. Just before half-time one of their players was shoving ours at a corner and things got fraught with several joining the melee. He was booked as was Mike Doyle for us. While the ref was noting things down their player started up the shoving again and got away with that. Stirling were thereafter diving at every opportunity and the ref was frequently conned into giving them fouls. Frustratingly, exactly the same sorts of challenges by them on us were not punished.

Not that we really deserved anything from the game. In the second half we only started playing after their second goal went in, far too easily for them.

Too many of our players were looking like square pegs in round holes, Deryn Lang and Leighton McIntosh up front were living off scraps.

David Craig in midfield looked sound, Aidan Rice in goal had no chance with the goals and made a great save at 2-0. Josiah Sowa on the left had pace and some tricks but his touch was often awkward (his brain seemed unconnected to his feet) and he went up blind alleys when he did have the ball. New loanee Owen Hartington  at least showed for the ball but, sadly, bore no comparison to Smudger  (Alexander Smith) late of this parish, who thoroughly impressed at the same venue when he came on and changed the game for us last season.

Things need sorting out quickly. Performing like this against Clyde next week could see us endure a thumping.

Today sees the start of the new league season. The World Cup is barely over and we’ve already played four games in the League Cup.* (Lost three, won one – perhaps surprisingly against a team in the Division above. Due to the pitch at the Rock being replaced with artificial turf our two home games were played at Cliftonhill.**)

So it’s back to nerve-shredding Saturday afternoons, then, starting with an away game at Stirling Albion. Then it’s two home games in succession – against Clyde and Edinburgh City.

I’m fearful that at the end of those we’ll have no points. Our squad is pretty low on numbers -we’ll need to get some more loan players in I think. And while goalie Aidan Rice is back to us on loan, Alexander Smith (Smudger) has opted to go elsewhere for this season. I would go so far as to say that it was his contribution to our cause last season that enabled us to avoid the relegation play-off.

Plus Stirling are nearly always a tough nut to crack, Clyde were pretty good last season and Edinburgh City simply owned us.

I admit I have more trepidation than hope at the moment, but only time will tell.

I would like to see us play some football, though, rather than try to avoid defeat.

*Premier Sports Cup if you absolutely must.

**The Reigart Stadium now.

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.