Sons game against Aberdeen in the next round of the Scottish Cup has been chosen to be broadcast live by BBC Scotland.

It’s scheduled for Saturday April 3^rd, kick-off 12.15 pm.

That’s less than 39 hours after our game against Airdrie (on April 1^st, next Thursday,) will finish. And we’ve got two more games before that between then and now. Ouch!

The amended fixtures that will suposedly allow Tier 3 SPFL clubs to complete 18 games for this season have been published.

(After a top five/bottom five split a further four fixtures are proposed to make up a 22 game season – but only if every side has managed to fit the 18 game total in.)

Sons’ games are scheduled as follows:-

Saturday, March 20 – Forfar Athletic (H, 3pm)
Saturday, March 27 – Peterhead (H, 3pm)
Tuesday, March 30 – Falkirk (A, 7.45pm)
Thursday, April 1 – Airdrieonians (H, 7.45pm)
Tuesday, April 6 – Montrose (H, 7pm)
Thursday, April 8 – East Fife (H, 7pm)
Saturday, April 10 – Cove Rangers (A, 3pm)
Saturday, April 17 – Clyde (A, 3pm)
Tuesday, April 20 – Partick Thistle (H, 7.45pm)

To those has to be added the game against Huntly in the Scottish Cup on March 23 (ko 7.45 pm) and a possible tie beyond that if we win.

It’s some schedule, In fact it’s an insane schedule given that we have a less than threadbare squad and no hint of imminent signings.

The players will be dead on their feet by Apr 1 (5 games in 12 days.) There’s also 4 in the seven days Apr 3-10 if we’re in the next round of the Cup. That’s due on Sat Apr 3.

SPFL Tier 3, New Broomfield,* 31/10/20.

Well I wasn’t expecting this.

A call-off last week and a switch to an away game at short notice – and Airdrie quite fancied to do well again this season (as last) didn’t bode well.

It seems we played decently too.

And we’re third in the table with a game in hand.

A bit early in the league for us to get a result too. We’re usually slow starters.

Only fly in the ointment is keeper Kevin Dabrowski got injured in the warm-up and replacement Chris Smith during the game. We don’t have a third to fill in between the sticks. Let’s hope Kevin is fit enough for Tuesday night against Clyde.

*You call it the Penny Cars Stadium if you like.

I had wondered given last week’s postponement and the weather forecast if tomorrow’s game against Airdrie would be off – and it turns out it is: at the Rock anyway.

Instead it has been switched with the reverse fixture, due to be played on 2/1/2021, which will now take place at the Rock. (Weather permitting of course.)

So two weeks in a row with no home streaming service but the prospect of a late afternoon spent in front of the telly metaphorically biting my nails, or cursing inwardly.

I hope the rearranged match with Clyde on Tuesday night will go ahead OK so that I can finally sample the delights of a streamed match. And also see how we’re shaping up this season.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 8/2/20.

Not a win, but not a defeat either. A clean sheet is welcome too.

And we’ve nudged four points ahead of Peterhead with the same no of games played.

Next week against Montrose at their place is going to be tricky. I’d take a point now, but fear worse.

SPFL Tier 3, New Broomfield,* 2/11/19.

Not so good. Our clean sheet run ended after less than a minute of this one. It’s a bit uphill from then on but we got an equaliser and then lost two quick goals before half-time.

And three of the teams below us won, unfortunately.

Our next two games are against teams above us. Even if they are both at home that’s likely to be tough.

They’re followed by another home game, this time in the Cup. Busy times at the Rock.

*You can call it the Penny Cars Stadium if you like.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 26/10/19

A win – never to be sneezed at – another clean sheet (two in a row now.)

Odd that last time out we didn’t win and went up one place in the league but this time, when we did win, we went down one.

Football can be a funny game.

It’ll now be a big game next week against the team (Airdrieonians) we swapped those places with. A chance to get revenge for defeat to them earlier in the season.

Or not.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 14/9/19.

I wasn’t at this game – I was away in fact, on a trip down south, but it sounds like we ought to have scored at least once and many folks were convinced we had the ball over the line just before half-time.

From the SonsTV footage it looks as if the ball might have crossed the line but from the angle it’s impossible to tell for sure. The still photo on the club’s match report makes it look not in but the keeper had possibly clawed it back by the time the shutter released.

Otherwise the game looked pretty even. At their goal Conor Brennan again seemed to flap at the ball from a corner kick and got nowhere near it. Such is life.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 2/4/19.

Well, we scored first, and then did our best to throw the game away.

We looked bright at the start finding joy on the left with Bobby Barr one of whose crosses was headed just past the post by Calum Gallagher. They seemed to be able to get through our midfield too easily, however, without really threatening further forward.

The goal came from a piece of quick thinking by Ross Forbes, playing a free-kick early to Dom Thomas on the edge of the box. Dom cut in and hit a shot which looked as if it was likely to be blocked but it hit the back of the net.

The equaliser came from a flicked on throw in, a header which Grant Adam got a hand to but not enough to keep it out. (He had also conceded the throw by palming a ball away which he might have been better not going for – or preferably catching.)

Not long after they were ahead. The lad who got on the end of the pass through looked a head offside to me when the ball was played to him. Our defending in the middle was a shambles though, the scorer standing all alone to tap it in.

They were breaking well and giving me the fear every time they got beyond the halfway line but the half ended at 1-2.

The second half more or less repeated the first to begin with except our pressure was stronger and they continued to look lively moving into our half. We had several corners in a row without much result. Grant Adam made a good stop on a one-on-one and the rebound was also blocked.

Manager Jim Duffy started to go for broke, taking off David Ferguson and putting on Boris Melingui. This shunted Stuart Carswell to right back. Boris it was who headed a Ross Forbes free-kick back across goal for an unchallenged Calum Gallagher to head in at the far post.

We continued to press – and that was our undoing. In a quick break they had a four on two and eventually scored but from where I was there looked to be a handball in the build-up.

By this time I was resigned to the defeat but Ross Forbes pinged one just inside the near post from the far edge of the area to cue delirium in the home end.

It’s a draw I’ll take – the fourth between these two sides in the league this season, a unique statistic for us since ten-team leagues were introduced in Scotland – but we really needed a win. It makes Saturday’s game against Brechin an absolute must-not-lose (guess what will happen) but a win would be even more desirable. It’s tighter than a gnat’s chuff at the bottom, only four points separating four teams. I don’t know if my nerves will stand it.

Well this has come around reasonably quickly.

Sons face Airdrie away on November 24^th in the third round.

The way things have been going, though, I don’t know that we’ll be in the fourth round draw.

Hoiwever, in other Sons news, we have a manager again. The club has appointed Jim Duffy to the post.

On the face of it his should be a safe pair of hands. I hope he brings a bit of defensive solidity with him.

His appointment sees the departure of former assistant manager Ian Durrant. Former stalwart between the sticks Jamie Ewings stays on as goalkeeping coach.