I remember Saturday Christmases. Well, one in particular, when I did something inconceivable nowadays. I attended a professional football match.

It was the last time a full Scottish football fixture list was played on 25^th December. Five years later – another Christmas Saturday – a couple of games managed to avoid being called off, thereafter Scottish football gave up swimming against the tide of the Christmas juggernaut.

It was 25/12/71 and the location was in Love Street Paisley. (Was it officially St Mirren Park? It was never referred to as such.)

The fact that a full Scottish football card was played on that date wasn’t what makes it memorable. It sticks in the mind because that day I saw the best goal from a Dumbarton player I have ever seen.

There have been a few belters; Jumbo Muir’s at Shawfield – predating George Weah’s waltz up almost an entire pitch by quite a few years – he collected the ball in our penalty area and just went with it till he scored, none of the Clyde defenders seemed able to cope with him; Lee Sharp’s cracker at Livingston; John McQuade’s marvellous team goal against Cowdenbeath at Boghead in the promotion season from the old Division Two in the days of three Divisions (Cowden had just equalised and the ball went from kick-off to net via I don’t know how many passes without one of their players touching it;) Chic Charnley’s goal from inside his own half – which unfortunately I did not witness personally; Paddy Flannery’s skiter from just outside the centre circle at Central Park – though the keeper was gash for that one; and many others not quite as good.

At that Love Street game I remember I was standing near to Sons legend Jim Jardine, who had can of beer in hand, (yes in those days you could take drink into a game) giving a running commentary on the then inexperienced Billie Wilkinson’s performance at left back, “Nice wee nudge, son. Oh; he’s spotted it.”

Anyway Charlie Gallagher swung in a free kick and Kenny Wilson threw himself full length to head it into the net. That was in the middle of Kenny’s long run that season on his way to a club record number of goals in the league, averaging more than one a game, when he scored in every game for what seemed like ages, including not a few decisive goals in one-nil wins. His effort at Hampden against Queen’s Park took an age to hit the back of the net – they had long stanchions at Hampden in those days – it took so long we all thought it had gone past the post.

But that wasn’t the special one. That came later, the second in the sequence of three in a row of Big Roy McCormack’s thunderbolts. The first had been against Alloa at home the previous week, the third at Kilbowie in the defeat of the Bankies on New Year’s Day a week later.

But our second goal that day and Roy’s second in the sequence was the best of the lot.

He took the ball up, right out on the left wing about ten or fifteen yards inside St Mirren’s half, it sat up nicely and he just belted it. It flew over the keeper’s head, hit the stanchion and bounced out beyond the penalty spot! We went mental.

The referee thought it must have hit the bar and was waving play on till he saw the linesman (no assistant referee rubbish in those days, thank goodness) running back up the pitch signalling a goal.

It being 1971 there were no cameras there to mark the event so it’ll just have to stay in the mind’s eye.

It’s one of my best Christmas memories.

Not that things stayed that way. St Mirren were full time, I think, and we tired. Whatever, they pressed us back for the rest of the game, scored twice, the equaliser coming just before the end.

We had the last laugh, though. Despite them beating us at Boghead in the second last game we still got promotion, and the championship, the Wednesday after. They came third.

So Cowdenbeath are in Division 1 and Arbroath have been relegated to Division 3.

I wouldn’t have favoured a Brechin-Cowden play-off final as Airdrie Utd had been having a good go at surviving in Div 1. Alloa perhaps suffered from losing their top place in the division so late (much as Cowden did last year.)

The Forfar-Arbroath match-up was predictable for their final and I wouldn’t have liked to choose between them.

Cowden get promoted again after not achieving it by their own efforts last time. It’s a funny old game. Maybe their experience in losing last year’s final helped.

Interesting times in Div 2 next season. Four new teams. Since the introduction of play-offs that hasn’t usually happened without demotions of teams having financial problems.

We will struggle.

I’ve already featured the former Woolies buildings in Kirkcaldy, Dumbarton, Morecambe and Dundee.

Here’s a couple more Art Deco former Woolies premises located in Fife.

The first is in St Andrews, photographed still in its Woolies livery. Nice detailing above the windows and on the roof line. (It has been converted to a Nisa shop since the photo was taken.)

The second is in Cowdenbeath. Not so much ornamentation on this one; just the roof detail really. As you can see, it’s a Poundstretcher now. (I took the picture before Saturday’s game.)

Central Park, 20/3/10

This: was dire.

I thought I’d plumbed the depths at Ochilview last week but this was worse. Neither team had much of a clue.

Two clean sheets in a row, though! The world has turned upside down. This one was in the end down to Dr Jan, who made a fantastic double save with about two minutes to go when it would have been easier for the guy to score.

We had two shots on target. One from Wyness in the first half – it was class but it was the only thing he did all game – the other from Kieran Brannan, who looked lively when he replaced Andy Geggan (whose midfield dig we missed when he went off as it allowed Cowdenbeath to begin to dominate more than they had already. Apart from Geggan our midfield wasn’t really in the game. We could have done with Ross Clark in there. Injured again it seems.)

Stevie Murray had the worst game I’ve seen him play, misplaced passes all afternoon, flicks not coming off. I’d have hoicked him before half time never mind with fifteen minutes left.

Martin McNiff was in; apparently for his long throws. What is the point of this when their back four are giants? (Btw, Joe Mbu was born to be a centre back. Imagine Sol Campbell without the silky skills.) Putting our big men up left us vulnerable to the quick break. We got away with it only because Cowdenbeath were rubbish at exploiting it. They had a four on two once in the second half and squandered it.

The ref and his linesmen didn’t seem to be able to communicate with each other at all. Several times they looked at each other to see what the decision should be and still mucked it up. This business with the flag not going up for offside till the player tries for the ball is very frustrating for the fans. The stand side official took some stick because he was apparently not giving “first phase” offside when it was obvious.

But ….. a point gained and more distance from ninth place. I’d have taken that before the game.

Ochilview, 13/3/10

Normal service resumed. Happy hunting days at Ochilview over.

We were bright for the first ten minutes then fell out of it.

This was desperate. Two poor teams barely able to fashion a chance between them.

Our formation looked like 4-3-1-2 with Wyness in the hole behind Winters and Hunter but it morphed into 3-4-1-2 when we were going forward. We looked solid in midfield with Ross Clark and Andy Geggan anchoring things, and no Chaplain.

It hasn’t taken long, by the way, for Wyness and in particular Winters to descend to our level.

As time went by we resorted to hoofing the ball upfield. A masterly tactic when their defenders were winning everything in the air. This was made even more profound when Hunter and later Cook were replaced by midgets in Carcary and Murray. Murray and Dunlop did link up well down the left and as a result a great chance was created for Chaplain who had come on for Ross Clark. (Was he tiring? That’s the only reasonable excuse for such a change.) Chaplain blazed it over when it would have been easier to hit the target.

But of course we don’t keep clean sheets. Their sub scored with his second touch. He’d been left in acres of room.

The ref was woefully inconsistent in his decisions and stopped the game unnecessarily several times for injured players who promptly got up again.

Man of the match?

Chissie.

He barely put a foot wrong. If he’s not on the MOTM ballot for this game on the club website it’s a disgrace. He put in a great shift and saved the jerseys a few times. Their goal didn’t come from down his side either.

Due to work commitments I won’t be able to make Broadwood on Tuesday night. Probably just as well. Cowdenbeath on Saturday, though. Remind me. When did we last win there?

The Rock, 23/1/10

Woo-hoo!

We haven’t played for over a month, we haven’t signed anybody in the transfer window- not even a loanee – our home form has been rubbish, yet we beat the league leaders.

I’m delighted. I was fearing three goals lost as per the early season norm.

I’d also heard the half-time on the radio and resigned myself to the defeat.

Well done the lads; and especially Roddy Hunter and Ross Clark who got the goals, though according to the BBC Derek Carcary was instrumental.

Dare we hope Ross Clark will get a regular game now and return to the form of this time last year?

To make it a better day the teams below us (except for Peterhead) lost or drew. Ground gained.

Central Park, 14/11/09

Well. There wasn’t much chance of us equalling a 117 year old record today. Not after the penalty anyway.

Apart from the first fifteen or so minutes we didn’t deserve to win this. We played some nice stuff – too nice at times – could perhaps have converted a few corners into goals but barely worked their keeper.

The penalty…….

Wasn’t.

I could see why the ref gave it. Stevie Murray came in (he got the ball; he hit it against the Cowden player) but the guy fell down. From the ref’s angle it may have looked worse but it was still soft. Even then Dr Jan nearly saw justice done with his feet but it screwed in off him.

The BBC has “Stevie Murray was adjudged to have fouled John Armstrong in the box” (my italics.) The reporter obviously thought it wasn’t a pen.

Cowden took the lifeline. The goal gave them a lift. The first half was pretty even from then on.

In the second half Cowden’s physicality took the game over. They are a big strong side. The second goal was coming for most of the latter part of the game.

But we still could have got back into it. Following a corner and a scrambled clearance a shot from Chaplain, I think, was booted away by a defender. From where I was sitting it had crossed the line. The assistant referee was, perhaps, unsighted by players between him and the goal, but still…

Nevertheless, Cowdenbeath were worth the win. (But had either of the two big decisions that went against us gone the other way we still might have had a draw.)

We could never drop a place today; but next week….?

The Rock, 19/9/09

Out of an irrational sense of optimism I checked the scores at half time. Fatal mistake.

So what parody of a defence did we play this week?

You can’t keep giving teams three goals of a start – especially at home – and hope to do well.

I’m searching desperately for positives to take but there are none.

Promotion has definitely been a poisoned chalice.

I’m just away to slit my wrists…

Dumbarton lost only seven league matches last season.

Yet I was at four of them. (The two against the Shire at Ochilview, the January game in Cowdenbeath and the March game at Montrose.)

Until April I had only seen us win one league game (at Montrose in October) plus the penalty shoot out against Annan in the CIS way back in August. There were two draws along the way though.

On the face of it that would suggest I am a bit of a jinx.

But I can only really get to away games since I live so far from the Rock and the likelihood is always that the away team doesn’t do as well as it does at home; so that sequence wasn’t really a statistical quirk just an inevitable consequence of being a long distance supporter.

But in a triumph of perseverance – and hope firmly suppressed – I then saw us win two games in four days; at Ochilview against Stenny and at Forfar. The championship became a possibility that week because Cowden were not winning.

The rest is history.

All in, in the league I saw 4 wins, 3 draws and those 4 defeats.

As I mentioned before, for me eight out of nine of the away venues are travellable next season. Will I see more than three away wins?

Central Park, 18/4/09

Another clean sheet but this was a tension filled game.

I’d have taken the draw before the start, and at the beginning of the season the position we’re in now with three games to go, but this was two points lost.

Stevie Murray’s penalty was saved early on and we didn’t take advantage against ten men for the last fifteen or so minutes.
Paul Keegan had a chance to open the scoring even before the pen, running in on the keeper, but lobbed it wide. That would have settled us.

I liked the look of Kieran Brannan when he came on. He gave us some mobility up front. In Chissie’s two minutes replacing Keegan before he was shifted to the right he won more balls in the air than Keegan had all game up to then.

We never looked like losing a goal, though. It was a bit like the game up at Montrose about a month ago except this time the opposition’s sole speculative strike from outside the box ended up in our keeper’s arms rather than the net and we played better, actually having a few efforts on goal (though none their keeper had to save, admittedly.)

Since Stenny play both Annan and Forfar before the season ends (and therefore it isn’t possible for all three of them to get past us) we’re definitely in the play-offs at the least.

But we could have been in the driving seat.