SPFL Tier 3 Play-off, Semi-Final, First Leg, Ainslie Park, 03/05/22.

Calamity.

Shambles.

Disgrace.

Choose your own noun.

Whichever, this was a come-uppance that has been coming all season.

We weren’t the worse team in the first half; indeed we had several opportunities to put in good crosses, notably from Ross MacLean, but the delivery was never acceptable enough except when Conner Duthie put one over for Josh Oyinsan to head. Josh’s angle was slightly wrong and the ball just cleared the bar. That would have made it 1-1 and might have changed the game.

But our perennial ability to shoot ourselves in the foot manifested itself when George Stanger underhit a back-pass and Kieran Wright couldn’t prevent the forward getting past him to be presented with an open goal.

Their second was also an abject disaster, a corner somehow not being cleared and the ball going in off Gregor Buchanan. At that point any thought of winning this tie all but disappeared.

Mind you, if we had approached the start of the first half the way we did the second things might have been different. For the first twenty minutes we were all over them, creating space down the flanks and getting crosses in. It was two odd substitutions though with Kris Syvertsen who had looked as if he might create something and big Josh (who admittedly wasn’t at his best) being replaced by Kalvin Orsi and Callum Wilson. At this point Paul Paton was bossing the game from the base of midfield and it was his cross that was looped over the keeper from the edge of the box for our goal. Young Callum did his best, twisting and turning past defenders several times, but nobody was able to be calm enough to finish off his work.

Their third killed it. Another defensive mix-up and a reasonable save from Keiran Wright was followed by a failure to clear the ball which fell to a guy who couldn’t miss.

At 2-1 and with us on top there was the possibility of getting an equaliser but that goal knocked us back. 3-1 was always going to be a different prospect.

The final nail in the coffin with minutes to go – another short pass back latched on to by the home attack – just completed the humiliation.

The thought of watching the second leg was by then almost unbearable.

So; unless some sort of miracle happens on Saturday we now know where we’ll be playing next season; Tier 4.

Who knows where we’ll be the season after that?

The club is in deep trouble on and off the park. It’s its 150^th anniversary later this year. What a sorry state it’s in to greet that.

Profound change is required.

SPFL Tier 3, Shyberry Excelsior Stadium,* 16/4/22.

Another game at the Shyberry, another 3-2 defeat with them scoring the winner late.

Fate sealed then.

There is now no chance we can avoid ninth place and the relegation play-offs. Indeed we can’t avoid ninth as East Fife’s defeat means they cannot catch us.

So another miserable season grinds on.

We were apparently down 2-0 then George Stanger got us back into the game. A headed goal from a corner! Our signature method of scoring from last season sadly lacking in this.

Then a further lifeline as they went down to ten men, former Son Adam Frizzell sent off.

An own goal even gave us an equaliser.

But with two minutes left they scored the winner. That’s our season in a nutshell.

At least the next two games are free hits – though Cove Rangers (up next) need a win to clinch promotion.

Then the nail biting really starts with the semi-final away leg on May 3^rd or 4^th, and the home leg on May 7^th.

*Call it Penny Cars if you must.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 9/4/22.

It all started so well, with space opening up in front of Josh Oyinsan about five minutes in and him spanking a cracker in from outside the box.

We were dominant for the rest of the half and had innumerable corners but failed to get efforts on target from them.

As soon as they got their corner with about a minute left in the first half I just knew we’d concede. I think it was the only effort they’d had.

Second half they were more in it but didn’t add to their tally. Neither did we.

In stoppage time we finally got an effort on goal from a corner, a George Stanger header, but their keeper made a brilliant save.

We’re still four points behind Peterhead with only three games left and the next two of those are against the top two. We’ll likely be seven points behind after them.

That’s it then. Ninth at best, and another round of nail-biting play-offs.

Who’d be a football fan?