SPFL Tir 4, The Rock, 18/10/25.

Another home game, another loss. Three attempts at goal from open play in the whole game – only one of them on target; and that a sclaffed effort easy for the keeper. Plus Spartans were waltzing through our midfield almost at will. Things aren’t good.

Quite why Scott Tomlinson was playing up front alongside Leighton McIntosh I have no idea. He’s more effective cutting in from the wing. And McIntsoh and Ally Roy (who came on late as a sub) had been reasonably effective as a front pairing earlier on the season.

Their first came from a feigned short corner where we put two men out to defend it. It was swung in and they scored from the resulting ping-pong.

We did put a bit of pressure on late in the first half (without of course testing the keeper,) getting a series of corners. Finally McIntosh’s leap forthe ball gave us the equaliser.

Thrown away a few minutes later when they got down our right too easily, Shay Kelly’s parry – away from goal though it was – went straight to the shooter, whose header across goal wasn’t contested and was deflected in well by their scorer.

I  now “have the fear” – as fans say – about the Cup game against Tayport next Saturday.

Edited to add (late 20/10/25.) We weren’t helped by the number of misplaced or short passes we played. Nearly everyone a culprit. Those need to be eliminated. As does the penalty give away. At least the taker this week clattered it against the bar or we’d have been another one lower on the goal difference.

It’s that time of the year again. Well, this season we’re in the draw a little earlier due to being in Tier 4 rather than 3.

Anyway it seems we’ve got a home tie in Round Two against Tayport of the Premier Division of the Midlands League, which at the moment lies at Tier 6 of Scottish football; two levels below the Sons.

That league is relatively new, only being formed when the clubs of the former Scottish Junior Football Association joined the senior football pyramid.

Since Tayport FC  are an SFA licenced club (if they weren’t they could not enter the Scottish Cup) they are likely next season to enter the new Lowland League East Divison when the present Lowland League expands to two divisions, though I’m not sure if the promotion criteria have yet been firmed up.

The tie is a potential banana skin, as they say. Home advantage ought to favour us but our home record has been very poor this calendar year. Only two wins I believe. We’ve certainly lost two out of four games at home in the league this season and only won one.

The game will be played on the weekend of October 25^th, most likely on that day.