The reward for Sons win at Clyde in Round 3 of the Scottish Cup on Saturday is an away draw against Kilmarnock.

Not a tie likely to see us progress I fear, but there should be a fairly decent share of gate money to be had.

Scottish Cup, Round 3, New Douglas Park, 26/11/22.

Not bad. An away win against a team in the league above is never shabby. (Even if Clyde fans are despondent about their side this season.)

From the sounds of it (on Pie and Bovril) we played really well in the first half and ought to have been out of sight. Two – nil at half time due to David Wilson and Ryan Wallace. Losing a goal midway through the second probably caused a bit of nerves but one in injury time by Ross MacLean makes the scoreline look comfortable.

We should be aproaching every game with confidence at the moment.

But this is Sons we’re talking about.

I wonder who we’ll get in Round 4.

Sons reward(?) for beating Cumnock on Friday is an away tie against Clyde in Round 3 of the Scottish Cup.

The 3rd round is scheduled to take place on the weekend of November 26^th but since Clyde are renting New Douglas Park, the home of Hamilton Accies, who have also been drawn at home, the date of the game has yet to be confirmed.

SPFL Tier 3, The Rock, 15/1/22.

What Ho, Jeeves!

A win! And a clean sheet!

Mind you. It was only East Fife.

The first half was odd. Both teams had chances – twice there was pinball in their penalty area and it seemed impossible we wouldn’t score; but we didn’t. It could have been 3-3 at half-time instead of 0-0. Sam Ramsbottom (in because our new loan keeper Kieran Wright injured himself in the warm-up, that’s how our season has gone) had a couple of good saves.

In the second half it was kind of the same except new striker Joshua Oyinsan put in a centre forward’s header from the six-yard line (I thought the keeper should have done better, as they say) from a great cross by our other official debutant Gregg Wylde, who actuallly played last week for us as a trialist. I had forgotten what a centre forward looked like! Oyinsan won headers and held the ball up, put himself about and got on the end of a cross; what’s not to like?

That goal, aesthetically pleasing as it was – there’s always something delightful about a headed goal from a cross – was surpassed by the second; a great hit by Gregg Wylde from thirty-five yards, hitting the post and rebounding back across the goal, crossing the line as it did so. What a belter! In those stakes probably only beaten by Lee Sharp’s at Livingston and Big Roy’s at Love Street on Christmas Day 1971.

Even so East Fife had two great chances themselves but both times failed to test Ramsbottom in our goal.

Still I’m not objecting to being eight points clear of automatic relegation and only two (realistically because of the goal difference difference) shy of the staying up spot at this stage of the season.

We’ll need to keep it up though.

A respite from league business next week with Dundee coming for a Scottish Cup visit.

But the next two league games are fiercesome. League leaders Cove at home and third-placed Montrose away.

SPFL Tier 3, Recreation Park,* 20/11/21

Well.

A win.

Very welcome.

We needed it; especially as the two teams directly below us both won today as well.

And at last a better result in the second quarter than we had against that team in the first.

How much the win depended on them having a man sent off just after their equaliser I don’t know but we had taken the lead (a Stuart Carswell penalty no less) which suggests we were doing okay.

Then Eoghan Stokes pops up with the winner. He’s making a habit of making vital contributions off the bench.

A bit of a break from the league next week since we play Sauchie at home in the Third Round of the Scottish Cup. (When, I wonder, was the last time we played two Clackmannanshire based teams in a row?)

I’m not expecting an easy game. They beat Highland League leaders Fraserburgh – away – in round one.

Or it will be on November 27^th.

Sons have been drawn at home against Sauchie in the Third Round of this season’s Scottish Cup.

Sauchie is a former Junior club (their full name still incorporates the Junior tag) who joined the migration to Senior football on the recent establishment of the extended Scottish football pyramid and now ply their trade in East of Scotland League Premier Division (Tier 6.) This is their first season in the Scottish Cup.

In the First Round they beat Highland League leaders Fraserburgh 2-1 away so must not be taken lightly. On Saturday they beat Dunipace of East of Scotland League First Division Conference A (Tier 7) 2-1 at home in the second round.

They will therefore go into the game with Sons with no pressure on them, so the tie could be tricky.

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.

I remember football.

(Just.)

I remember away games.

(Dimly.)

The reason for our visit up north via Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven and finally Aberdeen last January was for one such away game; Sons’ 4^th Round Scottish Cup tie at Pittodrie on 18/1/20.

Before the game we met up with my younger son and his wife, who were making a day of it, in a pub in Aberdeen city centre for some lunch. The pub had also attracted other Sons fans:-

They don’t half make a fuss before a game at Pittodrie.

Razzmattazz prior to Scottish Cup tie, Aberdeen v Dumbarton, 18/1/20:-

Teams coming out:-

Sons players:-

Apart from the result it was a good day out.

I wonder when I’ll be able to have another away day.

I do hope this post is not too previous.

Should Sons beat Huntly in our Second Round Cup Tie (currently due on Tuesday evening at 7.45) our next opponent will be Aberdeen at home.

We’ve made a habit of drawing Aberdeen recently, in the Quarter-Final in 2014 and in last year’s Third Round, both times up at their place, both 1-0 defeats.

This outcome is of course not guaranteed as the last time we played Huntly at home in the Cup (1992) they beat us 2-0.