Townhead Park is the home of Cumnock Juniors FC.

My visit here was the reason why we were in Ayrshire last October, Sons trip to Cumnock for the Second Round Scottish Cup game.

Centenary Gates, Townhead Park, Cumnock:-

Turntiles:-

Social club. To the extreme end of this can be seen the ramp down which players go to reach the pitch from the changing rooms:-

East end goalmouth:-

East Terrace:-

Looking north:-

View of main enclosure:-

Goal at west end:-

Looking east:-

George Morton Family enclosure:-

View from west end:-

Scottish Cup, Round 2, Townhead Park, 21/10/22.

So to deepest, darkest (and wet) Ayrshire.

At least it was a win. Potential banana skin avoided.

But we made hard work of it.

We were on top for most of the first half with some neat approach play but only a Finlay Gray strike just off target to show for it before a leading arm challenge in the box resulted in a penalty. Carsy duly netted past the keeper. Not much else of note occurred before the break.

In the second half they came out more strongly (as was only to be expected) but we made the mistake of letting them back into it. From where I was up the other end – about three or four yards from their keeper at times – it looked to be a mistimed clearance gave them the ball and the equaliser was inevitable from then on.

I was now getting flashbacks to the play-off game at Ainslie Park last May. Not that Brett Long in our goal had too much to do, but still.

We started to press them in the latter stages, had several efforts just off target, but got a reward when Gregor Buchanan headed in after a corner was returned back across goal. He couldn’t really miss. I felt relief more than anything and reflected to myself that we stil hadn’t scored in open play since that one at Methil.

Then almost at the death we did, thanks to them giving the ball away to Finlay Gray. He rounded the keeper beautifully and slotted in.

In the hat for the next round.

Thankfully.

This post’s title is the perennial cry of the lesser spotted Scottish football fan.

However, Saturday’s Scottish Cup game against Dundee largely hinged on a red card being shown to Ross MacLean for violent conduct as a frsult of which we played the whole second half with only ten men.

This red card has now been rescinded.

How we might have fared with a full complement on the park is of course unknowable. But given we pushed Dundee fairly hard with only ten men it’s a reasonable assumption that we could have done even better with eleven on the pitch.

The ref has perhaps cost us a place in the next round – and the revenue that would bring – and a possibly lucrative draw in that round (though Dundee got Peterhead away – a tie which could have been negotiated by us into a quarter-final.) We were punished for an offence that in effect never happened. He was seemingly due to be fourth official at a Tier 1 game tonight and is due to do the same at another on Saturday. It doesn’t seem equable.

Scottish Cup, Round Four, The Rock, 22/1/22.

What to make of this?

Against a top division side we looked reasonably comfortable and even with ten men for 46 minutes – I don’t know what Ross MacLean did to get sent off, the Pixellot camera had done its usual panning away thing when nothing’s happening at a free kick, but he’s an idiot for doing it – were in the game. And they only scored from a penalty. It struck Joe McKee’s arm but he couldn’t have got out of the way.

In fact our best chance came late on. Stuart Carswell blazed over after a couple of headers from a free kick opened up the chance for him but he rarely scores from open play. (He rarely scores at all.)

It was a pretty nondescript game all round. Dundee hardly threatened us, a couple of close range headers in the first half – one sent wide the other easily into Sam Ramsbottom’s arms – and a long range effort Sam tipped over. Second half I can only think of a Leigh Griffiths shot dragged wide and another straight at Sam.

First half Dundee did look sharper and quicker thinking, especially at loose/second balls, but as the game wore on the difference seemed to lessen.

We can’t be judged on this. Dundee were fairly toothless and we didn’t lay a glove on them either. (Ross MacLean possibly apart.) Big Josh up front did okay but wasn’t given enough service. Defenders know he’s there, though.

Cove Rangers next Saturday is a bigger test of our league chances.

I hope the display gives the team confidence, though.

Sons reward for beating Sauchie on Saturday is another home tie, this time potentially less winnable.

We will play top division side Dundee on Saturday, January 22^nd.

That’s almost two months away.

Scottish Cup, Third Round, The Rock, 27/11/21.

It took us a while but we won it in the end.

We were pretty comfortable first half. Sauchie had a few corners but never really troubled Sam Ramsbottom in our goal. Their one clear opportuniyty was blazed over the bar. Not that we had many on target ourselves but we did score a very good goal, Carlo Pignatiello slotting it under the keeper after an exchange of passes between Conner Duthie and himself.

Second half Sauchie came into it a bit more. But their goal was a joke. Their forwards had been falling over easily all game and one finally did it in the box. It was never a penalty. But of course they put it in and that gave them impetus.

Neverthless we continued to create openings, frustrated by a few poor crosses from Edin Lynch and other balls just out of reach plus an away keeper in inspired form.

About five minutes to go and sub Ryan Schiavone poked a cross over the line but neither the ref nor lino gave it. A replay after that would have been sore to take but we worked another opnening and the ball broke to Joe McKee who buried it. In the final minute of added time we got another, a Conner Duthie shot apparently spilled by the keeepr with Schiavone on hand to net the rebound. I say apparently because the live stream had stayed focused on Duthie not the ball. I only had the commentary and subsequent kick-off to indicate we’d sealed it.

A potential banana skin avoided then.

On Monday we’ll find out who we’ve got in the next round.

Scottish Cup, Round 3, The Rock, 3/4/21.

We should change our name officially to Dumbarton Nil.

Fair enough they are two leagues above us but they didn’t look great shakes. You might say they were there for the taking.

Admittedly they ought to have won by more then one goal since they created quite a few chances. We were indebted to Sam Ramsbottom and the defence for keeping the score down but on the other hand, that is their job.

But we could have played all week and not scored. (If only that Ryan McGeever chance had fallen instead to Jaime Wilson.)

In fact we have played all week and not scored (except for a deflected shot against Falkirk.) If you’re looking for a reason for our league position it’s right there.

So now we’re likely to be knackered and playing a very good Montrose team on Tuesday night and a not too bad East Fife on Thursday.

The three teams we’ve lost against since the restart are arguably the ones we stood most chance of gaining something from and those games are gone, with zero points to show for them.

Scottish Cup, Round 2, The Rock, 23/3/21.

Well, maybe we’re not so rubbish after all.

Mind you this was Huntly’s first game after the long lay off (and probably their last for this season.)

We pretty much controlled the early stages with Huntly more or less sitting in but they began to make inroads after about twenty minutes.

We broke the deadlock following a corner where Ross Forbes played the ball to Adam Frizell outside the box; he ferreted it on to P J Crossan on the right who beat his man and cut it back for Jaime Wilson to score.

Just before half-time we scored again, another Forbes corner was powered into the net by Ryan McGeever.

Second half we never looked troubled apart from a free-kick which Chris Smith (thank goodness) in goal dealt with well. We played the ball about at the back a lot trying to pull Huntly out of shape. The third came after a great through ball from Forbes to Wilson whose chip the keeper got just a fingertip to on its way over him into the net.

The fourth was down to Adam Frizell worming his way through the defence and feeding Forbes who looked stretched but poked it past the keeper.

This was far more comfortable in the end than I had feared. The chances we made we by and large took. It ought to give the confidence a huge boost.

Onwards to the next round and Aberdeen at home on April the 3^rd.

We’ve got three other games in the league before that though, one of those only two days before it.

Strange times.

Scottish Cup* Fourth Round, Pittodrie Stadium, 18/1/20.

Once again, we wuz robbed.

After Sons had held out for 87 minutes Aberdeen’s striker Sam Cosgrove went over like a sack of spuds in the penalty box. (Well, he’d been falling over every time a Sons player came near him all game so why would he give up the habit with three minutes to go?) Once again the ref bought it. And Cosgrove put away the penalty.

So, despite not a shot on target and only one corner won in the whole game – and that almost into stoppage time – one of the best Sons displays in the last few years ended up without reward. Defensively we were brilliant. Okay maybe they had thirteen or so chances – but they only caused Conor Brennan in our goal to exert himself about three times.

This Aberdeen side was a pale shadow of the team we played in the Cup Quarter-Final (six years ago now,) ponderous, unimaginative, plodding, but we’re not even a patch on what we were back then (as I said to my son during the game we’re not even a darn on that side) so this was a magnificent performance. It deserved better reward than a dodgy penalty against with three minutes to go. But them’s the breaks when you’re a wee team.

Again the assembled Sons fans trotted out those old favourites “What a shitey home support,” “We forgot that you were here,” “SPL, you’re having a laugh,” (admittedly that one’s really out of date now) and “You only sing when you’re winning.” Instead of Jamie Langfield it was that same Sam Cosgrove who was told, “you’re a wanker, you’re a wanker.”

Notwithstanding the final result it was a great day out. That sense of togetherness in the away section and the support for the team were both superb.

*William Hill Scottish Cup,

Sons reward for beating Forfar yesterday is an away tie at Aberdeen in Round Four of the Scottish Cup.

Last time we played them was in a Cup quarter-final in 2014, also at Pittodrie. We were quite good then.

At least there’s the possibility of the club making a bit of money from this tie.

The game is scheduled for Saturday 18^th January (subject to a possible but unlikely shift of date if the game is televised.)