Scottish Cup,* Third Round, The Rock, 23/11/19.

Well, we’re through. This was an odd game though.

After a fairly even start we scored after a neat move culminated in Isaac Layne passing to Adam Frizzell who still had a lot to do, beating a man before shooting. It appeared to deflect a little but still it seemed the keeper might have done better.

We immediately fell out of it, surrendering the midfield and allowing Forfar to flood forward. Consequently it wasn’t a surprise that they equalised but it was a shocking goal to lose, as nobody seemed to put in a challenge before the cross which was headed out to a Forfar player totally unmarked on the edge of the box. His curled shot was just watched into the net by everybody.

Despite Forfar having most of the game they didn’t actually force Connor Brennan in goal into any saves after that except for dealing with crosses and the like. (I use ‘dealing with’ in the widest sense as in one case he palmed the ball out almost straight to a Forfar player who thankfully didn’t make the most of it.)

In what seemed like our first foray up the field in a long time we won a corner. Stefan McCluskey swept in the corner for Ryan McGeever to power a header into the bottom corner.

It was soon all over as the most Route One goal you’ll ever see came when their centre half misjudged a Connor Brennan kick-out and Isaac Layne latched onto the ball to drive it past the advancing keeper.

At 1-1 I was dreading them scoring as we could really do with them not getting the confidence boost a win could have brought. The way we played today I doubt we’d have got back in the game. Unfortunately Stranraer achieved just that likely boost against Dunfermline today. Let’s hope that it’s short-lived.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh as we were missing the influential Joe McKee today. His general play and delivery from crosses and set-pieces is a big asset. Also out was Rhegan Tumilty, I assume because his parent club doesn’t want him cup-tied.

*William Hill Scottish Cup

Sons have been drawn at home in the third round of this season’s Scottish Cup – facing Forfar Athletic on the 23^rd Noveember.

At least it’s not someone in a higher division and not a potential embarrassment against a lower league side. It might only have been the once but we’ve had enough of those this decade.

Well this has come around reasonably quickly.

Sons face Airdrie away on November 24^th in the third round.

The way things have been going, though, I don’t know that we’ll be in the fourth round draw.

Hoiwever, in other Sons news, we have a manager again. The club has appointed Jim Duffy to the post.

On the face of it his should be a safe pair of hands. I hope he brings a bit of defensive solidity with him.

His appointment sees the departure of former assistant manager Ian Durrant. Former stalwart between the sticks Jamie Ewings stays on as goalkeeping coach.

Scottish Cup, Round Four, Balmoor Stadium, 23/1/18

Well I went to Peterhead, but I didn’t go to the game.

I’d booked a hotel for the Friday night of the original date, before the postponement, and we took the opportunity to wander around the Northeast but I didn’t feel up to repeating the trip three days later.

At least it was a win and notable for Iain Russell once again opening his account for Sons. The first of many I hope.

It means a trip to Greenock for the next Round but unfortunately also another postponement as one or other of the clubs will be involved in the Sixth Round of the Cup on the scheduled date for our league game at Cappielow.

Our reward for beating Elgin City in the Cup at the weekend is a trip up north to Peterhead on 20/1/2018.

They’re going quite well in the fourth tier. This could be a tricky one.

Scottish Cup, Round Three, The Rock, 18/11/17.

Well, it’s not the debacle of last year’s Cup effort….

But a win’s a win and we’re in the hat for the next round.

Can’t ask for more really.

And we still weren’t at full strength. Three clean sheets in a row ought to be good for confidence but next up is Dunfermline away in the league. They were scoring for fun earlier in the season.

Sons have drawn Elgin City at home in the Scotish Cup third round. The game is to be played on the third weekend in November.

Scottish Cup Third Round Replay, The Rock, 6/12/16.

This season I wasn’t going to blog about games I hadn’t been to but this result cannot pass without comment. It’s appalling.

It may not have been a surprise after the first game in Bonnyrigg but it is still quite simply the worst result in the club’s history. Period.

Stevie Aitken as manager has to take a serious look at himself.

Scottish Cup** Third Round, New Saunders Park, 26/11/16.

It was great to be at an old-fashioned football ground, crowd tight to the pitch, free standing, ability to walk round the ground, no segregation – and never a hint of trouble despite that. A great occasion for Bonnyrigg; as the size of the crowd testified.

But for us this was dreadful. Against a team not even in the same football system as us and therefore technically at least five levels below ours we looked as if all we intended was to avoid defeat.

Too many passes went astray, too many players were off it. Okay we were missing a few but we should still be able to go to a Junior ground and look to attack.

They had the better of the play apart from a minor flurry at the beginning of the second half. They might only have had one threatening attempt in the first half – well saved by Alan Martin but routine enough – to our three (Garry Fleming’s effort from their mistake followed by Donald McCallum’s shot on the rebound, both well saved by their keeper, then Don’s attempt to dig out the ball after the keeper spilled a cross) but they had most of the play.

We looked comfortable enough defending – except for corners and free-kicks and a wonderful Alan Martin reflex save from one of those – but we ourselves only had a looping header on target in the second half.

Quite why Don was on from the start when they had two big central defenders who could head the ball all day is beyond me. Robert Thomson at least won a few when he came on, we might have made something of that if he had started and Don could have come on to run at them towards the end. Not that they looked lacking in fitness. The game could have gone on till next Tuesday and no goals would have been scored.

A replay is the last thing we needed; especially in the week running up to our encounter with Hibs at Easter Road. On this evidence we could go into that game out of the Cup.

*According to their website the home club’s full name is Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic.
**William Hill Scottish Cup

In the Third Round of the Scottish Cup Sons have been drawn to play Bonnyrigg Rose at New Dundas Park, Bonnyrigg on 26^th November.

This will be the first time we have played a junior team in the Cup. It will be tricky as they are bound to be very up for it. Even more so considering we haven’t won an away match for nigh on a year.

They beat the Highland League champions in the last round which attests to their abilities.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this…..