As the respective Challenge Cups approach the business end of the competition, it’s become increasingly difficult to coordinate three kick-off times in one day. With only the 14s and 16s in action this weekend, I was restricted to a menu of just sixteen ties, although two were held on Sunday. The temptation to return North was strong but the travelling distances between games made it impossible, especially when you factor in the journey up there too. Instead, the decision was made to take in two games hosted by teams in the South East region. Unfortunately, a clash of early afternoon fixtures made a third game impossible.
I’VE BEEN THIS WAY BEFORE
Back in April, I ventured to watch Winchburgh Albion play a friendly against East Fife. The home team were rewarded for their dominant first half display with a 5-0 lead at the break. However, East Fife played a master stroke and brought on a 50mph wind at half-time. The game finished 5-1. While I didn’t return to the same venue, Winchburgh Academy, I was heading to Barrett Park, a grass pitch a mere Rory Delap throw-in away. Bar a single canine ‘deposit’, the pitch was in beautiful condition, with freshly painted lines.
An important part of travelling to different regions is (a) getting parked, which isn’t always guaranteed and (b) parking in such a way as to make a quick getaway to the next match. Being one of the first there, I managed to do both. Lessons had been learned from my trip to North region and I was well covered in terms of sunscreen.
LIVING BY NUMBERS
Victories over Finnart Blues (4-1 away), Dunipace (6-1 at home) and St Mirren (4-3 away) had brought Winchburgh to the last 16, while visitors Milton Girls saw off challenges from Melrose (7-2 away), Queen of the South (9-0 away) and Inverness Caledonian Thistle (7-1 at home) to earn their trip to Barrett’s Park for this 3rd Round clash.
Those games served up plenty of goals and this encounter was no different. The action was end-to-end in the glowing sunshine. Winchburgh Albion were out of the blocks fast and took a two-goal lead but were pegged back and the game continued in this fashion with Albion holding a 4-3 advantage at half-time. The second half was a carbon copy of the first with the teams swapping goals…5-3, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4…
OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN
As the game reached its denouement, I suffered from what I call the Curse of the Result Tweet. Fate has it that as soon as I get the final tweet ready to pronounce the final score on the referee’s whistle, something happens in the match, and I have to delete it and re-write it. Twice in the game I hadn’t quite finished writing a tweet about one goal when another was scored! Just as I thought it was going to end up 7-4 to Albion, Milton scored directly from a corner. No sooner had that happened, Winchburgh kicked off and went up the other end where their striker was fouled outside the box. It took Milton a while to organise a wall, but they needn’t have bothered because the free kick was expertly dispatched to the keeper’s left to give the home team an entertaining 8-5 victory.
ALMA MATER
After some quick goodbyes, I headed off to the game 2 via the M9, M8 and Edinburgh Bypass. Unfortunately, the traffic was going at a snail’s pace as I slowly poached in the car. I wasn’t going to make kick-off time for Bonnyrigg Rose Reds versus Glasgow City. As I drove through Lasswade and Bonnyrigg, my childhood flashed in front of me. This is where I spent most of my school years. The Laird and Dog, where my teenage drinking years were spent, was still going strong. Heading up the hill along Polton Road brought back memories of the house I threw up in one New Year (after falling down the stairs!), a bus stop I use to see an old girlfriend off back to her place and my mate’s house where we played Soft Cell, The Smiths and other cool bands of the time. This led me past my old school – Hawthornden Primary – and the shop opposite, which had been owned by ex-Hibee Eric Stevenson. That’s where we bought our Sweet Tobacco, Sherbet Dib Dabs and Panini stickers. “Does anyone want to swap Hamish McAlpine for Harry Hood?”
RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM
Finally, I arrived and was surprised to get a space in the small car park at Poltonhall. It might have been because the game was being held on the astro pitch further up and not the grass pitch I had expected. There’s an embankment surrounding two sides of the pitch, which acts as a natural amphitheatre although some trees obscure parts of the pitch. I turned up in time to see Glasgow City take the lead. I got chatting to a City parent/fan who brought me up to speed with what had happened.
At half-time, I met up with Jonny, a follower from Twitter/X, and his friends, some of whom who also follow my account. They were on a spying mission from Musselburgh Windsor Blues, who were hosting Bonnyrigg in a league match a few days later. I’m a great believer in this kind of preparation. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.
THIS WORLD OF WATER
A Bonnyrigg equaliser was an opportune moment for a much-needed water break. It was a beautiful day for sitting on the bank watching the game, not so much if you were taking part. A moment of controversy saw City re-take the lead in the extra time. A shot that looked like it had gone past the post had, according to the referee, gone through a hole in the net. The players in red and white stood in disbelief. Some of the locals weren’t happy about it, especially one guy who had to be reassured/calmed down by a coach from the home team after his complaints towards the ref were rather over-exuberant. As a neutral, I wasn’t in the best place to judge. The referee was, so his decision is final.
ACTION AND DRAMA
Bonnyrigg didn’t let their heads go down and smashed home an equaliser in the last moments of extra time. 2-2 was a fair result but now it was down to penalties. With one miss apiece after the regulation five penalty kicks, the score stood at 4-4. It was sudden death. Unfortunately, the Reds’ player got a bit too much loft on the ball and hit the bar before going over. City had to score to win, and they duly did. As with the Kintore v Arbroath Yellows match I witnessed two rounds ago in Dyce, this was two well-matched teams separated by the finest of margins. A classic tale of no-one deserving to lose.
IT’S A SHAME TO SAY GOODBYE
If a popular Danish brand of beer made footballing Saturdays, this would be it. Well, apart from being parboiled on the bypass! More cheerios were said and I headed homeward. God speed to the Kingdom, there’s results to be posted!
I thought I’d start a weekly* column on the main talking points of the weekend, plus detail of games I watched during the last week or so. They won’t be full blogs as such, just a few vignettes, maybe funny incidents and other stuff. Give me a shout if there’s anything you think needs talking about, whether serious or less so.
(*maybe more or less often depending on how busy I am)
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
On Saturday I took in the 14s East League Cup 2nd Round tie between Bayside and East Fife at Aberdour. The early morning fog was burned off by the sun and a beautiful morning ensued. Some of the Bayside girls had helped to prepare the pitch the day before, including painting the lines, and it looked great. There have been occasions, during previous visits to this venue, that the touchline on the supporters side has been invisible. No such issues today. Their previous encounter here was a grading friendly back in February, which had ended 2-2. Bayside took the lead in that game, as they did in this game. East Fife soon equalised and while it wasn’t exactly one-way traffic, East Fife did start to dominate, particularly in midfield. East Fife led 5-1 at Bayside, including a hat-trick for Megan. Another Bayside goal in the second half was sandwiched between two more goals from Megan and the match ended 7-2 to the visitors.
I took a day off on Sunday due to some issues with my knees. Old age doesn’t come itself and I’m not as match-fit as I should be.
THE AGE OF REVOLUTION
So far I’ve seen adverts from three clubs – all from the South East – recruiting for the new NextGen Performance Leagues, beginning in August. Hibernian, Spartans and Boroughmuir Thistle have all put out adverts on social media looking for players born in 2012, 2013 and/or 2014. There hasn’t been any official announcement from the SFA about the set-up for the new season, but I’m told there are new age groups, consisting of 13s, 15s and 17s. As an aside, two of those clubs tagged me, so I retweeted their adverts. One didn’t tag me, so I didn’t retweet it. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
BEG, STEAL OR BORROW
I have no objection to teams utilising the tables I produce for GirlsResults on their team’s social media pages. Infact, I encourage it. You don’t have to ask (or pay, unless you really want to!). But I would ask that you keep the @GirlsResults branding that normally sits under the table and, maybe, if you remember, a credit like “Table courtesy of @GirlsResults” would also be welcome.
If, however, you wish to use content from this blog, you MUST ask my permission first (check the Ask Me, Ask Me, Ask Me section to the right). One team, who shall remain nameless, helped themselves to the cup draw information featuring one of their teams. Not only did they not ask permission, they didn’t even credit where they got it from. I told them, “If you’re going to use content from my site, I’d appreciate it if you give a credit to where it came from.” I don’t think that is unreasonable. Their response, instead, was to take it down the original and re-do it in a different (and less accessible) font. It would’ve taken 30 seconds to just edit their original social media post and add a credit.
MY CAMERA NEVER LIES
Having seen myself on a club’s VEO last week I can confirm that, yes, cameras really do add on ten pounds…at least!
HAPPINESS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER
I was honoured to be asked by The Swifts Blues 14s to pick what I thought was the pick of their five goals against East Fife last Wednesday. While there were some great team goals, with wonderful passing and movement, I went with the final goal, which sealed the win just before the final whistle. A corner was played in from the keeper’s left and, somehow, as if by magic, it went straight in. Most of the people present, and maybe some of the players too, are still wondering how it happened. I’ve watched it many times on VEO and I’m still not sure. On that basis, I chose that one. Congratulations Erin!
WORDS DON’T COME EASY
In the course of the last four and a half years running the site, I’ve come to learn there are certain words I always seem to type wrong. For some reason, “Glasgow”, “Thistle” and “United” become “Glagsow”, “Thitsle” and “Untied”. It’s a good job I haven’t posted “Ross Ocunty” yet!
SEE YOU SOON
There has been a spate of teams withdrawing from leagues this season, for a variety of reasons. Best wishes to these teams as they regroup and attempt to go again at a different level, later in the year or maybe next season.
CARELESS HANDS
I felt sorry for the team, this weekend, who gave away not one, not two but FOUR penalties, all down to handball offences. All four penalty kicks were converted. Rumours that the team will quit football and turn to volleyball next season are, as yet, unconfirmed.
On that lighter note, I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt through my week and I’ll do it again soon.
14s Scottish Challenge Cup – 3rd Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 1/2 Jun 2024)
Here is the draw for the 3rd Round of the 14s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Aberdeen West End v Athena Glasgow Burnbank Blues or Hibernian Whites v Hamilton Bonnyrigg Rose Reds v Glasgow City Winchburgh Albion v Milton Girls Kintore United v Dundee West Reds Burnbank or Inverness Caledonian Thistle Reds v Buchan Braves Turriff United Youth v The Swifts Blues Glasgow Girls v Stirling Albion Reds
16s Scottish Challenge Cup – 4th Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 1/2 Jun 2024)
Here is the draw for the 4th Round of the 16s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Westerton United v Musselburgh Windsor YPL Dundee West Royals v Aberdeen Reds Ardrossan Winton Rovers Blacks v Central Girls Grampian Girls United v Dumbarton United East Fife v Glasgow Girls Purples Bayside YPL v Athena Glasgow Glasgow City YPL v Queen of the South or Huntly Bo’ness United v Montrose
18s Scottish Challenge Cup – Quarter Final (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 24/25 Aug 2024)
Here is the draw for the Quarter Final of the 18s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Glasgow Girls v Dunfermline Athletic St Mirren v Inverness Caledonian Thistle EKFC Girls v Giffnock or Shetland Girls Gartcairn v Musselburgh Windsor Whites or Ross County
While most Saturdays and Sundays I’ll venture out to see one or two (three at a push) local matches, I like to spread my wings and go further afield during the weekends of the Scottish Challenge Cups. Who doesn’t love a road trip? In the 1st Preliminary Round of the 14s Challenge Cup, I took in games at Cowdenbeath, Lumphinnans and Dalgety Bay. Okay, so they’re not that far from home but, with it being the early rounds, there were a lot of ties and many scores to collate and publish when I got home so I figure something local would be more beneficial. The following round was the 2nd Preliminary Round (don’t get me started on the SWF’s random round numbering) and I headed up to Angus, taking in two games at the wonderfully named Hercules Den – home to Arbroath Youth – and then headed along to catch most of the Montrose versus Dumbarton United Yellows. Sadly, my next planned venture to Bo’ness and Alloa didn’t go to plan as I was laid low by an untimely chest infection.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
So where would I be heading for the weekend featuring the 18s 3rd Round, the 16s 3rd Round and/or the 14s 2nd Round? (See what I mean about the numbering?) Having seen the draws, I had a fair idea of at least one tie I wanted to see but which other matches could I fit around it? With the governing body’s website not always being the most reliable (Saturday games listed on Sundays and vice versa), I made a point of contacting most of the clubs involved to get the correct venues and kick-off times, as well as checking out their social media pages. Once I had those, I consulted Google Maps to see what was achievable.
Knowing I would be driving for just over two hours to get to the first game, I scheduled some tweets (sorry Elon, it will always be Twitter) to give some playful clues as to where I might be going.
AS I ROVED OUT
I had no recollection of ever going to Dyce before, but my wife reminded me that we’d been to a wedding there back in the early 1990s and stayed at a hotel near the airport. My favourite memory of being in Aberdeenshire was going to one of seven gigs of a Scottish tour by The Smiths, who stopped off at Aberdeen’s Capitol Theatre before heading to Lerwick and Inverness. (I wrote a blog about that tour, which you might enjoy).
NEW DIRECTIONS
The route North was fairly straightforward or at least it should’ve been. Not knowing the roads of Aberdeenshire I wasn’t aware of any major changes. I’d given myself plenty of time – I left at 7am – to get to Dyce so I was prepared for any unplanned detours, which is always a possibility when I’m behind the wheel. I went for the belt-and-braces approach of a satnav alongside my phone, hoping that both would agree with each other. How did that work out? Well, as I heard my phone telling me to go off at the new A90 North, the satnav said keep going ahead. I did what any sensible, mature man would do; I ignored the modern, up-to-date phone and listened to the older-than-the-hills satnav and kept going. As it turned out, because I’d allowed for plenty of wiggle room for the journey and it was still early in the day, it didn’t make that much difference staying on the A92, which took me through some suburban areas of Aberdeen. I seemed to arrive at Asda in Dyce around my scheduled time so I was quite happy but I resolved to use the new A90 South (officially known as the “Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route” but unofficially as the more user friendly and straightforward “Aberdeen Bypass”) to get to the next game because, with extra time and penalties being a possibility, I might need to catch up a bit of time.
BOY, YOU’VE GOT THE SUN IN YOUR EYES
You never really know when summer’s going to appear in Scotland. I had checked the weather forecast and I saw it would be nice, but I wasn’t prepared for just how hot it would be. I’m not really built for heat. Despite parking in Asda and getting some provisions for the next leg of the trip, it didn’t occur to me to get sunscreen. Rookie error. Another mistake was to believe the Asda security guy who told me there was no limit to the time I could park at the supermarket. Having been there for about an hour and then spoken to several other locals, I decided it would be more prudent to move my vehicle. I drove to the car park in Dyce Academy next door and was lucky to get the last space. Result! I might have been a pasty-faced southerner when I arrived, but I was going to be resembling a lobster when I left.
TALK OF THE TOWN
Having seen Arbroath in an earlier round it was great to say hi to some familiar faces, including one of the Yellows’ coaches Stuart. One of the other coaches – World Champion bowler Darren Burnett, no less – was sunning himself in Australia so would miss the game. No doubt he was glued to his team’s Usqor account. It was nice to meet some Kintore folk too, including my good friend Lena, who is also the secretary for the Kintore United 14s and a fountain of knowledge about the game in the North region. Kintore had been down to Pitreavie to play a Bayside team in a pre-season friendly, so it was great to catch up with her on her patch.
LOOKING FOR THE MAGIC
Having heard a lot about Kintore from Lena and having seen Arbroath Yellows live, I knew this was a going to be an even contest between two well-matched teams who try to play football the right way. With both teams unbeaten in their respective leagues, and having drawn a pre-season friendly 1-1, I knew this was one of the matches of the day. Kintore got off to the best possible start with a goal inside the first couple of minutes from Katie and it took Arbroath some time to find their feet against slightly bigger opponents. The Yellows came back into it and their pressure was rewarded with a penalty ten minutes before half-time. Harlow put it low to the keeper’s right. 1-1! Game on!
While the game ebbed and flowed back and forth, and chances were created at both ends, I felt Kintore began to dominate, especially when the game went into extra time. But Arbroath defended stoutly, and the scene was set for the inevitable penalty shoot-out. How would the tired minds and bodies of the girls handle the pressure? They’d all worked their socks off for 90 minutes, in blazing heat and, even with the inclusion of water breaks, some of the girls looked dead on their feet at the final whistle. Plenty were suffering with cramp.
NERVOUS WRECK
Thankfully, the penalties were being taken at the end I was watching from, so I didn’t have to move. In this heat, I’m not sure I could’ve moved, even if I wanted to. What can you say about penalty shootouts that hasn’t been said before? Some like them, some hate them, but they’re part of the game and unless you want to keep playing until midnight (don’t give FIFA any ideas!) they’re here to stay. After the regulation five penalties, we were at 4-4 and it was time for sudden death. If there was any more drama, that sudden death might’ve been mine and I was a neutral! The Kintore number 6 converted her penalty, but the Arbroath number 8 was distraught to see her effort saved by Kintore keeper Jane.
What was great to see was that while Kintore allowed themselves a moment to celebrate (and why shouldn’t they?), two of their number broke off to console with the Arbroath player who had missed. The other Kintore players joined them. It was a beautiful moment that almost brought a tear to my eye.
I FOUGHT THE LAW
The referee gave an impressive display and let the play flow. Like most good referees, he was pretty much invisible, but he did have to deal with one minor incident (I think it was in extra time) when one player was spoken to about her attitude and the coach, who wasn’t happy about it, was also spoken to and told to “be a better role model”. His gas was certainly put at a peep.
But that was a very minor issue, during a game played in a great spirit. No quarter asked nor given on the field, in soaring temperatures, and everyone supportive off it. That’s how I like my football.
LET ME GO
Lena had suggested I had my picture taken with the teams at the end and I was happy to oblige. A couple of girls even knew about my Girls Results page and were followers, which was great to hear. I managed to chat with lovely people from both teams before, during and after the game but, after saying my goodbyes, I had to head off in search of match number 2 and the elusive A90 South.
SOUND OF CONFUSION
I returned to the car park to find my car had been kindly decorated by some of the local birdlife. I don’t what they had been eating but they might want to see a vet. No amount of screen wash was clearing some of it! As long as I could see enough to catch the sign for the A90 South I’d be fine. Did I see the sign for the A90 South? Yes. Did I follow the sign for the A90 South and learn from my earlier mistake? Well, er, no. Once again, the satnav and phone were squabbling and, in the course of the distraction, I took the wrong route. It had to happen when I was in even more of rush, thanks to the extra time and penalties.
PLAY ON
When I originally planned the trip, I had a vague notion that should the first game be finished in the regulation 70 minutes, I might just be able to catch some of Forfar Farmington 14s tie against Turriff United, before heading on to a third game. It was a long shot but the shootout in Dyce put paid to that, and I bypassed Forfar and headed straight to the Charlotte Street pitches in Dundee for Dundee West Reds 14s against Motherwell. It was a good job I did because the Forfar-Turriff game also went to extra time and penalties, with Turriff winning the shootout 5-3 after a 2-2 draw.
While Dundee West Reds are currently in the bottom third of a very competitive 14s East Caroline Weir league (led by Arbroath Youth Yellows), Motherwell were on a bit of an unbeaten run and in good form. It was set to be an intriguing tie.
When I arrived at the car park, the first sight I saw was a mound of earth. Had I arrived at an archaeological dig? Voices in the distance told me the game was further over. I headed over to a grass pitch on the far side. I saw the players walking off and, after asking a Motherwell supporter the score, I tweeted that it was 2-1 at half-time. Except it wasn’t half-time, it was a water break! D’oh! Correction duly sent.
Chatting to some of the Motherwell supporters, I met a follower of Girls Results. Murray (aka Champion Slayer, his Twitter nom-de-plume) was a big fan of the site and very complimentary. I was blushing although it was hard to tell as my face resembled a beef tomato.
One talking point was the pitch. Motherwell were used to playing on astro and they couldn’t play their natural passing game on a lumpy, sloping grass pitch. The pitch next door, which the supporters were standing on appeared to be much flatter. I don’t know if Dundee West Reds chose this pitch specifically or if it was down to availability, but a home draw in the cup can be great leveller and you take your advantages where you can get them. The home team led 4-1 at half-time (not another water break) and not long into the second half increased their advantage. Motherwell clawed their way back into the game with two goals, but time ran away from them and they lost 5-3. I’m told the Motherwell parents are still talking about the pitch!
ONE TRACK MIND
Once more, I said my farewells and headed to the car. Dundee’s avian population were kinder that their Dyce counterparts and no further ‘decoration’ had been added. This part of the journey was the most straightforward and I was homeward bound. Getting in around half past four, I also had the small matter of pulling in all the other scores, as well as posting results and, where applicable, league tables. No rest for the wicked.
HOLD TIGHT!
After a terrible night’s sleep, thanks to the sunburn, and having missed the Forfar-Turriff game yesterday, I called on a local derby in the 18s Challenge Cup to make up the third part of my regular Challenge Cup triumvirate.
Despite being approximately 25 minutes further North (and a bit more East), Raith Rovers Colts 18s play in the 18s South East Joelle Murray league, while Dunfermline Athletic play in the 18s East Kelly Clark league. Colts won a friendly 4-2 back in March at Gallatown. Unfortunately, due to the men’s first team needing Stark’s Park for training ahead of their forthcoming Scottish Premiership play-off with Partick Thistle, the 18s Challenge Cup tie was moved from there to the grass pitch at Gallatown Park. Another game across from another Asda!
HERE COMES THE SUMMER
Having not learned my lesson from yesterday, today’s attire was a long-sleeved top and a bunnet to protect my napper! I might be parboiled by the end of the game, but I was taking no chances. While it was still warm, there were some clouds in the sky. This brought some relief but not much.
SUFFER THE CHILDREN
As well as the heat (have I mentioned that?), the teams had to contend with a sloping pitch (flashbacks to Charlotte Street) and the kind of long grass you might lose a team of under 8s in. This would be an energy-sapping game. Let’s hope it doesn’t go to extra time.
Shooting down the slope in the first half, Dunfermline took the lead and doubled it 15 minutes later with Raith getting one back to trail 2-1 at half-time. Five minutes from the end of the second half, the Colts equalised, and we headed for extra time. For the neutral, this was great but as someone who had another game to go to this wasn’t ideal.
BABYLON’S BURNING
After full-time, there seemed to be a discussion on the other side of the pitch between the referee and some of the coaches. They were also looking across at me so I figured this was about the issue of whether there was extra time, or would it go straight to penalties, so I ambled across the pitch to join the discussion and help clarify things. While the referee was happy for it to go to penalties “for the sake of the girls” playing in the heat, we found the relevant rule and extra time it was. [Clarification: League Cup ties go straight to penalties until the semi-final stage. In the Scottish Challenge Cup, it’s extra time and penalties in all rounds]
At one point in the game, the Dunfermline keeper kicked a ball rather than pick it up because she couldn’t see the lines. The grass was so long it looked like Raith were playing a back line of dandelions!
Within a minute of kick-off in extra time, Raith regained the lead and held it until half-time. It was all or nothing for the visitors and they were rewarded with an equaliser with ten minutes to go. The game was finely balanced. Would there be a winner before the end, or would there be more penalty drama? The answer was the former. The Pars managed to breach the solid Raith defence with five minutes to go and Rachel slotted home from the edge of the box for the Pars. Raith had a couple of late free kicks outside the box but weren’t able to beat the Pars keeper, who was in good form.
A 4-3 win on the road for Dunfermline, who will be flying the flag for East Region in the quarter-finals.
SOME KIND OF JERK
Apart from a couple of yellow cards – one for each team – the game was played in a great spirit (especially considering it was a derby) and the young referee Ollie let it flow. Unfortunately, there was one unsavoury incident when a supporter, presumably from Dunfermline, who wasn’t happy with an offside decision vented his feelings rather too vociferously. Not content with expressing his opinion about the decision, he also made a comment about a Raith player. Full credit to Bev, the Colts coach, who calmed the guy down. He also apologised for what he said to the player but was asked to watch the game from a different area of the pitch so as not to exacerbate the problem. Well done Bev!
5-4-3-2-1
One thing I noticed during the game was that the Raith goalkeeper Lauren was wearing the number 4. This isn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, a regular keeper number. Bev, her coach, told me she used to wear 4 as an outfield player for Lomond Colts and when she moved to Raith she wanted to keep it when she went between the sticks.
It reminded me of the Dutch World Cup squad of 1974, who, with the notable exception of Johann Cruyff (number 14), were issued squad numbers in alphabetical order. First choice keeper Jan Jongbloed ended up being number 8 and he retained that number for the 1978 World Cup finals.
CAN’T HELP THINKING ABOUT ME
The 18s derby wasn’t my last game of the weekend. Extra time and roadworks on the A92 meant I arrived at Pitreavie for the Dunfermline Athletic v Musselburgh Windsor ladies league match just at half-time. It was 1-0 to the visitors and the home coach wasn’t happy about the referee. After watching the second half in the company of striker Alex’s mother, I could see why. I’m not sure I’ve witnessed a more self-important refereeing display. I had seen this guy before and he was the same then. He was arguing with supporters, players and coaches. Even Thomas, the mild-mannered club photographer, was shouting at him and it takes a lot for him to do that. The ref could certainly learn a thing or two from the three other whistlers I watched this weekend. I know it’s a difficult job but he made it even harder for himself.
GROOVY TIMES
That was the weekend that was. It was hot, it was exhausting but it was so much fun.
Sincere thanks to the parents and supporters of Kintore United, Arbroath Youth Yellows (see you all again soon), Motherwell, Raith Rovers Colts and Dunfermline Athletic I met this weekend. Apologies to Dundee West Reds as I didn’t get a chance to say hello to coaches or supporters. I might see you in a league match soon though. Great to see Stuart from Arbroath, Linsey Burnett and Darren Inglis too. If I have forgotten anyone, and there’s a good chance I have, let me know and I’ll add you.
Extra special thanks to Lena Roy, Kevin Taylor Photography (thanks for the photos and if you could airbrush a couple of stone off me next time, that would be great!), Bev Harkins and Justin Hamilton (and coaches).
HARMONY IN MY HEAD
You’ll notice the different sections of this piece have ‘headlines’. These are actually the titles of songs from the special road trip playlist I compiled for the journey north and back. Most, but not all, of the tracks are available on Spotify and here’s a link to my special Hit The North! playlist. The tracks are taken from about a dozen 3-CD clamshell box sets covering a number of weird and wonderful musical genres from various decades.
HALFWAY THERE
With a handful of ties left to play in each Challenge Cup (being played this weekend coming), it looks like we’ll have to wait until next week to find out the last 16 draws (16s and 14s) and the quarter-final draw (18s). Hopefully, by the time those ties come round my sunburn will have died down to a mild pink hue instead of the current flaming red and I can plan another trip around the highways and byways of Scotland. I might even go the right way.
14s Scottish Challenge Cup – 2nd Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 11/12 May 2024)
Here is the draw for the 2nd Round of the 14s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Forfar Farmington v Turriff United Youth Stirling Albion Reds v Deveronvale Glasgow City v Rossvale Reds The Swifts Blues v Shotts Bon Accord Blacks Bo’ness United v Bonnyrigg Rose Reds Phoenix Pinks v Glasgow Girls Renfrew FC v Hamilton Kintore United v Arbroath Youth Yellows Buchan Braves v St Cadoc’s Caley Athena Glasgow v Cumbernauld Colts Morton Blues v Aberdeen West End Dundee West Reds v Motherwell Milton Girls v Inverness Caledonian Thistle St Mirren v Winchburgh Albion Burnbank FC Blues v Hibernian Whites Burnbank FC v Inverness Caledonian Thistle Reds
16s Scottish Challenge Cup – 3rd Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 11/12 May 2024)
Here is the draw for the 3rd Round of the 16s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Westerton United v Musselburgh Windsor Blues Spartans Reilly YPL v Glasgow Girls Purples Queen of the South v Huntly FC Dumbarton United v Hibernian YPL Thistle Youth v Musselburgh Windsor YPL Athena Glasgow v Aberdeen West End Port Glasgow v Aberdeen Reds Rossvale v Dundee West Royals Glasgow City YPL v Turriff United Bonnyrigg Rose Girls v Grampian Girls United Bo’ness United v Murieston United Reds East Fife v Lauderdale Montrose v Aberdeen Blacks Ardrossan Winton Rovers Blacks v Inverness Caledonian Thistle Bayside 16s YPL v Morton Central Girls v Glasgow Girls Pinks
18s Scottish Challenge Cup – 2nd Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 11/12 May 2024)
Here is the draw for the 2nd Round of the 18s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Cumbernauld Colts Raith Rovers Colts v Dunfermline Athletic Glasgow Girls v Queen of the South Boroughmuir Thistle Jags v St Mirren Giffnock v Shetland Girls EKFC Girls v Musselburgh Windsor Blues Musselburgh Windsor Whites v Ross County Renfrew v Gartcairn
Note: There was a mistake by the SWF in the 18s draw. It’s now been fixed although SWF simply replaced Ayr United with Dunfermline Athletic instead of a full re-draw. #embarrassing#omnishambles#youcouldntmakeitup
In last year’s mid-season review I pointed out the issues that the SWF had had with a number of cup draws in the first half of 2023, most notably the Challenge Cup at all age groups. The first two rounds of this season’s Challenge Cup draws passed without incident and it looked like they’d turned the corner from the issues of previous seasons. In congratulating them on getting it right it seems I spoke too soon.
Despite the SWF’s Media and Communication Manager constantly referring to me as “media” (before I blocked him but that’s another story for another day) I’m not afforded the kind of heads up that journalists might expect. I’m not on any distribution list that might be useful for a site like mine, despite the work I do in promoting the girls and women’s game. Thankfully I was furnished with the 14s League Cup draws courtesy of many friends (coaches, parents etc) throughout the regions for which I am truly grateful. There are 383 teams across 41 leagues in the girls game this season and any head start I can get in updating my spreadsheets is greatly appreciated.
At the very start of April the regional League Cup draws started to filter through to my DMs. While there were no obvious issues with the two 18s draws and six 16s draws* – there was no seeding and they were all-in draws – when I started to have a closer look at the 14s draws I thought it was some kind of April Fool’s prank.
Let’s start with what I consider to be the worst draw. In the East region all 33 teams taking part in the 11-a-side leagues have entered. 33 is an annoying number for a cup draw because in all knockout competition conventions you’re trying to get down to 64, 32, 16 etc. With 33 entrants you have to knock out a single team to get down to 32. Normally you would have 1 tie and 31 byes to reduce the number to the requisite 32. The SWF, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go with 16 ties and 1 bye, which would bring 17 teams through. Unbelievable! Not for the first time in recent seasons, they got their maths wrong and the knock-on effect is that in the next round – instead of 16 ties – they’ll have to have a single tie, alongside 15 byes. Farcical! This goes against all traditional knockout tournament conventions. The error of the first round instead of being fixed has been exacerbated and compounded in the second round. (They made a similar mistake in the 14s South West League Cup in April 2022 when they had to squeeze in a single 3rd Round tie between Hamilton and Millennium to get down to the standard 8 quarter-finalists because they contrived to put 9 teams through!) However, the mathematical mess of the 1st Round draw has been heightened by another issue with the 14s East draw.
It seems the SWF have decided to ‘manipulate’ the draw to ensure the top tier teams get through by giving them not just one advantage but three. While the first advantage afforded the Caroline Weir league teams is to be seeded and therefore avoid their league rivals – a not unnatural benefit of the seeding process – the SWF have decided to also give the Tier 1 teams the added bonus of a home draw (or in Dunfermline Athletic White’s case a bye). This leaves the Tier 3 teams, as well as being given an away tie, having to incur the additional expense of travelling to play and, almost certainly, be beaten and beaten heavily*, by Tier 1 teams. (*A fair assumption based on the Tier 1 versus Tier 3 encounters during the recent grading friendlies). That’s no fun for anyone. Also, the way the draw was done smacks of sheer laziness. It seems they’ve taken an alphabetical list of the Tier 1 teams and taken the first one and given them a tie against the team at the bottom alphabetically of the Tier 2 teams and then continued the draw by taking the next Tier 1 team and placing them against the bottom Tier 3 team and continuing on like that. If you can’t get your head around that explanation then have a look at this picture where I’ve colour coded each tier to see what I mean. It is, quite simply, the most ridiculous draw I’ve ever seen.
I suggested to the SWF that this draw may end up in a load of 9-0 results and/or withdrawals by Tier 3 teams which makes a mockery of the competition. My concerns were expressed a few days after the draws were made but I’m still, at time of press, awaiting a response. For a few days they actually withdrew the draw from the SWF website. (Update: I was told yesterday, Wednesday 8 April, that the SWF have doubled down on their error and are sticking with the original draw. I’m not aware of any explanation why).
The 14s West draw has been made on similar lines, as the picture below illustrates. Another contrived draw giving a huge advantage to the Tier 1 teams.
What I don’t understand is the lack of consistency across the six regions. Are they going for all-in random draws – giving everyone a sporting chance – or manipulated draws to get the top teams though? Do they want knockout competitions or League Cups in groups? Are they seeding teams or not seeding them? They can’t seem to make up their mind from region to region. Either way, whatever they choose, they’re getting it wrong.
This brings us on to the 14s Central League Cup draw. There are 37 teams in this competition and the SWF have gone with groups rather than a knockout format. While in the East and West the SWF have looked to give an advantage to the Tier 1 teams, in Central it’s a very different story and this harks back to my issue of a lack of balance.
They’ve gone for eight groups; 5 featuring 5 teams and 3 groups of 4 teams (pictured below). So far, so good. All the 12 Tier 1 teams (from the Sam Kerr league) have been placed into just three groups. I have dubbed the group containing Isla Thistle Pinks, Milton Girls, Holytown Colts Blacks, Gartcairn and Motherwell as ‘The Group of Death’ because it’s ridiculously strong. Whoever gets through that group could easily be favourite to win the Cup. Three of the other groups only have Tier 3 teams in them. The draws for Central are below. I’ve still been unable to find the actual group numbers (or letters) so the ones I’ve used are purely for illustrative purposes.
In the North region they’ve plumped for 8 groups of 3 – Shetland Girls having been added to the 23 league teams – and it’s a mixed bag of strong and weak groups. In the South East they’ve opted for unseeded all-in knockout draws for the League Cup (Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams only) and the League Plate (Tier 3 and Tier 4 only), which is sensible. Being the only region with four 14s leagues the South East lends itself better to that split into Cup and Plate from the start. A straightforward all-in random knockout draw is the competition of choice in the South West.
Growing up with a dartboard in my bedroom meant mental arithmetic has always been a strong point of mine (unless it’s over 501!) but the SWF really seems to struggle with the basic mathematics of cup draws. (I also used to play with a weirdly-named game called LOGacta, in which you used charts, dice and cards to create and run league and cup competitions. The dice were a kind of seeding of their own. Does anyone else of a certain age remember it?) The problem is that it’s happening every single season. Lessons are not being learned. Once in a while it would nice if they put their hands up and said, “we got it wrong” and made amends for any errors. Instead, as is the modern, corporate way, they double down, PR their way out of it and hope the issue just goes away. They have to improve this side of their work because those involved in girls’ football, those who drive thousands of miles every year to coach, train and/or cheer on players and spends thousands of pounds doing so deserve so much better because some of these draws lack basic sporting integrity.
14s Scottish Challenge Cup – 1st Round (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 20/21 April 2024)
Here is the draw for the 1st Round of the 14s Scottish Challenge Cup:
Winchburgh Albion v Dunipace Ardrossan Winton Rovers Blacks v Hamilton Clark Drive v Renfrew Ladies Edinburgh South Phoenix v Aberdeen West End Calderbraes v Turriff United Youth Ross County v St Mirren Inverness Caledonian Thistle Reds v Donside Bo’ness United v EKFC Girls Pollok United v Phoenix Pinks Stirling Albion Reds v Drumchapel United Blacks Motherwell v Hutchison Vale Whites Queen of the South v Milton Girls Athena Glasgow v Riverside Sky West Park United Sky v Dundee West Reds Blantyre Celtic or Deveronvale v Auchtermuchty Bellvue Colts Rossvale Reds v Buchan Fire Burnbank FC v Penicuik Athletic Formartine United Reds or Glenburn MW v Arbroath Youth Yellows Isla Thistle Pinks v Glasgow Girls Forfar Farmington v Holytown Colts Reds Burnbank FC Blues v Rossvale Thistle Sauchie Juniors v Bonnyrigg Rose Reds Spartans Clelland v St Cadoc’s Caley Boroughmuir Thistle Purples v Cumbernauld Colts Blues Kintore United v Giffnock SC Whites Morton Blues v Montrose Youth Bo’ness United Navy v The Swift Blues West Park United Navy v Buchan Braves St Andrews & East Neuk v Inverness Caledonian Thistle Hibernian Whites v Musselburgh Windsor Blues Kilwinning FA v Shotts Bon Accord Blacks Murieston United Reds v Glasgow City
14s Scottish Challenge Cup – 1st Round* (Ties to be played Sat/Sun 23/24 March 2024)
Bathgate Thistle Whites v Ross County Finnart Blues v Winchburgh Albion Stenhousemuir v West Park United Navy Stonehaven Strollers v Spartans Clelland Athena Glasgow v Grampian Girls United Bathgate Thistle Blacks v Rossvale Thistle Drumchapel United Blacks v Finnart Blacks Morton Blues v Morton Whites Bayside Bears v Burnbank Blues Bonnyrigg Rose Reds v TASS Thistle Glasgow Girls v Giffnock SC Reds Inverness Caledonian Thistle Reds v The Swifts Sabres Edinburgh South Phoenix v Phoenix Blacks Arbroath Youth v Buchan Fire St Cadoc’s Caley v Grampian Girls Athletic Isla Thistle Pinks v Central Girls West Park United Sky v Stonehaven Dynamos Arbroath Youth Yellows v Dundee United Montrose Youth v Dumbarton United Yellows Forfar Farmington v Giffnock SC Blacks Dean Thistle v Donside Cumbernauld Colts Yellows v EKFC Girls Aberdeen Reds v Buchan Braves Jeanfield Swifts Jets v Musselburgh Windsor Blues Clark Drive v Kirkfield United Sauchie Juniors v Hutchison Vale Blacks Blairgowrie v Motherwell Kintore United v North Berwick Auchtermuchty Bellvue Colts v Phoenix Oranges Hamilton v Bayside Lauderdale or Holytown Colts Blacks v Glasgow City Parkmoor v Calderbraes Pollok United v Arniston Rangers Cambusdoon Blacks v Hibernian Whites Stewarton Annick v Dunipace Banchory Girls v Holytown Colts Reds Rossvale Reds v Bishopton Dunfermline Athletic Reds v Penicuik Athletic Murieston United Reds v Raith Rovers Rockets Bo’ness United v Kirriemuir Thistle Jeanfield Swifts Jazz v The Swifts Blues Stirling Albion Reds v Westdyke Giffnock SC Whites v Thorn Athletic Shotts Bon Accord Blacks v Dumbarton United Blacks Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Culter Diamonds Aberdeen West End v Larkhall Thistle Formartine United Reds v Glenburn MW or Drumsagard Blantyre Celtic v Deveronvale Dunfermline Athletic Whites v Renfrew Dunbar United Colts v Queen of the South Melrose FC v Milton Girls Drumchapel United v Dundee West Reds Hutchison Vale v Castlevale YDC Phoenix Pinks v Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers St Andrews & East Neuk v Stirling Albion Whites Kilwinning FA v Colony Quines Bo’ness United Navy v Houston United Ardrossan Winton Rovers Blacks v Dryburgh Athletic Glenrothes Strollers v St Mirren Burnbank FC v Giffnock SC Purples Boroughmuir Thistle Purples v Murieston United Blues Dundee West Royals v Cumbernauld Colts Blues
BYES: Riverside Sky Turriff United Youth
*Note: The SWF has referred to this round as “Preliminary Round 2” but I don’t understand why. I believe it should be the 1st Round.
16s Scottish Challenge Cup – 2nd Round (Ties to be played: Sat/Sun 20/21 Apr 2024)
Morton Community v Cockenzie Star Blackburn United v Rossvale Bo’ness United v St Mirren Cumbernauld Colts v Thistle Youth Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Falkirk Central Girls v Holytown Colts Stonehaven Youth v Aberdeen West End Glenburn MW v Musselburgh Windsor YPL Aberdeen Reds v West Park United Riverside v Glasgow City YPL Queen of the South v Westdyke Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers v Ardrossan Winton Rovers Blacks Glasgow City Dev v Hibernian YPL St Andrews & East Neuk v East Fife Montrose v Gartcairn Cambusdoon FC v Aberdeen Blacks Strathaven Dynamos v Bonnyrigg Rose Renfrew Ladies v Lauderdale Turriff United v Dundee East Dundee West Royals v Kirriemuir Thistle Evro Girls Academ v Athena Glasgow Huntly v Moray Girls Grampian Girls United v Falkirk YPL Spartans Beveridge v Bayside 16s YPL Clark Drive v Murieston United Reds Dumbarton United v Forfar Farmington Gullane Athletic v Westerton United Glasgow Girls Pinks v Kilwinning FA Millennium v Glasgow Girls Purples Musselburgh Windsor Blues v Bayside 15s
BYES: Port Glasgow Spartans Reilly YPL
18s Scottish Challenge Cup – 2nd Round (Ties to be played: Sat/Sun 20/21 Apr 2024)
Falkirk v Gartcairn Renfrew v Turriff United Youth Grampian Girls v Inverness Caledonian Thistle Ayr United v EKFC Girls Jeanfield Swifts v Ross County Raith Rovers Colts v Spartans Harrison Blackhall Athletic v Dunfermline Athletic Boroughmuir Thistle Jags v East Fife Forfar Farmington v Cumbernauld Colts Glasgow Girls v Harmony Row Musselburgh Windsor Blues v Westdyke Giffnock v Dundee West Reds Bo’ness United v Queen of the South Edinburgh South v St Mirren
Jocknroll Ain't Noise Pollution 