How my planned overnight stay in the Borders en-route to watch Hearts v. Kilmarnock, via a Friday night game in Newcastle upon Tyne en route, turned into a longer than planned five day football 'weekend'.
Day one: "Ooh, Hebburn is a place on earth".
Friday 11th September 2009
Northern League Division 2
At North Drive, Hebburn, Newcastle upon Tyne
Hebburn Town (0) 0
Washington FC (2) 3
Liddle 25, Watling 36 pen, Smith 89
Admission £3, Programme 50p (inc.team sheet)
The A1 Northbound is always a freakin' nightmare on a Friday afternoons and evenings, no doubt cluttered up by commuters returning home for the weekend, lorry drivers delivering to firms who are only open from Monday to Friday, sex starved businessmen taking their secretaries to Newcastle for a mucky weekend... and sad bastard ground-hoppers heading towards this week's conveniently rescheduled Friday night Northern League fixtures.
However my 'best laid plan' to afford myself a couple of extra hours to sit in traffic jams listening to the great big pile of agitation busting CD's I'd brought along wasn't really necessary and in the event I arrived in Hebburn far too early.
So being of the well toned and athletic persuasion I took advantage of the mild weather and afforded myself a nice brisk walk along the towpath of the nearby idyllic river setting. But, after a couple of hundred yards I turned around (it is important to avoid burn out at my age) and went back to the car to have a snooze, with Dub Syndicate throbbing away in the background with the volume set to discretion and the alarm clock on my mobile phone set to 7pm.
What a tranquil pre-match scene, eh!? If this wasn't such a renowned dogging area (the lengths that I have to go to, to research this public information stuff for you, knows no bounds), I might've been tempted to spend the night here.
Hebburn Town play just a five minute walk away from the banks of the River Tyne, which, whatever Roger bleedin' Whittaker might tell you, is actually nowhere near Durham, which itself isn't actually a town at all, but a city... and if the Nairobi born songwriter had ever visited the place it would've been impossible for him to have missed the cathedral that affords the picturesque conurbation it's correct status... unless of course he went there prior to 1093. If only he'd stuck to whistling instead of spreading bullshit stories, a lot of misinformed conjecture could've been avoided.
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| Bullshitter! |
The high mileage maroon Mondeo, that has acted as my constant companion on my far-flung travels over these past few years, will be retiring from the roads in the very near future, as a direct result of several traumatic escapades over these last few months.
When repairs start costing more than road tax, insurance and fuel, it's time to swap wheels (and lord knows, I've changed enough of those just lately... usually on the hard-shoulder of the A1, when it is raining and dark)..
I think the old bugger knew, because today, the heap of scrap ran like a dream from start to finish and behaved impeccably on our latest 'holiday' outing 'oop north together... it's too late to be having second thoughts now though, roll on Tuesday when I pick-up the replacement model, that will no doubt be run into the ground too, sometime around the beginning of the impending new decade.
Hebburn Town FC are, like the majority of clubs in the Northern League, very welcoming and seemed pleased that (though a bit confused as to why) somebody had gone so far out of their way to watch a game at their North Drive ground tonight.
Apparently the ground was being used by the cricket club on Saturday afternoon (their wicket stands just a few feet from the touchline of the football pitch) who unlike Hebburn Town FC, have a chance of finishing the season as champions of their league.
Unfortunately for Hebburn's small but loyal fan base, their players are also very generous with the welcoming hospitality treatment too and subsequently they politely stood back for the first forty-five minutes and let Washington run-riot and bombard their goalkeeper at will.
The first goal didn't come until the twenty fifth minute and even then the Hebburn keeper was unlucky that he only managed to palm the ball upwards into to roof of his own net (very civil of him) from a looping header, that was initially directed just under the cross bar, from the head of Washington's centre-half Liddle from the edge of the area, following a right wing corner.
On 36 minutes the visitors thought that they had doubled their lead, but the referee ruled the goal out, as he had already blown up for a penalty.
Watling smacked the spot kick home with aplomb and then 'the Mechanics' went about trying to wrap up the game before the interval.
There were a few near misses as the Hebburn defence led a charmed life, but miraculously the half time whistle sounded before any further damage was done.
HT: 0 - 2
I had a stroll round at half time to the social club and found you couldn't get a hot drink for love nor money... but I was informed that as an alternative, they do sell pies over the bar for a pound.
I've never noticed any similarities between a caffeine fix in the form of a cup of warm liquid and a meat filled pastry snack product before, so I gave it a miss.
Jimmy, a Stanley based ground hopper was there, we had a brief chat, as per normal... this guy has been at all but three of the Northern League grounds I have ever visited, at the same time as me, which is eerie because it's been a complete coincidence each and every time.
Unless he's been duplicated (a frightening thought), is stalking me or he's been hired by my better half as a private detective to check if I'm really spending all of my leisure time in a harmless pursuit of my football travels hobby, or if I have a double life as a Napoleon Solo type secret-agent who is mixed up in all kinds of international espionage plots.
Be very careful that you don't get too close to the truth James old lad, my Lithuanian contacts are actually a bunch of ruthless cut-throat assassins on the QT... even the KGB wouldn't be daft to muck about with them.
Also present, was the Rugby League fan, who travels round Northern League grounds taking pictures of any dogs people take to games with them, to send in to the excellent magazine Northern Ventures Northern Gains for publication. I'm buggered if I know why he'd want to do such a thing, but I s'pose his canine fetish isn't hurting anybody else, so each to their own, innit!?.
Personally, I'm a
really miserable and mean-spirited old bastard and when I'm Prime Minister (remember, you read this here first) I'm going to ban all dogs from football grounds and all other sports pitches and recreational playing fields... and possibly all other public spaces too. You might scoff at me now, but I'm confident that a lot of people will be swayed to vote for my anti-dogs stance.
Seriously, they'e bloody horrible things, with their territorial pissing and shitting everywhere, and slobbering all over you, growling and showing you their teeth, while some retard of an owner gleefully tells you: "He's only playing, he won't hurt you!"
And as for cats... effing cats! Don't even get me started.
Anyway, second half:
Hebburn shut up shop, figuring they had given their visitors enough chances to win the game already by now and it all became a bit scrappy as they suffocated the life out of each and every Washington move.
It became a fairly grim spectacle for a while, as 'the Hornets' side steadfastly stuck to a damage limitation plan while the visitors were content to sit on their two goal lead. But Hebburn finally got around to realising they were still losing and pushed on to salvage something from the game late on ... but didn't manage to make much of an impression attack-wise.
However, by committing men forward for a late push, they did leave themselves exposed at the back and Washington first rattled the right hand post and then put the game out of Hebburn's reach, when substitute Lee Smith buried a shot past the unprotected Kyle Donaldson in the very last minute.
FT: Hebburn Town 0 v Washington 3
A nice set up all told and a half-decent contest, in occasional spells (interspersed by a lacklustre moments, particularly after half-time) and (bonus) the roads were empty by the time that the referee blew for full-time and I pushed on further 'oop north, in my quest for football, football and, err... even more football. Next stop on my weekend agenda is Hearts v Kilmarnock tomorrow afternoon.
I'm only doing all of this for the glamour y'know... how does your grim lifestyle measure up to my rock n' roll existence you squares!?
Day two: Heart of Mid-Lothian Thistle
Saturday 12th September 2009.
East of Scotland League, Premier Division.
at the Saughton Enclosure.
Lothian Thistle (1) 3
Tynecastle FC (0) 0
Admission £4. Programme £1.
And a free cup of 'Edinburgh Champagne' from a kindly Lothian Thistle official for all, it was greatly appreciated on a very warm afternoon in the Scottish capital.
Attendance: 68.
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| Station Tavern |
So there I am sat in the Station Tavern, a short distance from Tynecastle Park, where Hearts are meant to be facing Kilmarnock in a little over thirty five minutes, when the text messages start arriving and rumours begin circulating and everybody asks for the volume on Sky Sports News to be turned up.
The stories are soon confirmed, owing to bad traffic congestion on the M8 following a chemical spillage, Kilmarnock won't be coming today.
Amidst much cursing from a disgruntled pub clientele, I ascertain that the game will be rearranged for a later date and decide to resort to my back up plan. After all it said and done it is imperative to
always have one ... just in case.
Today mine is Lothian Thistle FC.
There's was time to hang about to join in with the moaning and groaning, I've got me a football match to get to.
Fortunately I'd paced myself last night along the Tyne embankment, because this afternoon it is the main event... a Marathon is not a race, it's a Snickers... a power walk along Gorgie Road, right at the Balgreen Road traffic lights, past the sadly declining and now long since closed down Wheatsheaf public house (my old stomping ground, quite literally sometimes) left across the road and through the gates into Saughton Park.
On the park pitch Tynecastle Under 17's v Roseburn Under 17's has just kicked off, it's a lively game so I hang around and take in ten minutes or so of the action, because there are still twenty minutes to spare before the 2.30PM game kicks off in the ground I'm heading to at the far end of the park.
Tynecastle's first team's home ground is elsewhere, Fernieside to be precise, on the road out of Edinburgh towards Dalkeith (best panoramic view of it being from the upper deck of a number 27 bus to the Royal Infirmary - so now you know, eh!?). But their younger teams all play on the Saughton Park pitch.
Fernieside was originally Tolcross United's ground, but the signs and all other traces of TUFC have gone now, since they merged into one team (and one name too) with Tynecastle.
Tynecastle Under 17's wearing maroon
Fernieside Tool Hire are a fictitious company who sponsor the Worksop Town U19 team that I am involved with, who have FTH in maroon letters across the front of their shirts... unbeknownst to the Tigers chairman or his lackies, it is a popular acronym that appears in spray paint across the walls of the Scottish capital and stands for F*ck The Hibs. I'm sure the north Notts based football club (the fourth oldes team in the whole wordld as it happens), will see the funny side when somebody inevitably grasses me up.
To be fair to both Under 17's teams this afternoon, the standard of football they were playing did tempt me to stay put and see their game through to it's conclusion, but I was intrigued to see if Lothian Thistle could pull off a win today over Tynecastle's first XI and take over at the top of EOS Premier League.
Writing with hindsight, I can say without fear of contradiction, I made the right choice.
£4 secured me admission to the Saughton Enclosure and I picked up a programme on the way in too, even though the friendly old chap on the gate had warned me "It's not very good, definitely not worth a pound", he was right, on both counts.
The Saughton Enclosure has no seating, or hard standing and no shelter of any kind whatsoever either, so it is fortunate for your the66pow correspondent and his erstwhile sidekick who had tagged along once it was announced that the nearby SPL fixture had been cancelled, visited on a beautiful sunny afternoon.
The pitch is surrounded by an athletics track, sand pits, a discus and hammer throwing area and all manner of other sporting facilities. There is a raised grass bank along one side opposite the park side entrance, so that is where we sat enjoying the weather and a thoroughly entertaining game of football.
Tynecastle started the game in the same lively manner that I'd just seen their Under 17's come out of the blocks across the park, but they then seemed to peak early and spent the rest of the game in the guise of the second best team by some considerable margin.
Thistle wanted that top berth in the league and Tynecastle's often tetchy and physical rearguard action wasn't going to stand in their way.
The aptly named Mark Lothian almost opened the scoring, but John Gilbertson in the visitors goal pulled off a splendid save ... he was the busiest and best player on the pitch, but couldn't prevent right back Richie Wilkes heading home a (Mark) Lothian corner for Lothian (Thistle) shortly before half time.
Maybe Tynecastle would start the second half in the same gung-ho fashion as they did the first I thought, but they didn't and the game became even more one-sided.
6 minutes after the restart Tynecastle did score but it was disallowed for a foul on the home keeper, who subsequently had to go off with an injured hand.
Outfield substitute Paul Scales replaced the injured Kevin Swain, but played as if he was a natural goalkeeper when he was called upon, which wasn't actually all that often, because the ball spent most of the time at the other end of the pitch.
The visitors had two players sent off in quick succession with approx. 20 minutes remaining, they were already struggling to contain Lothian who were looking to kill the game off and now they had just shot themselves in both feet.
In the final six minutes Gilbertson's resolve finally cracked and he conceded two late goals. Wayne McIntosh (the Lothian skipper) had been a handful for the visitors all afternoon, busying himself and leading his charges by example ... and he netted an absolute peach of a shot from twenty yards out.
He thoroughly deserved that moment of glory.
In injury time, McIntosh tried his luck with another well hit drive but Gilbertson denied him this time with yet another save, unfortunately for the Tynie keeper the rest off his team were nowhere to be seen as the ball rebounded out towards Lothian's striker Craig Hume, who gratefully accepted the opportunity to seal the visitors fate.
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| Luckies |
A ground-hopping memento seeker and his money are soon parted
Besides taking the 'leisurely stroll' route detailed above, the less energetic amongst you can also get on a Number 3 (Gorgie) bus from the City Centre and after passing Tynecastle Stadium on the right, after a few minutes look out for some traffic lights with a pub called the Horseshoe Inn (AKA Luckies) on the left and alight at the next bus stop after the traffic lights.
On the opposite side of the road you will see a narrow turning called Fords Road, walk a couple of hundred yards up there, cross the footbridge over the river (Water of Leith) and you will come to the gates pictured below, AKA the players and officials entrance to the Saughton Enclosure.
Incidentally, for those of you who aren't familiar with 'Edinburgh Champagne', in other parts of the British Isles it is also called diluted orange squash.
Incidentally #2, at the time of writing Lothian Thistle are indeed top of the East of Scotland League, Premier Division... good for them.
As for me, they'll be an announcement by tomorrow, whether the Hearts game is going to be played on either Tuesday or Wednesday now, so it would be rude not to extend my stay in Edinburgh so I can return to Tynecastle in a couple of days time... but if the two sides agree on switching to Wednesday night instead, I'll be heading home tomorrow instead.
Day three: The Spartans
Captain's log: Sunday 13th September 2009. Games: Two. Goals: Sixteen.
Today I have mostly been watching two of the teams from The Spartans FC playing at two different grounds.
Both the old and the new Spartans FC grounds, are dead easy to find from the centre of Edinburgh, even during the current road works/tramlime works chaos that have made this really aesthetically beautiful city a complete bloody eyesore.
Off Princes Street you will find Hanover Street, walk up the hill there and over the George Street cross-road and on the left you will see a bus stop. Lothian Buses services number 21 & 27 run from here and both will take you up onto Ferry Road.
On Ferry Road, alight opposite the Morrison's supermarket.
As you stand facing the store, the new ground Ainslee Park is just over the bridge on the right to the back of the supermarket car park ... and then immediately on the left once you're over the bridge, you'll come to some steps down to the main sports centre entrance (see below). To the left of the main entrance you can't miss the Spartans academy pitches and main ground, it's an impressive complex and there seemed to be games for all ages and abilities (with dozens of players decked out in gleaming white Spartans shirts and red shorts) taking place, when I arrived.
Even I had a kickabout out on one of the pitches, which must've heavily stacked today's ability co-efficient, one way or the other.
The old ground City Park is behind the manky old fence to the right of the road out of the supermarket car park (Pilton Drive), walk approx 100 yards back down Ferry Road in the direction you just came past on the bus and you'll find the entrance sign, hidden in vegetation, just past a row of houses.
There is a short driveway from this sign post into the ground.
Got all of that!? There is a quiz at the end.
Of course you could just ignore all of the above and get in a taxi from Waverley Station to Morrison's on Ferry Road for a fiver, but hey! Where's your sense of adventure?
Sunday 13th September 2009. EADSAFA Premier Division.
The Spartans FC Academy Enclosure
The Spartans FC Amateurs 2
Currie FC Amateurs 5
Admission Free, No Programme,
Attendance varied throughout
Apologies from the outset to the doting mother from Tranent whose lad was playing, for telling her in response to her quizzing me as to why there was somebody from England in attendance at this game, that I was a scout from Manchester City, running the rule over a lad from Lasswade that Darren Fletcher had recommended to Alex Ferguson already, but that we wanted to nick him from under their noses.
This game was played at the academy enclosure, that as the above picture shows, backs on to the impressive new stand of The Spartans first team enclosure.
Ainslee Park is one of the new grounds I have earmarked for a visit this season, but as this game was actually played on the academy pitch, So I'm just going to have to come again sometime to tick that one off, aren't I?
My quest, my rules innit.
Currie amateurs in their black kit with faded numbers, looked like scruffy interlopers in amongst the spick and span white and redness of everything else around them. But they evidently didn't feel overawed by the professionalism that permeates every corner of Ainslee Park and they quickly set about spanking their hosts.
A goal on four minutes from the above corner set the tone for this Sunday lunch time encounter.
Now amateur games in the EADSAFA Premier Division don't actually have programmes or team sheets, so I'll spare you a 'number 4 headed the opener from number 10's corner after number 7 knocked the far post flag kick back across the face of goal' type resume.
Currie were the better side. And to be frank they hammered the Spartans amateur side and the score reflects their dominance.
Nuff said?
Sunday 13th September 2009.
East of Scotland Under 19 League
City Park
The Spartans U19 (2) 3
Matt Pringle, Gary Sinclair, Gary Hamilton
Civil Service Strollers U19 (4) 6
Err... any suggestions gratefully received
Admission Free, No programme or team sheet,
Attendance 'fluctuated'
Matt Pringle headed the Spartans ahead in just the second minute, but 11 minutes later they were already 1-3 down and chasing the game.
Sorry, I don't know the names of any Civil Service Strollers Under 19's players.
Well, not yet anyway, but I will endeavour to plug that knowledge gap ASAP when I'm back up this way, if you
really want me to. After all, it's only a quick 260 mile blast up the A1 from my desirable residence to City Park
As for the Spartans players names... hmm, surely everybody is familiar with those!?
The rudimentary old stand at City Park is no longer there, but there are several grass banks around the fenced off pitch that vary in degrees of steepness between gentle gradients and Olympic sized downhill ski-ing ramps, where one can find a convenient vantage point..
Of course, I may now be a retired mountain climber, but I was still determined to crack each and every peak in pursuit of a perfect photo angle... and to raid the abundance of blackberry bushes. Who said mobile phones don't grow on trees?
Civil Service Strollers helped to get their hosts back into the game in a most generous fashion, tamely 'clearing' a potential threat across the face of their own goal straight to the feet of the unmarked Gary Sinclair who tapped the ball home from all of eighteen inches.
The Spartans reciprocated the 'Civils' good manners just before the break, when their keeper flapped at a tame shot and helped it on it's way into the net for the visitors 4th
On 47 minutes, The Spartans Gary Hamilton scored (see picture above) from a right wing cross, to coincide with the very moment that I scaled the highest peak in the ground.
I thought the panoramic view would be ideal, but it was akin to watching a Subbuteo fixture through a neighbours window off of a step ladder (please don't ever ask me how I know that), so I opted for a more sensible down to earth view, and by the time I had re-acclimatised to the oxygen levels at a suitable altitude, the visitors were banging home yet another goal.
The Spartans Under 19's had gotten off to a flyer in both haves before crash-landing and bursting into flames (metaphorically speaking of course).
By now (on the hour) the players, rather like myself, were getting a bit jaded and niggly in the afternoon heat and the game lost a lot of it's ebb and flow and slowed down as both teams struggled to get any kind of a rhythm going.
A few badly timed, late tackles and an element of borderline thuggery had started to creep in to the game too.
You can more or less make out where the old
grandstand used to be, see image below
It is the way of the EoS Under 19 League that each club will provide a linesman to assist the referee.
In the very last minute the guy Civil Service Strollers had running the line kept his flag down as three of their players sprang the Spartans offside trap and advanced on the goalkeeper with inevitable consequences ... and the final score was 3-6.
In my humble and unbiased opinion, all three of them were off by miles, as was another 'Civils' player, though my vision and perception could have been impaired by fatigue, it isn't every day you get to go hill walking on a very hot afternoon whilst watching a game of football.
It does seem a bit odd that both teams had linesmen marshalling the ends that their respective teams were attacking, mind you it could account for there having been so many goals I suppose.
I read the paper on the bus back in to town, that Hearts are indeed playing on Tuesday night (a quick turn around or what?) which means I'll still be in Edinburgh then instead of at my originally planned game of West Auckland v Bishop Auckland (Bishops currently ground share at West Auckland's ground), which I was going to pick up on my way home, via the ups n' downs and challenging bends of the A68. And in the small print I also spotted that Worksop Town had drawn (just for a change) in the FA Cup at home to Frickley Athletic, so rather than staying in the North East of England on Wednesday night and watching Washington entertain Thornaby (a new ground for me), another change of plan was instigated... and I'll be dashing back all the way home once I'd attended to my 'other commitments' to get to the replay at Westfield Lane. Doubtless it will be worth all the mileage, as is the norm whenever the Blues and the Tigers get to grips with each other.
Ah football, it gets you out and about... doesn't it!?
Back on Rose Street in the city centre after the game, we were having a few beers and an all day breakfast in Scruffy Murphy's (when in Rome), when my friends phone rang... the caller was ranting and raving and sounded like the General giving Dick Dastardly a bollocking for failing yet again to 'catch that pigeon'.
"OK, I'll let him know" said my ear-bashed pal, before turning to me and saying: "It was Fergie, he's no happy wi' yer Rob".
Aw, drat! Double-drat! And triple-drat!
"He said 'Tell that f***er from East Retford, to stop tapping up my young players and trying to sign them behind my back' and he is still annoyed that that Robbie Savage guy you put his way was nowhere near as good as the rest of his class of 92"
You what!? Savage was the pick of the bunch, it wasn't his fault that old red nose at Old Trafford wasn't clued up enough to see that he build a team around him. How does he ever expect to win anything and make his way in the game as a successful manager? I ask you!
Sometimes with this blogging malarkey, one needs to occasionally make things up to maintain the readers attention span.
But I mean, Please! That bit's obviously made up... why on earth would anybody think that I'd ever work for a shower of shit club like Manchester City? Give me some credit.
Day 3 - Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic
No actual football to watch today, but as you pass through Bonnyrigg, the Scottish JFA East Region Supreme Division Championship flag is hanging on the corner of the High Street a couple of hundred yards from New Dundas Park, in defiance to those who could have put the club out of business last season when they suffered extensive vandalism and an arson attack (see below).
Following their tribulations, it is great to see that even in the current financial climate, 'the Rose' (or 'Rosie-Posie' as some locals seem to prefer), have secured some backing and are currently redeveloping the damaged areas of New Dundas Park.
It's a great tale of a Junior football club thriving against a backdrop of adversity... hopefully their are still many chapters to come. I'll be following their progress keenly.
This 'Rose Club' gate on the footpath to the side of the ground from the adjacent 'Calderwood' public house, appears to have gone missing since my last visit.
I hasten to add that I haven't got it!
Day 5: "Auld Reekie supports them with pride".
Tuesday 15th September 2009.
Scottish Premier League
Tyncastle Stadium, Gorgie Road, Edinburgh
Heart of Midlothian (1) 1
Kilmarnock (0) 0
Admission ST.
Programme £3.
Attendance: 13,328
Woo hoo! Kilmarnock finally managed to get to Edinburgh.
I have no doubt their reasons for wanting Saturday's game postponed and rearranged were genuine, but felt the Killy boss (and former Hearts boss) Jim Jefferies could have been a bit less publicly gleeful about having three extra players available for selection tonight who wouldn't have been able to play at the weekend.
The floodlight tower that hasn't worked since there was a fire on the day of the Dinamo Zagreb Europa League match is still out of order (see top picture), but the remaining lighting rigs have been inspected and were deemed to be kicking out sufficient lux readings per square yardage for both European and Domestic games, not that there will be any more of the former since the team capitulated in that shocking first-leg in Croatia.
Maybe the money men at HMFC will try to claim that it is a environmental issue to leave a quarter of the lights off for the rest of the season???
Nothing would surprise me at Hearts any more.
This was a tight but highly entertaining game.
The only goal came courtesy of Andy Driver on the half hour, when he hit an unstoppable shot from outside the box past Kilmarnock's (on loan from Celtic) goalkeeper Mark Brown.
Suso Santana, the Jambos summer signing, had already come close to scoring,while Craig Thomson was denied by a great save from Brown... but both teams had their chances, in fact Kilmarnock should have been level at half time, when Craig Bryson put an 'unmissable' header over from just a few yards out.
Bryson nearly levelled things up just after the break too, but Marion Kello denied him a great reflex save.
To be honest - and I know there is a lot of divided opinion on this - I would always pick Kello as first choice keeper at Tynecastle with Janos Balogh as back up, but throughout the rotational selection of both of them, Balogh seems to be the preferred first choice.
Kevin Kyle looked dangerous when he came on as a substitute for the visitors, he was one of the players who would've been out and unable to play on Saturday. He was also a threat in the pre match warm up, when a stray shot he whacked high and wide of the goal gave the person sat next to me a nice big thigh sized bruise.
Suso Santana was very lively throughout the game, he's really started to fit into the Hearts set up very well. The Spaniard was unlucky not to have scored from an headed opportunity, but the acrobatic Brown made a great stop keep it out.
The game flowed from end to end and must've been great to watch for any neutral present, but with both keepers called regularly into the action, it was edge of the seat stuff for fans of both teams while the score stayed remained 1-0.
Danny Invincible (what a great name) blasted the visitors last chance to pull level over the bar and the single goal margin was enough to secure all three points... who could ever have doubted it would be for a single moment!?
FT: Heart of Midlothian 1 v Kilmarnock 0
Right, it's time to head home... if I can still remember where it is.
The Don Valley Stadium, home of Rotherham United, Sheffield Eagles, Athletics meetings
A Central Midlands Football League match played against the opulent back drop of such a large stadium, under enough watts of floodlight power to keep even those big posh new floodlights at Forest Town going for the rest of the season, was always going to be a slightly surreal affair.
For CMFL games (unlike when Rotherham United play their Football League games here), you can only enter (and leave) the Stadium through entrance C, which is 'manned' by two very charming and cheerful ladies who can also provide coffee and chocolate bars for a small consideration.
Out n' about in my old Ajax away shirt, by way of tribute to the fact it that today is the birthday of the legendary Ajay Saggar
