Brechin 1-1 Clach
Sitting in the back of the Mystery Machine today, otherwise known as the Supporters Bus, hurtling at Warp Factor three across country, this time on the way to Brechin, you could not be anything other than impressed by the breadth of knowledge of Scottish Football(both locally and nationally),of my fellow travellers. Surely a spot in the Mastermind Chair beckons for all of these guys. Personally, I literally do not have a Scooby Doo who plays right back for Keith, what affiliations certain referees have, or even the names of Stadiums. Whether this is just a general lack of interest, or that my brain doesn\'t retain knowledge the way that it used to, I really do not know. These days I have a very blinkered view of the beautiful game. I am lucky if I can name three players of the Scotland National team right now, but could give the 1970s sides a good stab. Likewise with the England side. I\'ve recently had my 62nd birthday, and knowing stats and figures no longer has the same appeal.
Perhaps it is my Mindfulness leanings("Oh here he goes again! Bleedin Dalai Lama Parish"!), but whatever has gone before, or yet to come, is pretty irrelevant. Its really a case of the here and now with me. In this moment. Ommm! I love these guys, this team, right now.
But sharing nuggets of information obviously gives my fellow travellers a whole load of joy and interest. As conversations flow, of which I am a hapless bystander, I return to my book(Yes a real book), called The Essex Dogs. My first thought on seeing the title was that it was about the dating scene in Racquels Nightclub in 1980\'s Basildon, but this could not be further from the truth.
Set in 1346, at the onset of the 100 Years War, it tells the tale of a tight-knit company and their fighting exploits. The Tag Line is, "Some men fight for glory. Some fight for Coin. The Essex Dogs fight for each other.
It might be so many centuries later, and under pretty different circumstances, but I can draw similar comparisons to that fictional bunch of comrades and this current group of modern day sporting heroes.
Today at the impressive Glebe Park Stadium, our troops assembled in confident mood following a succession of consistently impressive performances. Our position in the table, totally justified and on merit. Even factoring in absences through injury, our depleted squad have fought on admirably securing victories(Banks O Dee aside), against all the odds.
Adorning our magnificent away strip, now with the welcome addition of the Sophies Story Logo on the sleeve, the Boys knew that they would be in for a real test of character against a Brechin side, desperate to get back to winning ways.
And like many a good battle, there proved to be little between both teams. Both ourselves and City were well organised and disciplined, and both sides appeared fit, and up for the challenge. In terms of attacking threat, we had the best of the early exchanges with both Josh Meekings and Ben Cormack having headers that were comfortably over the bar. James Anderson, again displaying exemplary hold-up play, and overall footballing intelligence, continued to link up well with those around him, with one eye-catching move involving Craig Lawrie exemplified just what a talented bunch we have right now.
The best chance of the first half however went to the hosts, when Roberts fired over, when it seemed easier to score. The pitch proved to be a bit of a battleground, however, as the ball bobbled uncontrollably about at times, stifling a lot of creativity and free-flowing play.
We reached half-time all square, and the pre-match prediction negativity was beginning to abate. Only Brenna amongst us, had a "strange feeling" that we would cause an upset today. Perhaps memories of the 2-4 home defeat in the reverse fixture was stoking up the cynicism.
The second half began as the first half had finished. Both teams going toe to toe, with nothing between them. Greg Morrison, looking strong and confident in midfield had our first chance, but could not keep his shot down.
Fortunately this was not crucial, as on 70 minutes, James Anderson, who else, displayed his tactical and positional awareness once again, being in the right place at the right time. 1-0 to the Yellows, and the Lily Loyal went wild. In a season that has witnessed a number of shock results, could we pull off another? Brechin had no option other than to attack, but I thought we looked comfortable. The Gaffer, who had seemingly got all his tactics right so far made a double substitution, for reasons that I can only speculate on. Sometimes this move will bolster, but on this occasion, perhaps it just muddled things a bit. But what do I know? But whatever, within a minute, Brechin had equalised through exploiting space on the left. City pushed for a winner in the closing minutes, but we regained our shape and discipline, and the game finished in a stale-mate.
It really says a lot about just how far we have come in this last year, that we can consider a draw at teams like Brechin, as a disappointment, but that is kind of how it feels. But another good performance, and another example of camerarderie and fighting for each other. Our battle weary soldiers went over to applaud the travelling support, which included James and Charlie, who, although young enough to be my grandchildren, have completed a visit to every ground in the Highland League. Take a bow guys! I am sure that those two know more than I will ever know, and I look forward to overhearing their facts and stats the next time we meet. I will forget them almost immediately.
But while we were travelling in the Supporters bus, in a parallel Galaxy, far far away, Andy Macrae had donned his gold lame(pronounced lar-may guys) jacket, and was quizmaster in a Bus Quiz on the Players Bus. There were allegations over cheating(Let it go, Coco!), but there were loads of questions about Highland League and Football in general. I would have been hopeless(unless you had a section on early 80s pop music). However, there were plenty of people around me that would prove to be a good "Phone a Friend".
I also believe that Troy Cooper was, like me, engrossed in not one, but two, books. One was a Dot to Dot, and the other came with a box of crayons.
But our soldiers now regroup to do battle again, as we are back to the Park next week with the visit of Rothes. Come along, bring a friend, and be a part of something special.
