Ground 40: Borough Briggs

Borough Briggs: about to witness a miracle? (No)

Game: Elgin City 3 v 2 East Stirlingshire

Date: Saturday 4^th May

Competition: Scottish Football League Division 3

Attendance: 786

Admission: £10

Programme: £2

In the end, it just wasn’t enough. Due to their inconsistent form, Elgin needed a miracle to happen on the final day of the season, to allow them to reach the play-offs. They needed to beat basement side East Stirlingshire and hope that Rangers would defeat Berwick Rangers. That in itself wasn’t difficult to imagine, but the margin of victories had to total seven. Given Rangers recent form, it looked inevitable that they would grind out a win by one or two goals (which is frankly an embarrassment to a team of handsomely paid professionals in a very much part-time league). Therefore, Elgin had to go all-out from the moment the referee blew his whistle at 12.30pm.

For some reason, this was the game I was most excited about all season. I even dreamt about it twice in the build-up to the game. It’s become increasingly evident to me this season that I really enjoy watching Elgin play, even if they are as frustrating to watch as my other team (Hibs). What I enjoy most about it, I suppose, is the intimate surroundings of the grounds and the fact you are so close to the action.

First, however, a confession: this wasn’t my first visit to Borough Briggs this season. Earlier in the season when we attended Inverness-Celtic, we mooted the possibility of a single day double-header, taking in Elgin vs. Annan following the SPL encounter. However, traffic getting out of the Highland capital was a nightmare and so we arrived at Borough Briggs at 3.25pm, with no turnstiles open. Thankfully, someone was around from the club who let us in (for free), but at that point Elgin were already two goals to the good. I didn’t think a post about that game would be particularly fair.

Borough Briggs is also the site of my first experience of the disappointment of postponements in football. As both sets of my grandparents lived in Elgin, we were used to spending Christmas there, and we’d try to catch City in Highland League action, which invariably would be called off due in inclement December weather. Back in those days, Elgin were a good Highland League side and Borough Briggs contained a unique feature: a pill box from World War 2, which sadly was removed when Elgin became SFL members in 2000, alongside Peterhead. Sadly, I couldn’t find a picture of the pill box on the internet, but a photo of it proudly sits in the club’s catering stall.

Aside from the lack of pill box, little has changed at Borough Briggs in the past twenty or so years. There’s a small main stand (with seats provided by Newcastle United) with a covered terrace on the opposite side and uncovered small terracing behind each goal. Borough Briggs is also home to one of the biggest pitches in Scotland, although that might change if plans for an artificial playing surface goes ahead over the summer.

East Stirlingshire started brightly, hitting the post before a powerful deflected header from Jamie Duff in the 16^th minute put Elgin in the lead. Suddenly a seven goal swing looked possible. However, that feeling of hope were short-lived as East Stirlingshire equalised through Jamie Glasgow in a well-worked move that had stretched Elgin’s three man defence.

The home fans weren’t worrying too much as Elgin piled on the pressure and by the 39^th minute found themselves in the lead once more. This time, Stuart Leslie coolly finishing to give Elgin a small chance of promotion. But, just four minutes later, East Stirlingshire had equalised again with a comical goal – a free kick was floated in that evaded everyone before bouncing and hitting the bar, falling to Paul Quinn who poked the ball against Elgin goalkeeper Joe Malin and the ball slowly dribbled into the net. It was a defensive shocker, combined with an element of bad luck, which summed up a lot of Elgin this season.

It was beginning to dawn on most fans in the ground that a seven goal swing was just going to be out of reach as Rangers slowly proceeded to a 1-0 win over Berwick. It produced a somewhat subdued atmosphere for the second half where Elgin kept trying to push on but without much luck – they genuinely looked like they had run out of steam. One couldn’t help but imagine a scenario where they had held onto their leads for a little longer and also to think back to a number of games this season where Elgin threw away points from a leading position. Close, yet so far.

The second half wasn’t much to write home about and Ross Jack made three substitutions in an attempt to change the score. Just as it looked like the teams would share the points – a long floated ball was headed on for Ceiran McLean to rifle a magnificent half volley right into the roof of the net. It was a magnificent goal, worthy of winning any game, yet somehow, felt underwhelming.

But Elgin fans can console themselves with the fact that the new season is just around the corner.

Ground 18: Ibrox

Ibrox with the sun out shining brightly

Game: Rangers 3 v 0 Elgin City

Date: Sunday 2^nd December 2012

Competition: Scottish Cup 4^th Round

Attendance: 23, 195

Admission: £15

Programme: £3

Rangers Football Club. I know of no other club that divides football fans so much. They are Marmite. You either love or loathe them. There aren’t many shades of grey when it comes to the team from Govan.

When I first started watching football, Rangers were dominant. The absolute kings. Rulers of all they pervaded. Remember at this time, Celtic were hopeless and for seven of Rangers’ nine in a row triumphs finished outside the top two in the Premier Division. Rangers were an exciting team to watch – they’d always start the season badly and then steamroller every other club to a double or a treble. And twenty years ago they were playing in the fledging Champions League and I was finally allowed to stay up and watch games on TV. They defeated Lyngby from Denmark and then Leeds United in a ‘Battle of Britain’ that was to a 7 year old, really very exciting. They were drawn in a group against Club Brugges, CSKA Moscow and Marseilles and I remember watching every game. They were exciting games and that Rangers side contained players like Andy Goram, David Robertson, Ally McCoist, Alexei Mikhailichenko and Mark Hateley (although to be fair, I always disliked Hateley), all of whom were capable of wowing and winning games (hell, even Scott Nisbet got involved in the action, from 50 seconds on this video). Rangers narrowly lost out on progress to the final to Marseilles, who we later found to be cheating.

Cheating, breaking the rules, not playing to the spirit of the rules. Amazing how things can come full circle in 20 years? This is not a post about the rights or wrongs of what has happened at Ibrox, much better writers than I have covered what’s gone on in the past few years at Rangers. Me? I’m none the wiser as to whether Rangers broke the rules, but I certainly have reservations about rich institutions not paying tax. Legally, it may have been within the rules. Morally? Well, let’s just say I think if you’re earn a fortune then perhaps you should help those less fortunate than yourself and build a better society. Hospitals, schools and roads aren’t built by accident.

So we now find ourselves in a situation where Rangers Football Club have died, been resurrected and now find themselves playing football in the Scottish Football League Third Division. We now have a unique experience where the Third Division has two UEFA five star grounds and the SPL has none. But this is Scottish football and nothing is as it seems. Today’s Scottish Cup encounter between Rangers and Elgin was due to be the second clash in a week between the two sides but Elgin were forced to postpone the game following revelations that they had oversold tickets for the fixture due to be played at Boroughbriggs the week before. Like I said, Scottish football, where nothing is as it seems.

And so to Ibrox for a Scottish Cup 4^th Round match (at the start of December, madness), between the top clubs holding first and second place in the Third Division. Not exactly the usual encounter that finds its way onto Sky’s schedule, but this season is far from ordinary. I took my Dad along to the game as a thank you for taking me to Stirling-Elgin a few weeks before, and we found getting to the ground very simple – along the M8 (again) and got parked just off Helen Street. It was a bitterly cold day and I almost ended up on my backside several times as we walked for about ten minutes to find ourselves approaching the ground from the west.

I had only been to Ibrox once before, for a rearranged Scotland match when they played Bosnia Herzegovina, a match I remember for the Mexican wave which was infinitely more impressive than the game taking place on the park. The game took place in 1999 on an October night and I can’t say I have many memories of the game (evidenced by the fact that I had convinced myself it was a 0-0 draw when in fact Scotland won 1-0 with a John Collins penalty – clearly a classic match).

What’s clear is just how impressive Ibrox is. It is massive. Redeveloped during the 1980s, it bares all the hallmarks of a stadium of that era – that is, large, bricked and shall we say, built for comfort? The Broomloan Stand especially looks absolutely massive. We approached the ground seeing the famous gates (always used on news stories about the club) and I’ve always been in thrall to the brick and glass construction at either side of the Main Stand, although I was disappointed as a youngster to learn that all that was in there was an enclosed stairwell. Still impressive though. The main stand at Ibrox, now known as the Bill Sturth Main Stand sits on Edmiston Drive and is B listed building, designed by Archibald Leitch which was described by Leith’s biographer Simon Inglis as an “imposing red-brick facade, with its mock neo-classical arched, square and pedimented windows, exudes prestige and power”. It is really quite difficult to argue with that sentiment.

We arrived about 45 minutes before the game kicked off yet there were a lot of people milling around the ground, with the unofficial merchandise guys out in full force, you could even buy ‘Not Guilty’ scarves celebrating the outcome of the recent tax tribunal. We headed up to our turnstile and entered the home of Glasgow Rangers Football Club.

I found Ibrox a strange experience – especially as an away fan – deposited in a small corner in the north-west between the Broomloan and Govan stands. Admittedly, there weren’t a great number of travelling Elgin fans and the sheer scale of Ibrox means that from our corner it feels like a proper arena, and in certain moments feels like you’re actually indoors.

This season I found that sometimes the matchday programme offers an insight into the club you are about to watch, and certainly the Rangers’ programme gives an insight into the psyche of the club, with comments from writers inside talking about how “the world is watching at the way Rangers fans conduct themselves with great humanity” and how Rangers have been victimised and punished like no other club. It’s pure fantasy of course, but I now understand where certain Rangers’ fans get their sense of entitlement from.

What Rangers do well though, is a sense of theatre – they have a terrifically loud singing section in the bottom section of the Broomloan Stand, and they have flag-wearers that come out ten minutes before the start of the game to make kick-off seem like some sort of event. The music, however, is rotten. All tin whistles and horrendous throwback anthems. Never has one longed for the latest chart hits…

The game itself was actually a very good one – which Rangers won deservedly. Although, it wasn’t all one way traffic, but any side that has Lee McCulloch and Lee Wallace as a centre half pairing means they are always going to be difficult to break down. Add into that mix, Ian Black (who is still a nasty player at this level), McKay on the wing and two stars up front in Kevin Kyle and Dean Shiels. All these players would and should be playing at a much higher level. Kyle had the ball in the net within two minutes but it was wrongly ruled out for offside. It was fortunate for Elgin, and fortunate for the tie as it kept the game competitive. As thehighlights demonstrate, Rangers had plenty of chances, but were highly profligate in front of goal – it’s not so much a problem at Division 3 level, but when they face Dundee United in the next round of the cup they might be struggling.

Rangers made a break through just before half-time to stir the Gers support, who aside from the Broomloan section had been quiet throughout the game aside from a minute’s applause in the 2^nd minute for Sandy Jardine.

Elgin started the second half brightly and had three good chances to get back into the game. They didn’t take them which is costly when playing teams of the standard of Rangers and the blues responded by going 2-0 up from a whipped in corner. Kal Naismith put the game beyond doubt with his first touches after coming on as a substitute.

In reality, the gap in quality was just too much for Elgin, although they gave a good account of themselves. There’s no doubt in my mind that Rangers will walk the Third Division and will probably do the same in the Second, but they are not dominating games in the way one would expect.

All in all, an enjoyable day out at Ibrox. I’ve always fancied being there for an Old Firm game, but that may have to wait unless the two clubs draw each other in the cup in the next few seasons!

Welcome to 42 Grounds

Welcome to my first post of this, my new blog, 42 Grounds.


2012/13 is shaping up to be a season like no other in Scottish football and it is my intention to visit all 42 grounds in the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League.


Why?


Partly because I've always wanted to visit all the grounds in Scottish football. I've been to many, but why not set myself a challenge to see them all in one season? Secondly, this looks like it will be an interesting season for Scottish football - we have several clubs competing in Europe and several ambitious clubs being promoted to different leagues, not to mention the unmitigated drama that is Rangers Football Club. Thirdly, I feel that Scottish football and Scottish towns in general don't have the best of reputations. I wanted to see if this was justified.


This could be the dawning of a new brave world for Scottish football and I'm going to document my journey, from Berwick Rangers in the south to Ross County in the north and Stranraer in the far south-west to Peterhead in the north-east and 38 league grounds in between, I'm looking forward to this adventure and I hope you'll visit regularly to see how I'm getting on.