Walker Wonder Strike Keeps Rovers In The Hunt

Click here or read below for my match report of this afternoon's fixture between Raith Rovers and Dundee. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Raith Rovers 2 v 1 Dundee

Raith Rovers managed to keep themselves just two points behind league leaders Dunfermline Athletic after a last minute 25-yard Allan Walker strike at Starks Park this afternoon.

Raith dominated the majority of the game and deservedly went in at the break a goal to the good thanks to a fabulous Gregory Tade volley.

However, Dundee hit back on the 71st minute when Stephen O'Donnell squeezed the ball home from the tightest of angles.

The teams

The Dees looked to have stolen a point until Walker stepped up and drilled home in unstoppable fashion.

The first half was almost entirely dominated by the home side, but it was not until the 13th minute that they managed an attempt on goal. A Scott McBride long throw found Tade who managed to loop a header over Rab Douglas, only to see the ball land on top of the goal.

Two minutes later Rovers should have taken the lead. An Allan Walker corner was flicked on to Iain Davidson at the back post and with Douglas floored, the midfielder somehow managed to blaze over the bar.

Dundee were sitting deep and the Kirkcaldy side were struggling to break through as Douglas mopped up long range attempts by Walker and John Baird.

However, with just a minute remaining in the first period, Raith broke through. Baird knocked a freekick into the path of Tade who volleyed home from the edge of the box superbly.

Despite having little to do in the first half, Raith goalkeeper Andy McNeil was forced off at the break with a back problem and gave way to David McGurn.

Dundee managed their first shot on goal almost immediately after the interval when Davidson brought down Gary Harkins at the edge of the box, but McGurn was more than equal to the playmaker's effort.

Despite their early pressure, Dundee were forced back again and Baird went close with a scissor kick after Kevin McBride curled a shot just wide of the target.

Action in front of the South Stand

On the 60th minute Kevin McBride was causing more problems as he had a strike deflected wide for a corner. From the set piece Dougie Hill just failed to convert at the back post.

Dundee however, were not going to go down quietly and started to fight harder to keep their unbeaten run going. Raith manager, John McGlynn sensed the change and replaced Davidson with Mark Ferry.

Despite the substitution, disaster struck five minutes later for the Starks Park side. Connor Rennie filtered a ball through to O'Donnell who brushed off Hill and stroked the ball past McGurn at the tightest of angles.

McGlynn responded by changing from a 4-4-2 system to 4-3-3, taking off Scott McBride for Graham Weir.

Dundee were struggling to keep possession and on the 84th minute were in more trouble as Craig McKeown brought down Baird and earned himself a second yellow card.

The visitors were now camped in their own half and Raith should have re-taken the lead on the 84th minute. Walker swung a corner into the box which was flicked on by Grant Murray but somehow Baird couldn't find the net at the back post.

With Dunfermline winning away at Cowdenbeath it looked as if Rovers would end the day four points behind their closest rivals, however, they were not done yet.

A freekick was cleared by the Dundee defence only as far as Walker who, from 25 yards out, smashed a ball at goal with it dipping just at the right time, clipping off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net, leaving Douglas helpless and Dundee's unbeaten run in tatters.

It was a thoroughly merited three points for Raith but credit must be given to the heavily weakened Dundee team for a phenomenal 23 game unbeaten streak.

Rovers next match is a Fife Derby against Cowdenbeath at Starks Park next Saturday and a win against Jimmy Nicholl's men would take them back to the top of the league due to Dunfermline's spare weekend.

written by Will Lyon

Terrace Travels #6: Brazil 2-0 Scotland - A Journey

Click here or read below for my travel nightmare to London for Sunday's Brazil v Scotland fixture. It was published on The Terrace Scottish Football website.

Sunday was all set up for an unforgettable day. Scotland had come off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over Northern Ireland while their matchday opponents Brazil were on a two game losing streak. The home of Arsenal, the Emirates Stadium, was to host this International Challenge match. Thousands of Scottish fans made the long journey down. For some, it was longer than others as Will Lyon found to his cost…

Scotland in action against Brazil

The plan was simple. Take a train to London on the Saturday, watch the match on Sunday, have a few beers and take the train back home on the Monday. However, as it transpired, things wouldn't be so straightforward...

Walking into Edinburgh Waverley train station at half past three on the Saturday and seeing the three o'clock Kings Cross train still sitting in its’ berth was not a comforting sight, but spirits were high and I shook off any worries and made my way to the platform for my four o'clock departure.

As I took my seat at the platform, my worst nightmare began: “The 4 o'clock service to Kings Cross is delayed.” Fifteen minutes later, the situation spiralled to a new level of doom: “The 4 o'clock service to Kings Cross is cancelled, Network Rail apologises for any inconvenience caused.” Before the panic could take hold of the hundreds of bewildered passengers, we were ushered by a marshal to head for the three o'clock Kings Cross train and told that we were “just going to have to squeeze in.” The train was not a pleasant place to be. Cramped in-between a huge suitcase and an arguing couple, I started to wish I was elsewhere as I heard news of my team Raith Rovers grabbing a crucial equaliser in their league fixture against Falkirk.

The minutes ticked by and just as the dreaded text came through informing me that Raith went on to lose the important game at Falkirk, an announcement was made over the tannoy of the train: “This service to London Kings Cross has been cancelled. There is a major signal fault at York and there will be no services to London for the rest of the day. We will operate an hourly service to Newcastle, but passengers looking to travel to London are advised make other plans or come back tomorrow.” Unfortunately, the first train to London on the Sunday would not arrive in time for the match and there was no guarantee that the signal fault would be fixed in time. With a seat on a plane costing over £150, the next best option was the dreaded Megabus – the infamous last resort of travel. The next bus was to leave St Andrews Station at half past 10 and arrive at London Victoria eight hours later. At a measly £27 the opportunity could not be missed.

After grabbing some dinner, I received a phone call from my mate who had made his way up to London for the game. He had turned up at the hostel we were booked into, only to be greeted by a receptionist who informed him that: “The system crashed when you made your booking, so although you received a booking confirmation, we do not have your booking here and we are now full.” So with that news my mate started running around London looking for somewhere to sleep and I made my way back to the bus station.

Upon arrival, I was shepherded onto a bus and with just one seat at the front and a few more at the back nearby a boisterous Tartan Army group. So I decided to sit at the front where I might be able to catch a bit more sleep. But as the bus started reversing out of its dock, the back of the bus immediately erupted with a chorus of “We'll Be Coming”. The driver was clearly amused, muttering something along the lines of “thank f*ck I'm handing this bus over to someone else,” while the Russians to the right of me looked confused and maybe even a little frightened.

As we made our way out of Edinburgh, I soon realised the man next to me (who had not even glanced at me since I had sat next to him) was on the verge of passing out, probably due to a few too many lemonade shandys on Rose Street. His head flopped back and forth, but he seemed fine – for now. Meanwhile, the Tartan Army were in full voice and mocking the lack of atmosphere at the front of the bus: “Can you hear the front sing? No, no. Can you hear the front sing? I cannae hear a f*cking thing, no, no, no.” The driver and I were laughing, the man next to me was still oblivious to the world around him and the Russians continued to look fearful for their well-being.

As we headed for the border, the man next to me uttered his first words - they were not words that I wanted to hear: “Is there a sick bag underneath the chair?” he gargled. Frantically, I searched for one but found nothing. He crashed his head back on the chair in front and grunted “ahh sh*te.” A few unpleasant noises followed, but thankfully nothing would emerge from his mouth. The bus gradually descended into silent sleep, only to be intermittently interrupted by one of the Russians whose snore was reminiscent of a foghorn.

The bus arrived in London around seven o'clock and the bleary-eyed passengers dragged themselves onto the street. I made my way to Kings Cross to meet my mate who had ended up staying in the Premier Inn near Wembley for a costly £70. We decided to check into our new hostel, which I had booked just before getting onto the bus the night before, ate some breakfast and then did what comes natural to most football fans – we hit the pub. By 11 o'clock, the atmosphere in O'Neill's was already simmering and “Flower of Scotland”, “We'll Be Coming” and “Doe A Deer” were regularly belted out at full volume.

The fans gather around The Emirates Stadium - Home of Arsenal FC

At midday, we began the migration to the Emirates Stadium, with each pub along the way looking just that little bit more full than the one previous. As the stadium loomed in the distance the atmosphere turned to one of a carnival. The Brazilians were thumping away on their drums, surrounded by samba dancers with some additional entertainment being provided by the odd drunk Scot trying to join in.

With match day scarves and programmes purchased we decided to enter the stadium. It was hard not to be blown away by the grandness of the place when you are used to visiting beauty spots such as Cowdenbeath's Central Park. There were no crumbling terraces, filthy seats or limited legroom at The Emirates and the pitch was akin to a bowling green. Behind us were two cockneys - gasping at the fact that only five Old Firm players were in the Scotland team - who were kind enough to point out that Charlie Adam was the nation's only top class player.

The match kicked off under a blazing sun and as expected, Brazil dominated from start to finish. The deadlock was broken three minutes before half time when Andre Santos' cutback found Neymar alone in the box and the youngster coolly slotted past Allan McGregor. The second half saw more of the same Brazilian domination and 13 minutes from the end Neymar made it 2-0 from the penalty spot. And with that, the game was over.

From a fans perspective, it was a wonderful day out. The Tartan Army took control of the city and the atmosphere was electric wherever you went. The whole experience only added to the cravings for an away day to Wembley to face the Auld Enemy.

As well as being a presenter on The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast, Will is sports editor of 'The Student' at Edinburgh University and the official match reporter for Raith Rovers FC. You'll also find other pieces of his scattered around the blog world - search them out! Follow Will on Twitter: @wrl1989

Peter Lorimer - Player Profile

Below is my player profile of Leeds United and Scotland legend, Peter Lorimer. It was published in the latest Scotzine fanzine which can be bought for just £1.00 here.

 Legends of Football - Peter Lorimer

I never missed a Scotland game through choice and I’m pleased that I didn’t. I wanted every cap that was offered to me. You never get that time back and it’s always dangerous to assume that you’ll be asked twice if you say no once.

Lorimer in Scotland colours

Those are the words of former Leeds United and Scotland winger, Peter Lorimer, taken from his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post published as recent as February. It is an attitude that current Scotland forward Steven Fletcher appears to be lacking after he turned down Craig Levein’s call-up for the Carling Nations fixture against Northern Ireland last month. Ultimately, Fletcher would not have even been able toturn down the chance to play for his country in the 1970s as he would not have been good enough to get into that talented squad in which Lorimer was an integral part of.

Lorimer was born in Dundee, 1946, and signed his first football contract in 1962 with Leeds United at the age of just fifteen, making his first team debut later that year. He would go on to make 676 appearances in two spells for United, scoring 238 goals which is all the more impressive considering he featured predominately on the right wing.

Of course, it could have been a completely different story. With their son attracting the attention of numerous club scouts from anearly age, Lorimer’s parents were allegedly offered a £5,000 bung from Manchester United scouts to sign schoolboy forms with the club. The Red Devils’ offer was accepted by the working-class parents, understandably so, considering the immense value of £5,000 just short of fifty years ago. It later emerged that The Reds’ manager Sir Matt Busby was not impressed with his scouts’ unauthorised actions as he informed them he had already ‘promised’ Lorimer to Leeds boss, Don Revie. When approached by Leeds soon after, Lorimer’s parents returned the £5,000 to Manchester United and their son would soon move south of the border to join the Yorkshire club.

Lorimer joined Leeds at a time when the club had just narrowly avoided relegation to the English Third Division and they were struggling financially. However, under Revie’s guidance the Elland Road side would achieve promotion to the top tier after just three years in charge. Indeed, Lorimer would play an integral role in Revie’s ‘glory years’ at Leeds United where the club won the old First Division (1968/9 & 1973/4), League Cup (1968), the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1968 & 1971) and the FA Cup (1972). Despite all of Lorimer’s medal collecting, he could have had so much more. During the period, Leeds finished second in the league five times, lost in the FA Cup final three times, finished runners up in the Fairs Cup once and also fell to AC Milan in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1973.

It was also during this spell that Lorimer became a Scotland regular, making twenty-one appearances and scoring four goals in the process. He will arguably be best known in a Scotland shirt for his star performance in the admirable goalless draw against Brazil in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. He had numerous efforts on goal but was thwarted each time by goalkeeper Emerson Leao. The most eye-catching moment of thematch from Lorimer being a freekick forty yards from goal which he, after a Roberto Carlos-esq run up, blasted the ball at goal with Leao just managing to tip over for a corner. It was one these fiercely struck shots that would give Lorimer nicknames such as “hotshot” and “lash”. Sadly, Scotland failed to qualify for the next round of the World Cup on goal difference and the nation would regret the chance missed by Lorimer and his team-mates, arguably the best talent this country has ever seen, with greats like Billy Bremner,
Kenny Dalgish and Jimmy Johnstone, who remarkably failed to even come off the bench once at the tournament.

Lorimer left the rapidly declining Leeds in 1979 and decided to travel afar to ply his trade at Toronto Blizzard, York City, Vancouver Whitecaps and University College Dublin over the next four years. His spell in Canada at the Whitecaps was probably the most successful period away from Leeds, where the now ageing Scot, would score 23 goals in 87 games.

37-year-old Lorimer rejoined Leeds in 1983 who were now occupying a spot in the Second
Division and he spent three final seasons at the club under the stewardship of former team-mate Eddie Gray. Lorimer broke the club’s top goalscorer record during this second spell at the Yorkshire club and would in total score a total of 17 goals before he retired just immediately prior to his 40th birthday.

Lorimer has kept himself involved in the game as a director at Leeds United, a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds and as mentioned previously, a columnist for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Lorimer also owns a pub in Leeds, situated just a thirty minute walk away from Elland Road, so if you are in town for a Leeds United match be sure to wet your appetite for the football at Lorimer’s Commerical Inn.

By Will Lyon

Dees Do The Double

Click here or read below for my match report of the fixture at Starks Park this evening. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Raith Rovers 1 v 2 Dundee

Dundee battled to a narrow win over Raith Rovers tonight for the second time in as many weeks.

Sean Higgins scored 2 goals for the Dees on either side of half time, while a curling Allan Walker freekick temporarily brought the hosts level for 4 minutes.

Overall, the Starks Park side failed to click while their opponents from over the Tay looked dangerous every time they attacked the table toppers.

Indeed, it was the away side who dominated the first 10 minutes, with playmaker Gary Harkins in deadly form. It was he who broke through the Rovers defence after 5 minutes, threading a neat pass to Craig Forsyth, but the winger's effort was well saved by Rovers goalkeeper Andy McNeil.

Minutes later, Harkins was creating move havoc and would have scored were it not for the diving McNeil just managing to tip his shot wide of the post.

Raith, struggling to get a foothold in the game, had a half chance on the 12^th minute when a long throw was received by Walker, but his 20 yard strike sailed over the bar.

The Kirkcaldy side began to force their way into the game and Dundee failed to threaten again till the 27^th minute. Trialist Craig Robertson ran down the left side of the pitch and crossed in a perfect ball to Higgins, but the 26-year-old almost lackadaisically swung a shot on goal and McNeil was able to gather.

On the half hour mark Harkins was causing trouble again as he drove at the Raith defence and played a through ball to Forsyth who was about to pull the trigger until Mark Campbell made a superb last ditch tackle.

However, in an almost identical move Raith conceded just 1 minute later. This time it was Forsyth who would sprint through the Rovers half crossing a decent ball into the path of Higgins who coolly slotted the ball past McNeil to send the away side a goal to the good at half time.

The second half was started at a frantic pace by Raith, who may have been on the receiving end of a few hastening words from manager John McGlynn at the break. Just moments into the second period, Gregory Tade did well to run through the Dundee defence and one-on-one with goalkeeper Rab Douglas looked set to shoot, but changed his mind and aimed a pass at Walker which was cut off by the ensuing Dees defence.

The home fans' groans turned to cheers on the 50^th minute after Iain Davidson was hauled down just outside the box and Walker stepped up to curl a superb 25 yard freekick into the bottom corner of the goal leaving Douglas helpless and the hosts back on level terms.

Unfortunately for the Starks Park faithful, Rovers were only level for 4 minutes as a Harkins cross was bundled into the net by Higgins for his second goal of the night.

The goal was a huge kick in the teeth for Rovers and were lucky to have 11 men still on the park when Davidson, already on a yellow card, committed a professional foul on the edge of the box, but referee Iain Brines, who took charge of the Old Firm derby on Sunday, decided the challenge was not enough to merit a booking.

The match started to become quite physical with both teams desperate to find another goal. However, it would be the away side who struck next with the chance falling to Stephen O'Donnell. On the 67^th minute O'Donnell received a pass into the box and found himself with just McNeil to beat, but the former Hibee pulled off a spectacular diving save. Thirty seconds later, O'Donnell received the ball again, this time on the edge of the box, but his shot was cleared off the line.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Raith had Campbell to thank again as he made another goal saving challenge on Harkins. However, the former Blackburn youth continued to carve open opportunities for his side as he combined with Forsyth again, but McNeil made the save.

Iain Williamson, Gary Wales and Graham Weir replaced Stephen Simmons, Scott McBride and John Baird as McGlynn attempted to freshen his team up for a final push to equalise. It almost worked too when a Raith corner was cleared by Dundee only as far as Williamson who looped the ball back over the Dees defence to Weir who smashed the ball at goal, but Douglas spread himself to make a brilliant save.

Campbell, playing as a striker towards the end, had a headed chance in the dying seconds, but was unable to find a way past the dominate Douglas.

This was Dundee's fifth win in a row and their sixteenth league fixture unbeaten which is a phenomenal achievement, but questions will be asked if they can maintain this sort of form to the end of the season with such a small squad of players.

Meanwhile Raith will need to regroup as they have conceded 10 league goals already this calender year compared to the measly 8 they conceded from August till the end of December last year. The team struggled to pass the ball to a blue shirt tonight, but all is not lost as they still sit top of the First Division, three points clear of Dunfermline Athletic, who drew 0-0 away to Ross County.

Play-off Madness

Click here or read below for my article on the radical SPL play-offs proposed by Dundee United chairman, Stephen Thompson. It was published on www.theawayend.net.

Play-off Madness

Dundee United chairman, Stephen Thompson, has controversially proposed his own Scottish Premier League plans which would determine the winner through a play-off system at the end of each season.

All twelve current SPL clubs were due to meet on Monday to discuss the possibility of a ten team league,only for the snowy weather to scupper the plans. The discussion was to be based around the system proposed by SPL Chief Executive Neil Doncaster, a system which would see the bottom side in the Scottish top tier automatically relegated, with the winner of a 'SPL2' moving up a division automatically. As the regular season finishes, a play-off scenario containing the ninth placed team in the SPL and second, third and fourth in the SPL2 would then take place.

However, Thompson believes the SPL proposals are not radical enough and says that the top four teams to finish in the SPL should battle for the title in a play-off.

Thompson has stated that "just going back to a top 10 will not change anything. If we are to have just 10 in the top league, we have to look at really radical proposals.

“Fans of teams outwith the Old Firm have become fed up of those two sharing the title between them.

"It is incredible and extremely regrettable that the last non-Old Firm title win was 25 years ago.

"I think we need to go further and make things more interesting at the top of the table as well as having promotion/relegation play-offs."

Fair?

Is Thompson's idea fair though? Is there really any justification for a team to finish top of a league after 36 gruelling fixtures, only for the SPL to turn around and say “sorry guys, but now you have a match against the fourth placed side who finished 'x' points behind you, to see who are the champions”. If that fourth placed side knocked out the table toppers and went on to win the play-offs, would they really be worthy winners? Despite (for arguments sake) finishing twenty points behind the first placed side, why should they be rewarded with the trophy because they managed to collect a decent amount of points during the regular season and then winning four games on the bounce, right at the end?

Surely, the worthy and correct champions of a long league system are the side who collect the highest number of points? Scotland's top flight already has two competitions which have a knock-out system. The Scottish Cup (a competition that Thompson's side won last season) and the Scottish League Cup are already in place and give teams outside the Old Firm a better chance of winning competitions because teams do not have to be consistent over a long period of time to win it.

Crowds

Thompson asks us to consider “a top-four play-off with home and away games and a play-off final at Hampden.

"There would be full houses for all the games and it would create huge interest from the TV companies and the fans and would generate a lot of money, perhaps as much as £2m extra income for the teams in the SPL.”

That is all fine and well, the play-off matches would indeed be absolutely exhilarating. However, what about the money and crowds that Celtic and Rangers will lose during the regular season? The last time an Old Firm side finished outside the top four in Scotland was in the 1989/1990 season, when Celtic finished fifth. In every other season since, both of the Old Firm have finished in the top four. So what exactly is appealing to Celtic and Rangers fans about this play-off ending season? All Old Firm fans will realise that their clubs have an extremely rare chance of not making the play-offs. So why do they need to bother going to any league games until the play-offs? There is no incentive at all. Most Old Firm fans would find something else to do on a Saturday because there would be no reason to turn up to watch their team play a meaningless match.

Thompson may not care if Old Firm home crowds drop sharply, but what he would certainly miss, as a chairman, is the thousands of Old Firm fans that pay to come through to Dundee to watch games containing his football club.

Conclusion

Not only is Thompson's proposal grossly unfair, but it is also selfish and clearly only in the interests of his and similar sized clubs. We may well see Hearts or Dundee United win the top tier of Scottish football once more with this new system, but if they finish ten or twenty points behind the actual winner after 36 games, do they really deserve to be holding the trophy?

Boyd Seeks Gers Return

Click here or read below for my article on Kris Boyd and his proposed move to Rangers in the January transfer window. It was published on The Away End.

Krismas Comes Early For Boro Fans As Mowbray Punts Flop

Just over a week ago it was revealed that Middlesbrough manager Tony Mowbray had informed striker Kris Boyd, that his services were no longer required, as the Teesside club aimed to reduce their wage bill. Now, it has been sensationally revealed that Boyd may be seeking a return to former side, Rangers.

Boyd: During happier times at Ibrox

Pre-season promotion favourites Middlesbrough, currently sit second bottom of the English Championship after a staggering eleven losses and just five wins after nineteen games. Gordon Strachan, who resigned after just under one year in charge, was replaced by Boro legend, Mowbray in October and he now seeks to dispose of surplus players which disturb the 'balance' of the side.

Boyd arrived at Middlesbrough from Rangers in July this year with the aim of scoring goals, and lots of them. However, Boyd has struggled to find his finest form and has scored a measly five in nineteen appearances. After chatting with Mowbray, the 27-year-old has reportedly informed his agent to speak to Rangers to try and negotiate a way back into Glasgow.

Rangers of course are still in financial turmoil and currently in talks with a potential buyer, so now is probably not the best time for the club to be signing an expensive player.

Another problem is that Rangers have moved on as a club since Boyd's departure. He was replaced in the summer by strikers James Beattie and Nikica Jelavic and it would therefore be reasonable to suggest that the Gers cannot afford £18,000 a week of wages that were offered to Boyd before he left for England.

Moreover, there seems to be a fairly muted response from Rangers fans around Scotland with the news of Boyd seeking a move back 'home'. After all, some fans feel betrayed that he left for a club they regard as smaller than Rangers and believed it was a money-motivated move.

However, this is not the main root of concern from Rangers fans. In Boyd's last thirteen appearances for Rangers, he only scored four goals, of which two came from the penalty spot. Add this to Boyd's recent Middlesbrough record, Rangers do not need an expensive out-of-form striker on their books.

The other problem holding back a Boyd move to Glasgow is that Rangers do not appear to need the SPL top goal-scorer of all time. The Gers sit top of the SPL, two points clear of bitter rivals Celtic, with a game in hand. They are still in Europe and both of the Scottish cups. This is largely thanks to Kenny Miller, who has looked a totally different player since Boyd left and has scored eighteen goals in the SPL so far, which is seven more than any other player. The importance of Miller is obvious, because Rangers have not had the help of Beattie and Jelavic to boost the 'goals for' column as they have been injured for a large part of the season. Beattie is almost back to full fitness and Jelavic is hoping to be back in the next month so it seems that Boyd is not wanted, nor needed at Ibrox any more.

Miller has been on top form since Boyd left Rangers

So, if Rangers are happy with what they have, where next for Boyd? His perceived laziness on the pitch certainly lowers his chances of finding a top club, but to have scored more goals than Henrik Larsson in the SPL by the age of twenty seven is a fine achievement and should appeal to many managers in the Championship, or even at a higher level. People may scorn at the idea of Boyd in the English Premier League, but it has been argued by many that if you give Boyd enough chances at any level, he will stick the majority of them away.

Raith Rovers 0 v 1 Queen Of The South

Click here or read below for my match report of Raith Rovers v Queen of the South. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Mistake Costs Rovers Dear

Raith Rovers fell to a close 1-0 defeat at the hands of Queen of the South this afternoon.

The Starks Park side dominated possession for the duration of the match, but were handed the sucker punch on the 75th minute when Raith goalkeeper David McGurn sliced a kickout straight to Queens and after some quick passes, Ryan Conroy slotted the ball home.

Raith’s passing was very pretty, but ultimately toothless. However, huge credit must be given to the Queens defence who stood tall and showed great determination.

The result is a blow for Rovers as second placed Dunfermline Athletic lost 2-1 to Greenock Morton, meaning the Kirkcaldy side missed a great chance to pull further clear of their Fife rivals.

Queens visited Starks Park after making two changes to their side. William McLaren and Ryan McGuffie replaced Allan Johnstone and the injured Rocco Quinn, while Rovers swapped Iain Williamson for Stephen Simmons, who had recovered in time from his calf problem.

It was the away side who threatened first as McLaren shot straight into McGurn’s arms, although Rovers created their own chance after good link up play between Gregory Tade and Jamie Mole found John Baird, but his long range effort flew over the bar.

The next twenty minutes saw some very attractive football from the home side, but ultimately their final ball was not good enough to penetrate the deep-sitting Queens defence.

With the home fans beckoning attacking football, Raith started to create a few opportunities. On the 26th minute Allan Walker drifted a free-kick into the Queens box only for Iain Davidson to head straight into David Hutton’s hands.

Three minutes later Tade made a lung bursting run forward but his shot was high and into the stands.

The end of the first half bore witness to more attacking play from Raith and Queens sat back, trying to  keep a clean sheet heading into half time. Craig Wilson, who made many great runs down the right, flew up the pitch, cut inside and his left footed shot drifted wide of the Queens post. Then moments later, Queens failed to clear their lines but a well struck shot from the edge of the box by Simmons was bulleted over.

The second half started off no different from the first, with Raith dominating possession, but Queens had the first opportunity on 59 minutes when Simmons blocked what looked to have been a goal-bound Queens shot.

However, Rovers regained possession and continued their mission of passing through the Queens defence. Unfortunately for the home side, David Lilley and his teammates were stubborn and Raith could only attempt long range efforts from Walker and Wilson, although the latter’s shot was just inches over.

Disaster struck for the Fifers fifteen minutes from time when McGurn, who had been a spectator for most of the match, sliced his kick-out only as far as Derek Holmes who headed the ball forward to McLaren and he set up Conroy perfectly to slot the ball past McGurn with ease.

Raith were stunned but vowed to battle on taking a more direct route, but ultimately Queens comfortably held out for victory.

The Lang Touners must pick themselves up quickly and prepare to travel west for a top of the table clash against fierce rivals Dunfermline next week.

Greenock Morton 0 v 1 Raith Rovers

Click here, or read below for my match report of Greenock Morton v Raith Rovers which took place this afternoon. The report was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

 Table Topping Rovers Send Morton Rock Bottom

Greenock Morton lumbered to a narrow defeat against table topping Raith Rovers at Cappielow Park this afternoon. Apart from numerous long range efforts, the home side struggled to threaten the Rovers goal and despite throwing men forward at the end, the Fifers held on.

Raith were the better team in what was a fairly scrappy affair and would have been disappointed to go in at half time without a goal to show for their efforts.

The second half failed to see an improvement in quality but Allan Walker snatched the points away from Morton on the 61st minute as he belted the ball past Colin Stewart. His strike condemns Morton to bottom while it keeps Rovers on top.

Rovers tried to pass the ball around right from the start, but Morton had an early chance headed over by Allan Jenkins.

Raith had their first opportunities through a powerful Grant Murray header and a Jamie Mole cross which caused problems for Stewart in the Morton goal.

The Kirkcaldy side then tried to convert their possession into goals on 15th minute as Mole cut a ball across goal but Morton crowded out the onrushing Walker.

Gregory Tade drilled a ball across goal without any takers before Stewart pushed a rasping Iain Williamson shot up in the air and Stuart McCaffrey headed the ball over for a corner.

John Baird had two chances as first Walker and then Craig Wilson aimed two crosses at the striker. Baird's first effort failed to find the target but after Tade did great work down the right hand side to release Wilson, the receiving Baird met the ball perfectly but lashed it into the side-netting.

Despite Morton being on the back foot for the majority of the half, they still managed to carve open a great opportunity on the 37th minute. Brian Graham had the beating of Laurie Ellis in the box and from a tight angle stroked the ball inches wide of the post, but credit must go to Raith keeper' David McGurn who looked Schmeichel-like as he made himself as big as possible.

Rovers fans were shouting for a penalty as the half drew to a close when Baird’s run into the box was halted by a blatant body-check by Smyth.

Morton came out in the second half looking to cause a few problems in the Rovers defence with Michael Tidser curling a shot over the bar and Allan Jenkins heading over from a corner.

However, on the 57th minute Rovers went close again when Baird drove a fierce shot only to see a Morton defender block the effort away on the six yard line.

Baird then stung the palms of Stewart moments after McGurn had dealt with a Tidser shot comfortably.

The next attack saw Raith finally take the lead. Wilson's deflected pile-driver fell to the unmarked Walker who drove the ball at goal and despite a strong palm thrown in the way, Stewart couldn't keep the ball from nestling in the back of the net.

Graham Weir, who replaced Tade had an effort saved on the 86th minute, before Allan Moore pushed his team forward in search of a dramatic late equaliser.

Marc Smyth and Tidser hit long range shots over the bar, but the best chance for Morton to equalise came on the 89th minute. With Rovers defenders scrambling around Graham, he turned and watched his shot crawl inches past the post with McGurn scrambling.

However, it wasn't to be Morton's day and the result means they now prop up the rest of the division. On the other hand, Rovers keep up their lofty position and hold Dunfermline in second place below them in the league table.

Picture © Jim Foy

written by Will Lyon

Raith Rovers 1 v 0 Ross County [Match Report]

Click here for my match report of Raith Rovers v Ross County which took place this afternoon. It was published on the Official Raith Rovers website.

Cowdenbeath 1 v 2 Raith Rovers [Match Report]

Click here for my match report of the fixture between Cowdenbeath and Raith Rovers that took place this afternoon.

Raith Rovers 0 v 2 Stirling Albion [Match Report]

Click here or read below for my match report on Raith Rovers v Stirling Albion. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Rovers Blow Golden Chance 

Raith Rovers blew a fantastic opportunity to send themselves back to the top of the First Division table this afternoon when they lost 2-0 to Stirling Albion at Starks Park.

Table toppers Dunfermline Athletic lost 2-0 to Queen of the South at Palmerston Park, but Raith failed to leapfrog them after blundering numerous second half chances.

Kick off was delayed for a short time when one of referee Collum’s assistants had to pull out due to an injury. The call went out for a replacement from the crowd and was answered by Chris Phillips whose dad Tom is the Supporters’ representative on the board at Stark’s Park.


Chris Phillips takes up his position on the touchline Stirling Albion had the best chances of the first half and after Stephen Simmons brought down Chris Aitkin in the box on the stroke of half time, the former Ayr United skipper stepped up and sent the away side in with a one goal advantage.

Rovers had ample chances to equalise as Willie Dyer rattled the crossbar, John Baird shot inches wide and Mark Ferry was denied by a goal line clearance, but when Gordon Smith found himself one-on-one with David McGurn he made no mistake and sealed the three points for Albion.

The start of the match was a little tentative although Ferry, Craig Wilson and Grant Murray all had half chances for Raith in the first fifteen minutes, while McGurn made a great reaction save from former Rover, Ryan Borris.

Borris was causing problems again on the 19th minute as he beat two defenders on the edge of the Raith box, but Murray flung himself in the way of his goal bound effort to concede a corner. After initially clearing the corner, Wilson gave the ball back to Albion but again the Kirkcaldy side were saved by the diving Murray who blocked Aitkin’s shot wide of the post.

Aitkin was instrumental in midfield and he threaded through a great pass to Nathan Taggart and Rovers had McGurn to thank as he made a fantastic leg save from the winger.


McGurn keeps Taggart out with a great block Rovers turned up the heat as Gregory Tade hit over with an overhead kick and Allan Walker headed wide of the post, but it was Stirling’s Aitkin who was causing the most havoc.


Tade tries an overhead effort that went just over On the 40th minute Aitkin played a lovely one-two with Taggart but Aitkin’s effort hit the side netting.

Four minutes later, referee William Collum pointed to the spot as Aitkin was brought down by Simmons and although it was definitely a foul, there was some debate about whether the challenge was made in or outside of the box.

Aitkin stepped up and rattled the ball straight down the middle to send the away side in at the break one goal to the good.


GOAL: Aitken sends his spot kick past McGurn
Raith started the second half with nerves and could have been punished straight away, but somehow Borris missed the target after cutting into the box well.

The home support encouraged their side forward and the team responded with some fantastic opportunities.

Ferry was unlucky to see his powerful header cleared off the line by Taggart before Dyer rasped a 25 yard shot off the Albion bar with Reidford well beaten, Walker got a diving header to the rebound but the Bino’s keeper did well to touch it over the bar.


Dyer’s shot has Reidford beaten but it crashed back off the bar Raith were camped in the Stirling half and Murray had one attempt deflected wide of the goal and then headed another over the bar. Moment later, Scott Robertson was lucky not to score an own goal as he nearly diverted a Baird cross into his own net.

On the 65th minute another chance went amiss when Iain Davidson fed a delightful ball through to Baird but the former Airdrie man missed the target by inches.

Raith were all over the visitors at this point but John McGlynn felt that a bigger aerial threat was required with Tade and Ferry making way for Jamie Mole and defender Mark Campbell. Both subs made their way upfront to try and knock down long balls.

However, the substitutions appeared to work in Stirling’s favour as Rovers struggled to keep their rhythm going.

Graham Weir replaced the tiring Baird and as Raith pushed up the pitch it was inevitable that Stirling would catch their opponents on the break.

First of all Stirling substitute Sylvano Comvalius found himself one-on-one with McGurn and the Rovers keeper’ saved well.

Weir fired a wayward drive on the 89th minute before Stirling sealed the points one minute later.

Aitkin turned supplier as he released a great ball to Smith who ran the entire Raith half and although McGurn made himself big, Smith found a way past him and celebrated his goal with the ecstatic Albion fans.


GOAL: Smith sends the ball past McGurn to seal the points Rovers tried in vain to get another goal although Campbell should have done better from seven yards as he hit a vicious shot over the bar, but in truth, the game was already over.


Sparky had a great chance but sent the ball over from 7 yards All in all, a bad day at the office for the Rovers and a fantastic scalp for Stirling, who drag themselves further away from the bottom of the league table.

Pictures © Jim Foy

written by Will Lyon

Third Lanark

Click on the picture below to read my article on Third Lanark and their home, Cathkin Park. The article was furstly published in the official Raith Rovers matchday programme 'The Rover' on 2nd October 2010. You can also click this link or read below as it was then published on the 11th November 2010 at the Away End's website.

Cathkin Park: The forgotten home of Scottish Football

Efforts being made to restore a piece of Scottish history By Will Lyon

Cathkin Park has an eerie feel to it these days. After all, it was around 43 years ago that it's occupiers Third Lanark went bust and departed the ground.

Being only 21-years-old when I visited the ground this summer I found it hard to imagine the 45,455 spectators crammed in to watch Third Lanark take on Rangers in a 1954 Scottish Cup Third Round tie.

This is because all that remains now is a section of the original wall, a crumbling terrace littered with rubbish and tall trees which have shot up around the pitch.

An amateur Glasgow side still play football at Cathkin Park but now the majority of it's visitors are dog walkers and local teenagers who find themselves at a loose end at night.




History


Third Lanark are normally the only league side associated with Cathkin Park but it was actually Queens Park who owned the ground when it first opened in 1884, although back then, the name it possessed was Hampden Park.

19 years later The Spiders sold the ground to Third Lanark who renamed it New Cathkin Park and for the next 61 years The Hi-Hi's played senior football on the famous pitch.

Thirds were a fairly successful team in their complete 95 year history, winning the Scottish Football League, Scottish First Division, Scottish Cup and were also runners up of the Scottish League Cup. Their attendances reflect their success as they were fairly consistent right up to the end.

Before Queens Park sold the ground, Cathkin Park played host to two international matches. In fact, on 15 March 1884 the first all-ticket match ever was held at the stadium when Scotland welcomed England north of the border for a hostile fixture.



The Future 


Sadly, it is unlikely that Cathkin Park will become anything like it was in it's heyday, with the main stand, the roof covering the opposite terracing and the quaint pavilion all now completely gone. However, work is being done to restore some of it's former pride.

Scottish actor Simon Weir has begun work on restoring the ground, after finding out that his great-grandfather John Weir played for Third Lanark during the 1910's.

He updates his blog 'Friends Of Cathkin Park' regularly with discoveries of old photos, videos, stories and also a commentary of how his restoration work is proceeding.

The original wall that remains around half of the ground contains graffiti and 43 years of mould, yet Weir has been trying his best to scrub it all away.

Whether you have watched a competitive fixture at Cathkin Park, or weren't even born when Third Lanark disbanded, I would recommend you take a day out to visit the park. To stand on the touchline today and imagine the amount of quality players who strutted their stuff on the pitch in front of thousands of adoring fans almost half a century ago and beyond, is quite something.

You can check out Simon Weir's progress at: http://thirdlanark.blogspot.com/

Raith Rovers 2 v 1 Falkirk [Match Report]

Click here or read below for my match report on Raith Rovers v Falkirk. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Rovers Battle Hard To Beat The Bairns Raith Rovers 2-1 Falkirk 25 Sep 2010: Irn Bru Scottish 1st Division Raith Rovers kept the pressure on table-toppers Dunfermline Athletic this afternoon as they came from a goal behind to win 2-1 against Falkirk. Falkirk took an early lead after Raith defender Laurie Ellis hesitated a moment too long, allowing Ryan Flynn to nip in and put the away side ahead. Rovers turned up the heat and found a more than deserved equaliser, when Gregory Tade capitalised on a mistake by Robert Olejnik and placed a shot into the empty Falkirk net. The second half was a stale affair but after Falkirk fans were soaked by sprinklers in front of the McDermid Stand, Rovers found the winning goal when Willie Dyer fired in a long range effort to secure three points for the Starks Park side. Raith almost scored a lucky goal after just four minutes when Stephen Simmons hit a cross-cum-shot, only to see his effort narrowly miss the target. However, it was the away side who took the lead first. Mark Stewart threaded a fairly harmless pass into the Rovers box but Ellis seemed to be caught in two minds and missed the ball. Flynn didn't need any further encouragement as he slotted the ball past David McGurn with ease. Rovers responded in positive fashion when Iain Davidson headed narrowly wide and Craig Wilson saw his long range effort whistle past the post. However, the Starks Park side appeared to have lady luck on their side as Falkirk failed to find the net after two stramashes in the Rovers box. Allan Walker then saw his free-kick well saved by Olejnik before Raith had a golden opportunity to equalise on the 36th minute. Wilson crossed a delightful ball into the Falkirk area but Mark Ferry and Tade found themselves in the way of each other and the ball trickled out for a goal kick. One minute later, Raith's frustration turned to joy as Falkirk defender Brian McLean and Olejnik were caught in two minds after a long ball up the pitch and Tade capitalised on the indecisiveness, nipping in and coolly passing the ball into the back of the empty net. Rovers now had a spring in their step and put Falkirk under tremendous pressure for the remaining minutes of the first period, but Walker, Wilson and Simmons couldn't find the net with their efforts. Just two minutes before the break Rovers had a penalty claim dismissed by referee Steve Conroy as McLean clearly handled the ball in the box, but the whistle blower suggested it had been ball to hand. The second half began at a slow pace and aside from a tame Carl Finnigan effort, the first moment of entertainment in the half arrived fifteen minutes in when the Falkirk fans at the front of the McDermid stand received a soaking from a sprinkler. Chants alleging the lack of soap and water to be found in Falkirk quickly ensued from the amused home support. Unfortunately the second half witnessed play becoming bogged down in the centre of the pitch, but this all changed twelve minutes from time. Dyer was given far too much time and space down the left wing and he fired a speculative effort into the Falkirk goal. As Dyer's shot was heading towards goal, substitute Iain Williamson appeared to distract Olejnik as he cut across his line of vision and the ball rolled into the bottom corner of the net. Steven Pressley urged his side on in search of an equaliser and John McGlynn responded by bringing on defender Mark Campbell for his first appearance in a league match since a 2-1 defeat to Greenock Morton in January. Falkirk's pressure was dealt with well by the Kirkcaldy side, as they limited their opponents to one last chance when substitute Mark Millar fired a freekick into the Rovers box but McLean could only head past the post. Raith sit one point behind leaders Dunfermline at the top of the League table and are now five clear of third placed Falkirk. Pictures © Jim Foy written by Will Lyon

Aberdeen v Raith Rovers [Preview]

Click here or read below for my preview of the Co-operative Insurance Third Round fixture between Aberdeen and Raith Rovers due to take place tomorrow night.

Aberdeen FC v Raith Rovers FC 22/09/2010

After two goalless draws in league business over the last two weeks, Raith Rovers aim to knock top flight Aberdeen out of the Co-operative Insurance Cup on Wednesday evening at Pittodrie. It was just seven months ago that the Rovers travelled up to Aberdeen and knocked Mark McGhee's men out of the Scottish Cup.
          There's no doubt that McGhee will be more determined than ever to make sure that the result isn't repeated this time around.
          However, it won't be an easy task. Aberdeen played very defensive tactics against Motherwell on Saturday as they drew 1-1, because key players such as Peter Pawlett, Fraser Fyvie, Sone Aluko and Andrius Velicka were all missing through injury. It is likely that McGhee will be without all four of those players on Wednesday too.
          The Rovers still have long term absentees Dougie Hill and Mark Campbell on the sidelines, although Campbell played 45 minutes of the reserve game last week which is encouraging for the Kirkcaldy side.
          Mark's brother, Martyn recently spoke to Will Lyon, who was writing and reporting on behalf of the 200 Club. Martyn confirmed that his brother was still struggling after his car crash in February and is unlikely to feature against the Dons.          
          "He's got a wee bit to go. He's still taking it easy, trying to build it (His knee) up. It's been a long process but at the end of the day it's something you would take, he was very lucky!"
          Mark has been at the Rovers since 2006 and Martyn revealed that rumours of his brother joining him at Ayr United over a season ago were unfounded. "There was talk about that at one point because he does a lot of miles. But he decided he wanted to stay at Raith as he was enjoying it so much, the travelling wasn't much of an issue."

Players to watch........
Aberdeen - The Dons are suffering numerous injuries to their flair players at the moment, although former Rover Paul Hartley will be looking to dictate play in the middle of the park.
Raith Rovers - Obviously Gregory Tade will be the one to watch as the Frenchman scored the goal that knocked Aberdeen out of the cup last season. Meanwhile, at the back Grant Murray and Laurie Ellis will be determined to keep a sixth clean sheet in a row to help the Rovers progress to the next round.

Former Uni Stars Live Life In The Big League

Click on the picture below for interviews with former Uni stars Jamie Redman and Scott Fusco which were carried out by Alistair Shand and myself.

The article was published in The Student today.

Campbell's Car Crash Nightmare

Click here or read below for my interview with Martyn Campbell in relation to his brother's injury which he sustained in a car crash seven months ago.

It was published on The Away End. 

Campbell's Car Crash Nightmare

Two weeks from now, Raith Rovers will face Aberdeen at Pittodrie for the first time since they humilated The Dons with a 1-0 win in last year's Scottish Cup Fifth Round.

Mark Campbell

Mark Campbell, the stand in captain at the time for crocked midfielder Iain Davidson, was tragically hurt in a car crash just days before the replay fixture and could only cheer the famous Rovers victory from his hospital bed.

Seven months down the line it looks as if the big center half is likely to miss this CIS Cup Third Round fixture because he is still suffering from the injuries sustained in the accident.

Martyn Campbell

Martyn Campbell, a center half for Ayr United, explains his brother's fight for fitness to make the Aberdeen game.

"At the moment it doesn't look as if he'll be playing at the minute.

"He was just taking it week by week but then one of his knees was giving him a bit of pain so he went to see a specialist.”

The specialist's prognosis was to slow down the training that Mark was undertaking, which was a major set back as the 32-year-old felt he was just weeks away from first team football.

However, Martyn feels that his brother should just be thankful for his life after he was cut out of his car by emergency services after the accident.

“He's now just taking it easy and he's just light running and stuff.

“He'll be gutted (if he misses the Aberdeen game) as they're flying at the moment, but he was very lucky and at the end of the day it’s something you would take.”

Favourites

Despite their well known tendency to lose against lower league opposition, Aberdeen beat Second Division Alloa Athletic in the last round. A home tie against First Division Raith was their reward and there's no doubt that the SPL side are the favourites to progress in the competition.

Rovers beat local rivals East Fife in the first round, but they will take confidence from the fact that they have already taken one SPL scalp this season, after a 1-0 win over Hamilton Academical in the previous round.