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

Doing A 'St. Mirren'

Click here to listen to this week's Terrace Scottish Football podcast featuring Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself.

In this week's show we discuss the first trophy of the season being  handed out to Rangers, who defeated Celtic after extra-time in a pleasantly watchable enounter at Hampden yesterday. We pick through the bones of that one and bestow praise and scorn on deserving parties.

Throwing away positive positions in the last 10 minutes of a football match must now be known as 'doing a St. Mirren', and Hearts were the beneficiaries as Danny Lennon's men absolutely St. Mirren-ed it at Tynecastle on Saturday. That and much more in the SPL round-up.

It's almost time for the Scottish invasion of England. We preview the Scotland vs Brazil friendly at the Emirates as I let loose the dorment side of my mind which wants to go topless in London.

A preview of Brechin's trip to St. Johnstone, the SFL round-up and Where are they Now? make up the rest of our weekly offering.

Email us: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast

Enjoy the show.

The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast - "Givin' Out Daps"

Check out the latest Terrace Scottish Football Podcast here where Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself talk Scottish Cup, SPL, SFL, Scottish League Cup and Europa League. Enjoy the show!

Raith Rovers 0 v 2 Partick Thistle

Click here or read below for my match report from today's fixture at Starks Park this afternoon. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Rovers Slump To Fifth Home Defeat

Raith Rovers slumped to their fifth home defeat of the season against Partick Thistle this afternoon after two second half goals from Kris Doolan and Paddy Boyle.

The home side struggled to find any sort of rhythm, while the visitors created numerous chances and could have won by a larger margin in the end.

Remarkably, this was the first time Thistle had overturned Raith since the Kirkcaldy side won promotion to the First Division in 2009.

With Dunfermline securing a 2-1 win away to Falkirk it means the Pars have closed the gap at the top of the table to just two points.

After an encouraging display at Dumfries last week, hopes were high amongst the Starks Park faithful as the teams emerged onto the park at three o'clock, but it was Partick who would cause the early problems.

Just three minutes into the match Raith midfielder Stephen Simmons lost possession in his own box, but thankfully for the league leaders, the ball was cleared behind. From the corner Ryan McGowan headed the ball into the ground and as it viciously bounced up towards goal Andrew McNeil managed to tip over the bar.

Raith tried to gain a foothold in the game but ten minutes later they were struggling to clear their lines once again. A succession of Partick shots were blocked, with the final one landing to right back Paul Paton whose shot was deflected wide by Simmons for another corner.

The corner resulted in nothing, but minutes later Partick had another opportunity when Chris Erskine was played in on goal, only for Dougie Hill to slide in and make a great last ditch tackle to divert the ball wide of the post. The corner was swung in and Rovers fans held their breath as Doolan looked just inches away from connecting with the cross.

Halfway through the first period McGowan had a clear sight of goal as the ball broke to him outside the Raith box, but his effort was comfortably dealt with by McNeil.

Partick's final attempt on goal in the first half arrived on the 34th minute when Paton's cross was glanced past the post by Martin Grehan.

Raith - still being backed by the home fans – finally managed to get a grasp of the game with their first real chance falling on the stroke of half time. Midfielder Allan Walker slipped a delightful through ball to the pacey John Baird who connected well, but Thistle keeper' Scott Fox tipped wide and the half time whistle was blown by Frank McDermott.

Despite being second best for the first period, Rovers fans were encouraged by the final flurry, however they were soon to be disappointed when Partick took the lead on the 49th minute. A corner was curled into the box and the unmarked Doolan headed down through McNeil's legs.

Looking for a quick response, Raith finally managed a few more shots on goal. A freekick was headed wide of the post by Hill, before a cross to the back post was caught on the volley by Walker, only for Fox to tip his effort over the bar.

However, Thistle regained control of the match, causing numerous problems. On the 66th minute, Chris Erskine went on a lung bursting run down the left wing, cutting inside and blasted the ball at goal but McNeil was able to tip over for a corner.

From the corner Grehan managed to flick a cross ball at goal, but McNeil was able to gather.

Raith's Grant Murray nodded over from a corner before McNeil made yet another save, this time from Doolan who was looking to add another goal to his tally.

Rovers manager John McGlynn rung the changes on the 72nd minute as Mark Ferry, Gregory Tade and John Baird were replaced by Gary Wales, Graham Weir and Iain Davidson.

Raith's final chance came five minutes later after a corner fell to Mark Campbell who laid the ball back to the onrushing Simmons, but his effort was high and wide.

The home side threw men forward as the final minutes ticked away, with Partick relieving the pressure admirably and in the final minute of regulation time they sealed the win. Boyle took advantage of a mistake by Campbell who was unable to get the ball out from under his feet and the left back slammed the ball past McNeil to seal Partick's first away victory since October 2010.

All in all, a very poor Rovers performance and the players will have to pick themselves up quickly for Tuesday evening's fixture against Cowdenbeath.

Meanwhile, the victory for Partick means they have moved up to fourth in the league, comfortably clear of the relegation places and top spot respectively. Ian McCall's side will probably have one eye on next season already now.

written by Will Lyon

Terrace Travels #3: Queen of the South 0 - 2 Raith Rovers

Click here to read my article published on The Terrace where I describe a day out at the fitba' down Dumfries way.

The Terrace - 28th February 2011

Click here to listen to this week's Terrace Podcast featuring Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself.

After a hiatus of a week, we are back with a show packed full of Scottish football incident - starting off with Celtic’s shock capitulation at Fir Park, which handed title race momentum back to the men in blue.

A team in blue continue to set the pace in the SFL, with Raith leading division one - but they are being fervently chased by Dunfermline and Falkirk. There’s also focus on Livingston, Peterhead and an unpredictable division three.

There’s a preview of this coming week’s Scottish Cup replay between Celtic and Rangers as we ask whether differing results for the Old Firm this weekend will have any bearing on the result of the cup tie.

And, as always, there’s a full round-up of all 8 SPL matches which will be taking place in the next 7 days up and down the country.

All that, and Where are they Now? and Punt of the Week too.

Email: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast

Enjoy the Show.

Raith Edge Out Albion

Please click here or read below for my report on this afternoon's fixture between Raith Rovers and Stirling Albion, with the home side narrowly winning by two goals to one. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

RAITH EDGE OUT ALBION

Stirling Albion looked to have grabbed themselves an unlikely point at top-of-the-table Raith Rovers this afternoon after Gordon Smith’s 53^rd minute equaliser cancelled out Grant Murray’s opening goal.

However, John Baird squeezed the ball over the line just seven minutes from time to keep the Kirkcaldy side three points clear of nearest title challengers Dunfermline Athletic.

It was a far from fluent performance from Raith despite manager John McGlynn ringing the changes from the midweek loss to Dundee. For numerous reasons, Scott McBride, Iain Davidson and Willie Dyer all dropped out to be replaced by Craig Wilson, Iain Williamson and Dougie Hill, who had returned from his loan spell at Brechin City. 

The teams come out in front of the South Stand at Starks Park

The match began at a frantic pace with Raith forcing a succession of corners in the opening few minutes. The first corner resulted from Stirling keeper’ Scott Christie tipping an Allan Walker shot wide of the post. Walker stepped up at the corner flag and curled the ball into the box but Laurie Ellis was unable to get enough purchase on the ball and the danger was cleared behind for another corner. Mark Campbell was the next to go close as his header zipped past the Stirling post and thirty seconds later, the towering centre-half was to have a goal-bound shot blocked by a brave Albion defender.

After managing to survive the early onslaught, Stirling created their first chance on the 6^th minute when former Ayr United captain, Chris Aitkin, received the ball on the edge of the box, striking with real power, but Andy McNeil clung onto the ball.

Two minutes later, Tom Brighton looped a header narrowly wide of McNeil’s left post before Walker and Baird hit efforts wide at the other end of the pitch.

The pace of the game began to decrease although mid-way through the half the visitors had a great chance to take the lead. Aitkin was causing more problems in the middle of the park as he drove to the Rovers box only to be thwarted at the last second by a scrambling Raith defender. The ball landed at the feet of Smith but the youngster sent the ball well wide of the target.

However, the deadlock would be broken ten minutes from the break when Raith finally capitalised from a corner as captain Murray found the net from close range.

Stirling replied almost immediately when a long range Brian Allison shot was flicked on by Jonathon Brown, leaving McNeil thankful the ball landed on top of his goal.

In truth, Raith should have been two goals to the good at half time when Stephen Simmons played a delightful through ball for Baird, but the speedy striker seemed to take one too many touches and Christie managed to throw a desperate foot in the way of his shot, to divert the ball wide for a corner.

The teams line up at Starks Park

Immediately after the break, Raith had another great opportunity when Baird whipped a ball into the box but it fell in the gap between the onrushing Gregory Tade and Walker and was successfully cleared by the away side.

On the 51^st minute Albion had a chance to equalise as Smith capitalised on Simmons slipping in possession. Smith ran the whole Rovers half, but like Baird in the first period, took too many touches and ended up striking weakly into McNeil’s arms.

However, it was just two minutes later that Jocky Scott’s men found their equaliser. Aitkin was pulling the strings in midfield once more and played a neat pass to Smith who this time made no mistake and slotted the ball past McNeil.

The Starks Park faithful started to become a bit edgy and Stirling seemed quite comfortable to sit deep and hit Raith on the break, although their plan was nearly undone on the 63^rd minute when Hill narrowly headed the ball over the bar after another Walker corner.

Stirling’s best chances to score another goal came in two successive minutes. The first chance fell to Brighton after receiving a through ball from Aitkin, only to be denied by a last ditch Campbell tackle. Stirling broke up the pitch again but after cutting inside Smith shot over the bar.

The bottom side would soon regret missing their opportunities when Raith scored the winning goal on the 83^rd minute. A Walker freekick was aimed at the far post where Campbell headed the ball back across goal and Baird stuck a foot out, sending the ball inches over the line, although Christie would claim otherwise.

Raith began to slow play down and the final opportunity fell to former Rover Ryan Borris on the 90^th minute but his shot was well wide of the post. Stirling would then claim for a handball in the Rovers box right at the death, however referee Steve Conroy was not interested and play continued.

It was not a pretty performance from the boys in blue but nevertheless, a vital three points if Raith are to continue challenging at the top of the table.

To Stirling’s credit, they worked Rovers hard and appeared to be a well-organised outfit, looking dangerous on the break. After taking into consideration Stirling and Cowdenbeath’s recent results and performances it would not be surprising to see the Binos overtake the Blue Brazil at the bottom of the league in the near future.  

Stirling Albion fans in the McDermid Stand at Starks Park

The Essentials - Will Lyon

You can now follow The Essentials editor Will Lyon on twitter: http://twitter.com/wrl1989

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.

First Division Round-Up - Saturday 12th February 2011

Fairytale Dees, sacking Staggies and a ceremony at Central Park...just another day in the First Division!

Neil McCann celebrates after scoring against Raith Rovers

After their CVA agreement on Tuesday, Dundee's financial problems appeared to heading towards an end. The question was, how would Dundee respond on the park to this welcome news? The answer would be provided in fairytale fashion with their match winner coming from a man who came out of retirement and played for no fee, just to help out his first ever senior side.

Dundee were facing top of the table Raith Rovers at Dens Park in a clash that would have been a top of the table one, if it were not for the Dees SFL imposed points deduction.

Both teams struggled to dictate play in the opening period but it would be Rovers who took the lead after a Grant Murray header beat former Scotland keeper' Rab Douglas.

However, few could have predicted the perfect comeback from the battling Dees. Gary Harkins stepped up 25 yards from goal and curled a stupendous freekick into the back of the net to haul Dundee level with just 7 minutes to go.

The fairytale comeback was complete, unbelievably, in the 5^th minute of stoppage time when 36-year-old Neil McCann, who came out of retirement to play for Dundee, controlled a cross and delicately looped the ball over the despairing Andrew McNeil to send the Dens Park crowd into raptures. Indeed, the joy on show from both Dundee's players and fans, would bring a tear to a glass eye after recent events.

Elsewhere in the First Division, Dunfermline Athletic romped to a 4-0 victory over struggling Cowdenbeath which means they are now just 2 points behind pace setters Raith, with a game in hand. Other landmarks in this game was an official ceremony for the unveiling of Cowdenbeath's brand new floodlights, but less pleasing for the Central Park side was watching former Blue Brazil striker, Liam Buchanan, scoring his first goal in Dunfermline colours.

At the other end of the table, Ross County laboured to a 0-0 draw against bottom side Stirling Albion and this would prove to be Willie McStay's last match in charge of the Staggies as he was relieved of his duties shortly after the match. Quite unbelievably, it was only McStay's 9^th game in charge of the Highland outfit.

Meanwhile, Queen of the South managed to hold Partick Thistle to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Palmerston after two late goals and Falkirk kept up with the title challengers after a narrow 1-0 win over Greenock Morton.

What we have learnt

Today was another reminder that first of all, there are likely to be many twists and turns in the race for promotion. The contenders could not be any more different as Raith are a physical and workman-like side, but Dunfermline are a fairly free-flowing and attacking outfit. However, we cannot forget about Falkirk, who need to place together some sort of Caley-esq consistency if they are to challenge for the title. Narrow wins over Raith and Morton are certainly a step in the right direction for Steven Pressley's men.

At the other end of the table, Dundee, who are as Jim Spence would claim, “morally” top of the league, are already up to 7^th place in the real world and bar a catastrophic collapse, are all but clear of relegation because they have a superior side to those around them. So that leaves Stirling rooted at the bottom, which looks like the position they will end up finishing in, unless new manager Jocky Scott can pull a few rabbits out of the hat. The more interesting battle down the bottom is likely to be between Ross County and Cowdenbeath as they battle it out to avoid slipping into the relegation play-off spot. Ross County have a huge decision to make with regards to a new manager and will arguably need to appoint an experienced head, while Cowdenbeath need to find their early season form again if they are to avoid nerve shredding play-off fixtures.

written by Will Lyon

The Kill-ees

Click here to listen to this week’s episode of The Terrace. You can also download it on iTunes here.

For once, an Old Firm actually lived up to expectations. A thoroughly breathless encounter ended 2-2 at Ibrox, and we will talk Brown, Diouf, Ness, Calum Murray and Steven Naismith to open the show this week.

The draw for the quarter-finals has taken place and we will decipher who can be most pleased with the result, and how the rest of the teams navigated their 5th round ties.

In the lower leagues, Raith keep plodding along, Stirling look doomed and Dundee look set to claim a first-ever moral league championship - at a canter! We also talk Dumbarton, Forfar, Elgin and Jim Duffy’s Clyde.

Scotland are in action, and The Terrace will try and get you hyped for Wednesday’s trip to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin by chatting about the game, the squad inclusions and the potential stand-out stars of our first ever Carling Nations Cup campaign.

There’s even Punt of the Week and Where are they Now? in a packed show. I hope you enjoy.

Email: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast / Facebook: The Terrace

First Division Still Keeping Up With The SPL

Click here for my latest article on how the Scottish First Division standards are still keeping up with the SPL despite the chronic lack of money in the league. It was published in the latest 52 page edition of Scotzine, which you can buy electronically for £1.00 or in print for £2.61. You can purchase the fanzine here.

Top Five: Deadline Day Deals

Below is my assessment of the Conor Sammon transfer from Kilmarnock to Wigan Athletic on transfer deadline day. You can check out the other four deadline day deals at here at The Terrace.


2. Conor Sammon (Kilmarnock ---> Wigan Athletic): Wigan Athletic netted Kilmarnock's top goal-scorer Conor Sammon last night after an estimated £600,000 deal was agreed between the two clubs. Sammon, who has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Latics, scored eighteen goals in twenty-seven games this season and was the SPL top goalscorer before he left Scotland.

It makes depressing reading for Killie fans - and sometimes it’s the transfers OUT that can affect the rest of your season more than who comes in. There is no doubt Killie will sorely miss the big guy, but they couldn’t refuse the money offered to them or deny the career enhancing move for Sammon himself. Mixu will have his work cut out replacing the Irishman’s goals. Meanwhile, the 24-year old will have his work cut out as he competes for a place in Wigan's first eleven with forwards such as Hugo Rodallega and Franco Di Santo. It is a big step up for the Irishman, but nothing can take away his fantastic goalscoring form this season where everything seemed to click into place for him.

Deadline Day Terrace

Hi folks,

It's deadline day and it's time for a new episode of The Terrace. Check it out here or search for 'The Terrace' on iTunes.

On this week's show we will look back on the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-finals of the weekend, as well as the SPL action which saw Hibs slip further in to relegation woes.

We talk Pressley, Livi and Arbroath in the SFL round-up and hand-pick a couple of upcoming Scottish Cup games which have tickled our fancy.

There midweek SPL action to preview as well as our usual other features.

Enjoy the show

Raith Rovers 1 v 2 Falkirk

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

Falkirk Hold On For Vital Three Points

A first half wonder strike from Jack Compton and mistake from Rovers keeper' David McGurn allowing striker Mark Stewart to fire home, was enough to give Falkirk a huge 3 points at Starks Park this afternoon, after a Laurie Ellis header had put the hosts ahead.

In truth, the match was fairly evenly contested with the Starks Park side having a few better chances.

Despite the defeat, Raith stay top of the 1^st Division but Falkirk are very much back in the race for promotion as they are now just 7 points behind Raith with a game in hand.

Falkirk's star player in the SPL, Pedro Moutinho, re-signed for the Bairns yesterday and it would be fair to say he struggled to find his feet today. His performance was summed up in a weakly struck effort eight minutes into the first half which McGurn comfortably gathered. Moments before this, Raith had almost taken the lead when a Falkirk clearance fell to Allan Walker who half-volleyed the ball just wide of Robert Olejnik's post.

However, the 2,829 fans inside Starks Park would not have to wait long for the opening goal. 10 minutes in, a Walker corner was cleared as far as Iain Davidson whose back post cross was met by the head of the unchallenged Ellis and the ball looped over the helpless Olejnik into the back of the net.

Falkirk tried to strike back through Ryan Flynn as he strode down the Rovers half and if it was not for the close attention of Stephen Simmons his strike may have beaten McGurn.

The play began to slow down as referee Bobby Madden appeared to become a little whistle-happy until the 38^th minute Falkirk hauled themselves back into the match with an absolute peach of a strike. Compton received the ball on the right wing with not a Rovers player in sight and the 22-year-old drove forward towards the box dodging a Davidson tackle, cutting inside past Willie Dyer and then belted the ball from 25 yards out, clipping the bar on the way into goal. Compton's effort was applauded by both sets of fans.

4 minutes later Raith had lost another goal. Compton scraped a weak effort at goal which McGurn looked to have covered, but the ball bounced off his hands and onto the foot of Stewart who had the easiest of jobs to pass the ball into the back of the net.

Iain Williamson, who had replaced Scott McBride after a head knock, had a chance to bring Raith level at half time but his injury time strike was cleared off the line by Falkirk.

Williamson had another dig at goal shortly after the break but failed to connect with the ball properly before Falkirk's Stewart should have added another goal to his tally. Compton was causing more problems down the right wing, skipping past Dyer and crossing into the box where he found Stewart just yards out, but he somehow hit the ball straight at McGurn, who gathered comfortably.

Compton was proving to be Falkirk's creative spark and on the 66^th minute he used his pace to ease past Mark Campbell and despite being at a very tight angle, fired a good effort just wide of the goal. Two minutes later Campbell proved his worth as he cleared a Stewart header off the line.

Raith were provided a welcome boost on the 71^st minute as Brian McLean took Walker clean out 40 yards out and picked up his second yellow card of the match. McLean appeared to injure himself in the process of the tackle but had no choice but to walk down the tunnel for another mistimed tackle.

Despite having the man advantage, Raith's luck looked to have run out as a Campbell cross was gathered by the clean through John Baird but his effort crashed off the bar and clear.

Raith piled men forward and unsurprisingly looked uncomfortable when Falkirk counter-attacked, but it was Raith's Williamson who went closest to grabbing the next goal with two stoppage time attempts. Firstly a Gregory Tade cross was flicked at goal by Williamson, but Olejnik held the ball comfortably and 1 minute later Olejnik was called into action for the final time as he tipped Williamson's pile-driver wide of the post.

The resultant corner came to nothing and Falkirk held on for a crucial three points. It was undoubtedly a thoroughly successful day for the Bairns as second placed Dunfermline Athletic also lost today at Firhill.

After picking up just 1 point from a possible 6 in these last two home fixtures, Raith will be hoping to extend their position at the top of the table next week at Stirling. Falkirk meanwhile will be keeping their fingers crossed that they can go on a Inverness-esq run till the end of the season now, but have it all to do, with a potentially tricky tie against Greenock Morton next weekend.

FREE 24 page preview of the Scottish League Cup semi-finals

Click here to read and/or download The Away End's latest digital magazine focusing on this weekend's Scottish League Cup Semi Finals between Celtic-Aberdeen and Rangers-Motherwell.

You can click on any of the following pictures to read my contributions.


Review of the expected Celtic defence:

Late drama on dramatic night for the 'Well:

Scottish League Cup semi final predictions:

A Shot At Glory

Click here for the latest edition of The Terrace in which I make my debut appearance with the radio show hosted by Alan Temple and Craig Fowler. You can also listen on iTunes here.

We discuss:

The SPL becomes more than a two-horse race….or did it?

There’s contrasting fortunes for the other club in the capital as Hibs lurch from one bad result to another - can the signings of Thornhill and Jean-Francois do anything to stem the tide of bade results down Easter Road way?

Meanwhile, Celtic continue to look more and more capable of taking the title back to the East End.

In the lower leagues we talk Jocky Scott, Queen of the South, Liam Buchanan, Darren Gribben and East Stirling in a packed round-up of life outside the top tier in Scotland.

As well as the usual packed week of SPL action there is also a couple of Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-finals to look forward to, as Stuart McCall’s Motherwell and Craig Brown’s Aberdeen look to shock Rangers and Celtic respectively at our national stadium.

Aside from that there is Where are they Now? and Punt of the Week.

Enjoy the show.

Raith Rovers 2 v 2 Greenock Morton

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

Last Gasp Strike Denies Rovers Victory

An 89th minute pile driver from Peter Weatherson denied Raith Rovers the opportunity to stretch their lead to four points at the top of the First Division this afternoon.

With Dunfermline Athletic’s game against Stirling Albion postponed, Raith were looking to take advantage against Greenock Morton.

At half time it looked like the job was almost done as Raith led 2-0 after John Baird and Allan Walker hit the target.

However, Morton made amends for their first period mistakes with Derek Lyle scoring just eight minutes into the second half and Weatherson completing the comeback, smashing a free kick into the top corner in the dying embers of the match.

The first half began with both sides creating chances and Morton boss Allan Moore was visibly perplexed when David O’Brien looked clean through on goal, only for referee Craig Thomson to bring the play back for a previous foul.

Michael Tidser had a long-range effort on goal for Morton, before keeper’ Colin Stewart made a comfortable save from Raith’s lively Baird.

O’Brien was running riot again on the 13th minute as he cut right through the Rovers midfield and David McGurn was relieved to see the winger’s shot stray wide of his post.

Three minutes later Raith took the lead through Baird. Morton failed to clear the ball from their box and Baird nipped in, dispossessed Grant Evans and had the simplest of tasks to slot the ball past Stewart from just indise the six yard box.

Raith really started to turn up the heat after their opening goal and Laurie Ellis was unlucky to see his front post header flash wide. Moments later, Raith carved open the Ton’ defence with a fantastic Iain Davidson pass forward which ended with Walker laying off Scott McBride, but the winger’s curling effort was on the wrong side of the post.

Mid-way through the half Raith had a scare when a Lyle cross was headed inches wide by David Graham.

However, Morton were picking the ball out of their net soon after when Walker controlled a cross deep inside the box, switched feet and found the back of the net with a simple finish.

Morton had a great chance to strike back on the 33rd minute as Lyle ran through the Rovers defence, but he was thwarted at the last possible second with a superb Stephen Simmons sliding tackle.

Just before the break, Baird latched onto a long pass from the midfield and caught the ball on the half volley, but his effort was weak and Stewart tipped the ball round the post.

Morton came out in the second half fired up and it took them just 8 minutes to grab a goal back. Raith failed to clear their lines and Lyle intercepted the ball, belting it into the top corner, giving McGurn no chance.

Morton were now in the ascendancy and after Mark Campbell was caught on the ball Graham flicked the ball off him but from a tight angle, fired over the bar.

Five minutes later, McGurn made an unbelievable stop to keep Raith ahead when he reached out a desperate hand to make a point blank save from Allan Jenkins.

After the narrow escape, Raith began to push forward in search of a third and final goal. On the 66th minute, Walker dispatched a long ball up to Baird who crossed into the box, but Stewart saved McBride’s diving header.

One minute later, Rovers launched an all out assault on the Morton goal with no less than three chances being cleared of the line in quick succession starting with a Baird header blocked by Stewart, the rebound fell to Ellis who blasted in a shot only to see it cleared off the line by Kean to Campbell whose header was saved by Stewart.

Baird thought he had won the game for Raith on the 76th minute when Simmons played him clean through and the small striker thumped the ball home only to see linesman Graeme Leslie raise his flag for offside. It must have been a very close call, but to be fair to Leslie, his flag was up immediately.

Allan Moore urged his players to start pushing forward in numbers and just three minutes from time Graham should have equalised for the away side. Lyle found himself clean through but McGurn spread his body and saved well but when Graham received the rebound at the edge of the box he somehow missed the open goal.

However, with Raith sitting back and looking vulnerable, Simmons conceded a needless foul on the left edge of the box and from the resulting free kick; substitute Peter Weatherson lashed the ball into the net with the aide of a slight deflection.

All in all, a disappointing result for Rovers who will feel they practically had the three points in the bag at half time. However, Morton showed great desire and spirit to haul themselves back into the match for an important away point.

Raith now move two points clear of Dunfermline,at the top of the League Table but now both sides have played an equal number of games.

The Student Sport - Semester 2 - Week 2

The Student released their second issue of Semester Two today. You can download page one of the sport section here and page two here. It was edited by Alistair Shand and myself.

The Away End Podcast with Graham Ruthven, Will Lyon & Ross Dunbar

The first podcast of 2011 saw three new names make their debut; Graham Ruthven, Will Lyon and Ross Dunbar took charge of the show this week.

Neil Lennon and Celtic continue their crusade to drive all the referees out of Scotland, Kenny Miller may well be joining the referees on their flight to somewhere new, and with them gone we'll probably still be deciding what league format to go with.

The show can be listened on the web here, or can be accessed via iTunes here.

Something stirring in the Kingdom of Fife

Click here or read below for my article on the recent success of football in Fife. It was published on The Terrace.

Something stirring in the Kingdom of Fife

Season 2006/07 seems a long time ago now and Fife clubs, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife and Raith Rovers have good reasons to push it to the back of their minds.

On 5 May 2007, Raith were humbled 3-1 in the second leg of the Second Division playoff final by Stirling Albion, meaning that the Kirkcaldy side would be stuck in the third tier of Scottish football for another long season. Seven days later Dunfermline fell to a 2-1 defeat at Inverness Caledonian Thistle to confirm their relegation to the First Division after seven brave years in the Scottish Premier League. On the same day East Fife fared no better as they were thrashed 3-0 by Queens Park in the Third Division playoff final, condemning them to the lowest tier of the Scottish Football League for another term. Meanwhile Cowdenbeath narrowly avoided relegation to Division 3 after finishing the season just six points off the relegation play-off position in Division 2.

Oh, how times have changed! Whilst there are still no Fife teams in the SPL, there is a great chance of one being there next season. If you take off the recently-confirmed 25 point deduction for Dundee then Dunfermline and Raith are actually sitting in the top two places of the First Division. There is currently only one point between the sides and Raith have a game in hand over their west Fife rivals.

Cowdenbeath, after two back-to-back promotions find themselves punching well above their weight in the First Division and are remarkably four (nine, if you take Dundee's point deduction into consideration) points clear of the automatic relegation. The Blue Brazil, tipped to go straight back down to Division 2, have defied the odds so far this season. East Fife are currently undergoing a bit of modification after Stevie Crawford stepped down as manager. Despite this, Hearts hero John Robertson has taken the reigns and has the Methil side sitting seventh in the Second Division and has already nabbed a Manager of the Month award.

Football in Fife hasn’t looked so rosy in many years. Cowdenbeath, East Fife and Raith are all in higher leagues compared to 2006/07 and Dunfermline fans will be currently enjoying watching their team fly to the top of the First Division rather than the horrible relegation suffered in 2007. So what has changed?

Dunfermline 
The situation at East End Park worsened before it got better. In season 2007/08 the Pars finished their return to Division 1 in a disappointing 5th place and suffered humiliating home defeats to Hamilton Academical (0-5) and Livingston (0-4) in the space of three weeks. After finishing as runners-up in the Scottish Cup the season previous, Dunfermline actually competed in Europe in 2007, but were knocked out at the first hurdle by BK Hacken.

The Pars board soon realised that manager Stephen Kenny was not capable of producing the goods that they demanded and he was sacked on 4 December 2007. Striker Jim McIntyre was handed the job on a permanent basis a month later. Since McIntyre's appointment, the Pars have steadily progressed and finished in a respectable third position in the last two seasons. McIntyre has disposed of dead wood at the club and has brought in some fantastic younger players such as Willie Gibson and Steven Bell. McIntyre has done a fine job and his side look favourites for promotion back into the SPL this season.

Raith Rovers
Season 2006-2007 ended in disappointment for Raith, but it had actually been the start of a new era. Hearts coach John McGlynn was hired on 20 November 2006 and steered Rovers from 9th place in Division 2 to finish 3rd. Rovers finished third again the following season and bowed out in the playoffs to Airdrie United. However, 2008/09 was to be the season that Raith finally hauled themselves back into the First Division, winning automatic promotion by finishing two points ahead of second-placed Ayr United.

McGlynn performed further miracles in 2009-2010 by leading the Starks Park club to 7th place (after amazingly heading the division for a period) and also took the club to their first Scottish Cup semi-final in 47 years.

After keeping Raith up in their return to the First Division, McGlynn added Brechin full back Willie Dyer, Cowdenbeath winger Scott McBride, Montrose keeper Andy McNeil and Airdrie forward John Baird to his squad. Despite these relatively unremarkable signings, Raith somehow find themselves just one point behind Dunfermline and in a promotion battle that even their most ambitious fans could not have predicted at the start of the season.

Cowdenbeath
The recent story of Cowdenbeath is just as impressive as their Kirkcaldy neighbours. However, the story begins with a failure, as in 2007/08 they were relegated to the Third Division, finishing 9th and, via the playoffs, succumbing to a 3-2 aggregate defeat against Arbroath.

The Central Park side sacked manager Brian Welsh in June 2008 and Danny Lennon stepped up from the playing staff to take control in the dugout, much like Jim McIntyre. Yet, much like McIntyre, Lennon proved to be a natural. His managerial reign started well as Cowden finished second in the 2008/09 season and although they lost on penalties to Stenhousemuir in the playoff final they were promoted just days before the start of the new season due to Livingston being demoted to the Third Division.

Remarkably, with a squad that Lennon had assembled to compete in the Third Division, Cowdenbeath performed well above expectations and finished third in Division 2. They defeated Alloa Athletic in the play-off semi-final and then swept past Brechin City 3-0 to unbelievably seal promotion to the First Division.
Danny Lennon left Cowdenbeath for SPL club St. Mirren in the summer, but the experienced Jimmy Nicholl has taken over and produced good results such as narrow victories over Dundee and Raith while a 5-1 romp over Stirling was a particular high point.

East Fife 
The Fifers have had the hardest time of the four clubs in recent years, but most of their fans will admit that Division 2 is around their natural level anyway. Season 2007/08 saw a lot of investment in East Fife from Willie Gray and his financial backing paid off as the Methil side ran away with the Third Division title, finishing with 88 points, 23 more than runners-up Stranraer. 2008/09 was expected to be another successful year for East Fife, but Dave Baikie's side failed to make the impact they hoped, finishing sixth in the Second Division.

Striker Stevie Crawford had now taken over the reins and despite the withdrawal of funds from Gray, he managed to keep the team in the division, edging the dreaded play-offs by one point. Recently, John Robertson has taken over as manager which has allowed Crawford to solely focus on scoring goals again. It's still early in Robertson's tenure, but after beating Stenhousemuir 6-0 in their last league fixture they will be looking to push up the league from their current seventh position.

So there you have it. Considering the size of Fife, its football clubs are prospering and progressing very well. There is a fantastic chance of one of them being in the SPL next season and Cowdenbeath will be keen to stay up and keep punching above their weight in Division 1.

As a side note, it is interesting that Cowdenbeath (Danny Lennon), Dunfermline (Jim McIntyre) and Raith Rovers (John McGlynn) have had their clubs transformed by managers that were in their first permanent managerial job. It certainly backs the theory that older and experienced managers are being forced out of the game by chairmen looking for candidates that are in touch with the modern tactics and theories, as these young guns aim to bring success to the Kingdom.

Give Us Our Game Back

Click on the picture below for my article on the new SPL proposals set by Chief Executive Neil Doncaster. It was published in The Student.

The Student Sport - Semester 2 - Week 1

The Student released their first issue of Semester Two today. You can download page one of the sport section here and page two here. It was edited by Alistair Shand and myself.

“Massive” Foo Fighters Album Anticipated Soon

Click here or read below for my feature on Foo Fighters and their new album, to be released later this year. It was published on Pure Grain Audio.

Do they still have it in them to rock?

Foo Fighters have been a household name in the world of rock music for around sixteen years now and are hoping to release their seventh album this year. It would be fair to assert that their previous two efforts have been slightly disappointing for the hardcore fan as apart from a few decent singles, the music has become stale. Despite this, the Foos' have generally sold more albums with each new record, arguably because their music has become increasingly radio friendly.

However, there is now genuine excitement for the original Foo Fighters fans, who enjoyed the raw debut album and the ear bending The Colour & The Shape. Lead singer Dave Grohl has revealed that the new album, due out before the festival season, will sound 'massive'. The former Nirvana drummer has reunited with Butch Vig who produced Nirvana's classic Nevermind in the early nineties and Vig has stripped back the music to help it become heavier, using as little computer technology as possible.

Picture: NRK P3

The album, as of yet untitled, was recorded in Grohl's garage and will not contain any any acoustic orchestration or ballads, but just pure, hard, rock music.

Do the band still have what it takes though? Grohl has a strong love of pop music and the Washington hardcore punk scene that he grew up with, will now be a far and distant memory. Despite this, it seems that Grohl has somewhat rediscovered his roots. Foo Fighters recently took a two year hiatus which allowed Grohl to step back behind the drums for Them Crooked Vultures and it appears that during this time the 41-year-old enjoyed being part of a band who did not care for fancy effects or quiet, reflective songs.

There are fears that Foo Fighters have progressed too far from their raw beginnings and that they are unable to produce heavy songs with a melodic hook. A prime example of how it can go all wrong would be Feeder's latest album Renegades. The band ditched the acoustic guitars, cranked up the distortion pedal and found themselves looking a little silly with a lot of noise, but little quality.

However, faith must be placed in Grohl and company. They are intelligent musicians whose experience in this sector of the music industry is second to none.