Two chevrongs don't make a right

Click here to read a story I wrote on Elvira Neame who woke up one morning to find two massive road signs outside her window - pointing the wrong way. It was published in the Daily Record.

Lee pulled friends from burning car wreckage

Click here (Sun version), here (Star version) or here (Courier version) to read a story I wrote on Lee Smith who rescued his four pals from his burning car after a massive head-on collision.

Six forms of identity just to park car at hospital

Click here to read a story I wrote on a hospital car park system in Aberdeen that requires staff to hand over more documents than is required for a passport. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Weather deals Scots daffodil grower a withering blow

Click here (Courier version) or here (Daily Record version) to read my story on Scotland's leading daffodil grower who lost 15 million daffodils this year because of adverse weather conditions.

Running is a gas for man in a mask

Here is the print and online version of my story on Andy McMahon who broke the half marathon record for a man running in a gas mask. It was published in the Daily Record.

Post Blocks

Here is the print and the online version of a piece I wrote about a blunder by a Royal Mail worker in Aberdeen. It was published in the Daily Record.

The Chop

Click here to read a story I wrote on "Mandy" who came out and revealed why she undertook a sex change. It was published in The Star.

Tesco photo blunder may help Nicola fashion a bright future

Click here to read a story I wrote on Nicola Kirkbride who believes a Tesco blunder could help her fashion career. It was published in the Daily Mail.

Smiles better - little Allissa defies doctors to laugh for the first time

Here is the print version and online version for a story I wrote on Allissa Archibald - a toddler who doctors said would never laugh. It was published in the Daily Record.

Pioneering shockwaves helping heal burns mum

Click here to read a story I wrote on Laura Ritchie who has become the first woman in Scotland to to receive pioneering treatment on her severely burnt leg.

Mother left in agony by botched birth op

Click here (Daily Mail version) or here (Daily Express version) to read my story on a new mother who suffered three days of what felt like "constant labour" after a failed operation.

Family's heart-breaking 'bucket list' for Kayleigh

Click here to read a story I wrote on Kayleigh Cordiner who is making the most of her last months to live after she was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour. It was published in the Daily Mail.

I'm Signing Off

Here is the print version and online version of my story on Molly Croll, one of Scotland's longest registrars who is finally calling it a day after 47 long years. It was published in the Daily Record today.

Alone for the first time in almost 80 years

Click here to read the tale of the longest married Scots, who were wedded for 77 years. It was published in the Scottish Daily Mail.

Tributes To Boy, 5, Who Died Choking On Grape

Click here to read the tale of Louis Emaho who sadly choked to death on a grape during Tuesday afternoon. It was published in The Herald.

Mum's Fears On Cliff Riddle Son

Click here to read my story about Patricia Ritchie who is desperate for her son, Grant, to be found safe and well after vanishing along Aberdeen cliffs.

Cancer survivor's Olympic dream

Click here (The Herald print version), here (The Herald online version) or here (Daily Mail print version) to read my story on Jenna Jay who has defied all odds to beat cancer and will now perform at the Olympics.

After 70 years, memory of aircrew still lives on

Click here to read a story I wrote on Andy Brown, 70 years after he began dedicating his life to the memory of a lost Wellington bomber. It was published in The Scotsman.

Railway signs set to fetch £40,000 at auction

Click here for an article I wrote about 12 railway station signs set to fetch £40,000 at auction. It was published in The Scotsman.

What a miss - ace asleep in wrong house

Click here to read a story I wrote on Ross County midfielder Rocco Quinn who broke into the wrong house after a night out. It was published in the Daily Star.

River Of Tears

Click here to read my article on Derek McInulty, whose body was discovered yesterday after a 10 day search for the missing Hamilton man. It was published in the Daily Record.

Shocked diner finds huge tooth inside meat pie

Click here (Daily Express version) or here (Daily Star version) to read a story I wrote on Maryka Field who almost choked after finding a tooth in her meat pie.

Luke Who Is Our First Olympian

Click here to read my article on Luke Patience who was the first Scot to be called up to Team GB for the 2012 London Olympic Games. It was published in The Scottish Sun.

Hot Zone Heroes - Risking Their Lives To Help Save Ours

Click here to read my feature on the Hazardous Area Response Team. It was published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

Woman Dies After Falling From Newcastle University Building

Click here to read my article on the woman who sadly fell to her death from a Newcastle University building. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Above: The open window where the woman appears to have fallen from.

Hero Is Remembered

Click here to read my article on James Graham, who was killed when LCT 427 collided with HMS Rodney on D-Day. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Vaccines In Full Swing Give The Crowd A Shot In The Arm

Click here to read my review of The Vaccines live at the O2 Academy in Newcastle. It was published in The Journal.

Getting Switched On For Christmas

Click here for my article on the big Christmas lights switch-on in Eldon Square, Newcastle. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Lights Go Up On Shopping Centre's Christmas Display

Click here for my article on the big Christmas lights switch-on in Eldon Square, Newcastle. It was published in the The Journal.

Staff Delight At Rock Sale To Virgin

Click here for my interview with Northern Rock worker, David Mason, who spoke of his delight at the sale of the company to Virgin Money. It was published in The Journal.

Sir Richard Will Turn The Rock Around, Workers Say

Click here to read my article on the sale of Northern Rock to Virgin Money. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Mum Too Ashamed To Eat Out Sheds 7st

Click here to read my article on a Kenton mother who lost seven stone in under a year. It was published in the Sunday Sun.

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto [Review]

Click here to read my review of Coldplay's latest album, Mylo Xyloto. It was published in The Journal.

100 Years Young

Click here to read my article on Forest Hall Primary School's centenary celebrations. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Jim, 90, Proves He's Still A Real Live Wire

Click here to read my article on a 90-year-old man who zip-wired across the River Tyne yesterday. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

The Subways - Money & Celebrity [Review]

Click here to read my review of Money & Celebrity, the new Subways album. It was published in The Journal.

Girl, 17, Trapped Under Council Van

Click here to read my article on a Gosforth High School pupil being trapped under a van on her way to school. It was published in the Evening Chronicle.

Emotional Stories Prove Inspiration For So Many

Click here to read my second article on the 2011 Great North Run. It was published in The Journal.

Some Were Fast & Some Were Famous, But All Did Their Best

Click here to read my first article on the 2011 Great North Run. It was published in The Journal.

Terrace Travels 2011-12 #4

Click here or read below for my Terrace Travels report of the recent fixture between Raith Rovers and Greenock Morton. It was published on The Terrace. 

Raith Rovers 1 v 1 Greenock Morton

Raith Rovers found themselves embroiled in a bitter title challenge with neighbours Dunfermline Athletic last season, but after sizeable budget cuts in the summer little is expected of the Kirkcaldy side this campaign. However, Rovers have begun the season with a bang, collecting six points from two games placing them second in the table. As Greenock Morton came to town Will Lyon headed to Stark’s Park to see if Raith are the real McCoy.



Stark’s Park is an odd football ground. It has an old fashioned L-shaped main stand, complemented by a disused and “unsafe” coo shed on the other side, while two large modern stands sit behind the goals. It also lies on what some might say the aptly named, Pratt Street. However, for the usual sixteen hundred home fans, they could not imagine being anywhere else come three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon.

Once seated in the South Stand behind the goals, the first thing you notice is how far away the travelling support are situated. The three or four hundred Morton fans soak up the sun 120 yards away in the North Stand which makes it quite tricky to generate any sort of atmosphere.

Above the disused coo shed (otherwise known as the Railway Stand) is the Second Division flag still proudly fluttering in the breezy seaside air, two years on from its unfurling.

Stark’s Park has a different feel to it from last year and indeed that Second Division championship season. There is less of a buzz around the ground, despite the club's similarly lofty position to just four months ago. This is probably due to a sharp dose of realism amongst the Rovers faithful. Fifteen players left the club in the summer due to a lack of money spinning local derbies against Dunfermline and now, a drop in season ticket sales.

On Raith's bench today are five players with an average age of nineteen, none of which have SPL experience and manager John McGlynn unable to even find one striker to bring along. Go back in time twelve months and you would find a bench with an average age of twenty-four, three of which possessed a total of 135 SPL appearances between them. Therefore it is easy to see why there is a relative hush over Starks Park these days, Raith fans are lacking faith with a squad whose depth and experience has been completed mutilated.

The match itself starts of in a decent fashion. Despite the slightly long grass (probably due to the incessant rain the nation has had to suffer in recent weeks) both teams try to play the ball on the deck, although it must be said the pace of the game is frighteningly pedestrian compared to what was witnessed of Spurs at Tynecastle on Thursday.

Morton decide they are going to try and catch out Raith striker John Baird, a player who likes to play off the shoulder of defenders and as a result Rovers are caught offside an incredible five times in the first fifteen minutes.

Another fifteen minutes later, Baird keeps himself in an onside position and threads a lovely little ball through to St Johnstone loanee Stephen Reynolds who proceeds to round the lanky goalkeeper that is Colin Stewart and rolls the ball into the empty net.

Rovers begin to gain an extra air of confidence after the goal but somehow find themselves back all square eight minutes later when a Morton freekick is knocked on by the outstanding Michael Tidser, and Paul Di Giacomo, who could barely score for love nor money at Ross County, smashes home his sixth goal of the season.

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, sitting in the Rovers Directors Box, is obviously very upset that Morton have scored against his beloved team, so he scurries off for a pie with his bodyguard before the half time whistle.

The second half is a little more frustrating than the first, with both teams squandering chances in the final third of the pitch.

What is enjoyable however, is the performances of Baird and Tidser. Baird, frustrated by a lack of service in the Rovers midfield continually drops deep, receiving the ball, spraying it wide, running into the box and trying to get himself on the end of crosses. Tidser on the other hand is spraying balls all across the pitch to his Morton team mates, with his fair share of quick, short passes too, while cracking spectacular twenty-five yard shots at goal when given the appropriate space.

Although most attacks are going through both players it would be unfair to label both Raith and Morton as “one man teams” but there can be little doubt that the loss of these players would have fairly catastrophic consequences for both sides respectively. No doubt McGlynn and Morton boss Allan Moore would have loved to lock both players in a safe house straight after the game to keep any potential buyers away and continue to do so until the transfer window shuts later this month.

Back to the game, Morton striker Peter McDonald, who has been trying to con referee Charlie Richmond into giving him a free-kick all game, threw himself to the ground for what is now a third time but Richmond once again waves play on. Then McGlynn, with no other attacking options replaces striker Stephen Reynolds with left winger Scott McBride who looks completely lost up front.

Meanwhile at the other end of the park, six stewards make their way to the bottom of the North Stand to stop any mental Morton fans running onto the pitch to celebrate a winning goal. To be honest, they might as well have gone home early as a Darren McGeough powerdriver aside, a goal was never on the cards.

It is hard to tell whether either of these two sides are able to mount some sort of title challenge, as Baird and Tidser aside, there were no star performers aside from defenders. In truth, it could be a number of months before some teams begin to break away from the pack and show title credentials. Most teams in the First Division have solid defences and with a general lack of talent in attacking positions it would be sensible to predict a side with the least injuries and suspensions to have a chance of glory.

On another note, Gordon Brown never returned to his seat, the part time fan that he is. Boooo!

written by Will Lyon

Hearts 0 v 5 Spurs - The Breakdown

Click here or read below for my article on the five goal thrashing Tottenham Hotspur dished out on Heart of Midlothian last night. It was published on The Away End.

More Than Money To Blame For Hearts Big Loss To Tottenham

Jermain Defoe puts Spurs 2-0 up at Tynecastle

Tynecastle was the scene of a real eye opener for Scottish football on Thursday evening. The third force in the country were ripped to shreds by last season's 5th placed Premier League opposition. Tottenham were always expected to overcome Hearts, but the fixture was supposed to, at Tynecastle anyway, be a slightly closer contest.

Fans and pundits alike suggested that 15,000 roaring Hearts fans would intimidate the Spurs players and, if an early goal was scored by the Edinburgh side, anything was possible. These glorious dreams were shattered just five minutes into the match when World Cup runner-up Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring for the visitors. Clearly, there was actually a complete lack of fear or intimidation amongst the Tottenham players as they began to carve open the static Hearts defence with ease.

To be frank, the notion that Spurs would be intimidated by the atmosphere at Tynecastle is quite ridiculous. After all, it was only ten months ago that Tottenham, with their goalkeeper sent off and 4 goals down after 35 minutes, almost staged the comeback of all comebacks against Inter Milan in front of 70,000 people at the San Siro. Spurs ultimately lost 4-3 that night, but they showed no fear.

Back to Thursday evening, the most obvious issue was the gigantic gap in quality between the two sides. This is due to the amount of money each club can afford to pay out. Tottenham's annual wages in 2010 came to £67 million, while the Hearts wage bill was roughly 7 times inferior, at just £9 million. Therefore, the Jambos were never likely to have the quality to match Tottenham for lengthy spells, but certainly, to be two goals down after just 13 minutes suggests that there were other issues for the Edinburgh side.

Paulo Sergio, managing just his 4^th game in charge of Hearts admitted his side gave their English opponents “too much respect” in the first half. The “too much respect” line is a common one from managers, but it would be hard to disagree with the notion that Sergio did not set his team out correctly either. Tottenham's talisman, Van der Vaart, appeared to have acres of space on the pitch and it is almost beyond belief that Sergio did not have the audacity to have him man marked, or at least closed down more efficiently. Although Sergio may plead innocence regarding his player's awe and admiration for Spurs, thus resulting in a cumbersome first half performance, he must accept blame for his players trying to play his new “build from the back” philosophy, which is utter lunacy against a vastly superior side like Tottenham.

Sergio may have made some errors, but the fact of the matter is that this was one of the more sizeable mismatches the Europe League play-off draw could have plucked out. However, the quick capitulation of Hearts is without doubt, a disappointment and controversial owner Vladimir Romanov should not escape some blame either. The recently sacked Jim Jeffries knew this group of players far better than most, after all, he signed half of them. No matter how many DVDs, training sessions and matches Sergio had managed to watch of his Hearts side, the knowledge he would have had on each player and the team's strengths and weaknesses would not have been as complete as his predecessor. Romanov may have been correct when defining his dismissal of Jeffries as a consequence of a terrible run of form, but the timing of the decision was sheer madness. If Hearts were able to overcome Paks, which they did, Romanov should have been aware that whoever the Jambos were to play in the next round, they would be up against it. Therefore having a new manager just in through the door for such a difficult match was a big, big mistake. Now, the consequence is a new record of the biggest European defeat for Hearts in their history.

The worrying aspect, is that the Jambos have egg all over their face, yet it's only half time.

written by Will Lyon

You Me At Six - 'Loverboy' [Song Review]

Click here or read below to read my review of 'Loverboy', the latest single from You Me At Six. It was published on Pure Grain Audio.

Rating: 10/10

You Me At Six are one of those bands that just keep getting bigger and bigger as each new CD is released. Coming up on October 3, 2011 is Sinners Never Sleep and to keep the drooling fans at bay, 'Loverboy' will be released the week previous.

The band have warned that although there are a few ballads included on Sinners Never Sleep, the music in general has become increasingly heavier. This is more than apparent on 'Loverboy'. A thick guitar riff leads the song out of the speaker, before it is repeated in sinister fashion by Matt Barnes' bass guitar. The quietly spoken Josh Franeschi then brings the track into an explosion of noise for an unforgettable chorus. A quick verse follows before the band delve into the chorus again and keep up the momentum into the bridge. After a brief pause You Me At Six launch into one final hurrah with the infectious chorus.

It is hard to find a fault with the song. The lyrics, considering the bands youth, are actually quite mature and dripping with the right amount of angst, while the music is a near-perfect backdrop. On this type of form Sinners Never Sleep may just be an unprecedented success.

written by Will Lyon

Run Time: 3:17
Release Date: September 26th, 2011

Check out the song: 'Loverboy'