The Mantis

All change at WW John, much younger committee, you might see Newky but I'll probably not make it although I trekked down to Creetown at the weekend. I'm not involved at the club and Jamie who did all the media and programme is away too (has been going to Vale of Leithen this season as his mates are involved). Craig the Hunter who filmed the games is now at Vale of Leven. Sadly WW have lost a few stalwarts since you last played. Peter McGauley, Derek Waterson and Wallace Weir the kit man have all passed away. Also at least 3 long term supporters that you might have known only by sight (and sound ) are no longer with us. Edit - might get the train down and have a few beers when EK play Berwick next month.

There’s only 2 or 3 times a season when you have a great day out, you meet some familiar faces and a few new ones. This was one of the good days amongst all the shite

Just posted a few photos on the Random Matches thread

Castle Cary Park yesterday for Creetown 1 v Whitehill 3 in the Scottish. A cracking day for it and stopped at the Devil's Beeftub on the way down, a pretty impossible place to get a photo that shows how dramatic it is. The Whitehill boys left at 9.15 in the team bus and understandably drink was taken, i.e. a good few were pished.

My verdict on the WoS which was the wrong forum for it. First visit to Castle Cary Park and a very welcoming club like all the South clubs I've been at with WW.

Pretty comfortable for Whitehill. Home team started brightly but WW pretty dominant till Creetown got a softish spot kick for a handball after 30 mins. This gave them a lift and they had their best spell up to the break. Second half WW took the game by the scruff of the neck and never looked in any danger. WW have arrested their recent decline and have to say as a mid table tier 7 side I always had them as favourites despite Creetown being top of SOS. (apologies for off topic)

Compulsory greenie for red squirrel pie reference

He’s not got a neck though. I like my managers to have a neck. And not a brass one like Robertson or Gardiner.

Just to add to this in general. I was at the first LL AGM when GF got elected. There was a brief discussion about 'ventilation' which I felt should have gone to a vote but didn't. However at the time there were 4 clubs without lights and there wasn't a lot of love in the room for those clubs, one of which was mine. I felt the LL would have happily done without those clubs.

Remember being there with Whitehill against the Binos in the Scottish. Got the full treatment, boardroom, bevvy etc. Met the late Peter McKenzie, a real gent. But playing the Uni in the LL, they only got a wee room at the front and the boardroom was out of bounds. They only had 2 guys as committee and somebody had made up a few pieces. A similar situation at the Recs when Broomhill were using it.

It's actually far more fertile than Yell which you must have travelled through to get to Fetlar. Yell has the reputation that you draw the blinds on the side windows as you pass through. The bird life on Fetlar is tremendous though. Yell landscape:

Tuesday. Lowland League. Edinburgh Uni 1 Berwick Rangers 3. Nice night to be out and a decent moon... The Uni scored after about 30 seconds and led at the break. The second half had barely begun when their trialist defender was red-carded for a dogso and Liam Buchanan scored from the spot, going on to complete his hat trick.

Not very exciting posting about ammies games but usually good games to watch. Thursday night in the LEAFA Sunday Morning Premier, and the last set of midweek fixtures before winter. Pentland Athletic 4 Lochend AFC 4 at the Glencorse Centre in Auchendinny. Pentland seemed to have won it with a great free kick in stoppage time from man of many clubs including Raith, Dundee and East Fife, Craig O'Reilly but Lochend came back and equalised. In keeping with the Colinton Tunnel pic in my last ammies report, here's an old selfie from the tunnel at Auchendinny

Not random, but fancied getting a couple of aerial shots yesterday at Airdrie v ICT. High point of my day obviously...

Aye they move fast. I tried the same thing at The Oval in Belfast where it’s only about 2 km to City Airport and they come in really low. They go longways up the park but you don’t get much warning. Thought I had a few pics but can’t find any.

If the game’s crap you can have fun trying to catch the shadows

Getting this in before the Airdrie game and remembering we had our record loss there... even though it was a blip which occasionally happened under Pele. 5 most depressing ICT results: 5- ICT v Partick Thistle, Scottish Cup, February 2006. The OF were both out. Thistle were 2 divisions below us. Liam Fox was one on one with the keeper to make it 3-1 late on, but missed, and Thistle went up the park to equalise after Paul Ritchie won a spot kick. We dominated the replay but were absolutely toothless, and there followed possibly the worst set of penalties by ICT apart from the infamous 2-0 shoot-out at Stirling. Sheer hatred from the Thistle fans over both legs, probably due to the fiasco where we took their place in the SPL. Partick lost narrowly at Tynecastle in the next round and Hearts eventually beat Gretna in the final. 4- ICT 0 Falkirk 1, 23/5/09. Tokely sent off in the first half, ICT cling on until Higdon scores with 20 mins left. Despite having 37 points ICT are relegated on goal difference from St Mirren, behind Falkirk on 38. ICT could have been safe with 2 games to go on a Wednesday night at Motherwell where they lost an equaliser with 10 minutes left in a 2-2 draw. ICT had also won 2-1 at St Mirren and hit the woodwork a couple of times late on. An extra goal there would have done it, but auntie/baws etc. 3- Alloa 1 ICT 0, 9/8/16. ICT knocked out of the League Cup by a team 2 divisions below, early on in Foran’s reign. Most of us could see the disaster that was about to unfold… 2- Hamilton 3 ICT 0, 31/1/17. The night Foran should have been sacked. We trail along to NDP on a Tuesday night expecting a win which will take us above Accies and out of the danger zone. We go behind then Tansey misses a penalty. We collapse, and it’s still only January but we all know what’s coming. 1- Sheer heartbreak. Scottish Cup, Quarter Final, 25/2/07. ICT 1 Celtic 2. We lead through a Graham Bayne goal early on. Celtic are poor and seldom threaten. With three minutes to go, we’re looking forward to another Hampden appearance, and 4 Jungle Jims in front of us in the North Stand slink away, to jeers of derision, having seen enough. In 89 minutes Pressley equalises and we resign ourselves to a replay at CP. But Kenny Miller scores in stoppage time and we’re out. The other semi-finalists are St Johnstone, Hibs and Dunfermline. Definitely winnable.

There’s nothing so far this season to suggest we’re better than Arbroath. If it went to pies, they’d hammer us.

They played County in the previous round and saw them off easily although it was only 2-1. Living locally I went with my mate as our game at Arbroath was off. County brought a reasonable support but it was all quite subdued. So they probably expected County Mkii as we were in the same league. I think we turned up with about 2500 in the pishing rain and blew the roof off. Great day.

Looks doubtful. For 20 years ICT were a feckin miracle. There was a magic about the club, we were riding a wave, we believed we could do anything. That all changed round about the time Yogi left. Now we're just like all the other clubs, we've settled into that cynical way where we just don't believe any more. Just while you're on about Coyle, he played for County and scored at our place at New Year. They led us 3-1 and had chances to make it more, but Wyness scored twice in injury time to give us a draw. That's the kind of thing that happened regularly, like when we trailed Ayr 3-0 at half time in the Scottish and people were still believing we could do it, and we won 4-3.

This was my favourite ICT memory right up until the semi in 2015. To drag it back on topic, we won 4-1 away at Airdrie 3 days before the ballistic game in 2000.

Can’t remember that, just Owen Coyle pinging the ball into our net at regular intervals …and Paul Sheerin sitting in the away support. Most people’s happy memories of Stevie Paterson’s time include the occasional freaky result like that one. A couple of months later we went to Tynie in the Scottish and destroyed Hearts 3-1.

Sunday morning, wandered along to Colinton Mains Park for Firrhill Thistle 0 Meadowbank Wednesday 7 in the LEAFA Premier. The home team made a game of it but the champions led 2-0 at half time and the second half was just a procession. Really enjoy watching an ammies game, it never disappoints, but this was really an excuse to get along to the nearby Colinton Tunnel early on a nice quiet Sunday before it got busy.

Newky must be on the committee now

^^^^^^ Secretly praying the game is off If you’ve got a motor, check out Davaar Island just down the road. Walk across at low tide and see the crucifixion cave painting.