LeedsPhil

Largs Thistle in the WoSFL has an interesting stand-alone pie hut building. This photo also lifted from nonleaguescotland.org.uk

From nonleaguescotland.org.uk

Nothing special to look at, but any such article should include Alloa Athletic's. So good, it runs as a business even on non matchdays (or at least did, pre covid). Alloa are nicknamed the wasps and play in black and gold. Last time I was there I had a 'Black & Gold Pie' - take a high-rim-edged pie, then put a spoonful of baked beans on top (held in place by the rim), then topped off with a slice of black pudding exactly the same circular size as the pie. Masterchef presentation of fitba food ! And Edinburgh University (Peffermill East) has superb home baking, albeit the refreshments room is just the ground floor of the general purpose building.

This could have not bothered holding back until 6pm after all ! That later KO time was because the same plastic pitch of Raith's was also due to be the 2:15 venue for Thornton Hibs v Nithsdale Wanderers in the South Region Challenge Cup. But that has now been scrapped - the Competition Committee have allowed Nithsdale to scratch 'due to the current exceptional circumstances'.

Look up a bit, and you'll see that FairWeatherFan posted that info 20 hours earlier.

Camelon-Brora OFF again, I'm hearing. Even the plastic at Denny is frozen.

Yeah, re-reading the FN post I realized that I had mistakenly put Wednesday on here. I did immediately edit it to say Tuesday, but you lot are so quick off the mark that in the meantime you had already begun replying to my uncorrected one. I must learn to read properly before starting typing !

I'm reading elsewhere that Huntly's manager has revealed that they tried to get the game moved to Cove's 3G for this Monday afternoon, and to Lossiemouth (grass, but notoriously mild) for tonight Tuesday. It is stated that in both cases Cumbernauld Colts refused. If correct, that is ridiculous by CC, and makes their moaning to the Daily Record particuarly hypocritical.

The issue here is Cumbernauld cheekily wantlng to switch the sense of the cup tie, by having it played as a Home fixture. It came out of the hat with them having to travel. But I totally agree that the competition shouldn't be held up, this special year. Huntly should have been forced by the SFA to move this last chance before R2 day to an alternative venue. But one up North. e.g. Cove or Banks o' Dee, not down to Broadwood. By the way, the winners of Huntly-Cumbernauld go to Dumbarton in the next round, not playing Hearts at home. It's Camelon/Brora who receive Hearts. Which missed out on consideration for being a TV pick with all the associated exposure for the club, because Camelon left it until this 5th attempt to go to a nearby 3G. They should have done that last midweek.

Cumbernauld Colts wanting the Huntly game switched down to their place. Cheeky! https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/cumbernauld-colts-seek-scottish-cup-23261313 The way it was drawn should always be honoured - CC the ones travelling. 3Gs such as Cove or Banks o' Dee could be options should the SFA tell Huntly to get on with it.

3G pitches need a crumb of rubber pellets. Removing snow from the pitch can also pick up the pellets, so it would need another dose of them before being playable, which is a major task. So that shouldn't be attempted without the specialist equipment needed to remove snow without affecting the pellets. So in most cases, snow cover does for 3Gs, even before considering whether the playing surface is frozen hard or not. They never have been 'all weather'.

Huntly v Cumbernauld in the Scottish Cup tonight (Wed 30th Dec) failed a noon inspection. That was highly predictable - it has been frozen up here for days and the forecast said it will be -3 at match time. Surely EK could have been kept warm, and the CC v EK fixture have been hurriedly reinstated for tonight?....

I think you mean they've spelled it wrongly.

Now it's OFF - on FU's facebook

08:00 inspection at Keith. Apparently Threave Rovers are travelling up on Friday, overnighting in Inverness, ahead of their game at Nairn. I hope they've got the option of extending the hotel booking until Wednesday !

You were right anyway! - Wick v Musselburgh is the first to be declared OFF.

LTHV v Lossiemouth will be played on the plastic at Livi.

Summer football (NW Sutherland league) is king in that part of the world. I took it that Scourie forming and joining the NCL was a way of giving the Kinlochbervie players a chance to play in the winter too. KLB use the pitch in Scourie. Some Ullapool-based players had turned out for KLB and also for Lochinver in summer 2019's NW Sutherland league, but in February 2020 Lochbroom FC reformed bringing men's football back to Ullapool for those guys. But no NW Sutherland league took place in summer 2020 of course. All being well, Ullapool-based footballers will be playing in Ullapool in summer 2021. Lochbroom's ground Morefield had gone into a state, with broken goals. But they've done some repairs. It's unclear to me whether they were / will be targetting playing there (grass), or on the school 3G - a cage perched up on high with a small area of covered seating but not much room between touchline and cage edge. I saw Lewis & Harris using that Ullapool School 3G for their only home fixture in the NCL cups last year, having nipped across as foot passengers on the ferry to meet Invergordon 'half way' rather than expecting the visitors to make the ferry journeys. L&H actually wore Western Isles logo kit that day (i.e. from the Island Games).

I'm unsure whether it's correct, but I read elsewhere that for this cup this season, association pays travel costs.

Not Senior football, but when I attended Kyle (of Lochalsh) v Plockton in the Skye & Lochalsh league on 9th May 2015, I was surprised that there was a press man there for such low level. He had come to photograph & interview Kyle player Bertie Urquhart, whose 62nd birthday it was that day. He had played for Plockton and for Kyle in five different decades. Not just a passenger. As a full back he was getting stuck in, winning headers and tackles etc. And presumably he played on in further matches after my visit. .

I'm wondering if UEFA will take into account the UK's list of quarantine countries, and not put us in a pre-draw group with any of those.

Not "my team". Glad of an extra game to attend this weekend, as a neutral on Friday, to add to the one I attended as a neutral on Saturday (Hawick) and the one I attended as a neutral on Sunday (Kincorth). It was playable, else the Ref would have put it Off - his call, not the clubs', and not for anyone to hysterically demand sat indoors behind a keyboard. Hope you had as great a weekend as I did.

I'm perfectly calm, thanks. Post 7 of this thread is the hysterical one.

Great performance by Johnstone Burgh, rewarding the proactive decision to move the game to a Friday astro to avoid the otherwise inevitable PP. Winds not that bad - didn't interfere with play. Ref OK with it, ball not moving by itself, planes landing at the nearby airport, and the only flooded road I encountered on my drive from Aberdeen was the Renfrew car park ! If some folks prefer to sit in the house, that's up to them. But don't dictate to the rest of us that we also have to.

Excellent. Thanks for confirming. On my way...