LeedsPhil

I was told at Tuesday's LTHV fixture at Almondvale that they had also booked it for Saturday's v Arniston. But then West Calder United (Juniors) said they're now at Almondvale for a 2:30 fixture, saying that they got it because one of the 2 of LTHV v Arniston didn't want to play there (!!). There's only one pair of community changing rooms. So if LTHV are playing anybody there it would either have to be an early/late KO, or on the outside 3G cage arriving already in kit and driving home for a shower.

How windy is it down there - any risk of it PPing the game? I'll be setting off from Aberdeen at 4pm to attend this one, and will be annoyed if I get there to find that the ref doesn't fancy it ! Cheers.

Tue 18 Feb, LTHV 4-1 Easthouses, King Cup R1, played at Livi, my headcount was 46

The SJFA fixtures website is showing it as having been moved to Cambusdoon 3G. No Annbank fixture this week to beat you to that venue, which they have been using whilst New Pebble Park is soggy.

...if Saughton is playable! At tonight's game, I was told by a LTHV official that Saturday's game v Arniston will also be at Almondvale.

And it's worrying that Craigroyston have scratched from the King Cup, rather than playing the R2 fixture at Dunipace on Tuesday 25th Feb...

Another neutral at this one, as were three others I knew who I bumped into. Great entertainment. Drier under cover than I had been when stood out at an Amateur fixture in the morning! From what I was told, you might be back sooner than next year - Almondvale has apparently been provisionally booked for your next home fixture on Feb 29th, in case the weather prevents the remaining works at Albyn Park being finished off in time. All the best for the remainder of the season.

Sorry for being late with this one : my headcount was 104 at Glasgow Perthshire 7-1 Bellshill on Saturday 8th Feb.

All of Annbank's remaining scheduled fixtures are now showing as at Cambusdoon 3G on the SJFA fixtures website. Sat 21 March v Vale Of Clyde Sat 28 March v Maybole Sat 11 April v Yoker Sat 18 April v Muirkirk Unless a typo, this implies they've given up on New Pebble Park being playable this season.

?? Lugar v Thorniewood showing as at Rosebank on all fixture outlets. If it has been moved to avoid the anticipated weather, please publicize. Thanks.

They also used Alloa Athletic's Inodrill Stadium (3G) vs Bo'ness CFC. They have had to go elsewhere whenever the EoSFL first team have also been given a Saturday Home fixture. The first team were away on Saturday, but general sogginess of Beechwood caused the move to Xcite.

Sauchie CFC v Lochgelly : played at Xcite 3G Linlithgow; I headcounted 27 of us behind the spectator barrier.

Precisely my reaction too. Earlier this season I saw Lewis & Harris using the Ullapool School 3G to play Invergordon in one of the NCL cups. The expectation is that Lochbroom will reform and play out of there. Could be either/both summer/winter football. Ullapool U17s play on it on winter-season Sundays in the Highland League U17s North.

The reason the NCL season starts so late (and finishes so early) is because players are still on duty for summer-league clubs. KLB haven't played in their own village for quite a few years, so I'm not sure where the rumour of alternating names/pitches comes from - they are now established playing out of Scourie only, so would surely continue just there, competing in both summer and winter football if they wished. It is indeed a great-quality pitch, also used by shinty, and had recently had a smart hall built alongside when I saw a NW Sutherland summer league game there in 2015. On that blue-sky day there weren't many better places in the world to be watching fitba. In the winter it'd be severely exposed to the incoming westerly weather though!

The school is quite new. The 3G pitch is at the south end, and a gate in the south corner was open, so it's 300m from Hermand Park ( = 3 & a half minutes' walk, quicker if you jog). The way it was put to me it wasn't the distance that was being objected to, rather that they deemed it too muddy. And as said before driving round was proposed but refused. I was told that the janitor at the school knocks off at 3:30pm, so with a 1:30pm start meaning a 3:15pm finish they couldn't realistically use the school changing rooms. And they couldn't have started sooner because there were other games on it earlier. The West Calder players had a bounce game instead, walking from and back to Hermand Park. Nobody died.

How very clever. Back on topic : one Junior team shows initiative to get a game on, another is allegedly 'at it' and can't be bothered. Any sensible replies are welcome, especially from LRCFC should it be the case that they feel I was mis-informed.

West Calder United showed great initiative ahead of the forecast weather by booking the new school's 3G pitch for Saturday's league fixture v Linlithgow Rose CFC, their own Hermand Park grass pitch having no chance. News of that move came out on Thursday. As an 'enthusiast' (not the word my ex wife used when divorcing me!) of seeing games played on different grounds, I went to this, being bothered to get up at 05:30, being bothered to walk half an hour through the woods in the dark for the first train of the day, being bothered to trek through the morning winds & rain getting soaking wet. I got there, to be told that it was off because the visitors Linlithgow Rose CFC had deemed the path from the changing rooms at Hermand Park to the school 3G to be too muddy for them, so they refused to play. I was told that WCU had suggested driving round to the school, but LRCFC had refused that too. Cheers guys. 'Thanks very much'... I'd be interested in your side of the story. Presuming that isn't too much effort for you to bother to put in. Not amused.

Thurso v Orkney (played at Halkirk). Free in (no gate taken), but I headcounted 44 of us stood out and a further 8 watching through windscreens = 52.

Syngenta v Sauchie CFC (played at Grangemouth Stadium) : my headcount was 29 of us.

And SFF is for people who actually GO to games, with venue-change info.

I asked over on FitbaNorth and with all credit to "Northerner" got this answer : Saturday 4th January 2020, 1:30pm McBookie.com Superleague Banks o’ Dee v Dyce Juniors Colony Park v Nairn St Ninian Deveronside v Hermes East End v Culter Ellon United v Montrose Roselea Hall Russell United v Bridge of Don Thistle Maud v Banchory St Ternan McBookie.com First Division Aberdeen University v Buchanhaven Hearts Buckie Rovers v Longside Dufftown v Stonehaven Fraserburgh United v Stoneywood Parkvale McBookie.com Second Division Cruden Bay v Forres Thistle Islavale v Newmachar United Spey Valley United v Burghead Thistle Whitehills v New Elgin Morrison Cup, Group 1 Glentanar v Sunnybank Saturday 11th January 2020, 1:30pm McBookie.com Superleague Bridge of Don Thistle v Banks o’ Dee Colony Park v Deveronside Culter v Hall Russell United East End v Banchory St Ternan Hermes v Ellon United Montrose Roselea v Maud Nairn St Ninian v Dyce Juniors McBookie.com First Division Fraserburgh United v Longside Stonehaven v Buckie Rovers Stoneywood Parkvale v Dufftown Sunnybank v Buchanhaven Hearts McBookie.com Second Division Cruden Bay v New Elgin Forres Thistle v Burghead Thistle Glentanar v Islavale Whitehills v Spey Valley United Morrison Cup, Group One Aberdeen University v Newmachar United Saturday 18th January 2020, 1:30pm McBookie.com Superleague Banchory St Ternan v Montrose Roselea Culter v Bridge of Don Thistle Dyce Juniors v Deveronside Ellon United v Colony Park Hall Russell United v Banks o’ Dee Maud v East End Nairn St Ninian v Hermes McBookie.com First Division Buchanhaven Hearts v Fraserburgh United Dufftown v Aberdeen University Longside v Stonehaven Stoneywood Parkvale v Sunnybank McBookie.com Second Division Burghead Thistle v Whitehills Islavale v Cruden Bay New Elgin v Forres Thistle Newmachar United v Glentanar Elginshire Cup, Group One Buckie Rovers v Spey Valley United Saturday 25th January 2020, 1:30pm Scottish Junior Cup, Fifth Round Stoneywood Parkvale v Beith McBookie.com Superleague Banks o’ Dee v Nairn St Ninian Deveronside v East End Dyce Juniors v Banchory St Ternan Ellon United v Culter Hermes v Hall Russell United Maud v Colony Park Montrose Roselea v Bridge of Don Thistle McBookie.com First Division Aberdeen University v Longside Buckie Rovers v Fraserburgh United Stonehaven v Buchanhaven Hearts Sunnybank v Dufftown McBookie.com Second Division Cruden Bay v Burghead Thistle Islavale v Forres Thistle Spey Valley United v New Elgin Whitehills v Newmachar United also : Saturday 8th Feb Quest Engineering Inter Regional Cup R3 Forres Thistle v Downfield East End v Dundee North End Culter v Luncarty Buchanhaven Hearts v Forfar West End Blairgowrie v Dufftown Carnoustie Panmure v Colony Park or Banks o' Dee (due 14th Dec) Dundee East Craigie v Fraserburgh United Lochee United v Banchory St Ternan or Hall Russell United (due 14th Dec)

There were 31 of us at Sauchie Juniors CFC v Boness Utd Juniors (played on Alloa Athletic's plastic since Sauchie EoSFL were also H). 32 if you also count the tea-hut lady, which she had thankfully opened even for such a borrowing of the ground (because there anyway to let folks in - she is the keyholder). Best tea hut in Scottish football. "Black & Gold pie" = pie with rimmed edge, baked beans on top of the lid within that edge, slice of black pudding the same circular size as the pie on top of the lot. Masterchef presentation of fitba food !

Last season R5 was drawn on Friday night 7th Dec 2018 on the Just The Juniors radio show. That it would be so, had been announced the Friday before (30th Nov.) - the day before R4 replay Saturday. Nothing announced on the equivalent Friday this season.

There WILL be linos for this match, not just the ref trying to handle it solo. Both linos will be locals from the Aberdeen RA : http://www.scottishjuniorfa.com/media/2435/09-scottish-junior-cup-appointments-saturday-30th-november-2019.pdf

PP due to "grass on the pitch" one time at Colony Park ! Pitch had been mown, but the boy hadn't gathered up the cuttings.