Dead

Don't mind the occasional Friday evening match but this League already has way too many midweek and Friday night matches (especially with Broomhill getting in on the act). At times the evening matches in the last couple of seasons have seemed ever ending. Apart from us fans it cant be great for the part-time players.

Bo'ness certainly seem to know how to thump us bottom dwellers this season. Amazing that the BU's, from a mid table placing at the moment, have the best GD in the League. This is most unpredictable LL this season so who knows what is going happen next.

This has been a killer for "Shire for the last 7 seasons but there are glimmers of hope with well supported teams gradually filtering into the League. The League was created on the side of a fag packet with the main drivers being The Spartans. Bizarrely the idea was sound, however, the implementation wasn't and a League which should now have all the teams champing at the bit for a taste of league adventure has stalled big time. Until the bottom of the league opens properly (and it it means my own team going doing then so be it) then I have to hope that the next team that comes up into the league is a well supported team from the west to give others hope from that region.

You're a star for trying to clarify this. It is a mystery to probably all fans. I track all my clubs card stats and never get it right in guessing whether a player will miss a match of not. I really wish it was up there/set in stone for all to see. That said, personally I would prefer a system where a player could work off cumlative card points by good behaviour in subsequent matches.

Completely ignoring the footy today (as a 'Shire fan who would blame me) l just wanted to say that I have now had the chance to read the match programme and it is by best by miles I have ever seen/read at this level. It makes the rest of us programme guys and girls look like we are just playing about. Others will love the design and layout, which is stunningly good, but for me it is always all about content... and that is crazily good. Serious huge well done Andy.

We all hope that but even if the funeral is on Monday then I have serious doubts that our "overlords" wont just call it all off next week as well.

Was involved in the Diver protests and also Mackin protests. Both of which were long term criticisms of Shire management and how the club was being totally mismanaged

Cheers. Will certainly go back through all the likely suspects. I wouldn't be surprised. I started going in 87 and unlikely these crazy low crowds would have be 80/1 or 81/2 so that narrows it a lot.

He has hit the ground running. I have been really impressed with him since he made is debut for us in a pre season friendly at Crossgates Primrose at the start of July. Scott has got a lot of talent and incredibly is still only 16. He has been shown some great wing play and is a very decent crosser of the ball. I was particularly impressed with his work rate on Tuesday at Paisley when, after a 'Shire attack he was involved in, Scott was willing to race back to our our 18 yard line to help out in defence. Looking forward to what he can bring to the team as the season progresses.

Of the 220 odd competitive home matches Shire played from 1980/81 to 1989/90 I am only missing details of the "official" crowds from 6 Stirlingshire Cup matches and 1 Anglo Scottish Cup match. The lowest "official" crowd from that period was 119 v Stranraer on 4/4/1990 in 2nd Division. The only other "official" crowd under 150 in the 1980s was 130 v Stranraer on 6/9/1986 in 2nd Division. Like you what the "official" crowd and what the actual crowd was were on occasion 2 completely different things. I remember going the League Cup match at Firs v Arbroath on 11/8/1988 and been stunned when the crowd was claimed to have been 600 when it though it was nearer 100. Certainly in the 1990s when counting the crowds we included everyone there including the ambulance staff when other clubs in out league did their counting differently. I have Shire crowd details all the way back to 1880/81 and the 80 named v Braves is the lowest ever given numbered crowd for a competitive match in our history though I have no doubt there have been lower actual crowds. We just will never be able to find out. In the earlier days crowds were given sometimes as a number but mainly as things like "large crowd", "disappointing crowd" etc. We will never know what was meant by a "meagre crowd" when the same season #Shire would play to home crowds of 1000 or more. There are 2 potential awful crowds that stick out 1) "A few dozen" v Rumford Rovers on 1/11/1890 in Stirlingshire Cup 1st Round and 2) "Bare Handful" on 20/10/1934 v Montrose in Division Two. One final thing to mention is that the supposed record low crowd of 32 at Firs Park on 15/4/1939 v Leith Athletic in Division Two is an error. The Falkirk Herald actual called the crowd "a mere handful". Then the match comments went onto say that the crowd was counted at exactly 32 5 minutes before kick off, most of them huddled in a little group behind the shelter of the covered enclosure. By the time the game was in progress there was about 100 spectators. Gate receipts were about £5.

Yes we are on an unbeaten competitive 10 game away run since nov 2021. Club record is 13 during in 2016 & 2017

It was our best performance of the season so far by a distance. Every player worked their socks off. Now to build on this in our league matches and get that elusive win.

Sadly 80 was the correct figure for Shire v Braves. It is our worst LL home crowd ever and worst home competitive crowd for a very long time (potential ever if u are not including some shire cup matches in the last couple of decades)

Thanks for looking at this and highlighting other issues.. I think that perhaps the 2 goals for and against errors are a mash up of the issues with the 2 results from that season I highlighted above but I will be going back through everything. Will kep me busy ! My results grid and table are pulled through and calculate automatically from the same core results so if any changes need to be made then it wil be in my actual results data.

Thanks for the info. I hadn't picked up on that. I will now including that in my own table.

I wiill go back and re-check everything over the weekend but I believe that the final 2016/17 Lowland League table on the SLFL website and wiki is not quite right re goals for University of Stirling, it is 1 short. Certainly the scoreline for the University of Stirling v Edinburgh University game should be 3-1 instead of 1-0 (as per confirmed above). My table and results grid subject to my final re-check is :- In comparision, the 2016/17 Table on the SLFL website is :- The wiki one is And finally the wiki results grid is :-

Thanks both for you confirming for the remianing 2013/14 results Unbelaive that you all found the issue results detalls o quickly! I will just update my records and tables now. If anyone ever wants a copy of my dynamtic excel spreadsheet of the Lowland League complete results from 2013/14 to date including tables, grid resutls per season and all-time tables just send me a PM.

Thanks for both of these ! Also , thanks for digging these out edpecially as they are as "source" as they are can possible be. That season 2014/15 now fixed. Just 3 of the 1823 all time Lowland League games left to confirm now.

Cheers. The issue with season 2013/14 is that wiki source is the SLFL website and then the table and results on the the SLFL website are said to be sourced by wiki. Same author no doubt which is more than fine. So where were the actually results sourced from ? However, apart from the Almanacs I have seen other "sources" whcih either confirm the wiki/SLFL details or the Almanac details. Overwhelming everything on the SLFL website and wiki are perfect but I just want to iron out every anomoly as I know to my cost, as a stats guy, errors do creep in from time to time.

I am currently re-checking my records of Lowland League results from 2013/14 to date, which I have been keeping over the years, whilst at the same time cross checking my end of season Lowland League tables. I am spot on with virtually everything except 5 matches which I am struggling to confirm the exactly results. From a number of different sources, including the SLFL website and Andy McGregor’s fantastic Scottish Football Almanacs, the results of these matches vary which also means that there are different end of season final Lowland League tables on the web and in print. From past experience I would normalyy trust, in the 1st instance, the Almanacs. If anyone is able to confirm the exact results of the 5 matches below that I am having issues with I would be really grateful. Failing that I will have to try to go back to try to locate any old match reports from the matches or see if the clubs themselves (the defunct Selkirk being the obvious exception) can confirm the correct scores. There are 3 from 2013/14 10/8/2013 – Whitehill Welfare v Gala Fairydean Rovers 4-2 or 4-1 5/4/2014 – Whitehill Welfare v Preston Athletic 3-1 or 2-1 3/5/2014 – Threave Rovers v Preston Athletic 2-2 or 2-1 The other 2 are from 2016/17 27/8/2016 – Selkirk v University of Stirling 2-4 or 2-5 8/10/2016 – University of Stirling v Edinburgh University 1-0 or 3-1

Crowd af East Stirlingshire v Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic was 348

Andy really has been solid since his return to Shire. Played both in defence and midfield. Glad to have him back. Now if he could just keep his headers down and on target when meeting those corners and crosses into the opposition boxes then I would be even more happy ! Due to injuries and suspensions Shire were without 5 1st XI players today. The game was for the most part totally flat which little real chances being created by both teams. Watson missed a great chance for Shire in the 4th min then Broomhill had a spell of minor pressure and corners just before the break. Throughout the game I thought that it was going to end 0-0 but I was wrong. We gave away too many free-kicks around our box and paid the penalty. A freekick from just outside the left of the box was sent in and a Shire defender got his head to it but not enough and it only went to McNab at the back post to win the game with the last touch of the game. Overall we looked ok in defence and defensive midfield but didn't have enough spark upfront. Really missed Gibbons and especially Hamilton today. Before the season started I would have jumped at a mid table finish this season but then was happy that we made some decent signings and became more confident of a slightly higher placing. The team is really young and there will be days like this, however, other days have been way better especially the away matches as Gala, Star and Spartans.

Healy would be a big loss and it looked bad at the time. However, watched him after he left the field when he walked from the dugout to the changing corridor unaided in his socks, he was moving freely. So hopefully not as bad at it could have been. Turner had a wild swing at a shot near the end of the match and then went down clutching a hamstring. Was stunned he returned to the play for 5 mins of so before he went off. So maybe it is better than what it looked ? Though Shire luck says naa. Re the game. It had the feel of our recent league match v Vale of Leithen about it. Totally dominated but couldn't put them to bed. 1st goal came at the perfect time. Match had very little of spark about it but definitely happy with the result and only 1 booking after the deluge of yellow and red cards we have had recently (albeit that booking went to our serial booking recipient specialist).

The Shire formation has looked a lot more solid in the last 2 matches and from that we have been the better team in both matches. Today we controlled the match and it wasn't until a counter attack from a Shire corner that Dalbeattie got back into the match. The home fans went a bit radge when Shire made it 3-1 but either it was a) a hand ball cleared off the goal line by Jack Dickinson and a sending off + a penalty or b) the ball was over the line (per the linesman) and a goal. They were most unhappy that the goal was given but forgot immediately about the potential penalty and sending off. From my position at the halfway line it was a) but the guys closer including, some home fans, to the goal line said the ball was definitely over the line. Guinenly don't think the game was won or lost by this moment in the match as some home folks were stating to the officials as they came off the pitch at Ft. Shire deserved the win today without this incident.

Jings. I remember with dread when Shire were on a run a form just as bad. It will be so difficult for Vale even just avoid defeat but I hope that happens sooner rather that later. A some point the corner will be turned though.