New clubs in the East of Scotland

[non_sequitur]

No seen much of Shippy this year but have enjoyed it an good tae see Glens joining as well. Next year will be better as we'll no get humped fae the big teams!

[Cameron Wilson]

12 hours ago, Pyramidic said:

 A nice write up on Glenrothes Juniors:

 

Glenrothes was supposed to be the future. Concieved in the minds of city planners in 1948 as one of the first projects under the New Towns Act; Glenrothes was unique in that, unlike East Kilbride or Cumberland, it wasn’t built to house population overspill from Glasgow. People came to Fife’s new town from diminishing local coal mining communities and found a very different settlement from the ones they had left behind. This brand new town was full of brand new ideas one of which was to become the first community in the United Kingdom to appoint an official Town Artist, resulting in an abundance of public art and sculpture. This has left a lasting legacy of giant daffodils on roundabouts or massive hands reaching out of grass verges and that’s just on the road in. It was also decreed that a third of Glenrothes would be given over to open spaces and as a result residents are spoilt for choice when it comes time for a stroll in a public park.

Fife’s new town is certainly a place of contradictions as Glenrothes has a record of winning awards that both praise and lambast the place. On numerous occasions Glenrothes has won Britain in Bloom awards and in 2012 it was named ‘The cleanest and most beautiful town in Scotland’ by the organisation Keep Scotland Beautiful. Conversely in 2009 Glenrothes had The Plook on the Plinth award bestowed upon them along with the title ‘Scotland’s most dismal town’. There was much outrage but some locals agreed with this decision citing a surplus of neds, lack of good pubs or restaurants and its “depressed investment-starved centre” for ‘winning’ this title. Will I see the glory of Glenrothes today or a massive balls up in modern town planning? Given my previous experiences I can guess there will probably be a bit of both to factor in.

Glenrothes was just sixteen years old when it was decided the town needed a SJFA team of its own; the awesomely named Brigadier R S Doyle chair of the Glenrothes Development Corporation ordering £250 of the group’s funds handed over to start the club up. Just a few months later in August of 1964 Glenrothes Juniors played the very same side they play today; Thornton Hibs losing 3-2 in a wee bit of a thriller at Dovecot Park. After taking a season to settle in The Glens entered a twenty year period of trophy laden triumph. Between 1965 and 1985 Glenrothes won ten Fife League Championships, eight Fife Cups, seven Cowdenbeath Cups and five Drybrough trophies. It wasn’t just in Fife they were making waves however, nationally they were causing a splash too.

The Glens were just shy of their fourth birthday when they reached their first Scottish Junior Cup final. Renfrewshire’s Johnstone Burgh were the opposition and a draw in front of 28,000 at Hampden Park meant it went to a replay many regard as the greatest ever. Glenrothes would end up on the losing side in a 4-3 thriller, at least no one was short changed for goals or action that afternoon.

The dream wasn’t over for Glenrothes, rather it came to fruition just a decade later but not before a move away from Dovecot Park and into the massive and purposely built Warout Stadium in 1971. Huge by Junior standards, it saw its record crowd three years later when a capacity busting 5,700 rocked up for a Scottish Cup quarter-final against Cambuslang Rangers. The next season however was the one where real history was made and Scottish Junior Cup glory was finally achieved.

I’m not saying that The Glens got an easy run to the 1975 Scottish Cup Final, they drew some pretty tough teams, however in every round they were drawn at home and didn’t play away in the tournament until a quarter final replay against Ballieston. Arbroath Vics, Dunipace, St Rochs and Cumbernauld United were all eliminated from the cup at the Warout Stadium. The final was to become known as “The Battle of the Glens” as Glenrothes faced Rutherglen Glencairn in front of seventeen thousand at the national stadium. In a tight game mustachioed Willie Cunningham scored the only goal meaning the Fife Glens took the old trophy home to the new town.

The late eighties saw The Glen’s first barren spell before a number of Fife Cups and Kingdom Keg Cups found their way to the Warout in the two decades after. The last few years haven’t exactly been glorious either and while Glenrothes were promoted to the Superleague this season it wasn’t on merit, rather a result of the mass East Junior exodus to the EoSFL. Rumour has it that The Glens are going senior next season too, meaning today might be one of the last SJFA games played at the Warout. It may also be a final chance for Glenrothes to win Junior silverware; they may be rock bottom of the league but today is the quarter final of the VTech SMT Ltd Fife & Lothians Cup. Victory today would leave them 180 minutes from a glorious exit from the Junior grade.

Pre-match Pints

Since I announced my intention to visit Glenrothes quite a few folk have warned me that the place “doesn’t really do pubs”. Nonsense I thought Fife’s third biggest settlement and Scotland’s eighteenth must have numerous boozer to sate the thirst of local drinkers, however I was wrong as bars seem pretty thin on the ground. Therefore I start today by doing something rare for me, I’m enter a Wetherspoons.

The Golden Acorn, is a typical ‘spoons; mobbed on a Saturday lunchtime with nice families enjoying an affordable meal together in one half and shiftless arseholes skulling cheap pints in the other. The crowds mean it takes a little while to get served, but that’s the price one has to pay for a one ninety nine pint of real ale. The Darling Brew Gipsy Mask was actually pretty good but serving it in an auld fashioned glass tankard seems risky. If a scuffle breaks out these heavy glasses are the ultimate chibbing device.

Not lingering long I head to a first for me, a bar located in a shopping centre. The Phoenix doesn’t look very inviting from the exterior, reminding me of Alloa’s long gone and rather infamous Back o’ Dykes, yet inside it is a real wee gem of a boozer. Compact, comfy and absolutely immaculate. The walls are adorned with a signed Scotland shirt and a few other fitba mementos along with framed golden records and scripts from iconic comedy sketches.

Beautiful place but premium prices as a Guinness is £3.80 a pint (50p more than my local), yet I don’t care the place is nice enough to warrant it. Behind the bar the woman running the show, who is as immaculate in her attire as the pub around her, tells me something I didn’t know. As conversation came round to tomorrow’s Old Firm game, she asks “Do you know what Ibrox means?” upon responding in the negative she informs me “It means Hill of the Badger”. Every day is a school day I suppose.

Leaving reluctantly I exit the town centre and pass through a more ‘rustic’ housing estate to get to my final bar; Pinkerton’s. A large building with an entrance on the side, I enter to find a place more restaurant than bar where folk are enjoying what seems to be lovely pub grub. There is a pool table and some Raith Rovers related stuff on the walls but punters just having a drink at the bar are few and far between. Unperturbed I order a hauf and hauf of Guinness and Maker’s Mark for four quid and take in my surroundings. There is a constant stream of meals exiting the kitchen and empty plates coming back in, golf is on the telly and kids are running around daft. Great for what it is but a pub it ain’t.

The Ground

It’s a short walk over a massive park to the Warout Stadium who’s greatest feature is a huge concrete stand that’s not unlike Gala Fairydean‘s famous one designed by Peter Womersley at Netherdale. I believe an expert would describe it as a prime example of late sixties, early seventies brutalistic architecture. Inside and upstairs is a massive social club still in the style of the decade it was created in, where even the curtains are a purple version of the Overlook Hotel’s carpets. The windows on one side look out over the park I’ve just crossed while on the other you get a fine look over the Warout Stadium as a whole.

The vast grey stand seats seven hundred on benches and is marginally higher than the pitch so an excellent view is guaranteed. A red ash track circumnavigates a pristine and lush pitch with just a simple grass embankment for spectators round the other three sides. Overall it is gorgeous and seems massive compared to other Fife grounds I’ve trekked to, Dundonald’s Moorside Park could fit in here twice. When The Glens were in their heyday this must have seemed like an imposing fortress of a place.

A good crowd is in attendance this afternoon, over a hundred at least. There are a lot of attractive young women with their wee kids bounding about; the WAGs of the Warout I presume. Regardless it is good to see the side so well supported.

The Match

The teams came out for a half two kick-off with Thornton attired in a rather lovely all white Joma shirt. I sat back with a portion of chips and cheese ready for the action which started pretty evenly for the first fifteen minutes at least before Hibs started to show their class. The first goal seemed inevitable and it came on twenty seven minutes when Stuart Drummond nodded in a header from a corner for the visitors. Twelve minutes later, another corner and two nil; this time Andrew Adam’s ball snuck in all the way from the flag without touching another player.

The first half showed me that while Thornton were classy Glenrothes were a little clumsy. They worked hard but were guilty of wild shots, headers coming off faces and playing a little too deep. With no lessons learned they came out for a second half that saw Hibs finish the game at the fiftieth minute with a penalty. After that though Glenrothes started to shine a little, perhaps because the pressure was off they relaxed a bit and started to play smoother football. It garnered a result too as Lee Celentano stopped the visitors getting a clean sheet by battering home the rebound from a superb free kick by Lea Schiavone.

Three one it finished, a fair result as the best team won on the day. As mentioned Thornton Hibs were The Glens first ever opponents, with them staying in the Juniors this may be the last time the two clubs ever meet in this local derby.

The Aftermath

Don’t let anyone tell you Glenrothes is a shite hole, it really ain’t. Sixties and seventies concrete buildings might not be to everyone’s taste but they help make the town different and look good surrounded by spring bulbs and various statues. Sure some areas of the town are bowfing but that’s the case for anywhere and everywhere. The town’s problem isn’t what it looks like, rather it is the lack of pubs. I really was only in one proper boozer this afternoon and was very luck that it happened to be an excellent one.

There is talk of demolishing the Warout and starting again, according to the local press. In this writer’s opinion that would be a sin; it is beautiful, imposing and easily renovated or even expanded, if the glory days return to Glenrothes then this ground could be bouncing again.

Alas on the pitch the team is light years behind the ones that played here during the sixties, seventies and eighties. Having been to places like Crossgates and Oakley this season however I have observed how going senior has breathed new life into teams. A new era is coming for Glenrothes Juniors, I hope it results in a return to glory.

Source: https://thefitbanomad.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/walkabout-the-warout/

 

Really enjoyed that. With such a relatively big population could Glenrothes get a team in the SPFL one day?

[Truthteller]

11 hours ago, Cameron Wilson said:

Really enjoyed that. With such a relatively big population could Glenrothes get a team in the SPFL one day?

lol, struggling to get a team at the juniors

[Robert James]

3 minutes ago, Truthteller said:

lol, struggling to get a team at the juniors

Relax, things are about to change for the better next season.

[Truthteller]

One thing is for sure, it can't get any worse on the park. Bottom of the league, struggling for players and almost certain to be relegated had they remained depending on how the East Region is structured. I have been told from a committee member that they didn't want that to happen and that's the reason for moving to the EOS.  IMO moving won't solve the problems they have as they will be unable to compete financially with the other EOS clubs in the area and are therefore unlikely to attract the standard of players required.

With regards to Glenrothes having a team  in the SPFL there are already enough senior clubs in Fife (East Fife, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline) all relatively nearby.

 

[FairWeatherFan]

11 minutes ago, Truthteller said:

One thing is for sure, it can't get any worse on the park. Bottom of the league, struggling for players and almost certain to be relegated had they remained depending on how the East Region is structured. I have been told from a committee member that they didn't want that to happen and that's the reason for moving to the EOS.  IMO moving won't solve the problems they have as they will be unable to compete financially with the other EOS clubs in the area and are therefore unlikely to attract the standard of players required.

With regards to Glenrothes having a team  in the SPFL there are already enough senior clubs in Fife (East Fife, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline) all relatively nearby.

 

Under the reformed East Region set up, wouldn't they be a Super League side since they're already in the regional Super League?

[Marshmallo]

14 minutes ago, Truthteller said:

With regards to Glenrothes having a team  in the SPFL there are already enough senior clubs in Fife (East Fife, Raith Rovers, Cowdenbeath and Dunfermline) all relatively nearby.

 

What is "enough"? What's the criteria for deciding when we're at capacity?

[AlanCamelonfan]

10 minutes ago, FairWeatherFan said:

Under the reformed East Region set up, wouldn't they be a Super League side since they're already in the regional Super League?

No I believe they would have been relegated

[VillanoXIV]

When I was at Clydebank vs. Talbot last week, I was told by a Bankie fan that Clydebank had officially applied for the EOS next season, but I've not seen anything about it in here recently. Have we passed the point where all bids have been made public? Anyone know anything further?

[LongTimeLurker]

They were accepted for deferred entry in 19-20. That never seems to have been officially announced as having been cancelled  but doesn't seem to be happening now given the west region clubs believe they are in the pyramid next season.

[Robert James]

Just now, VillanoXIV said:

When I was at Clydebank vs. Talbot last week, I was told by a Bankie fan that Clydebank had officially applied for the EOS next season, but I've not seen anything about it in here recently. Have we passed the point where all bids have been made public? Anyone know anything further?

The bids have not been made public, but we know that 3 clubs applied before the 31st March deadline. Two clubs, Glenrothes (juniors) and Glenrothes Strollers have made official announcements confirming this. Syngenta (Grangemouth) FC are expected to be the 3rd applicant, but as far as I know, they have not  as yet, made a public statement confirming this. 

Clydebank may have followed up last year's deferred EoSL application, on the basis that their  application will only be considered if the West Region doesn't join the pyramid for 2019/20.  However, I have no official or inside information about this, so my post is probably wrong, as is the Clydebank fan you spoke to. 

Expect an official announcement  about new clubs in the EoSL for 2019/20, after the league's EGM next week.

[Pyramidic]

It seems highly likely that with the addition of Glenrothes Juniors, Glenrothes Strollers and Syngenta the EoSL will operate with 41 clubs next season with 16 teams in the EoSL Premier and 12 and 13 teams in the two respective Division 1 Conferences (regionalised or seeded as appropriate).

I will put my head above the parapet and suggest there would be considerable benefit for the League to offer three vacancies to development sides for SPFL or Lowland league clubs.  This would enable the Division 1 Conferences to be rounded up to 14 clubs in each.

I would add the proviso (using appropriate rules) that the Development sides would not qualify for promotion or block other sides getting promotion (Stranraer Reserves fashion in the SoSL). Surely there would be positive benefits in permitting say Stirling Albion Development, Stenhousemuir Development, Alloa Athletic Development, Kelty Hearts Development etc to participate in these circumstances. Have the Stirling University EoSL side caused any problems this season? I think not.

The development sides could operate at U20, U23 or be basically reserve sides.  It would also enable clubs like Kelty Hearts (if they wish) to keep their talented U20 players when they reach the age limit.

Food for thought before tomorrow's EGM!

[FairWeatherFan]

12 minutes ago, Pyramidic said:

It seems highly likely that with the addition of Glenrothes Juniors, Glenrothes Strollers and Syngenta the EoSL will operate with 41 clubs next season with 16 teams in the EoSL Premier and 12 and 13 teams in the two respective Division 1 Conferences (regionalised or seeded as appropriate).

I will put my head above the parapet and suggest there would be considerable benefit for the League to offer three vacancies to development sides for SPFL or Lowland league clubs.  This would enable the Division 1 Conferences to be rounded up to 14 clubs in each.

I would add the proviso (using appropriate rules) that the Development sides would not qualify for promotion or block other sides getting promotion (Stranraer Reserves fashion in the SoSL). Surely there would be positive benefits in permitting say Stirling Albion Development, Stenhousemuir Development, Alloa Athletic Development, Kelty Hearts Development etc to participate in these circumstances. Have the Stirling University EoSL side caused any problems this season? I think not.

The development sides could operate at U20, U23 or be basically reserve sides.  It would also enable clubs like Kelty Hearts (if they wish) to keep their talented U20 players when they reach the age limit.

Food for thought before tomorrow's EGM!

The EoS has had a history of accepting reserve sides from national league sides including the likes of Hibs and Berwick Rangers most recently. It's not a new thing.

[Black & Red Socks]

21 minutes ago, Pyramidic said:

It seems highly likely that with the addition of Glenrothes Juniors, Glenrothes Strollers and Syngenta the EoSL will operate with 41 clubs next season with 16 teams in the EoSL Premier and 12 and 13 teams in the two respective Division 1 Conferences (regionalised or seeded as appropriate).

I will put my head above the parapet and suggest there would be considerable benefit for the League to offer three vacancies to development sides for SPFL or Lowland league clubs.  This would enable the Division 1 Conferences to be rounded up to 14 clubs in each.

I would add the proviso (using appropriate rules) that the Development sides would not qualify for promotion or block other sides getting promotion (Stranraer Reserves fashion in the SoSL). Surely there would be positive benefits in permitting say Stirling Albion Development, Stenhousemuir Development, Alloa Athletic Development, Kelty Hearts Development etc to participate in these circumstances. Have the Stirling University EoSL side caused any problems this season? I think not.

The development sides could operate at U20, U23 or be basically reserve sides.  It would also enable clubs like Kelty Hearts (if they wish) to keep their talented U20 players when they reach the age limit.

Food for thought before tomorrow's EGM!

This is not at all a bad idea and would be worth pursuing if, for no other reason, than to balance the two Tier 7 conferences. May be too late to be proposed though?

[Burnie_man]

22 minutes ago, Pyramidic said:

It seems highly likely that with the addition of Glenrothes Juniors, Glenrothes Strollers and Syngenta the EoSL will operate with 41 clubs next season with 16 teams in the EoSL Premier and 12 and 13 teams in the two respective Division 1 Conferences (regionalised or seeded as appropriate).

I will put my head above the parapet and suggest there would be considerable benefit for the League to offer three vacancies to development sides for SPFL or Lowland league clubs.  This would enable the Division 1 Conferences to be rounded up to 14 clubs in each.

I would add the proviso (using appropriate rules) that the Development sides would not qualify for promotion or block other sides getting promotion (Stranraer Reserves fashion in the SoSL). Surely there would be positive benefits in permitting say Stirling Albion Development, Stenhousemuir Development, Alloa Athletic Development, Kelty Hearts Development etc to participate in these circumstances. Have the Stirling University EoSL side caused any problems this season? I think not.

The development sides could operate at U20, U23 or be basically reserve sides.  It would also enable clubs like Kelty Hearts (if they wish) to keep their talented U20 players when they reach the age limit.

Food for thought before tomorrow's EGM!

More reserve sides? No thanks, they bring nothing to the league.  The EoS don't know for sure yet how many side they will have yes, could be 2 x 13 in some circumstances.

[FairWeatherFan]

20 minutes ago, Black & Red Socks said:

This is not at all a bad idea and would be worth pursuing if, for no other reason, than to balance the two Tier 7 conferences. May be too late to be proposed though?

It's not for the EoS to propose. Its up to the clubs to investigate and make the commitment to it, just like any other potential applicant.

The main issue that people should have against reserves in this league is they have a history of only lasting a short time.

[Enigma]

What’s the logic behind two conferences if it’s not even going to be regionalised?

[GNU_Linux]

What’s the logic behind two conferences if it’s not even going to be regionalised?

Id guess top x form tier 7 then the rest tier 8 for season 20/21.

[Burnie_man]

6 minutes ago, Enigma said:

What’s the logic behind two conferences if it’s not even going to be regionalised?

Probably with the view of forming a First Division for 2020-21 and therefore giving everyone an equal chance via seeded Conferences,  Regional Conference can be unbalanced.

[Pyramidic]

47 minutes ago, Burnie_man said:

More reserve sides? No thanks, they bring nothing to the league.  The EoS don't know for sure yet how many side they will have yes, could be 2 x 13 in some circumstances.

There are reserve/development sides in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Pyramid (Levels 9 & 10) and I am not aware that they are causing any problems at all.  Their inclusion in the EoSL would at the present time create uniformity in the league structure and possibly even offer a little more kudos. I concur with FairWeatherFan that there is a tendency for such sides to drop out after a few seasons. But does that matter? They would not be holding back other EoSL clubs or potential applicants.