For all of you out there contemplating the Scottish Cup Trail this year – and I hope I have whetted your appetite from last years endeavours – below is an excerpt from the SFA website giving
the dates for each round with the final date still to be confirmed.
Watch this space as they say!
“The dates for the rounds of the Scottish Cup leading up to the Final are set out below. The date of the Final is still to be confirmed.
Keep watching www.scottishfa.co.uk for details and dates of the draw for the first round.
Dates for Scottish Cup Rounds – 2008/9
Round 1:
Saturday, 27th September, 2008
Round 2:
Saturday, 25th October, 2008
Round 3:
Saturday, 29th November, 2008
Round 4:
Saturday, 10th January, 2009
Round 5:
Saturday, 7th February, 2009
Round 6:
Saturday, 7th March, 2009
Semi Finals:
Saturday/Sunday, 25th & 26th April, 2009 “
And with the usual uninspiring signings by the Old Firm in the close season, looks like the Cup Trail is the only place for excitement in 2008/09.
Let romance and unpredictability be your bedfellows, bin the SPL, join the SCT
And so to Hampden! From that sunny day at Garscube Sports complex watching Glasgow University FC v Buckie Thistle to the hallowed turf of Hampden Park.
This Scottish Cup Trail has been just outstanding, some great football moments and some real belly laughs (keep your belly hidden at Hampden the Doonhamer who got naked at Cappilow!) along the way, and, to cap the whole thing off Stephen Jardine of STV calls me yesterday and asks if I can meet him at Hampden to do an article on the Scottish Cup Trail. Would you believe it??
So there I am today, at Hampden with the good lady and the kids on tow, waiting for Scottish Television to turn up. And as the clock ticks on and there’s still no sign of them, I think “That swine Hawke has just set me up here and is sitting round the corner in the car park – next to where Mike McCurry normally parks – and is guttin himself laughing!”
But then right on cue, Stephen turns up. A real nice bloke and a REAL Queens fan it turns out, not one of the celebrity bandwagon jumpers.
So, look out for it tonight on The Five Thirty Show on STV.
Match report to follow, and some nice pictures too, hopefully!
Now that the dust has settled on this tie, – and lets face it by now not only has the dust settled, it has been hoovered up, emptied into the bin and whisked away to the nearest landfill site (sorry for the delay chaps!) – and the other games in this round have been played and resolved (almost – c’mon the Harry Wragges!) – the memory of the 70 yarder at the end, and the Doonhamers behind the goal “sookin” the ball into the net, will remain in my memory for a long long time to come. It is, as they say “what the Cup is all about”.
When I started this trail all those months ago at Glasgow Uni FC v Buckie, I suppose this type of moment was what I was hoping for, A piece of football history. It was very special indeed and if you’re a Queens fan, it must have been a real magic moment for you. Going by the level of bedlam that ensued after the goal and well after the final whistle, I’m sure that I was very lucky to be a part of the moment for Queen of the South FC.
About the game, and excuse me for straying from format here, all i can say is that Queens deserved their place at Hampden. Credit to Alex Rae’s Dundee boys, plagued with injuries and one freak accident with a coffee table, he put out a pretty inexperienced team. The level of football in the first half was as could be expected with such a reward beckoning the winners. It was tight and scrappy, however Queens did have the best of the chances but were unable to alter the starting scoreline by halftime.
What started off as a bright crisp sunny day at Palmerston, degenerated momentarily into a deluge of rain as the heavens opened before half time. The rain and hail belted off the stand roof, and the players and officials got drenched, so much so that Mr McCurry and his cohorts arrived fresh after the interval in some new dayglow attire. If only the idiot in the Dundee support who ran onto the pitch had brought same dayglow top, then maybe he would have made it easier for the pie eating security staff to catch him as he ran amok mid match. What is it with these fucking twats? Immediately the downpour began, a group of Dundee delinquents saw fit to take of their tops and bare their pasty chests (not a patch on the Buster Bloodvessel stripper at cappilow – see previous match report), banging aforementioned emaciated ribcages in some pathetic tribal war cry? Big deal mate, your pissed, your looking like a ned on “Brown”, you’re obviously not top of the food chain, so why advertise this fact by running onto the park and spoiling it all for everyone who has turned up to see some football? Hope you had a long sleep in the cop van and missed your bus back to Dundee!
While I’m on my rant, I just have to say, that some of the behaviour of the Dundee supporters was just rank. I don’t know if anyone noticed the idiot who ran onto the park after Ryan McCann’s 70 yarder went in, and tried to accost one of the QotS players whilst about 30 of his co accused ran to the front of the stand and started kicking in the advertising hoardings until they were broken and lying in peices on the ground. What is that all about? Take it on the chin guys. You got beat pretty much fair and square.
Ok, rant over with, second half. First goal by Stepen Dobbie was courtesy of a route one goal clearance from the keeper, but you have to say it was a fabulous finish. Well deserved Queens, and set us up for a nailbiting finish to the game. As the seconds ticked away, the punters in the packed stand around me shifted nervously in their seats. And, when it finally got to the stage where the Dundee keeper left the safety of his own box to head up for a free kick just outside the box (unfairly won I thought) you could see the Queens fans anticipating a last gasp equaliser. Ball goes into the box, comes back out again, again it’s returned back into the danger area, but this time the clearance lands at the feet of Ryan McCann. Now at this time, I’m sure the Queens fans are thinking like me “Just run the ball up the park to the corner flag!!”, but no! Cool as you like, he looks up and fires the ball upfield. Suddenly everything is moving in slow motion and somebody has switched the sound off. Like Chariots of Fire, the Dundee keeper and defenders are running back towards their goal, but they are only treading water. Faces around me are staring in one direction, mouths open and eyes bulging. The ball drops on the 18 yard line. “Has it got the pace? Is it on target? Hard to tell from this angle”. The fans behind the goal are, to a man leaning forward like Eddie the eagle ready to launch. Ball bounces again on the 6 yard line then starts to roll. By this time we all know “It’s goin in!!”.
When the ball crosses the line, absolute bedlam ensues!
One of the most memorable moments for me at a football match, no doubt.
Onto the semis now with Aberdeen, least said about my team the better.
Must thank the Hawkster again for securing tickets for me. You’re a star mate, and thanks to the staff at Palmerston for helping out. See you all at Hampden.
Sundays Scotsman newspaper had an article entitled “How to become a comic adventurer” which was both amusing and familiar. The article was mainly about Dave Gorman’s new adventure in the US where he is planning to travel around the US avoiding giving any cash to franchise corporations and buying everything from “independent” stores, petrol stations and hotels. He is also renowned for his “Googlewhack” (I won’t explain it, but if you haven’t seen it, it is an insight into the obsessive/compulsive/stubborn – call it what you want – mind). It also highlighted other individuals such as Danny Wallace and Tony Hawks, who also set themselves tasks which were both ridiculous and compulsive – you see where I am going with this?
Danny Wallace is known for his “Join Me” Cult and his “Yes Man” book in which he decided to answer Yes to every question he was asked for six months to see where it would take him. Tony Hawkes wrote a book called “Round Ireland with a fridge” in which – no prizes here for guessing – he travelled around Ireland with a fridge to win a £100 bet.
The Cup Trail, though less lucrative, and I’m sure – funny, fits quite nicely into the category described in the article. It’s a compulsive thing and the real adventure is that for a certain moment you never quite know where you are going and what will develop, and to coin Tyler Durden’s philosophy “you have to just let the chips fall where they lie!”
The article proclaims ” The appeal of all these people is that they do things many of us idly talk about to friends but would never have the time or the obsessive streak actually to carry out. They are also, arguably, the adventurers who define the times we live in. When every part of the earth has already been conquered, even serious quests seem faintly pointless (third person to climb Everest without oxygen etc). Knowingly silly adventures have a peculiar integrity to them – they’re an act of rebellion against conventional notions of heroism, and perhaps the ultimate example of making ones own, enriching entertainment in a consumer culture that spoonfeeds us trash. If you can get a bestselling book out of it, all the better.”
I kinda like some of that. And not because it makes the Cup Trail look like some sort of attempt to retrace Scott footprints across the Antarctic or to follow Tenzing and Hilary up Everest, in particular I like the bit about making your entertainment in a totally random manner. And lets face it, it puts some (not much I’ll grant you coz I’ve had a few comps on the way) dosh back into the game which would otherwise go elsewhere.
So I thought, if you read through the various postings already displayed, it might not be entirely apparent what I am doing here. So, here are the basic rules for Following the Scottish Cup Trail.
First Rule of the Scottish Cup Trail, you do not talk about………….Na only kidding there!
Firstly, in advance of the First Round proper draw for the Scottish Cup, which now has Junior teams playing in it, bribe your mates into coming along with you to the games. This usually fails, or is successful until the first match and then expect the call offs to come flooding in. Then, all you have to do is wait for the draw to be made, and determine where the nearest home game is to you. This is your first game. I am open to suggestions on ways of making it more random/entertaining i.e. the first home team drawn with the same first initial as your porn name (I’m sure you all know your porn name, first pet and mothers maiden name).
Now it’s easy from here on in cos you are now following random!
Follow the winning team (not necessarily supporting them, but you can if you chose to) as they go into the pot and listen nervously for your next fixture. And so on and so on until Hampden and the final in May. A wee tip here, if you get a draw which means a trip to Fir Park, I wouldn’t book a train ticket until about 7.15 on match night!
Bonus points are awarded for avoiding the Old Firm, and double bonus points for avoiding the Old Firm at home. Nothing against the Old Firm, I have supported them both in my time – you don’t want to know, honest! – but the thrill of the Cup Trail is absolutely and categorically in watching the smaller teams progress. I have been very fortunate this year, and just to recap, here are my fixtures to date:
Glasgow University FC v Buckie Thistle
Buckie Thistle v Nairn County
Greenock Morton v Buckie Thistle
Greenock Morton v Gretna
Gretna v Greenock Morton (replay)
Greenock Morton v Queen of the South
and coming soon….. Queen of the South v Motherwell or Dundee
So, all of you couch potatoes out there, get up off your arses and do it. I’d love to hear from anyone else who has done or is doing the Cup Trail, whatever version, and if anyone is thinking of doing it next year, get it organised early, and who knows, we could have match reports and funnies from ALL the Cup Trailers as they wind their weary way from different starting points to end up at Hampden. And you know, if a couple of hundred of us do it and get there, those “songs” that embarrass our national stadium that we know and hate so much on Cup Final day, may just sound a little quieter.
Excuse me for diverting from the Trail, however, this news just in from the SFA website as I write:
“BRECHIN CITY V HAMILTON ACADEMICAL
Wednesday, 30 Jan 2008
The Emergency Committee met today to discuss the circumstances surrounding the Brechin City v Hamilton Academical Scottish Cup 4th Round Replay match held on Monday 28 January 2008 and decided that Brechin City had breached the Cup Competition Rules by fielding player Michael Paton.
As a consequence of this breach the Committee decided that Brechin City be fined the sum of £10,000 and that the 4th Round Replay tie be replayed at Glebe Park Brechin at 3pm on Saturday 2 February 2008. “
I don’t know how you all feel out there but is this fair? I have no axe to grind anywhere other than, is it just me or are the “beaks” penalising the fans again here? Brechin field an ineligible player, they get fined and we have to go through the rigmarole again, and who suffers, the cash at the gate fans. Would like to know from you Hamilton and Brechin fans if you have to pay at the gate or are Brechin pickin up the tab??
On another aside – shocked and stunned – the Motherwell v Celtic game was called off tonight due to a waterlogged pitch!!! My son could have called that last week as we U turned at Fir park to head home. Start the petitions here, summer football winter break. Sooner the better!
Now back to Monday!
Had my daughter for company on the way down to Dumfries. Gonna take the opportunity to drop her at her wee friends, who moved there a wee while ago and she misses loads! Aww! Wee friends dad, Jim, no stranger to Palmerston, offered to come along (local knowledge and company always welcome) and watch the game with me. Which was nice. Car duly packed with supplies for my girl – books, pencils, sweets, tablet, flask of soup and a blanket and pillow for her to catch some winks on the way home – we set of just in time to jam ourselves into our version of the M25, Kingston bridge at rush hour! Compounding the problem was a breakdown perfectly located at Junction 11, to allow those wonderull rubberneckers to get a good veiw of nothing happening and, slow the whole effin motorway down to a snails pace. Dont’ya just love ‘em?
After an hour and 15 minutes, the road started to clear and I could get my Warrior up to optimum comfort and cruising speed – 55mph. A pretty dark and thankfully otherwise uneventful journey, saw us arriving in Dumfries at around ten to seven – with only one pee stop at Abingdon Services. Jim supplied the food from the chippy and off we trotted to the match.
And so it began…
Scottish Cup Replay: Gretna v Greenock Morton
Palmerston Park, Dumfries (home of Queen of the South)
I found out about the rescheduled venue on Sunday night, and although it was a fair old drive, I was pretty pleased that it was at Palmerston. Another tick there for the book. Christ, I’m like a bloody Munroist here! My son, shouts through to me that the game is not at Fir Park, and I immediately assume that it’s Raydale. Quick check on the Gretna website confirms it’s Dumfries – modern technology eh!?
Thoughts prior to the game were that Morton had two chance of progressing, one of them being slim, and in the first half it pretty much looked that way. Not an awful lot on the way of goalmouth action and Gretna looked a lesser team for the loss of Yantorno, but still managed to look like the team most likely to score. However, credit to ‘ton, they did look up for it and, as discussed with my mate Jim, all three teams – Morton, Queens and Gretna – must have been thinking this is a great chance to make the Quarters. The game drifted to half time at 0 – 0 with both Deuchar and Weatherson looking handy but achieving not a lot for both sides.
Half time and a chance to look at the programme and grab a coffee. Now, why I am surprised at this, I don’t know, and maybe reader (if you’re out there!, you can help me out?) Jim points at the bottom of the front cover of the programme – Gretna (or anvil as it is written on the page – letters on a postcard please?) v Morton Wednesday 23rd Jan 08, Fir Park 7.45pm. Is this the norm, do we always just sell last weeks programmes with no attempt at pretence of an update? Common theme developing here, rearrange the following words – off, fans and ripped.
Nice wee ground Palmerston with what seemed like plenty of parking, and the security folk did a good job of making sure everyone knew where to go, so assuring no mixing of fans.
Second half, and Gretna looked sharper out the blocks, and for the first 15 minutes, a goal looked inevitable. however, much against the run of play Morton carved out a chance and that old Queens man Weatherson nipped in to score the opener for Morton, The ‘ton fans, who numbered quite a few and could have been forgiven for not being arsed after last weeks shambles – the late call off not the drubbing by Queens – , went wild! Two minutes later, Peter Weatherson struck a fabulous goal from outside the box and the Morton fans could not beleive it! Neither could we! The Gretna heads sank, and Morton fans sang. Before long it was 3 -0 and the game was over, Chris Miller getting the third. Game over! but lets just say, this was never a 3-0 game, well done Morton, but only fine finishes from an on form Weatherson flattered the scoreline, and it might all have been so different if the attempt by Gretna which hit the post with David McGurn well beaten at 0-0 had went in. However, this is what cup football is all about.
Word about the ref, Kenny Clark. Two penalty decisions, one for each side could have quite easily have been awarded, and the booking for the Morton player for diving, I thought was ridiculous.
Crowd was 1167 and about 400 Morton fans made it down.
Picked up ma wee girl on the way home, she slept, I drank Relentless to stay awake, got home just before midnight. Sleepy girl and dad next day.
A wee tip here – don’t leave an unfinished can of Relentless in the car overnight, stinks to high heaven! (wherever that is)
Getting exciting now roll on Saturday and the next round draw!
And so it was finally here, Forth Round Cup day. The day of the big boys, potential cup shocks, giant killings. Romantic cup tales to be told and exagerrated in pubs and supporters clubs long into the future. So what would this day bring for the two teams at Cappilow. Morton through by the skin of their teeth to meet a struggling Gretna team who must be favourites to ease through today?
For me, it was a bit of a disappointment to revisit Cappilow, No offence Morton but a new venue for each tie is the ideal scenario for the Cup Trail fanatic, which I am slowly becoming. But that is the beauty of watching the chips fall where they lie, you never know where it will take you. Anyway, the day started pretty badly for me, up at the crack of dawn to empty my garage to give the insurance claim builders clear access to put a new roof on, part of which had recently blown away. Garage cleared and ready at about 8.00am, I waited, and waited, thought about phoning them, changed my mind, then just when I was about to start refilling the garage and getting ready for the game, the proverbial white van arrived. Hooray!! But no, the guy looked at my garden and driveway, cluttered with bikes, a pram, a kayak, old furniture and my Italian Motorbike which has now fallen out with me for keeping it in such damp conditions, and said “Why did ye empty yer garage mate, I’m only here tae lift sizes!” Fuckin magic! I won’t go into the whole story at the risk of sounding like a Grumpy Old Man (which I certainly am), but why is it that absolutely F All gets done properly these days. Why do I pay my hard earned dosh to an insurance company, who then sub contract the job to a company who sub contract it to someone else who then sub contracts it to white van man who is supposed to be coming out to do the job, and turns up only with a tape measure!? Whats more, all the subbys down the line have been out with their tape measure and measured the bloody job themselves! I blame Thatcher (and why not?)
On the plus side though! A phone call from my best best best mate and ticket source (hope he’s reading this for future freebies) on Thursday confirmed that we had comps for the game. Result! Ok guys, now I know what your thinking, this is all about the True Fan, The Diehard, The guy who goes the Extra Mile to endure the ups and downs, the travelling, the dire weather, the games where the ball takes a right beating, the non vegetarian half time food, the tea that tastes like tiger balm, but guys, I’m sorry, I’ll take comps whenever they are going. Not quite Keanos “Prawn Sandwich” comps, but welcome non the less! Cheers bud!
So off we trotted, back road to Greenock, arrived just in time to pick up the comps, have a chat with some of the football gliterarti and a wee guy who made a big name for himself in the last minute of the last game of last season, and broke some hearts in Perth into the bargain! And we thought it was only cup football which gave us the football fairytales – nobody told Gretna did they?
Anyway onto the game!
12th January 2008 Scottish Cup 4th Round
Greenock Morton v Gretna
I’m sure Davie Irons was well pissed off after the Premiership side managed to chuck away a two goal lead, albeit on away soil, however, you would have thought that Gretna would have had the experience to see this one through to the end. Gretna must have thought it was job done when the went in at half time 1-0 up after a bit of a cock up by Morton new boy Barry Smith allowed Yantorno to step in and score the opener in 13 minutes. This was followed by a couple of clear cut chances which, had they been taken, would have rendered the second half a formality. Morton were not even at the races in the first half. A quick word about the Argentinian goalscorer, a decent wee player, and the shouts from the ‘ton supporters to him about “we’ll be seeing you next year” presumably meaning that Gretna were on the way down to the First Division and not the other way around?! A word of caution here Morton, I really don’t think you want to be seeing this guy next year, do you? He tore you apart down the right hand side in the first half.
Half time 1-0
Intermission – The Hawkster very kindly voulenteers to go get some hot liquid – vegan diet again compromised by the lack of soya milk for my coffee – returns with a veritable feast, Coffe, Bovril, crisps and mars bars. Well seen he’s no playin anymore! As we are tuckin in, Derek McInness’s wee boy (sitting in front of us) turns round and looks at the Hawkster who is now about to open his mars bar. Overcome by the weans wee sad eyes, he offers the mars bar to the boy. The boy looks at Hawky, looks at the mars bar, shakes his head and turns around. If you are reading this son, I don’t blame ye! As I chuckled into my coffee, Hawky suddenly drops his mars bar, crisps and programme “Shit! I’m supposed to be doin the bloody half time draw!” and starts scrambling over the seats like the Stands on fire. Women and children flying in all directions as he thunders down to the front of the stand, whereupon, when reaching the bottom, the PA announces “The winner of todays fifty-fifty draw is number……” Head bowed in shame, he turns around and starts the long plod back up the stairs. I am now pissin myself, and nobody around me knows what the hell I am finding so funny. Just as well for you mate eh?
Back to the game.
Second half starts and within three minutes Gretna make it 2 thanks to a low hit shot from Horwood. That should have been that, however it seemed to galvanise Morton who gradually started to come into the game and had a couple of encouraging efforts, which should have got the fans going, but didn’t. Can I just say something here? (Graeme Souness, i know!) It took until the second goal went in for the Morton fans to burst into song, I had now sat in the Cappilow stand through 90 mins with Buckie and 75 min today and heard not a song or chant from the Morton fans. Sometimes the team needs some support guys.
Morton’s pressure payed off after 65 minutes when Finlayson scored with an excellent solo goal. A fine run and strike from 25 yards saw the home support applauding warmly (well you have to start somewhere, and lets not get carried away eh?). And 15 minutes from the end, the comeback was complete when McAllister curlled a shot from around 16 yards past the keeper and into the net. My first replay of this campaign was on the cards. However, I was unsure as to whether it would be at Fir Park or Raydale. Although the travelling distance was an issue, I would be happier with a trip to Gretna which is a new venue for me.
Final whistle goes, 2-2 replay! Yipee! As we are leaving, we bump into wee James Grady again, wheres the replay an when? “Fir Park, a week on Wednesday” he says. “That’s alright” says Hawky “you’ll make parents night on Tuesday now”. “Aye”, I’m thinking “lucky me!”
Before I go. A word about the Gretna fans “Where?”
Buckie thistle fans, best by miles so far this year.
