Gallowshill Park (Newburgh Thistle), AFC Trophy 1/2 Final, 21/5/24
Me still 308, Wee Man 173
Entrance – Me £4, Wee Man £1
Attendance – 54
Pie – £3.50 Sausage Roll and Coffee
Pint – £4.40, Tennent’s , Newburgh Inn
Score Predictions – Me 2 v 1, Wee Man 3 v 1
Score Prediction Season Total – Me 2 v 1 Wee Man
A first visit to the fantastically named Gallowshill Park for the Wee Man. I have been a few times in the past and genuinely believe it is one of the best places to take on a game in the country if we are talking about views. It is a beautiful setting for a fitba ground. The bastard tonight, the sea harr was setting in from kick off, this taking away a large proportion of the said beauty.
However some of the goings on during the nights proceedings were far from beautiful. I have watched live fitba for 34 years of my 40 years on the planet and this tonight had some of the most shocking antics I have seen, well heard really. Crap that had no place in society let alone a football pitch. Constant paranoid shouts of conspiracies towards the officials to put one team out, there were plenty. Numerous questioning of integrity of the officials, check. Direct abuse towards the AAFA committee members in attendance, non stop. Threats of battery against opposing players, lost count of it all. Telling players they were to have their career ended before the game was finished, at least a handful. There were misogynistic shouts to women on the side line but worse still this went further and there were shouts that were threats of a sexual nature toward the side lines too. How this was not dealt with by the officials was astounding. There is no way it was not heard by the referee when we could hear it all 30 plus yards further than him at times. It’s a fear factor against the one doing the shouting. Seen it before and will see it again.
In amongst all this bile there was actually a brilliant cup tie between two teams who can clearly play football, each with some very good players on show. It was a closely fought game despite the division difference between them. Both teams had half chances early but the games goal tally was opened by a a bit of a fluke when Woodside’s Wallace seemed to slip as he tried to fire a ball into the box this sending the ball in a different trajectory than planned and up and over the AC Mill Inn keeper Blair MacAuley, this from a fair distance. The Woodside mans cheeky “I saw him off his line” through a rye smile said it all. But they all count. This didn’t affect proceedings and the game was still closely fought. It was AC Mill Inn who were to score next when after the Woodside post was well and truly rattled, it appeared defence and keeper went AWOL for the rebound leaving an empty net for Jos McLaren to stick in the equaliser. The shouts of corruption kept coming, this leading to the linesman flagging after being accused of taking a bung and being overtly friendly with the Mill Inn players by Woodside goalkeeper Noble. With the keeper already on a booking surely this act of calling the linesman a cheat would see him on his merry way after a second yellow. Inexplicably the ref kept his card in his pocket, leaving it 11 a piece for the second half. Not a good look in my eyes.
HT 1 v 1
With a decent chunk of grass on one wing at Gallowshill there was ample room for a kick about. But there was a stipulation. It had to be left footed at all times. If you know my left foot…….you will know it is a wand…..well in truth there were plenty of bananas and skewed volleys involved. Good fun though. No sooner were Woodside out for the second half, the Aberdeen team were in the lead after a fantastic overhead from Lee McKenzie. A very special hit of a ball that was travelling at pace as he connected. Being in the lead didn’t calm any shouts and women were to be disgracefully called sluts and the other linesman was to have his integrity questioned on various occasions the same as his opposite was in the first 45. At this point Wee Man was worrying that I was going to get the score correct for the second match in a row. I started to believe too when AC Mill Inn were robbed of what was a stone wall penalty. A cross was fired in from the left and as a Woodside defender attempted to slide in and it was clear it struck his hand and changed direction. It was right in front of us but even closer to the referee who waved it away. A poor decision. But they did equalise soon after when the ball was played into a packed box at pace with an the foot of McLaren to poke home seemingly taking the game into extra time. However, there looked to be a shove in the box as the ball made its way in creating a pathway for the balls travel, but it was unnoticed by the officials. Then it was to kick off a bit. Woodside thought they had retook the lead immediately after the equaliser through……I have no idea as the harr was too thick to see the other end properly. But whoever it was, was denied by an offside flag. This led to a bit of a skirmish in the box which raised the linesman’s flag again as he has spotted something in the melee leading to the dismissal of Woodside’s Greg Donald. A smashed ceramic doorstop/bin at the door of the changing rooms came and he was followed by his manager and coach who were also given their marching orders. Noble was to pull off a superb save low to his right to keep his team in it at the death and the game headed to extra time.
End of 90 2 v 2
During the break between the 90 and extra time the referee was confronted by guess who. The ref was told repeatedly to his face, “you are shit at your job”. Yet once again no punishment was handed out. Incredible scenes. The whole ground heard it. Surely a caution. But once again, no. The game restarted and Woodside were on the attack early only. to be stopped by some inspired goalkeeping from the Mill Inn stopper MacAuley. But it was AC Mill Inn were in the lead five minutes in when Noble was finally punished for the crazy distances he strayed from his line as the ball was popped over him from at least 35 yards out by McLaren who grabbed his hat trick in style. Another avoidable goal for Woodside and they now found themselves losing for the first time in the night. But they were not out of this and were let in soon after when McKenzie took advantage of a defensive slip curling one into the far corner. Mill Inn were to hit the bar and see the rebound cleared off the line before the first half of extra time was out.
HT ET 3 v 3
Were we looking at penalties? But more to the point, would the harr allow for penalties as it was turning into a pea souper. It turned out they weren’t needed as AC Mill Inn killed the game off with another two goals. The first coming from somebody obscured by the harr who tapped in a rebound off a bizarre save from Noble which seemed to be off his chest when the effort looked to lack any power.(Wayne Barron scored it). Then another was added when Noble was again caught well off his line and his empty net was breached by sub Barron who tapped home but the keeper strangely never tried to chase back and the goal was allowed to happen. This causing uproar in the Woodside ranks as they claimed offside which it absolutely was. But it was game over now as there were two minutes to go. It was definitely game over for Noble who was finally red carded. 118 minutes it took but only once the game was dead and buried which puts more meat on the bones of what I said earlier. AC Mill Inn will head to Balmoral to face Kincorth on June 1st.
Well worth the visit and entrance fee in footballing terms as it was a superb cup tie. However the unsavoury shite that was relentless all game was not enjoyable at all and not what I pay to see. I do harp on about the lower levels of fitba throwing up more entertainment than the pro leagues. Taking the bullshit out the night, the fitba on show was a fine example of this and ammo towards my claim. Magic stuff.
FITBAWBAG 