New Deer Football Ground, North East Scotland League 1, 24/8/21
Entrance – £0 Me, £0 Wee Man
Attendance – 24
Pie – N/A
Pint – N/A
New Deer Football Club
Founded – 1908
Nickname – The Deer
Honours – Some but cant date them
Random Fact – New Deer have been conceding and average of 6+ goals per game in the league this season(107 against going into this)
As decided at Ardallie last night, the NESFA two night double header happened. Tonight’s destination being at a ground that brings back bad memories for me. In a friendly versus the hosts was a night that pretty much ended my playing days . I am positive I broke my ankle that night and even heard the crack. This led to all sorts of issues further down the line. Me being the idiot I didn’t get it seen to at the time. I soldiered on with life. Subbed off at the time. I however walked and played on it in the immediate aftermath. Long story short, I had to be operated on and have a full ankle rebuild a year or so later due to numerous issues including two unhealed breaks and ligament damage( i had never been diagnosed with a broken ankle ever). But I am sure that night was the night caused it. Shit happens as they say.
However it has to be said this was not a classic between the leagues bottom two teams with the hosts starting tonight bottom of the pile with the solitary win, F-24 A-107 in seventeen matches. A horrific season is a bit of an understatement. For this reason I expected goals and the way the match started it looked like it would be the case. Station came flying out the traps and should have been one up when the Station 3 was clean through but managed to sclaff the ball wide. Not long after a great strike from the Peterhead 11 looked to rattle the bar from our vantage point at the opposite end. A great effort and very unlucky. Surprisingly the corner was given meaning the keeper must have got a touch, so a quality save it was too. Station continued to mount attacks but had no finishing touch and seemed to go for power most of the time, this leading to numerous attempts ending up high wide and handsome. New Deer were also guilty of very poor finishing when after a lump out of defence beat the Station , number 9 with only the keeper to beat from close range completely sclaffed his effort in embarrassing fashion. From the goal kick the visitors broke and their number 8 was very unlucky when he delicately tried to lob the keeper with a half volley. Unfortunately for him it just went by the post. The first goal of the game came from a New Deer attack which broke down on the Station eighteen yard line,where the defender cleared up to the Peterhead winger who rushed down the wing beating the defence and finding 6 who directed the ball across the goal and into the bottom corner. The finish was decent and just out of reach of the New Deer keeper who grazed the ball with his finger tips. A second followed quickly from the penalty spot after a stick on foul. The defender got his bearings wrong which made him dive in and upend the Station forward.There was not one complaint due to the obviousness of the infringement. The kick was effortlessly dispatched by 9. The lead was made more comfortable when another of the effective long wide balls was fired down the park finding the left back 3 who powered in a cross to 8 who was left with a simple tap in. I am sure he hasn’t or wont score an easier goal this season. Great work from the full back in the lead up.
HT 0 v 3
With Wee Man needing the toilet I got a wee look at the new clubhouse/changing rooms. A huge step up since I was here last(on that fateful night). They building is immaculate and bright, there is a lot of space. But also added is an 3g pitch(not full size). With the main pitch and the secondary full size pitch plus the additions its a very decent footballing set up. Especially in such a small place like New Deer. Interestingly, every brick in the building was bought by the public. Some local and some from further afield. Great concept that and it has paid off very well.
On to the fitba, I wish there was something to write about in the second half but being brutally honest there was nothing as the game nosedived into crap. The most excitement came from the adjacent field in which a combine was doing its business subjecting the New Deer Football Ground to a hypnotic drone. There is something about these remote country town clubs and their surroundings whether, the combine here, tractors at Maud, grazing cows watching the game at Methlick or the farmers gunshots at Dufftown there is a certain teuchter romance to it. That is by no means a cheeky dig at the country as I am an Ellon boy by trade who now lives in Oldmeldrum on a farm . I genuinely think its a great quirk and brilliant. Back to the fitba. As I was saying, nothing happened in the grand scheme of things. Station hit the post in the dying embers of the match and that was that. A very very poor half of fitba and New Deer find themselves as only the second team to draw a blank on our travels this season.
Not a classic but with the lovely ‘shire sun shining and the evening temperatures starting off at 20 degrees, it was worth the shortish trip up the B9170(13 miles). With around three weeks of Saturday fixtures left I would say the NESFA has run its course for Wee Man and me for the season as we will be further afield at weekends. Five games in the last three months and 34 goals. Not a bad record.
Me 204, Wee Man 71
FITBAWBAG 