East Shore Park, EOSFL First Division Conference B, 28/5/22
Entrance – £6 Me, £0 Wee Man
Attendance – 171 (Rough Head Count)
Pie – £3.10 , Coffee, Juice, FAB
Pint – N/A
Newburgh Juniors Football Club
Founded – 1887
Nickname – The Burgh
Honours – Perthshire Junior League – 1946/47, 1953/54, 1954/55, 1955/56 and 1956/57. Fife League 1972/73 and 1976/77
Random Fact – The Club were initially called Tayside Albion, changing to Newburgh West End(see date on badge) then dropping the West End in 1935
After a mentally taxing five week first trip to a new job in Indonesia , a day out with Wee Man was well overdue, more than ever before. A pre-match jaunt to the Fife Zoo took us all of forty minutes. Given its had its problems and seems to be under a fair bit of construction I cant hold too much against it. Watching the Armadillos made it worth it. What funny beasts they are. Faster than I imagined when you see them scuttling about. Waiting for a coffee and a fine piece took longer than the walk around the place. Maybe worth a visit in future but not worth using as a solitary point of interest in a day.
To Newburgh we headed and to the banks of the Tay. Given the name of the ground, I gathered it was right on the banks of the Tay. I never realised how close. After having a quick look about the town (which seems to be a really bonnie, quiet place), we had our picnic sitting on the edge of the water with a great view of Dundee in the distance. A great setting for our al fresco lunch before toddling the hundred yards or so to the ground.
On arrival we were met by some of the clubs committee who included an Aberdeen fan, this starting off a quarter of an hour conversation (Wee Man’s Dons top instigating). All things Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire (the committee lady was once of New Deer) and Newburgh JFC. We also got on to the town and my initial impressions seemed to be correct as it was bigged up by them all who seemed to love the place for its peace, quiet and safety. As we had traveled Wee Man was gifted a club badge. An excellent gesture from what seemed to be a really friendly club who I have to add play at a quality cozy wee ground. I left as a big fan of East Shore Park.
This game had the potential of throwing up a last gasp league win if Glenrothes won and Oakley United failed to beat Edinburgh South. After Glenrothes had put ten past Easthouses Lily the previous week the visitors were sure to be full of confidence. It didn’t take long for the Glens to take the lead. Four minutes it was when Lewis Grierson glanced a header past Sutherland in the Burgh goal. The perfect start for Glenrothes. My start was not as good, I delayed getting a pie so I could have a kick about pre game with Wee Man and his yellow ba. When I went to get a pie and a coffee at the five minute mark the hot food was done( end of the season). Disaster all round. but to be fair someone went on a pizza run and hot food was back on by HT. But no pies. After my disappointment of pie lackage died down and the game unfolded in front of me there was not much action. The Glens had the favorable share of the possession but did very little with it. One thing that was noticeable was the amount of balls that left the confines of the ground. It was bizarre, every two or three minutes the poor old geezer was back on the jog out the gate to recover a stray ball. On thirty minutes a rare bit of action saw the Glens awarded a penalty. Graeme Walker stepped up and to be fair struck it low, hard and into the bottom left corner but Calum Sutherland brilliantly got down at full stretch to palm the ball wide. A great stop. The big keeper wasnt finished there and soon pulled off possibly the best save I have seen this season when Dylan Honeyman was left with a tap in from two yards after his team mate sclaffed his effort to Honeymans feet but miraculously a combination of Sutherland’s fleet of foot and instinct got him across the full width of his goal to get a highly unlikely palm to push the ball wide. A superb save that was greeted with a “wow” from Wee Man. The ball was passed around well on this excellent looking surface by the visitors for the remainder of the half with only one real chance when Cargill hit a free kick a couple of inches over the bar.
HT 0 v 1
Half time in Dalkeith saw 0 v 0 in the Oakley game meaning the Glens currently sat top. The usual kick about took place at half time but in a different game from usual we played “counting one hit passes”. I.e one touch without the ball stopping, with the record being 76 before an error which I thought was not a bad effort for an overweight almost forty year old and a seven year old under the warm sun. The second half started in identical fashion to the first with Glenrothes putting the ball in the net early on, this time three minutes when Kyle Bell struck a worm burner which somehow found its way in. Could Sutherland have done better. I would need to see it again. Glens kept pushing and should have had a third but somehow Cargill headed wide from a yard out. We had managed to see save of the season in the first half and now witnessed miss of the season in the second. Astounding stuff and Cargill looked to know it too. Newburgh had the chance to put the cat amongst the pigeons when Marshall found himself bearing down on goal but unfortunately took a heavy touch making things easy for Glens keeper Crowe. A big chance. Then came news from Dalkeith, Oakley United had taken the lead meaning whatever the Glens did was in vain unless Edinburgh South changed the game in Lothian. Newburgh were claiming for a penalty late in the game when Crowe seemed to take out the striker, as it was the other end of the park I cant comment but the Burgh players were adamant, that was clear. Glenrothes went on to miss a hat full of chances but it made no difference. Goings on elsewhere made todays result academic and they had the heartbreak of losing the league on the final day. However the game was finished off with a bloody pearler of a goal. Cargill received the ball at the left hand side of the box and curled an unstoppable effort across the goal and into the top corner. A superb hit. No sooner had it gone in it was full time and the curtain fell on both teams seasons . A decent enough watch at a cracking wee ground of a really affable club. Whats not to like?
As always in the car on the way home “any football on tv tonight dad” . I bent the truth, “no mate the seasons finished, nothing to watch”. If I can give him any advice, stick to the Juniors mate, as Newburgh showed, your presence means something watching fitba at this level.
Me 230, Wee Man 107
FITBAWBAG 