Raemoss Park, NRJFA Championship, 16/8/22
Me still 240, Wee Man 118
Buchanhaven Hearts Junior Football Club
Founded – 1908
Nickname – The Hearties
Honours – North Region Division One – 2008/09. North Region Second Division – 2018–19. North East Division One – 1979/80 and 1991/92. Archibald Cup – 1991/92. Duthie (Acorn Heating) Cup – 1988/89 and 1991/92. Morrison Trophy – 1988/89
Random Fact – In my spell with the club, I was once pressganged into playing in goal versus Wilsons XI at Hillhead in a Grill Cup match on 2004/05 after our goalkeeper got injured in the warm up. We lost 4 v 1.
With Wee Man now setting himself a challenge to get to all thirty North Region Junior grounds a quick tick in the box followed his decision at the weekend. This one being in the box of my old team where I spent two and a half seasons in my late teens/early twenties. A place I remember fondly and enjoyed when I was there. Being a youngster and an Aberdeen fan(there were only three across the team and committee) set me up nicely for being at the end of endless piss taking and jokes. A cracking laugh full of quality folk who I learned a lot from. Fitba wise and drinking wise.
Just a game today without it being a day out. With my folks visiting and the shite weather neither of us were in the mood for anything barring the 90 minutes and to be honest it was a wise choice. It was a minging night on the coast. Drizzly, dark, windy and freezing. Not the best for watching a game in but it was Peterhead after all and I didn’t expect much less than touries, jackets and coming home to stick the heating on.
Early days in the league but going into this the Hearties were third and the visitors were top of the pile , this making me expect a close game. That’s exactly what we got. After a quick pint and a game of pool in the Social Club we took our perch in one of the wee stands at Raemoss(didn’t exist in when I played) to witness what was forty five minutes of dominance from the visiting black and whites. It seemed like the whole half was played in the Buchanhaven end of the park. Although there was not much in terms of clear cut opportunities you could sense a goal would come eventually and it did from a set piece and some poor defending. The ball was sent into the box and found defender Louis Tough who was unmarked to tap in past Hearties keeper Jake Ritchie . We were right in line with the 18 yard line when the ball was played and the Hearties line was good barring Scott McLeod who for some strange reason dropped three or four steps playing on two Sunnybank players, one of which was goalscorer Tough. If the line was held they were both offside. Simple. A big mistake and more importantly entirely avoidable. Especially with his team mate Sol Beagrie getting things right and speaking well to help do so. Sunnybank had another couple of half chances. Kieren Munro found him self splitting the Hearts defence running on to a through ball but Ritchie in the home goal was alert and sprinted off his line to block. An excellent piece of goalkeeping. Munro again was cursing Ritchie who was on hand to save from the clean through striker. This time a diving save to his left pushing the ball to safety. A couple of long range efforts came to nothing for the visitors before the half was out . Buchanhaven on the other hand came close once when left back Liam Morrison hit a speculative effort with the outside of his left foot which had the power but not enough dip to trouble Myles in the Sunnybank goal. There was only one team in this as the teams escaped the wind for some respite.
HT 0 v 1
Buchanhaven came out for the second half like a team rejuvenated. They came to make this a game . Something they failed to do in the first period. They created chances and got in the face of Sunnybank. Their first chance came after a hilarious episode when Callum Watson ran into a Sunnybank defender shoving him to the ground. As clear a foul as you could see. This leading to the yellow card being brandished in amongst the mass protests from the black and white players. The ref waved them away and gave the corner which was played to the edge of the box to Beagrie who struck the ball brilliantly from twenty yards and was unlucky to see his effort fizz wide. The Hearties continued to get stuck in and showed more heart(no pun intended) in the first fifteen minutes of the second half as they had all game. They as good as pinned Sunnybank in during this period. Sunnybank stood strong and did get back into the game and were unlucky not double their lead with their first effort of the half. Munro again was thwarted by Ritchie when thundered a shot that the keeper seemed to nonchalantly save with one hand. No dive or movement, just a cool lift of a solid mit. The Hearties had the majority of the action for the half and continued to probe Sunnybank. The closest they came was when they struck the bar after Lewis Brown did exceptionally well to get his effort away but it hit the woodwork and out for a goal kick. This was quickly followed up by an Ethan Durno effort which went slightly too high of the Sunnybank goal. At this point I was thinking I could break my score prediction duck for the season. Buchanhaven looked to have a goal in them and the introduction of Adam McKenzie introduced other problems for Sunnybank as the wee winger was quick and tricky. (It made me wonder why he didn’t start). Chances fell to home men Scott McLeod and Darren James Molloy Batty (some name that) but Myles was left untested. Sunnybank didn’t really create much but there was a strange incident when a Hearties player went down with what was clearly not a head knock. Sunnybank were in behind and most likely away to score. The stricken man in maroon then held his head to make on it was a head knock and the referee fell for it and stopped the game as the ball was put into the Hearts box with three Sunnybank men waiting to pounce. As the referee went to the injured party, he stood up and walked away in true Lazarus style. Shithousery in abundance from the Hearts man, shithousery that worked a beezer. You cant help but laugh. The darkness descended rapidly, not helped by the dull clouds and just like the daylight, the game ran out of puff ending with Sunnybank taking the three points back to Heathryfold. A decent game with what was a half each. The predictions of a close game were bang on the money.
Good to be back at Raemoss. There may be new signage, stands and the social club looks to have been spruced up since my days there. But you are always guaranteed of of three things in Buchanhaven. Seagull feathers strewn across the park, the wind that doesn’t blow in one direction and Pipey running the line with the flag. A Hearties man through and through.
Twelve North Region Junior Grounds to go for Wee Man challenge (next up will be tonight’s visitors in a week)
Now for a break from the Scottish non-league to head over water to a derby, in a ground in my favourite city………..
Entrance – £5 Me, £0 Wee Man
Attendance – 44 (5 rogues)
Pie – £2, ” x Irn Bru
Pint – £3.50, Buchanhaven Hearts Social Club
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 1, Wee Man 1 v 2
Score Predictions Total – Me 0 v 0 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 