College Park, Friendly, 6/7/24
Me still 316, Wee Man 182
Fraserburgh United Junior Football Club
Founded – 1976
Nickname – Broch United
Honours – North East Region Premier League -1979/80. North East Division One – 1990/91. North Region Division One – 2009/10. Acorn Heating Cup – 1977/78. Morrison Trophy – 1979/80, 2003/04 and 2015/16
Random Fact – College Park is the first place I attended a cup final not including Aberdeen. This was a juvenile Scottish Cup final between my cousins Albion v Fraserburgh Link Up. (Not very neutral). Albion won.
On the way up Wee Man said, “this is the second time we have been up this road in a week”. This is true as we had been up to watch St Combs on Tuesday. He then followed up with “we have been to the Broch heaps for football”. Heaps is not strictly true but after thinking about it, this is the fifth club we have visited in the town after Fraserburgh, Elizabethan Link Up, Faithlie United and St Combs. Doing quick maths in my head this makes Fraserburgh our third most visited place together for fitba. This behind Aberdeen (14), Dundee (8). The reason for todays visit, Fraserburgh United are on the Wee Man’s list for the season as he wants to complete the Juniors in our corner. With this visit it would leave him Burghead Thistle, Whitehills and new boys Westdyke.
First off for the day though was to be a bit of history in our wonderful area. The initial stop was at Deer Abbey. The ancient ruins of the St Columba and St Drostan founded monastery. It was somewhere I had passed many a time but never actually visited and is a significant part of local history in religious terms. But it also has a link to Fraserburgh. St Drostan had three followers St Fergus, St Colman(or Combs) see a pattern emerging here and St Medan. The latter gives his name to Pitmedden but is also the Patron Saint of ……you guessed it, the Broch. A walk about and Wee Man playing dead in a sarcophagus in the pissing rain unfolded. From here we headed a couple of miles down the road to somewhere I did not know existed until I was caught in a wormhole when researching for the incoming Highland League book. PoW Camp 110 in Stuartfield. The NE had three camps, Stuartfield, Monymusk and Pitmedden but this is the only one left standing. When I found out this detail I promised myself a visit and it could not have gone any better. Now used as a timber yard, we turned up as the man in charge was just leaving. I asked if we could have a look and he was more than happy to let us. He explained the details of where now long gone sheds were missing from, how the design was not just a throw up job given the shelter created from the winds and the clever drainage systems etc. He then asked if we wanted to see old photos from when the camp was in tact. These dated back to the 50’s and he explained a bit more. They included pictures of the prisoners (usually Italian) and the staff who worked there. It was an excellent stroke of luck to meet him and get the low down on this much unknown piece of history hidden in the Buchan countryside. More people wont know about it than know, that’s for sure.
Then it was the quick drive north to Fraserburgh for fitba matters. First off was another edition of the “seeing things from teams badges” that Wee Man and I lov doing. This time the ostrich. Although it comes from the towns coat of arms there is a wonderful example adjacent Bellslea Park. This on the Saltoun Place Fountain. A wee snap and showing Wee Man the badge we were off to College Park early to take United manager and the HFL Fraserburgh long servant Russell McBride up on his offer of a nosey about the clubhouse. After bumping into Russell as soon as we turned up we got the run down. There is a lot more to the clubhouse than expected. Its a tidy wee place. Clean and modern which you wouldn’t expect from the outside. The bar room for the corporate holds 34 and is a cash generator for the club and gave me an idea for later. We then got into the changing rooms where some of the team were already in about. Again, smart looking with players names and club badge emblazoned across the place. We then got a blether with Russell about the club. My take from it. We need to go to a Broch United v Buchanhaven Hearts game this season.
From here we nipped off to an old haunt of mine from at least twenty years ago. Findlay’s. The reason I have an old haunt in the Broch was because when I was an apprentice my day release was at the then Banff and Buchan College. We used to nip down for pool and a pint at lunch time regularly. I was timed served in 2004 and have not set foot in the place since until today. I tried to explain to Wee Man but it was soon apparent he doesn’t know the meaning of apprentice.
Back to College Park where the rain had subsided after no let up all day, it was now time for the fitba after a packed day . We both expected a few goals and we were both entirely wrong. After Jake was the unofficial ball boy for Clach during the warm up getting in the way of our own kick about we were impressed with the home side throughout the game. Although there is a division between the sides there was not much between them. Clach were clearly the more experienced side as expected with players such as Josh Meekings in the team, and they had the bulk of the ball. They created more but the men in orange dealt with the threat brilliantly defensively. Clach’s winger Mackenzie looked dangerous and was gliding past players with ease but the chances created by him were squandered with Cooper and Davidson wasting big opportunities. But every other ball into the home box was dealt with well by the defence. United had one solid chance when Jake West headed wide from close range in the latter stages of the half when he really should have been scoring. The game definitely had a feeling of a pre-season friendly about it that’s for sure.
HT 0 v 0
Pie time and it was a good one. A Bruce of the Broch steak pie with a coffee served in a proper cup went down a treat. Proper cups is a dying thing in football these days (Sunnybank and Maud still do this too up here). A wee kick about as always with the game being strike the perimeter fence without the ball bouncing, not as easy as you think when having to strike through some long grass. The second half seemed to have wee bit of a niggle and afters added into it with tackles seeing boots left in and even a gut punch (we saw it). But it was much of the same. Clach balls into the box and United dealing with them well. But the biggest talking point was a lengthy stoppage. This when from what I could make out was the ref was not happy with the team lines when it came to subs. Clach’s 16 (Trialist) came on. But as he was away to take a throw, the ref stopped the game. There was call for the 17 shirt to be retrieved. This saw a Clacher from the bench run to the changing room and retrieve it. But the 16 was removed from the pitch. Next thing you know, player manager Connor Gethins was on the throw but he soon disappeared. Next thing we know he is in a track top at the other side of the pitch in the stand effing and blinding. This dragged on for an unusual amount of time before it got going again and neither player were allowed on. Did this mean the team lines were wrong. That’s all I could think it could be, as did Broch keeper Blair Tait as I asked him what the hell was happening. One thing that was clear was the Clach management were irked. This was more than obvious. The biggest chance after the restart fell to United’s West who took on a shot only to see it blocked but the lay off was on to his teammate. The wrong option for the big striker who had had a decent game putting himself about the Clach defence. Time was running out and I cursed the home team. A ball into the box was well defended once again by the United defence, this going for a corner. I said to Wee Man “they have defended brilliantly today, won every header”. The corner was played in striker Bunce jumped to win it but seemed to go up to late meaning his contact was minimal, the ball ended up dropping rapidly onto the head of a Broch defender sending it past Tait and into the roof of the net. A sickening blow for the defence who had played bloody well all game. Clach almost doubled their lead in the last minute when Bunce went on a jungle run before letting fly with a bending effort which crashed off the bar and away to safety. And that was that. A narrow victory for the Highland League side. The action was not over and as the teams left the pitch the earlier stoppage and sub related palaver was still grinding at Gethins who was arguing with the ref before telling him “don’t you ever speak to me like that ever again, never speak to me like that, I will rip your fucking head off”. Nice note to finish off the game on
A highly enjoyable day out, a bit of history, a bit of appreciation for the “shire and a visit to a quality club. One with a top man in charge but also some really affable committee members who are the heart and soul of these clubs. They cut the grass, take the money at the gate, cook the pies, open the padlocks on the gates to allow stray balls to be retrieved. The things people don’t appreciate. A great wee club by the little insight we got into it. Good luck to them in the coming season. Part of a top day out on the whole. Hopefully I am home for a game v the Hearties.
Entrance – Me £5, Wee Man free
Attendance – 41 (rough head count)
Pie – £5 Pie x 2, coffee and juice
Pint – £4 , Tennent’s, Findlay’s
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 5, Wee Man 0 v 5
Score Predictions Season Total – Me 0 v 0 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 