Forest Park, NRJFA Championship, 7/9/24
Me still 322, Wee Man 188
Burghead Thistle Football Club
Founded – 1902
Nickname – The Broch
Honours – Morayshire Junior League – 1908/09, 1909/10 and 1931/32. North Region Junior League (North) – 1968/69, 1972/73, 1973/74 and 1976/77. North of Scotland Junior Cup – 1962/63. Moray and District Junior Cup -1909/10. Morayshire Junior Cup – 1913/14, 1931/32, 1952/53, 1961/62 and 1969/70. Elginshire Cup – 2007/08 and 2009/10. Connon Cup – 1931/32, 1955/56, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1961/62, 1964/65 and 1978/79. Matthew Cup – 1958/59, 1971/72, 1972/73 and 1974/75. Gordon Williamson Cup- 1968/69, 1970/71, 1971/72, 1973/74 and 1974/75. Nicholson Cup – 1931/32, 1948/49, 1957/58, 1974/75, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01. Robertson Cup – 1931/32, 1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77 and 1977/78. Stewart Memorial Cup – 1969/70, 1973/74, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77 and 1979/80, White Horse Cup – 1931/32, 1932/33 and 1973/74. Buckie Junior Cup – 1931/32. Tom Gordon Cup – 1975/76 and 1977/78, Wick Allan Shield – 1973/74.
Random Fact – The club are the only remaining original member of the Morayshire Junior League.
On the 7th of April 2018 Wee Man attended his first ever game of fitba. This at his own request the prior night when he asked “when can I come to football with you?”. That first venue, Colony Park Juniors eponymous ground 6 miles from home in Inverurie. His fitba viewing career started in the North Region Juniors and now he has completed the set up at his own request. Around two years ago we visited Lossie United v Longside which took me up to a full quota of the Juniors in our region. After telling the Wee Man of the milestone, he was then looking to do the same. All good in my book and it gave me a chance to revisit a number of great clubs again to allow him to succeed. With his Highland League completion being created last summer and the book shenanigans, this Junior quest took a back seat for a bit but I promised him this season would see him happy. Today was the final piece of puzzle and to make it better, I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday (today was an early birthday for him as I leave for work this coming week and miss his real day). When I asked what he wanted to do he wanted to head to Forest Park as after visiting Whitehills last week it was the only outstanding club. Clearly my loon. Burghead Thistle, pizza and a film at night was what he wanted. A man of simple tastes is Jake. After we had a wander with Littlest Man in the early morning we headed up the A96 toward Elgin taking the right up the B9013 toward “Broch Heid”. The plan was to head to the Pictish fort and visitor centre, get stuck into a wee picnic, pint then the fitba. It kind of went to plan when we finally arrived after a lengthy journey due to roadworks holding up and the harr causing a peasouper on the road. The journey featured our usual game of looking for Highland League buses when on the A96 a tradition now these days.(For the record, Strathspey Thistle bus was spotted at Keith, Brora Rangers were seen at Llanbryde stuck in traffic and looked to be a bit tardy for the Broch. Then Forres Mechanics were picking up in Elgin). When we got to Burghead it was clear this wasn’t going to be the visit we hoped for. As the journey showed the harr was well in and visibility was poor. Any views from the fort were non existent which was a shame. Interesting to read about the place though and to see the size it would have been before it was razed in the 10th century was impressive (the biggest Pictish fort ever known). Half decent was the experience let’s say. The picnic was a success. This was followed by a look around the harbour. The next failure was getting a pint. I genuinely don’t think it is possible in the town now. A few bars found but all seemed to be long shut down. There was a place called the Bothy Cafe and it wasn’t open but barring that the place was dead in booze terms. So to Forest Park we headed for opening up and inevitably were were first in. But this was a master stroke as behind the goal at the gate end there was a huge expanse of grass with two mini sets of goals. You know what that means.
On the ground itself above and beyond the kick about potential its one of the best in the NRJFA. The changing rooms are to the left as you enter and what seems to be a board room on the right. We were allowed in for a look and for a pennant geek like me it was quality. But more importantly there were numerous old photos of days gone by, another thing I am a fan of, but my favourite piece was an aged painting of Forest Park depicting the place and the surroundings brilliantly. Now for the surroundings themselves. The place is called Forest Park for an obvious reason, one which gives the places a wonderful and aesthetically beautiful backdrop looming over the humongous pitch which brought back memories of playing and hating it at corners when you had to sprint back. This is surely one of the biggest playing surfaces in the country. Another quirk of the joint is all the fixtures are wooden. The enclosure, the dug outs etc. Its just a great place to watch a game of fitba. But on top of that everyone we spoke to was brilliant. There was a definite good feeling about the place. To the extent Wee Man was gifted a scarf a way to mark his completion of the NRJFA. A unnecessary but fantastic gesture from the club.
After a bit of crossbar challenge we took up position to watch the match at one of the extremities of the pitch in the corner. This gave the perfect view to prove to Wee Man that this place was massive as I had explained on the way up, but he had not quite grasped what I was saying. From here it also gave a good view of the harr which at certain points affected the viewing at the far end. Burghead were the better team early doors and looked very assured on the ball playing it about confidently and creating chances. It took only eight minutes to open the scoring when after a flurry of corners one was finally nodded in by defender Lingard. Captain Kelvin MacKenzie had a header brilliantly saved by the Bay keeper almost immediately and the hosts were unlucky not to be two to the good . I don’t know the keepers name and it seemed some of his teammates did not, nor did the Bay official with the flag on the line. He was referred to as “keeper” or “goalie”. It seemed he had been called in to help out. But he had a solid game. A second did come when a free kick into the box from the right looked to have found Lingard but was put into his own net by the Bay defender despite Lingard claiming it. Which defender, I don’t have the foggiest (no pun intended)as the mist clouded our view and I never managed to get team lines for the Bay. It was looking like an easy day at the office for the home side and they could have been three up but after a brilliant turn from MacKenzie his effort across goal was a couple inches past the post. The Bay were not out of this and did get forward but did not trouble Rowe in the Thistle goal. But they scored via a second own goal of the game and a beezer if ever I have seen one. What looked a nothing cross was nowhere near a white shirt but Thistle man Ellis under no pressure tried to head out for a corner from 6 yards, but instead headed across Rowe and into the net. Game on no matter how they come.
HT 2 v 1
A different kick about for a change which was crosses and volleys into the goal. One of which volleys from me landed in the bushes. A bush which was in fact a blackberry bush which we got some different half time fitba nourishment from. But it was a wet kick about due to the mist and my trousers were wringing by the end as they had a sponge type effect where the wetness seemed to travel up them. Back on the gargantuan park the half was a lot more even and Cruden Bay were right in it. But the final third was to let them down. The biggest chance or chances of the half fell to the home side but the nameless keeper was to pull off a fine treble save. The first came from Paterson who showed great feet to beat his man but the effort was save low as was the follow up rebound from the same player, then the second rebound from Taylor which looked a cert was saved brilliantly too. The Bay were not far off equalising when a long punt deceived Rowe who was caught under it, a Bay man 11 (again no team lines)was in behind the stricken keeper but he was not fast enough to get the ball before it crossed the line for a goal kick. That was it in attacking sense for the Bay but Burghead were not finished and grabbed a third when a ball over the top found MacKenzie who after taking a touch fired low into the bottom corner securing a well deserved goal as he had been a pest for the Bay defence all afternoon. A decent shift which earned him man of the match. Goal three and surely three points. As the harr looked to have cleared for the afternoon the game came to the end meaning Wee Man had done it. Could there have been a better ground for the him to finish off? No I can’t say there is. Burghead Thistle are a hidden beauty for many many reasons and somewhere I know for a fact we will be back to. Class ground and class people leading to a superb finale for Junior(pun absolutely intended). When you add this latest completion to his Highland League and NESFA completions there is surely an argument for him being one of the most travelled kids in terms of non- league fitba in Scotland. On his birthday that is mentioned above he will be 10. It’s some going and it’s all on him as if I had my way I would still have my season ticket at Aberdeen, but in truth I wouldn’t have it any other way. This way of watching fitba it the bloody business. Let’s see his next completion plan, I have a feeling I know what it is…….Watch this space. The rest of the of the day went to plan for the record, pizza, Mario Movie and 1990s Royal Rumbles on Youtube. A simple kid to keep happy.
Entrance – £6 Me, £3 Wee Man
Attendance -31
Pie – £5.70, Pie, coffee and Kit Kat
Pint – It doesn’t look possible in Burghead. Everything seemed closed down
Score Predictions – Me 4 v 0, Wee Man 6 v 0
Score Predictions Season Total – Me 0 v 0 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 