Ochilview Park, EOSL Second Division, 14/2/25
Me still 331, Wee Man 197
University of Stirling Football Club
Founded – 1969
Nickname – N/A
Honours – None at EOS Level
Strangely this was a third visit to Ochilview for me and I am still to see Stenhousemuir play at home. This as I have only seen the grounds lodgers of East Stirling x2 and now UOS in action in FK5
With a distinct lack of traffic on the way down we parked up around an hour prior to kick off. So early we were, we walked into Ochilview and there was a female team training on the park with no sign of the two teams we were down to see. At this point I realised we could have watched the match for nothing, however, that would have been a bit wide. So after a pint in the decent nearby Ochilview Bar where we were greeted by an affable barman we headed back into the ground, this time parting with the required seven bucks to allow us a seat in the Norway Stand, there where we were to witness what could be described bizarre game of football.
I can safely say I have never watched a game with possession so much in one teams favour only to see said team lose. Bathgate as good as owned the ball in this encounter across both halves, yet left Ochilview with nothing. The first half was easily 85% possession, maybe more with the young looking students lucky if they strung more that three passes together at any point while Thistle had the ball down and knocked it about with ease. This was not possession like the modern day tippy tappy bullshit possession for possessions sake football you see in the pro game. Bathgate were working the ball up the pitch frequently but created little. You could even say they were trying to walk the ball in and seemed to have a phobia of shooting from distance at times. But it was all in favour of the dark blues. Then incredibly UOS took the lead after a long punt found its way through the visitors defence leaving the student 11(no team lines so no name) clean through to slot past Saunders in the Bathgate goal. Absolutely undeserved but the men in green were not caring a jot as they went in at half time one to the good.
HT 1 v 0
With little scope for a kick about we resorted to passing along the row one touch without the ball hitting the seats(plenty room with only the 51 in attendance). A different kick about and a clean one for a change too. Once the teams reappeared the second half continued in the same manner with the ball constantly at the feet of Bathgate and when it wasn’t, anything the University tried was soon broken up by the visitors captain and best player on the park in my eyes, Cormack. A proper old fashioned spoiler midfielder. Big fan of that. But again Bathgate created nothing and when they were in the final third they either took the wrong option or really did nothing to worry UOS. Then again, one punt and it was a goal against the run of play for the home side. This time a keeper punt saw the striker bearing down, not clean through and from where we were seated it seemed maybe Bathgate defender McGill could have sent the ball and man out the ground but he was shrugged away by the 11 who again stuck the ball past Saunders doubling the task at hand for Bathgate. Wee Man and I couldnt believe how the game was panning out. A couple of subs injected a bit more intensity to Bathgate attacks and they finally stuck the ball in the net when one of said subs slammed home a half volley. From here I was positive of a draw or even a Bathgate win but it wasn’t to be and University of Stirling somehow escaped with three points. The scoreline could have been even more incredible if they took advantage of a Saunders error 25 yards from goal but the effort at the empty net didn’t have enough venom and allowed full back Mooney to get back and clear on the goal line. As we stood near the gate awaiting the full time whistle two visiting fans were yapping with one saying “what a fucking strange game of football”. I cant disagree with that at all
Never the less, another scratched off Wee Man’s poster and one closer to his current mission
Entrance – £7 Me, Wee Man free
Attendance – 51
Pie – £5.20, pie, coffee, Mars Bar
Pint – £4, Tennent’s, Ochilview Bar
Score Prediction – Me 1 v 2 , Wee Man 0 v 2
Season Score Prediction Total – Me 2 v 1 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 