Seven Acres, John Reilly Memorial Inter Regional Cup, 15/3/25
Me 336, Wee Man 201
Letham Junior Football Club
Founded – 1960 as an amateur outfit
Nickname – The Tangerines
Honours (at senior level) – None
The completion of the Midland League has been outstanding for a good while leading into today. The reason being Seven Acres is a cage and not much else and it sits 102 miles from my house. Cages have their purpose and Letham are a community club and I fully understand why they have one. This meaning I have left it for something lets say special. Maybe a team winning the league there or such like. I never thought of the Inter Regional where they could play say my most local club Colony Park or even better my childhood home town club Ellon United. The latter is exactly what popped up. A perfect reason to get down. As well as completing the Midland League this visit also meant Wee Man and I had watched a game at all Perth clubs in terms of the pyramid. It also meant I had crossed the thresh hold of all the pyramid clubs between Inverness and Perth which at a guess would be around the 90 mark. I am not looking to go to every senior club in the country, this latter fact is interesting and just came about not deliberately.
Pre-match saw us looking for a pudding at the request of Wee Man. We had had a wee picnic in the car but he was still hungry. This led to a wander around Letham. As we walked out the car park of the fitba I looked down the street when crossing the road and two of the McDiarmid Park floodlights seemed to be a golf drive away from from Seven Acres. A weird feeling when the team you support is playing less than half a mile from where you are to stand watching another match. Life changes though and our travels are the priority over Aberdeen for now and so be it. Trying to find a pudding was far too easy as within five minutes of setting off on our sugary quest we stumbled upon the Welcome Inn. A tidy juicer with a restaurant. Perfect. The beer garden was full of St Johnstone young team and the bar was filled with 6 Nations decor, not my thing but it did not matter as I got wired in to a magic apple crumble watching Millwall v Stoke while Wee Man looked at the fixtures for the day while ridiculously predicting Rothes beating Banks o’ Dee. Eejit. With our bellies a bit fuller we headed back to Seven Acres for a kick about on the adjacent grass pitch for a good half hour. The game being, practicing our first touches when launching high balls at each other. A sweaty business under a sun which was warming up by the minute.
As kick off approached and the fans of St Johnstone and the Dons filed down the street towards McDiarmid we went to get a pie. This is where Seven Acres went well up in my estimations. To start the “Tuc Shop” and its incredible collection of pennants was right up my street. Who doesn’t love walls adorned with games past. Then came the friendliness of the committee in the shop. Really fine. The price of our supplies came to pretty much nothing at £4.60. Great value. Then the pie was really fine. Things were getting good in Letham. £6 quid was taken off my hands to allow both of us in and we were again met with warmth and friendliness by the two ladies at the gate. One even allowed us in the gate bothy to get our token thumbs up photo as there was a badge that was perfect for the pic. Just after we entered the teams came out with Ellon defending the goal closest to us. This allowing me to shout a wee bit of abuse at Ellon keeper and ex teammate Daniel Adamson.
99% of the time I am neutral when watching anyone outwith Aberdeen FC. Today not so. I was wanting Ellon to be in the hat for the next round. Sorry Letham but I grew up and lived in Ellon for 25 years. But I did think this was going to be a very tight game. I was way off. Ellon were the better team overall and deserved their win. The game opened with the hosts walloping the bar when Ramsey unleashed an effort from 25 yards which Adamson was well beaten by. The rebound was then struck wide . But it was a false dawn, the North Region side were to settle in well and look better in the final third while Letham struggled to do much in an attacking sense. Ellon took the lead at around half an hour and it seemed too easy when a ball over the top found Callum Tremaine (I am sure it was him but the sun was a bloody pest all game) who nipped in and finished with ease from the left side of the goal pretty much unopposed. This got United’s tails up and saw them conjure up a couple of good chances with the closest coming when captain Neil Irvine saw his effort cleared off the line by Sam Nobles. Ellon kept pushing to the half and just before the ref blew James Bain rattled the frame of the goal when he ran in on a short pass back. He beat the keeper brilliantly with his effort across goal but it hit the post and came back into the keepers arms.
HT 0 v 1
We headed back to the grass pitch for another kick about and a listen to the cheers and growls emanating from McDiarmid Park. We were sure nothing was happening but we didnt realise how little until later. As I was still a bit peckish I went for another pie. No steaks were left so I opted for a Macaroni, it was superb. Better than the steak which was good in itself. I am sure the pie gods live in the vicinity of Perth. Jeanfield Swifts steak pies are phenomenal, Luncarty steak pies are awesome, Kinnoull Steak pies were affa good, Scone Thistle had cracking steak pies, now two different pies went above and beyond most pies in the non league. What is with the Fair City and its filled pastry goods. Better than any mass produced crap in the big leagues. Back on the pitch the game turned even more in favour of the Ellon side. They were excellent in the opening stages. Barring on effort into the side netting from Letham the ball was continuously in the Letham half with Jock looking on a spectator yet to make a save in the match. Ellon pushed and pushed with chances falling to Bain which was wasted, a well hit freekick from Jonny Cain being superbly saved by Bright and a free header from Logan Tough from the resulting corner which should have burst the net. The second finally came for the men in blue when Bain took advantage of some questionable defending to slam past Bright. This caused an explosion of rage in the Letham ranks as the arguments appeared all over the park. Interestingly Letham had been trying to get three subs on prior to United’s second. Surely the game plan was out the window for the three incomers and even more so when straight away two was then three when Tremaine was on hand to tap in from his own initial shot from a few yards. Game over? Maybe the lead was unassaible but Letham had not given up and played some good fitba. The three subs had made a difference but it was too little too late despite a consolation being tapped in from Przeslica after some great work on the right from Struthers. There was another chance for the hosts when Simpson attempted an overhead kick. It didnt trouble Adamson but I was impressed with the height the Tangerine man got himself up in the air. It was now Ellon’s turn to argue with eachother due to the pressure they were under. Adamson finally made a save in the dying minutes when he tipped a freekick onto the bar. I saw it, Wee Man saw it but the ref gave the goal kick meaning in the refs eyes the keeper never made a save all game. That tells a story of Letham’s match. One save despite Letham playing the better football. They had nothing going forward where United looked decent up top on the attack. Games are won by goals nae bonnie fitba. The game was done but that didnt stop or maybe was the actual reason the photographer lost his mid at decisions given at the opposite side of the park. At this point the sun was at a retina burning low level brightness. You could hardly see halfway across the park let alone all the way but he was claiming balls were out and Jock had handled outside his box. He had as much chance of seeing that as he did what was happening inside McDiarmid Park .Funny, especially as he had a go at me when I said “theres no bloody way you can see that from here min”. An amusing end to the game.
So that’s it, the Midland League done and dusted, with Wee Man inevitably now fancying the completion too(Forfar United, Carnoustie Panmure and East Craigie outstanding), although I have done it, it wont be forgotten about as I will be chased for the three outstanding. Starting at Carnoustie and finishing at Letham all the grounds had their own charms and good bits and despite my initial reservations of the Letham cage I was happy with the day. Great pies, quality kick about, friendly folk and goals. That’s four of the main boxes ticked. An enjoyable afternoon, a strange one at that given the closeness to my actual team. On that, Willie Miller berated the game on the tranny, as did others. Well I’ll tell you something, for not much more than a tenner (with food),we got more than value for money unlike the Dons fans who paid the guts of 30 quid for shite. I know who really won today. In terms of fitba in Perth, we went where the action was.
Entrance – Me £6, Wee Man free
Attendance – 60
Pie – £4.60, Pie, Coffee, Juice, Crisps
Pint – £3.85, Tennent’s, Welcome Inn
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 1, Wee Man 1 v 2
Seasons Score Predictions Totals – Me 2 v 1 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 