2025/26 – Heathryfold 1 v 3 North East United

Sheddocksley, Aberdeen Sunday League AFL, 10/8/25

Me still 355, Wee Man 214

Heathryfold Football Club

Founded – 2025

Nickname – N/A

Honours – None

A few weeks ago the Wee Man played a game at Sheddocksley against North Star. On the car journey in my old boy was with us and many a story from juveniles and amateur fitba were reminisced upon. The scooter neds, stolen fitbas, cancelled games due to police chases over the park on the Friday night to just general Saturday nonsense. The place clearly intrigued him after lugging in. With his own game on Sunday shifted to Saturday this weekend. This to accommodate Aberdeen v Celtic, a game he refused to go to and I will directly quote him on his reason “I really don’t like Celtic fans”. A fair enough statement. He asked for a game somewhere else, this taking us to the earliest kick off we have ever attended together, both of our maiden voyages into the Aberdeen Sunday League and his well sought after visit to the legendary municipal behemoth that is the Sheddocksley Sports Centre. (The season tickets still a million miles away it seems).

With four games on and absolutely no knowledge on the league set up, I let Twitter do it’s work and the plan was if any teams got back to me, the first would be the game we would watch. Reece from newly formed North East United was that man. A big thanks to him for his assistance, a top dude.

I promised Wee Man a big kick about and a wander about the whole place, both were a success. The latter throwing up what could be classed as a typical Sheds sight. A burnt out motor. This along with the usual wrecked pitches, spent sparkies tape on goal frames, jettisoned empty carry outs tins strewn across the place, vehicle tracks and numerous low flying planes all of which are the norm here. We were however treated to a natural surprise in some big bad ass hawks in the trees. Bonnie things. It is a shame to see the back pitches gone with it now just open grass land where they used be. This leaving just the five parks in service which is a disgrace if you ask me. With over charging at other places and teams struggling to find a pitch the council could surely do a solid and help out. Then again the Aberdeen City Council don’t like recreation as shown with other closures(they also hate kids but that’s another story). After a wander we set up shop on the first pitch we came to for an elongated crossbar challenge prior to kick off. This on the only pitch with intact goalmouths. By that I mean they were perfect and funnily enough it was the unused park today with the other four hosting Sunday League games. After being given the team lines earlier I had a feeling we could easily spot our game out of the four. This due to the fact the Heathryfold team lines were not full of Aberdonian names lets say. There must be a back story to how these guys came about for this season. There is not a mosque in Heathryfold to my knowledge. (Anyone fill me in?)For the record both teams are in their first season. Out of the eight teams on show at Sheds today, Heathryfold were the last to appear,this with ten minutes until kick off. Nae much of a warm up. I did get a laugh watching some of the preparations of the other teams, numerous fags being smoked on arrival, piggy backs to get the nets up and one warm up was even done topless. After grabbing a juice from the centre to cool us down(I am sure the temperature increased at least five degrees between arrival and KO) we parked our asses ready for what was a delayed kick off. Once we were off NEU had a decent chance early on when Jordan Walker found himself on the end of a corner but saw his effort go over. Another thing that was apparent early was Heathryfold were there to fly into every tackle with an early two footed shocker from Mustafa Osman incredibly going unpunished. The two footed lunge was celebrated like a goal from by a couple of his team mates. The ref spoke to him but let him away card free with the defender almost peacocking as he strutted away chuffed with himself. I had my fingers crossed this could be the touch paper lit for a bit of argy bargy but it never really materialised. Something else noted was the goal fest next door on the bordering pitch Was it Byron racking up 10 v East End or Inverdee and Stornoway Society playing out a 6 v 3. I really don’t know. Back at our choice of game NEU struck the post when Phil Burnett rose to head a corner. Heathryfold were getting forward too with rapid wide man Saber Ibrahim bombing up the left. But they created little. This was the difference between sides who were pretty even otherwise. The first goal of the game came from the penalty spot when that man again Mustafa Osman was lets say rash as fuck when he wiped out the NEU man in the box. Absolute madness which saw Walker bury the kick from 12 yards. This was followed by an amusing moment where on retrieving a loose through ball NEU keeper John Rutherford got his feet tangled in a polly bag that was gently blowing past his goal. Not an important detail but amusing none the less. The half finished with a superb piece of goalkeeping from Heathryfold’s Elrashid Soliman who got down to his right to stop a Walker freekick, he was up rapidly to stop the rebound too which looked to come off his shouldered and face. This would not be the last time we would see him at his best in the game.

HT 0 v 1

Soliman was again to his teams rescue in the first minute of the half when Walker struck a twenty yard freekick, the keeper got the faintest of touches to send the ball crashing off the bar. The referee clearly did not see it as he quickly called offside for the follow up. Heathryfold created their best chance of the game ten mins into the second half but Amin Mohamed took far too long on the ball when faced with a clear shot on goal, this allowed NEU captain Habib Busari enough time to recover and block the delayed effort. Wee Man had tuned into the NEU sideline and their complaints at some of the decisions and the rough tactics of Heathryfold and said some of it was “very rude” to the referee and opposition. I had to point out to him that Heathryfold were possibly the same but with their arabic we would never know. Surely the language barrier is a bonus for them in a match. Soliman was again there to rescue his team when United made their way up the right with far too much ease, the cross was low and good with three amber and black men waiting but the keeper came flying out in a cloud of dust to claw the ball away from the attackers. A very good piece of goalkeeping. Then came something we have yet to see in a match to date. A shot was hit at Rutherford which he stopped with ease. The keeper then took his time to get up and release, this leading to the first eight second breach we have seen. The corner was awarded to Heathryfold and it found Amir Mohamed who finished at the second attempt from close range. North East United had made a couple of subs with the introduction of Jamie Campbell and Rauiridh Morrison. Both were causing problems. Campbell had an effort just touched wide and no more by Soliman which again was missed by the ref. A couple of minutes later the keeper then stopped the same man with another solid save sending the ball out for a corner. But unfortunately for him he was let down by his team mates from the resulting kick as Morrison ran in to head home with not a blue player near him. Poor defending from the home side. It was soon three when again Heathryfold switched off the centre halves allowed Andrew Beattie far too much space thinking he was offside. The forward ran clean through on to a defence splitter and calmly stuck the ball under Soliman. Heathryfold were absolutely fucking raging with the ref without realising that their number 5 Mohammed Hamid was out wide on the right playing Beattie well onside. To the extent my inner monologue said “what the hell is this boy doing”. Such was the rage of Soliman at the ref, he looked like he threatened to leave the pitch before being coaxed back by his defensive team mates. But at the end of the day it was onside and Heathryfold had well and truly shot themselves in the foot here gifting three goals to NEU.

Wee Man got his wish and Sheds ticked off. In the end he would have preferred to have watched the game next door for the goal glut and he didn’t get to see the usual resident scooter neds but he enjoyed the morning in the sun. So did I. Surely better than what transpired at Pittodrie anyway. Oh and I got the score correct.

Entrance – Free

Attendance – 19

Pie – £7, coffee, juice x 2, muffin and Kit Kat Chunky (inside the sports centre)

Pint – N/A

Score Predictions – Me 1 v 3 , Wee Man 3 v 2 – (absolutely nothing to base this on)

Season Score Prediction Totals – Me 1 v 0 Wee Man