Spain Park, Highland Football League, 31/1/26
Me still 361, Wee Man still 217
Banks o’ Dee Football Club
Founded – 1902
Nickname – The Dee, The Rechabites
Selected Honours – Scottish Junior Cup-1956/57, Highland League Cup – 2022/23 Aberdeenshire Cup – 2021/22 and 2024/25 Aberdeenshire Shield– 2021/22 and 2023/24. North Region Superleague – 2007/08, 2008/09, 2015/16, 2015/16, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2021/22. Grill League Cup – 2013/14, 2016/17, 2018/19 and 2021/22. North Regional Cup – 1969/70, 1970/71, 1973/74, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1983/84, 1984/85, 2010/11, 2017/18 and 2018/19. McLeman Cup – 1924/25, 1937/38, 1938/39, 1950/51, 1955/56, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1967/68, 1969/70, 1978/79, 1981/82, 1986/87, 1990/91, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2018/19 and 2021/22
When it rains it pours and that’s not talking about the weather. Another trip to Spain Park within a week after going almost a year without a visit to Wee Man’s most frequented ground. Not the first plan it must be said. Last night we were all set for Forres Mechanics v Lossiemouth but after a humbling from Aberdeen FC at Kingsford in the morning, Wee Man wasn’t in the mood for travel and asked to stay closer to home which to be honest was a welcome shout from him as I was jeelt. With a couple of hours to fill in prior to the game I racked my brain for something to do. I came up with a cracker which stuck a smile on his face. With Junior being a lover of playing Darts these days we headed to Legends Sports Bar for a chuck of the tungsten and a pizza. Decent place with a bloody fine pizza too. This may see us frequenting Aberdeen sides more often now as junior wants to come back for pre-fitba shenanigans again. I can see him asking for this more often for sure. It definitely cleared the blues he had prior to entering. From Crown Terrace to Torry we headed hoping for a more competitive match than we witnessed three days ago. Something we had not thought about was the beast we saw behind the goal on Wednesday. Was it a wildcat, a fox or even a lynx as suggested tongue and cheek online. I think it was cracked as no sooner had I set my coffee down to kick the ball about before the game, a big fox came over for a gander. A tough Torry fox who just stood and looked at Wee Man who was as close a 10 yards away and the ginger beauty didn’t even flinch and even looked as if it wanted clapped, or maybe just a bit of my pie.
On the park we were served up a very decent game of fitba. Highly enjoyable stuff between two decent teams. The first half was pretty even overall. Clach had the first chance of the half as Craig Lawrie was denied by a tidy low save from Dee keeper Duncan. The same man then twatted the post with a free kick. The Dee probably should have taken the lead when Sam Pugh headed an inch perfect ball wide from a handful of yards out. He may not have not buried that but he had a huge hand in the scoring being opened. Swinging a ball in from the right it looked to be heading out, Clach keeper Ridgers (positioned right in front of us) looked to have given up on it for the goal kick. The next thing we knew the keeper was scrambling as the ball dropped like as stone after somehow staying in but the keeper could only palm it in as he tried to put it over the bar. A freak goal but they all count. As stated earlier it was an even half with both teams having a good go at eachother but the Dee will be thankful to their keeper Matthew Duncan who had two more very sound stops in the half. One from a free kick which he got down very sharply to, and with the last action of the half stopped a point blank header from James Anderson. The latter looked very good from the opposite end.
HT 1 v 0
The second half was a cracker and worth the entrance fee. It burst into life from the first whistle and Clach really should have been on level terms when Ross Logan found himself in the box with far too much ease but his effort went wide. It was a warning that the Dee did not heed, as soon after once again the Dee defence parted like Red Sea and Troy Cooper waltzed into the box to fire past Duncan five minutes in. The Lillywhites were once again thwarted by Duncan who was having a great afternoon this time when he stopped the ball with his bollocks off a MacPhee effort, the keeper did well to get himself in the way. The Clach fan next to us put it down to a bad miss but the keeper got himself there to stop it so I’ll give the credit to the Banks o’ Dee man.It has to be noted ex-Aberdeen man Mark Reynolds clearly saw the funny side and was having a wee chuckle to himself about the keepers testicular misfortune. Once up and dusted down, nads in tact, he could do nothing about another poor showing from the men in front of him. After conceding a free kick 25 yards out the Dee failed to switch on and set up, this leaving Jack Davison to break into the box off the quick set piece and welly the ball past the Dee custodian. 1 v 2 the visitors and with the explosive start to the half nobody could say it wasn’t deserved. Then came one of those moments which a team comes to rue. Breaking free at goal (possibly, a bit blinded by bodies to see from the other end) Max Alexander let rip only to see his effort rattle the bar and no sooner had the woodwork stopped shaking Clach had opened up a two goal lead. A ball into the box was uncharacteristically made a hash of by Reynolds leaving Jacob Kerr to curl and effort across goal and in. Another poor goal conceded by the home men who will be seriously disappointed defensively today. On defending I have to give kudos to Clach’s centre half Greg Morrison. A magic shift from the big man. Wins everything in the air, blocks everything and just generally clears his lines with no fuss. No pissing about with something refreshingly old school about him. The way I would want my defenders to defend. There was a penalty shout for the visitors late on, one which was right in front of us and clear as day. A clear palm down from Jo McCabe in the box which two men in white rightfully claiming, the ref would have been blind due to the mass of bodies but I would have thought the lino would have picked up on it but it wasn’t to be. The game game wasnt quite over and as the darkness was more than creeping in, the Dee caused a bit of worry for Connor Gethins’ men when Lewis Loriper struck a tidy 20+ yard free kick past Ridgers in the 90th minute. The Dee pushed in injury time but the three points were Inverness bound.
A late change of plan for us but a highly enjoyable one with five goals and a fox. Whats not to like? One strange thing to come out of the day (barring Pugh’s cross for the goal) was the lack of usual train action. The line was closed and instead of the thunder of trains it was that of diggers. This explaining South College Street being chock-a-block with bus replacement services(or should it actually be called train replacement services).
Entrance – £12 Me, Free Wee Man
Attendance – 159 humans (rough head count) 1 Fox
Pie – £7 pie and coffee
Pint – £7.50 Tennent’s and J2O, Legends Sports Bar
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 1, Wee Man 2 v 1
Season Score Predictions Totals – Me 3 v 2 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 