The Meadows, AAFA Premier Division, 23/5/26
Ellon Thistle Football Club
Founded – 1968
Nickname – The Jags
Honours – AAFA Division 1 (East) – 2024/25. AAFA Division 4 –1974/75. AAFA Division 6 – 1972/73. Barclay Cook Cup – 1972/73 and 2022/23. Castle Rovers Cup – 2011/12. Dickie Trophy – 2015/16. Stephen Shield – 1992/93. Norman McAvoy Memorial Trophy -1986/87. White Cup – 1973/74
***To be noted I didn’t see the St Laurence team lines so I will just use famous Saints for their players instead. I did ask for scorers but no success***
Think of hens teeth, then think of Ellon Thistle games on Saturdays this season. This is only the second Saturday fixture in the last two months but as a season on the whole its been a bit shambolic with the clear prioritization of cup competitions and the unfortunate scenario of having a severe lack of refs playing it’s part. But you can add in the joke of the Scottish Cup fucking about with Burghmuir, aka “extratimegate”. Ellon also went 161 (one hundred and sixty one) days without a league game at one point. Only 13 games have been played in 2026 and it is week 20 of the year, and seven of those games have been played in April since midweekers started with five midweek, none with the same starting eleven and most with totally threadbare squads, retired players stepping in,with Banchory away on a Wednesday played with 11 men and a keeper outfield. Banchory on a Wednesday at 7pm from Ellon. A spectacular idea that one. A year ago the thought of heading to the Premier was a huge draw of excitement but its turned out to be pretty absurd for many.
It’s a shame there was a ref available for this one in the end. It was really disappointing stuff from Thistle. You will not win games in the manner this was played. But I couldnt help but feel the home team looked like one who just want the season over after 10 months of pissing about fixture wise as there is a distinct rustiness complete with missing players who have chucked it due to the pissing about and uncertainty of playing games, this obviously meaning a patched team more than often. This is a season which may still see silverware but (and this in my personal opinion)nobody seems to be arsed with now. There are still four games to go after this today drubbing too.
As we turned up we were surprised to see the ‘Thistle pitch” shut down for the season and being torn up by a peanut hugging pageant. So it was to the Ellon United pitch we were heading. A pitch looking worse for wear around the goal mouths.
A kick about was obligatory as the park was empty, this was to prove I am an old man who was constantly defeated in the corners by Wee Man’s shooting. On the topic of old men, as the Thistle team appeared up the stairs leading them out was Mo Mo super Mo who was to tend the net for the day in the absence of Kieran Johnson and the veteran was to keep the score down in the end with a few very tidy stops.
The game early on was pretty even with not much between them. There was however one of the best nutmegs I have seen in a long while when Brodie Stewart took the ball past the St Laurence man St Anger only to double back via between his legs. A superb bit of trickery but unfortunately this was probably the highlight of proceedings for Thistle. The first chance of the game was for Ellon when a corner from the right flashed across the face of goal but could not be finished by the three oncoming Jags men with Deej Coutts the last attempt which went wide. The next chance was more clear cut and it came from the visitors when a ball in from the right from St Kitts and Nevis was met by Ian St John who rose above Coutts to head at Morris who pulled off a superb stop to keep the ball out. Then came an almost identical move between St Kitts and Nevis and St John, this time the latter stuck his header past Mo. One was soon two when St Kitts and and Nevis struck through the hands of Morris. Not one the keeper would want to see again. There were a host of bodies between him and the strike, unsighted/late sight potentially. Who knows but a big job now for Thistle. They did have a big chance late in the half when some good work from Lewis McLauchlan on the edge of the box which saw St Laurence keeper Callum Barkworth (I know his name) pull off a superb stop with his foot with Shawn Bruce seeing his attempt from the rebound go over the bar. Thistle were not dead and buried here.
HT 0 v 2
Thistle started the second half well and created numerous chances and had pot shots from distance. The biggest chance falling to Moffat who unleashed a furious effort at goal, I thought it was heading in but again visiting keeper Barkworth was on hand to pull of his second brilliant save of the day when at full stretch to his right got solid hands to Moff’s strike. In amongst the Thistle pressure St Laurence missed a sitter when a ball across goal avoided all Ellon men to find St Johnstone at the back but he stuck the ball wide from a yard out, with possibly his chest. Thistle then had the ball in the net when Daryl Webster knocked the ball in from three yards but it was chopped off for offside. Over this period of pressure it has to be said there was a bit of a lack of desire from the home side, this could be put down to rustiness, maybe attitude but St Laurence did seem hungrier to win the loose balls, the high balls and the tackles. I also think if Thistle had taken advantage of this period of pressure, even if they nicked one the game would have flipped but it wasnt to be and the fell right out of it and credit to the Laurencekirk side, the went on to stomp a mudhole in Thistle although the goals were simple and pretty much gifts. 0 v 3 was a tap in for an unmarked Sankt Pauli at the back post. This clearly killed the home side. 0 v 4 was a through ball leaving St Olaf Hotel clean through to slip the ball under Mo one-on-one. Then 0 v 5 was another back post tap in for an unmarked man, this time for David St Hubbins. This coming from another quality stop from Morris (his fourth or fifth of the day) . It was a shoeing for Thistle come the end. Barring the 15 minute spell at the start of the second half, St Laurence controlled this game and put in a decent performance to end their campaign for 2025/26. Ellon on the other hand really need to up their game massively if they want to bring the Ian Napier Memorial Shield back to the New Inn on Tuesday night. Speaking to a Thistle player after the game he said “that must have been a tough watch”. My retort, “more disappointing than tough”.
Edit – St Laurence gave me the scorers after I wrote this. Leo Benzie, Samuel Robertson, Ryan Laird x2 Matty Robertson.
Entrance – Free
Attendance – 39
Pie – N/A
Pint-N/A
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 2 Wee Man 0 v 3
Season Score Prediction Totals – Me 3 v 3 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 