Pure DFC Archive

I know the Scottish, Irish & Welsh Premier Leagues are often regarded as second or third rate, but by getting tor the 2nd qualifying round of The Champions League TNS have pocketed £750,000, that's almost as much as the actual winners of the Kent Senior Cup get. Think our Board would faint if someone offered them that amount to spend as they wished.

The Elgin City v Hibernian Scottish League Cup shown live on the tele Friday evening was an obvious temptation for me. Elgin the most northerly club in a national league in the U. K., tidy little ground with a good playing surface. If the football palls there is always the 90 foot high column with a statue of George 5th Duke of Gordon erected in 1839 in full view to admire. We have a wooden man, they have a stone one in mid air. This cup competition is known as the Bet Fred Cup, but unlike the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup enticing me to make a purchase, I have not been tempted into any Betting shops, Fred's or anyone else's. Only been in one once and that was because a friend wanted to place a bet.
More important than Elgin City v Hibs., is the documentary on the BBC Scotland Channel tomorrow night at 10-00pm 'The Fort'. About Fort William F.C. who play in the Highland League, last won a league game in April 2017. They managed 2 draws last season, but finished up with minus 7 points after playing an ineligible player in 3 matches. They have finished bottom 16 times in the last 21 seasons, so can claim some consistency, but saved from relegation because there isn't any. Controversy has arisen after they took 9 young players on loan from nearby Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Scottish Championship), ICT applied to put a youth team into the Highland League to replace Cove Rangers, who won promotion to the Scottish League Division 2, and bring the League back to an equal number of clubs. However their application was refused and now this loan arrangement has been put into place with not everyone happy about it. An immediate kind of improvement as on Saturday The Fort only lost 6 - 0 to Brora, after 9 - 0 and 11 - 0 defeats last season. The programme may be of interest to see how such small clubs manage, the manager has an interesting background, and to see wonderful views of Ben Nevis which towers over their ground. The Programme will be on the BBCiplayer from Wednesday.

'The Fort', well worth a watch if you have an hour to spare. May not be suitable for young children, the language is fairly fruity at times, & subtitles may be useful for some of the stronger Scottish accents, it is available on the BBCiplayer.

And what with Berwick having a slow start in their new division, losing to Bonnyrigg Rose on Tuesday evening. Bonnyrigg Rose, I can just imagine their ground, not. Surrounded by tree's, just like an away trip to Bashley.

There are some pretty basic grounds in the SPFL, even some in the Premier Division are not that special. But it is has to be remembered just how sparsely populated Scotland is compared to England, 5 million in 30,000sq miles, against 55 million in 50,000 square miles. the way the U.K map is tilted when displayed disguises the true size of Scotland. Some places are very small and fairly isolated but they keep their local teams going, some are on par with Kent County League Teams. But as long as players and supporters are enjoying themselves it doesn't really matter and the importance of the social side for all ages was highlighted in the programme about Fort William.

What it may lack on the field Scottish football makes up for it off the pitch. The stewards at Queen of the South have an extra duty today, that is to eject from the ground anyone deliberately feeding seagulls. One of those funny problems that isn't really that funny and the mess is getting out of hand, at least it is only a drop of rain that gets on the seats at PP. I read in the news this week that staring them out will decrease the chance of them pinching your chips. Got nosey about the club's name, have heard it so many times over the years without giving it a thought, but it is actually the nickname of the town of Dumfries. A prospective MP in a pre-election speech in the 1850's called the town of Dumfries - The Queen of the South, the townsfolk naturally liked that and the name stuck, so when a football team was formed that was the name chosen. The club's nickname is officially The Doonhamers, from people working away from the town would say when going back 'Am gan doon hame' so got called (in translation) Down Homers. More often boringly called just Queens.
This has encouraged me to thoroughly investigate how Dartford FC became known as The Darts. Mysterious I know, but has anybody got any ideas?

Bonnyrigg Rose, Top of the league. Come on you Bonnyrigg Roses. Doesn't quite have a ring, does it?

Give us a B, give us an O, give up. Look at the BBC football website and the results for the Qualifying rounds of the Scottish FA Cup for some really interesting club names. Mind you it is the same for the FA Cup as well a few familiar names, some slightly amended, to be spotted.
Fort William kept it down to 2 - 0 this week, things are on the up.
It is looking tough to call the Scottish Premier League with Celtic off to a slow start P2 W2 D0 L0 F12 A2. I'm putting a tenner on Hamilton Academical.

A programme of real interest to Darts fans on the BBC iplayer 'Giantkillers, the team that wouldn't die'. The story Newport County AFC, a tale we can relate too and with knobs on. In no way playing down the effort and hard work of those who kept the Darts alive, for which I do not under-estimate and for cannot thank them enough, their challenge was almost a walk in the park compared to what faced those keeping County alive. Fighting The F A of Wales, EUFA and FIFA and ending in the High Court in London is quite remarkable. But it goes to show what can happen when a couple of blokes have a halftime chat in the gents.

I see Celtic reached their level of football last night Llamaman. FC Cluj??? Couldn't make that one up, not even in Scotland.