26th August 2017 Edinburgh City v Elgin City 0-3

Another Saturday and yet again Hearts playing away from home. I had thought about going to Motherwell for the Hearts game but it was announced that tickets for Hearts fans would only be available through the Motherwell ticket office. As Hearts could not monitor who was buying tickets no loyalty points would be awarded for this fixture. Loyalty points allow Hearts fans to buy tickets for games were ticket supply is limited and lack of points plus cost of travelling to Motherwell persuaded me to stay in Edinburgh.

I decided to go to see Edinburgh City v Elgin at Ainslie Park and arranged to meet Malcolm at the ground. Malcolm is the partner of Natalie’s good friend Anne and like me is retired. He was previously a janitor but was also involved in coaching with Hutchison Vale and has a good footballing knowledge. He has coached a number of current professionals including present Edinburgh City centre half Gareth Rodger. Gareth is the son of former Hearts player Paul Rodger. Paul was what would be called a typical 1970/80’s defender in that if it moved he kicked it and if it did not he kicked it anyway. I met Malcolm in the ground after again walking to Ainslie Park and we moved to seats in the stand. John was there on his own so we joined him for the game.

City lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Jordan Caddow and John Dunn as wingbacks. However to play this formation successfully centre-backs need to be organised. You would expect one to act as sweeper with the other two as markers but throughout the game City did not seen to have a clue what was the line-up in central defence. I would have gone with Craig Beattie as sweeper and Gareth Rodger and Stuart Morrison as markers given the latter two have pace that Beattie, who still has a good footballing brain, no longer has. 

City started well but were having problems on the right flank where Jordan Caddow was having a nightmare. To give him some credit I think he was carrying an injury from early on but Elgin were exploiting this side of the pitch. The first goal came when Elgin left-back Strapp cut in and fired home a shot from the edge of the City box. Caddow was then substituted and Moses Olanrewaju came in in his place. Moses is one go these players who gives defenders problems as he does not seem to know what he is doing himself and defenders cannot read what he is going to do next. However he is not a wing-back. The second goal after shortly after the substitution when the City defence made a complete hash of a long punt up the park and  Brian Cameron latched on to it to score easily.

City needed an early goal in the second half but despite some pressure were unable to make any clear chances. Any chance of a comeback ended when Craig Thomson was sent off for a second yellow card after a harsh challenge on the halfway line. Elgin scored a third in 82 minutes when substitute Jordan Allan latched onto a through ball and rounded the keeper to score.

After the game Malcolm and I walked along to Crewe Toll and caught a bus back into town. We would have gone for a pint but there are not many pubs near City Park and the bar in the ground is not open for Edinburgh City games.

Teams

Edinburgh City: Antell, Caddow, Dunn, Beattie, Rodger, Morrison, Thomson, Walker, Laird, Smith, Grimes

Subs: Mackie, Allan.

Elgin City: Waters, Eadie, Strapp, Bronsky, McHardy, McGovern, Dodd, Reilly, McLeish, Reid, Cameron

Subs: Smith, Sutherland, Allan