24th August 2019 The Spartans v Gretna 2008 1-0
Hearts are playing Celtic this weekend and against my better judgement I have bought a ticket and will be going. Due to Celtic being knocked out of the Champions League the match has been moved to tomorrow as Celtic had a Europa League tie on Thursday. This meant I had a free Saturday and decided to use it to go the Ainslie Park and watch Spartans against Gretna 2008 in the Lowland League. I left the house after lunch at 13.15 to walk to Ainslie Park. I left early as I had to go the bank to pay in some cash. I therefore first headed to RBS at the West End and paid in using the machine in the wall outside the branch. I then headed down to Ainslie Park by firstly walking down to Stockbridge then along towards Fettes and cutting up the road alongside Broughton High School and then the Edinburgh Academy playing fields to Ferry Road. Finally arrived at Ainslie Park around 14.20 and after buying my programme, having got in for nothing with my season ticket, I headed up to the cafe/bar to see if Malcolm had arrived. He had not so I went back outside and waited for him leaning against the perimeter fence. When he arrived we went back to the cafe and had a couple of cokes and a chat before the kick-off. Malcolm had brought along a 1990s programme of a Juvenile Cup Final played at Easter Road between Hearts Boys Club and Hibs Boys Club. Included in the Hearts side was current Sportscene pundit Michael Stewart and the Hibs side included current Spartans centre-back Michael Bolochoweckyj. When the teams came out we headed out and took up seats in the shade of the stand for the game.
Spartans fielded new signing Leeroy Makovora, on a development loan from Hearts until January. He was replacing fellow striker Jack Smith who had injured a hamstring against Motherwell in the Challenge Cup and will now be out for around three months. David Greenhill has now re-signed for Spartans for a further year after retiring at the end of last season but he was unavailable for todays match. Gretna 2008 came into existence following the demise of the previous Gretna FC. Gretna FC went onto administration in 2008, following the death of their benefactor Brooks Mileson, and withdrew from the Scottish senior leagues. Their successors, who are owned by a Supporters Trust, began life in the East of Scotland League and moved into the Lowland League on its formation in 2013. They have never been title challengers but have not been seriously threatened by relegation either, although that may change this season. Currently managed by former Motherwell and Hibs winger Chris Humphrey the side have failed to gain a point from their first three league matches and are currently third from the bottom of the table with a goal difference of minus twelve.
Th first incident of note occurred after five minutes when Bolochoweckyj was booked by referee Ross for dissent. The referee had talked to 'Bolo' earlier after Bolo had spoken to him after Spartans had been awarded a free-kick. 'Bolo' then said something to him near the halfway line and the referee produced a yellow card. It was a bit of a silly booking for an experienced player given it was early in the match and a central defender is liklier to commit a foul than tother players on the field where a second yellow would mean the side playing with ten men thereafter. However the card also showed the referee's intentions and there were seven bookings throughout the match in a game where there was scarcely a bad foul. Makovora looked promising and had a good early tussle with Gretna centre-half Michael Gueu where the striker won the ball on the left and cut past the defender into the box where his shot was blocked by keeper Cameron Copland at his near post. Makovora was also one of those to receive a yellow card when he knocked the ball away after Gretna are awarded a free-kick. It did again seem a harsh decision when he only kicked the ball a matter of a few yards while in the second half a Gretna player knocked the ball out of play after a free-kick was awarded on the halfway line without penalty. Gretna could maybe have thought themselves unlucky to lose top goal-scorer Callum Duke-Smith to injury after twenty nine minutes with Darren Addison coming on as a replacement.The closest Spartans came to a goal in the first half was a shot from Nicky Reid, after good work from Scott Maxwell, hit the bar from the edge of the penalty box. Spartans had most of the ball but failed to create many clear chances although Adam Corbett did head over the bar from a Dean Hoskins free-kick as half-time approached.
The second half continued a the first with Spartans having most of the ball but failing to make chances. Then in sixty-nine minutes made an inspired, or lucky, substitution when he replaced Bolo with striker Cameron Dawson. Dawson always reminds me of Peter Crouch being a tall player with a surprising amount of skill. He showed this minutes after he came on. Maxwell took a quick free-kick on the right and passed to Gegor Woods who headed towards the bye-line. He sent in a cross to the corner of the six yard box at the near post. Dawson got there in front of the Gretna defence and turned the ball across goal and in at the far post for the first goal of the game. With ten minutes to go Makovora made a good break from the half-way line. As he reached the penalty area he appeared to be caught by centre-half Gueu and fell to the ground. The referee ran towards the incident and with the crowd expecting a penalty to be awarded he showed a yellow card to Makovora for stimulation. This extremely harsh, and in my view incorrect, decision lead to a red card and Spartans seeing out the game with ten men. Despite Gretna having a bit more of the ball Blair Carswell in the Spartans goal had only one save to make and Spartans held out for victory.
After the game Malcolm and I headed to the Crewe Toll roundabout and caught a 24 bus into town. I got off at Lothian Road and headed to the Shakespeare for an evening with my old school friend Ivan while Malcolm phoned his partner Anne to arrange for the to meet up for a night on the town.
Teams
The Spartans: Carswell, Corbett, Allan, Bolochoweckyj, Hoskins, Woods, Reid, Scott, Maxwell, McFarland, Makovora.
Subs: Dawson, Ashmore.
Gretna 2008: Copeland, Neto, Pearson, Dickinson, Gueu, Jackson, Duke-Smith , Koroma, Renyard, Patrick, Rogers.
Subs: Addison, Watson, Brown,
Spartans fielded new signing Leeroy Makovora, on a development loan from Hearts until January. He was replacing fellow striker Jack Smith who had injured a hamstring against Motherwell in the Challenge Cup and will now be out for around three months. David Greenhill has now re-signed for Spartans for a further year after retiring at the end of last season but he was unavailable for todays match. Gretna 2008 came into existence following the demise of the previous Gretna FC. Gretna FC went onto administration in 2008, following the death of their benefactor Brooks Mileson, and withdrew from the Scottish senior leagues. Their successors, who are owned by a Supporters Trust, began life in the East of Scotland League and moved into the Lowland League on its formation in 2013. They have never been title challengers but have not been seriously threatened by relegation either, although that may change this season. Currently managed by former Motherwell and Hibs winger Chris Humphrey the side have failed to gain a point from their first three league matches and are currently third from the bottom of the table with a goal difference of minus twelve.
Th first incident of note occurred after five minutes when Bolochoweckyj was booked by referee Ross for dissent. The referee had talked to 'Bolo' earlier after Bolo had spoken to him after Spartans had been awarded a free-kick. 'Bolo' then said something to him near the halfway line and the referee produced a yellow card. It was a bit of a silly booking for an experienced player given it was early in the match and a central defender is liklier to commit a foul than tother players on the field where a second yellow would mean the side playing with ten men thereafter. However the card also showed the referee's intentions and there were seven bookings throughout the match in a game where there was scarcely a bad foul. Makovora looked promising and had a good early tussle with Gretna centre-half Michael Gueu where the striker won the ball on the left and cut past the defender into the box where his shot was blocked by keeper Cameron Copland at his near post. Makovora was also one of those to receive a yellow card when he knocked the ball away after Gretna are awarded a free-kick. It did again seem a harsh decision when he only kicked the ball a matter of a few yards while in the second half a Gretna player knocked the ball out of play after a free-kick was awarded on the halfway line without penalty. Gretna could maybe have thought themselves unlucky to lose top goal-scorer Callum Duke-Smith to injury after twenty nine minutes with Darren Addison coming on as a replacement.The closest Spartans came to a goal in the first half was a shot from Nicky Reid, after good work from Scott Maxwell, hit the bar from the edge of the penalty box. Spartans had most of the ball but failed to create many clear chances although Adam Corbett did head over the bar from a Dean Hoskins free-kick as half-time approached.
The second half continued a the first with Spartans having most of the ball but failing to make chances. Then in sixty-nine minutes made an inspired, or lucky, substitution when he replaced Bolo with striker Cameron Dawson. Dawson always reminds me of Peter Crouch being a tall player with a surprising amount of skill. He showed this minutes after he came on. Maxwell took a quick free-kick on the right and passed to Gegor Woods who headed towards the bye-line. He sent in a cross to the corner of the six yard box at the near post. Dawson got there in front of the Gretna defence and turned the ball across goal and in at the far post for the first goal of the game. With ten minutes to go Makovora made a good break from the half-way line. As he reached the penalty area he appeared to be caught by centre-half Gueu and fell to the ground. The referee ran towards the incident and with the crowd expecting a penalty to be awarded he showed a yellow card to Makovora for stimulation. This extremely harsh, and in my view incorrect, decision lead to a red card and Spartans seeing out the game with ten men. Despite Gretna having a bit more of the ball Blair Carswell in the Spartans goal had only one save to make and Spartans held out for victory.
After the game Malcolm and I headed to the Crewe Toll roundabout and caught a 24 bus into town. I got off at Lothian Road and headed to the Shakespeare for an evening with my old school friend Ivan while Malcolm phoned his partner Anne to arrange for the to meet up for a night on the town.
Teams
The Spartans: Carswell, Corbett, Allan, Bolochoweckyj, Hoskins, Woods, Reid, Scott, Maxwell, McFarland, Makovora.
Subs: Dawson, Ashmore.
Gretna 2008: Copeland, Neto, Pearson, Dickinson, Gueu, Jackson, Duke-Smith , Koroma, Renyard, Patrick, Rogers.
Subs: Addison, Watson, Brown,
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