Some crazy SFL scheduling of previously postponed games last night. With Thistle already having played a game less than most of the teams in division one (and a cup quarter final with Rangers to fit in at some point), which team doesn't get to play this midweek? Yep, you got it.
By the time we eventually get through our postponed league games (and Rangers play their UEFA cup games), the quarter final could well be Thistle Reserves vs Rangers Under-17s.
I got a bit lax in the old updating everyone on how Alloa's season was going department so I'd be as well making my first post on here a recap of how our season has been going so far.
We started off with some wildly variable form as an opening day 4-1 victory over Peterhead was followed up with a 6-0 defeat from Airdrie in the first game on our shiny new platsic pitch. We then had two defeats in our next three games and it looked like our season was heading toward yet another fight against relegation.
A 2-0 victory against Queens Park seemed to turn our season around and we began to look like we might even launch an unlikely title challenge as we embarked on an eight game unbeaten run. That fine run was brought to an end by Livingston in the Scottish Cup and we stunbled again the next week away to Queens Park. The next two games gave the impression that this was just a temporary blip, however, as we won them both and managed probably our best game of the season as we played Ross County off the park in a 3-1 home victory.
Yet again a game against Airdrie was to turn things around for us and after a 2-0, going on 6-0 defeat at New Broomfield we only won one of our next seven games. Thankfully we managed a lucky win at home to Cowdenbeath and haven't lost a game since including two very good wins against Raith Rovers and Peterhead.
Currently we sit in 4th place with just five games to go, if we can keep up our current form we should be looking good for the final play-off spot. In the last few weeks we have been without Graeme Brown, Andy Ferguson, Derek Fleming, Dougie Wilson and one of either Fraser Forrest or Chris Townsley. They would all be considered first choice players so if we can get them back for the run in we will hopefully be able to keep up or recent good form.
Oh, and can I be the first to say it in this shiny new forum - Pearse Flynn is an utter cunt!
Are the Accies equipped for the SPL? I haven't been since they moved from Douglas Park. They supposedly have an American defender, or at least he's American-born or raised or something. Forgotten his name. And the bloke called Offiang who always scores, I bet someone else nabs him before next season. Please, I hunger for news from Hamilton.
Accies are now the proud owners of New Douglas Park, which is situated in Hamilton about a quarter of a mile from their old midden.
NDP has two stands in an "L" configuration (one along the touchline, one behind the goal), and has a plastic pitch. Whether this makes them SPL-compliant or not depends on what version of their "rules" the SPL are using this week.
Richard Offiong is indeed the lad who scores most of their goals, but they also have a teenage prodigy in midfield called James McCarthy, who was the subject of a tug-of-war between the Scotland and Ireland U-19 teams (I think he plumped for Ireland in the end).
Hey, sectarianism! Are we warming up for tomorrow's OF game already?
Blameless - I thought the SPL had already decided that Hamilton's pitch had to go.
Did anyone see the U21s game on Wednesday? Apparently Kevin MacDonald scored a peach to win the game. Couldn't see us being able to hold onto him for much longer.
Do you reckon it's worthwhile for a club like the Accies to go up? In one step they go from being a sort of local in-the-community team with a pitch everyone can use, to being wannabe big-timers for a year or two who will inevitably get dumped back down. Not that I want to defend plastic pitches, which I hate, but I can see why they make sense for a team this size trying to attract as many hearts and minds away from the OF as possible.
Crying shame about the McCarthy lad - that Scotland lost him, but primarily that he gets abuse for making a personal choice. I wonder how many more generations it will take for that kind of fuckwit to die out. Still, as a player, he must think, "I'm glad I opted for Ireland so I don't have these cunts cheering me on."
I see Martin Bain is still trying to get the SPL season extended to accommodate Rangers, even though they themselves caused a lot of the mess by postponing their game with Gretna last December in order to prepare for the match against Lyon (and by not being able to win at home to Partick Thistle).