Lennon admittedly rested several key players ahead of Tuesday, which is one of the most important games of the season, but that was a really shite performance.

Ross County will be sick, nearly as sick as Stephen Craigan, who was audibly weeping in the commentary box after Commons scored. Great free-kick by Richard Brittain, who later hit the bar with a long-range shot that dipped crazily at the last second.

And Hearts top of the league with one win and two draws, I'm liking the new anarchic SPL right now.

Even when Hibs win they do us a favour.

5 out of 5 for Thistle now. This is giving me the fear.

Never ignore The Fear blameless.

Wee Jackie runs a good club it seems, better than his dad's pub but that might have been Ralph Callachan's fault.

I winced when I saw the story on the BBC website from our captain, saying St Mirren could finish 2nd www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19303535

Maybe he meant 2nd bottom? Three games into the season and I'm already looking out for the Dundee score and breathing a sigh of relief when they lose.

5 out of 5 for Raith too, following a second consecutive away win against Falkirk (after last season's 3-2 effort), a fixture where we historically pick up 0 points.

CY_Boaby wrote:


Ah good, it's not just me then.

West Glasgow bragging rights go to Yoker tonight with a fine and unexpected 2-0 win over our squatters Clydebank. Just the five booked for Yoker too.

Clydebank brought on a guy with the surname of Hailstones.

Geoffrey St Croix, Wet Wet Wet, Duncan Bannantyne your boys took a hell of a beating.

Good win for the Dons on Saturday - 2-1 away to St Johnstone. We've got a kid on the wing called Ryan Fraser who's getting rave reviews - really looking forward to getting back to Scotland this season to hopefully check him out. This is our best squad in years, so hopefully we can do something of note this time. It's been too long.

Also, wowzers. Falkirk suspend their stadium announcer after he referred to "Sevco Franchise". In a game between Falkirk and ... er.... Raith Rovers:

local.stv.tv/glasgow/186158-falkirk-fc-s...ngers-sevco-comment/

So many questions! Were the Rangers fans who complained about this at the match? Or did they hear about it from friends? Does anyone think this decision is not a complete over-reaction?

After the silly comments from Stewart Regan about "social unrest" etc, I suppose Falkirk have got to be seen to be clamping down on this type on banter just incase some nutter uses it as an excuse to cause a rammy during tonight's Ramsden Cup clash.

I remember the police gave the chap who played Paisley Panda a caution, after he wiped his big saggy, panda-arse with a Falkirk top in front of their fans before a game a Love St a few years back. Apparently a couple of Falkirk fans were mortally offended and complained to the police.

The fun went out of Scottish Football a long time ago.

Hey AMMS,

make a sentence out of the following words:

Scotland, Super, Of, Division, Premier, West, League, Division, Bass, Ya ;-)

A comfortable victory by the Whe Ho according to my mate that was there. Local derbies are always close run things no matter how enormous the gulf in divisions are...

Speaking of Yoker, I've just finished reading James Kelman's A Disaffection in which the main character goes to a match at Holm Park to watch Yoker.

In Iain Banks Dead Air, the main protagonist is a Bankies fan which means both local rivals have been name checked by legendary Scottish novelists. It tickled me anyway.

Forres Mechanics 1 Fraserburgh 1

My first Highland League game. Forres isn't really in the Highlands, though is it? Pretty little town, mind.

After checking that we could park the van outside the ground, we went into town. A huge walk of nearly quarter of a mile. I had a pint in a pub, and was pleased to see that Ross were still beating Celtic 1-0. Couldn't work out why Celtic weren't wearing their hoops until it dawned on me that I was watching Leeds v Wolves...

Going into the ground, I had to fight off folk trying to sell me half-time raffle tickets. Failed. And they didn't sell me the winning ticket. Bought a scarf.

Had a couple of tinnies in a window-less concrete bunker somewhere in the back of the stand. There were quite a few Fraserburgh fans about. And Forres fans wearing Champions 2011-12 shirts. I hadn't realised that I was watching the defending champions.

The ground was pleasant, the pitch superb, surrounded by grass banks on all sides. Down the middle of one side was a reasonable sized stand. Other than the stand, there was no covering. On a very hot day in August, this wasn't a problem. I'm not sure what it'd be like in winter...

I stood down behind the goal that Forres were kicking into. Very few others were at that end, and those that were were largely Fraserburgh fans. On the pitch, most of the action was at the other end. Eventually Fraserburgh scored a deserved goal, and it was half-time.

Back in the tinnie-bunker, there was a little consternation as Final Score on the red-button wasn't working, so I had to find out the Millers' score on my radio. Two up; good.

In the second half I went up the other end. This part of the ground was packed. With fans of both teams. As a non-league regular, I was baffled by both sets of fans not swapping ends where they've got the chance. Is there a reason for this?

Forres played much better in the second half, and eventually equalised through a penalty rather pointlessly given away by a defender handling from a corner. At some point, as I've mentioned elsewhere, Fraserburgh brought on a substitute with number 67 on his back. Seems a little early in the season to be playing the youth team...

Just before the end, a Fraserburgh forward was sent off for a second yellow card, much to the delight of the home fans. I was a little surprised that there was no chanting at any point by either set of fans (it seemed about fifty-fifty in a crowd of more than three hundred), but less surprised to be stood next to a man who got very, very angry by Forres's inability to play football as well as Spain. You get them everywhere.

Repairing to the bunker, they'd finally got Final Score working, so I watched the scores, had another tin and went off to meet my wife. (Who was now doing the driving, for those of you counting...)

All in all, an enjoyable experience. I'd recommend it to anyone.

By the way, are there any junior matches on Saturday in the just east of Dundee area?

Forres is a great wee ground, spent a day getting happily trolleyed in that same tinny bunker whilst watching Hearts beat the Mechanics 9-1 pre-season a good few years back.

The number 67 was likely a Celtic fan GO, 1967 being the year they won the European Cup.

I'll check for junior games near Dundee for you for Saturday. Where you staying?

Quick look at the fixtures throws up Dundee Violet v Dundee North End in the league cup. Nice old fashioned junior ground, similar tinny bunker as Forres, local derby of sorts.

Full fixtures for Tayside for Saturday -

East Craigie v Lochee United 2.30pm
Lochee Harp v Downfield 2.30pm
Broughty Athletic v Tayport 2.30pm
Dundee Violet v Dundee North End 2.30pm
Blairgowrie v Montrose Roselea 2.30pm
Forfar Albion v Arbroath Vics 2.30pm
Brechin Vics v Forfar West End 2.30pm
Carnoustie Panmure v Coupar Angus 2.30pm

Also nearish in the Central League Cup -

Bankfoot v St Andrews United 2.30pm
Newburgh v Luncarty 2.30pm

All the grounds in bold are in Dundee itself GO.

Carnoustie's probably the nearest if you're east of Dundee but it's a pretty soulless modern kind of ground, Crow's Nest pub's pretty good though.

If you don't want to go into Dundee then Blairgowrie and Bankfoot are both beautiful wee places, Blairgowrie in particular would offer up options if Mrs GO didn't want to go to the game. Nice town and with a fine pub whose name escapes me with a great deck area overlooking the river.

Careful where you leave the van if you're in the Lochee area (includes Violet), never seen anything there to worry me personally but the locals have warned us in the past about stuff like that.

Thanks for these, Rob. I looked at the league fixtures, but couldn't find anything; I hadn't realised that they started with the cup. We're staying in Monifieth, so Broughty looks the best bet; I can get a bus there.

We're kicking around the idea of a Scottish holiday in the next couple of years (neither ms. ursus nor minor have ever been north of York).

GO's description of the Highland League experience is making this all the more attractive for me.

No problem, never been to Broughty but their park sits on the main road into Dundee from Monifeith - ramshackle looking wee place which adds to it's charm for me.

Only thing about it is I know there's no pubs nearby - we drew them in the Scottish the year we got to the final. I couldn't make it but the guys who did were moaning about it.

Pretty much any of the Dundee clubs you'd be able to get into from Monifeith with just one change of bus (at the station in Dundee)

Just come back from holiday and we appear to be top of the league, with a 6-0 goal difference.

I have some possible explanations for this, but none for Celtic's awful kit this year- why haven't they got a sponsor?

Nice to hear about your Forres trip, GO- do update us on Dundee junior experiences.

What is wrong with you?

The front of Celtic's kit is beautiful. Those narrow stripes and no sponsor. Proper edwardian.