Greenock Morton (Scotland)

Greenock Morton is a professional football club from the old shipbuilding town of Greenock, which is located on the south bank of the River Clyde, approximately twenty-three miles from Glasgow. The club were formed as Morton FC in 1874.

It is thought that Morton comes from a local street called Morton Terrace, which was a road where several players lived. 'The Ton' became founder members of the Scottish League Division Two in 1893-94, moving into their Cappielow Park ground four years later.

Morton were promoted in 1899-00, with the Ton ended in fourth in their debut First Division season before a period of sustained low finishes. Manager Bob Cochrane led the team to another fourth place in 1913-14, which was repeated the following season, before Morton finished third in 1915-16.

There was further improvement in 1916-17 with Morton finishing as league runners-up, followed by successive third places in what turned into a halcyon era for the club, but the crowning glory was to come in the 1921-22 season. Morton won the Scottish Cup when they defeated Rangers 1-0 thanks to a free kick from veteran Jimmy Gourlay in front of 75,000 fans. 

The victorious team featured Scotland international winger Alex McNab. By the end of the 1926-27 campaign, Morton were relegated as David Torrance took over as manager, taking the side to promotion as Division Two runners-up in 1928-29. Cochrane had returned for a second spell in charge as the team were demoted in 1932-33.

Jackie Wright was appointed as manager in 1934, leading the side to promotion as runners-up in 1937-38, but the step up proved too much as the Ton went straight back down before the arrival of new team boss Jimmy Davies, who would remain in the position until 1955.

During World War II, Stanley Matthews and Tommy Lawton guested for the club while on service duties before the club was awarded a top-flight place once peace was restored. Morton reached the Scottish Cup final once more in 1947-48, again to face Rangers.

The game went to replay after a 1-1 draw in which Jimmy Whyte scored Morton’s goal, with the Ibrox outfit scoring the only goal in extra time in the second match. The two matches attracted astonishing crowds of 132,629 and then 133,750 to Hampden Park. The team was relegated once more in 1948-49 before being crowned as Second Division champions twelve months later, retaining their top-tier status until 1951-52 when they dropped down once more.

Gibby McKenzie took over as manager in 1955 before being replaced by Jimmy McIntosh a couple of years later, before the appointment of Hal Stewart in 1961. After a couple of narrow misses in the league, Morton reached the League Cup final in 1962-63, going down 5-0 against Rangers in front of a 106,000 crowd.

Morton were promoted as Second Division champions in 1963-64 with the help of the goals of Allan McGraw before dropping back down after two seasons of First Division football. Yet again, the club recovered and collected another second-tier championship at the first time of asking before consolidating their status with Joe Harper putting away the goals.

European football came to Cappielow in the 1967-68 season with Morton competing in the Inter City Fairs Cup, where they were defeated by Chelsea, while a young Joe Jordan started his career at the club before moving to Leeds United. Donald Gillies became a regular scorer in the side where Davie Hayes became a stalwart. 

After restructuring and the introduction of the Premier Division for 1975-76, Morton were placed in the second level First Division after a managerial spell from Erik Sørensen. Joe Gilroy had a season in charge before the arrival of Benny Rooney. Andy Ritchie began a career of thrilling the Cappielow faithful with his goalscoring as Morton won the First Division title in 1977-78, before remaining a Premier Division club until the end of the 1982-83 season.

The era saw outstanding service from players John McNeil, Jim Holmes and Roy Baines. Tommy McLean took over as manager for a season, taking Morton to the First Division title before he was replaced by Willie McLean for the 1984-85 campaign, which ended in relegation.

Former star Allan McGraw took over the managerial reins, taking his side to the 1986-87 First Division title as Rowan Alexander top scored. Not for the first time, Morton were relegated after just one season of top-level football. Future club record appearance holder Derek Collins came into the team alongside long-serving goalkeeper David Wylie. 

The Ton reached the 1991-92 Scottish Challenge Cup final, before going down 3-2 to Hamilton Academical, before the team was relegated to the Second Division in 1993-94. The third-tier title was won at the first attempt, with Derek Lilley finding the net regularly after the club had changed their name to Greenock Morton to acknowledge their hometown. 

Billy Stark came in as the new manager in 1997, as Warren Hawke scored the goals. Morton went down again in the 2000-01 season as the club entered administration with its finances in a perilous state. A second successive relegation followed as the club found themselves in Scottish football's fourth tier.

Fortunately, the club were taken over by confectionery businessman Douglas Rae as the team won the Division Three title at the first attempt in 2002-03 with Peter Weatherson leading the scoring under the managership of John McCormack, as the deciding league game drew a gate of 8,479 to Cappielow.

Jim McInally came in as manager as the team failed to secure another elevation, and he led the side up at the end of the 2006-07 season after three seasons of narrow failure. Morton's promotion to the First Division saw a few seasons of struggle. Managers McInally, Davie Irons and James Grady all took turns to try and lift the Tons to the Premier League without success.

Former winger with several clubs, Allan Moore, arrived from Stirling Albion with a good track record in May 2010. He came close to taking Morton back to the Premier League in 2012-13, but they lost in the title race to Partick Thistle, eventually finishing as runners-up after Peter MacDonald had led the forward line to great effect.

The Ton were relegated the following season with Kenny Shiels in charge of the side before he was replaced by Jim Duffy. The goals of Declan McManus helped Morton to the League Two title in 2014-15 and an immediate return to the second tier, where they consolidated with Denny Johnstone leading the scoring.

A fourth place in 2016-17 led to the play-offs, where Dundee United ended any dreams of promotion. Ray McKinnon took over from Duffy in May 2018, lasting until August when he was tempted away by Falkirk’s overtures. Jonatan Johansson was appointed in his place.

Former Scottish international David Hopkin was appointed as manager in May 2019, with Bob McHugh’s goals helping the side to seventh place when the 2019-20 season was ended early owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus. It was announced in July 2020 that ownership of the club would be passed on to the fans group ‘Morton Club Together’ for a nominal sum in March 2021. 

That was on the provision that they could prove its sustainability to owner Crawford Rae, who wiped off debts and turned down more lucrative offers. Gus MacPherson was appointed manager in March 2021 as the club secured their Championship status with playoff victories over Montrose and Airdrieonians.

Dougie Imrie took over the managerial reins at Cappielow in December 2021, taking the side to consecutive fifth-place finishes.

Greenock Morton FC will play in the Scottish Championship in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Greenock Morton 2 Livingston 1 (Saturday 19th January 2013) Scottish League Division One (att: 1,913)

It was that time of the year when I had a weekend off work and decided that a lads away was in order. After visiting Dusseldorf the previous year, my good pal Karl Theobald expressed an interest in visiting Glasgow. That was fine for me, as I'd enjoyed several great nights out there in the past. We'd gone on a tour of Ibrox on the Friday evening before enjoying a very good night out. 

Our original plan was to head to the Premier League encounter between Hibernian and Dundee, but the weather that had hit large parts of the UK had threatened to arrive in Edinburgh. The last thing we wanted was a wasted afternoon, so over a coffee, I suggested either Morton or Partick Thistle against Falkirk. 

After checking the league table, it revealed that the Ton were top and Livi third, plus the attraction of being able to stand up, we agreed to have a ride along the banks of the Clyde. Our ticket seller at Central Station told us we needed to be 'kegged up' if we were heading to the match. This didn't augur well, but he was laughing, so I presumed he was joking. 

After a beer in the Crystal Palace, which was filling with Celtic fans, we jumped aboard the Gourock train, alighting at Cartsdyke. After a short walk, we found ourselves in a bar, which I think may have been called The Norseman. The place had seen better days, but haven't we all and the welcome was warm.

We enjoyed a couple of Tenants while chatting to fans of both sides. There was certainly plenty of away support enjoying the warmth. At around 2.45, we entered Cappielow for £15 and immediately fell for the place. The Main Stand was long and low with a raised seating deck and magnificent floodlights raised on the roof and the railway line behind it. 

The Livi fans sat at the far end, with just about all the inhabitants of the pub in there. The far Wee Dublin End was closed, but it was an open end with bench seats bolted onto it. Apparently, a roof had been bought from St Mirren's old Love Street ground and was going to go up over the seats. The Sinclair Street End had an open terracing with thick round crush barriers, but the crowning glory was The Cowshed. 

It covered most of the final side with a good bank of terracing underneath. A few rows of seats were at the front, with the steps having magnificent, wide barriers that were perfect for balancing warm drinks. The catering had to be tried, as the super-efficient snack bar was found in the concourse behind the shed. 

The scotch pie and chicken broth proved outstanding value for £2.50. We had rapidly grown a soft spot for the Ton. I wasn't a big fan of Livingston anyway, as they were one of the first 'franchise' clubs when they moved Meadowbank Thistle lock, stock and barrel to their new town. It was good to see the teams emerge with the officials and get straight on with proceedings without any handshaking nonsense. 

Later on, any substitutions were sorted by the linesman on the far side. There was no fourth official, prompting the question of what the point of them was. Incidentally, we had lineswoman Lorraine Clark on the near side who seemed to do a decent job, or did the players and fans cut her a bit of extra slack? A few weeks earlier, she had run the line at Rangers against Berwick Rangers in front of nearly 45,000 fans.

The locals roared their team on, with some of the distinguishable comments making us laugh out loud. They certainly didn't take kindly to the antics of a visiting player who fell over, despite being nearly snapped in half by one of their heroes. The rich accents only added to the effect.
A fine move from a corner led to Martin Hardie firing Morton ahead. They played some nice stuff, but lost their way somewhat as the talented visitors got a hold of the game. 

We commented at half-time that Morton needed a second goal as Livi looked dangerous. 

However, when the equaliser did come, it was from a goalkeeping error Greavsie used to thrive on when hosting his Saturday lunchtime programme with Ian St John. A weak shot from Iain Russell sneaked past Derek Gaston. As Karl said at the time, "I'd have saved that."

Rather than knocking the stuffing out of the home side as it could have easily done, they pulled themselves together and scored what would prove to be the winner with twenty-two minutes remaining when Peter MacDonald headed home at the far post.

We went and stood on the open end with around ten minutes to go, before making a bolt for it five minutes from the end. We wanted to catch the 4.51 train back to go for a meal and to prepare for our Saturday night out, as otherwise we'd have been waiting for a further thirty minutes in what was, in all fairness, not a great place.

A home fan was standing on the bridge at the station, where he was following the crowd's reaction as a guide to the action. The crowd at the back were visible, but not the players. Karl mentioned that we were surprised at the gate figure that had been announced. Our pal said something along the lines of "Oh, they're at that game again." 

We boarded the warm train and caught up with the scores elsewhere before nodding off and waking as we passed Ibrox. We really enjoyed the afternoon out at a proper football ground. It was the perfect afternoon to build up for what was an even better night out!

Arthurlie (Scotland)

Arthurlie FC is a Scottish football club from the former industrial manufacturing town of Barrhead, which is located thirteen miles southeast of Glasgow in Scotland. The club were formed in 1874, starting out life as a senior club, which enabled them to compete in the Scottish Cup from their Dovecothall base.

Arguably, the club's greatest result came in the cup in 1897 as Celtic were defeated 4-2. 'The Lie', as in Lee, were members of the Scottish League between 1901 and 1915. After World War I, the club didn't immediately rejoin, but became founder members of the Third Division in 1923, two years after moving into Dunterlie Park. 

They won the title at the first attempt and then had a few decent seasons in Division Two before financial troubles forced them to quit towards the end of the 1928-29 season. The club was soon reformed with the same name, and success soon followed.

They defeated Kirkintilloch Rob Roy to lift the 1936-37 Junior Cup, as well as winning the Central League decider against Shawfield. In September 1961, Neilston were hammered 10-1 in a league encounter and a decade later, Arthurlie opened their social club. The West of Scotland Cup was also won that season.

Other cup triumphs followed before the team lost in the Junior Cup Final in 1980-81 to Pollok. A trio of Central League Premier Division titles arrived at Dunterlie in 1987-88, 1888-89 and 1993-94 before lifting the Junior Cup for a second time as Pollok were defeated 4-0 at Fir Park, Motherwell in the 1997-98 final. Goals from Mark McLaughlin, Johnny Millar, Steven Convery and Steven Nugent secured the trophy for Jim McQuade's side.

Frank Lynch took over the managership for the 2000-01 season, winning the league at his first attempt before junior league reconstruction took place, which saw Arthurlie placed in the West Super League First Division. In 2003, promotion was won courtesy of a league title, with a League Cup also being added. 

However, Lynch's side were in big trouble in 2005 after midfielder Mark Ross was found guilty in a criminal court of assaulting the referee during the match with Auchinleck Talbot. The Scottish Junior FA punished the club for its lack of co-operation by fining it £3,000 and dishing out a hefty points deduction the following season. Lynch and his backroom team resigned.

Arthurlie just survived relegation the following campaign despite all the previous seasons' players leaving, with manager Gary Faulds with a monumental job. Faulds and his assistant Stevie Moore departed in December 2007 after a poor run of results to be replaced by Mark Cameron, who was initially assisted by Roland Fabiani and then former boss McQuade.

The management team departed during the 2010-11 season owing to personal reasons before new boss Sandy McLean led the team to a couple of cup triumphs. McLean left the following season with the team in dire relegation trouble, before the previous management team of Cameron, McQuade, and Duncan returned to lead the team to safety.

The 2014-15 season saw Gavin Duncan, who had been in sole charge of the team, resign, to be replaced by Craig McEwan, who lasted only a few months before he was succeeded by Robert Downs as the team avoided a relegation playoff on goal difference. Steve Kerrigan was appointed as manager in January 2016.

Chris Mackie was the next man in the managerial hotseat from December 2016, as again Arthurlie finished towards the bottom of the table. Billy Ogilvie came in as team boss in October 2017, as the team lost in the relegation playoffs. It was the final season of the competition, meaning the Lie went into the West Region Championship in 2018-19.

A fifth place was followed by two abandoned seasons, one of which Arthurlie did not compete in, which was in the Conferences devised by the newly formed SFA West of Scotland League to sort out who should play in each level thereafter. Duncan Sinclair was replaced by Andy McFadyen, who led the team to the Conference A title in 2021-22 to ensure a place in the Premier Division.

Craig Palmer took over as manager in July 2022 before he was replaced in March 2023 by Colin Reilly. The 2023-24 campaign saw Arthurlie relegated to the First Division, while reaching the final of the Junior Cup, where they went down 2-1 to Darvel. The team regrouped and went straight back to the Premier Division as champions.

Reilly departed in March 2025 to be replaced by William Dyer. While off the pitch, the club unveiled plans with supporters to leave Dunterlie Park to move to a new venue by the Crossmill Business Park, which the members voted overwhelmingly in favour of.

Artist's impression of the club's proposed new stadium

Arthurlie will compete in the West of Scotland Premier League in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Thursday 28th January 2010

It was the third of three days watching football, visiting clubs and socialising in Glasgow, and I wanted to complete my fine visit by seeing a few more stadiums. The morning had taken me to St Mirren, Benburb and Rangers, and I had returned to Glasgow Central with what I anticipated to be enough spare time to grab a snack and jump aboard the hourly train to Barrhead. 

I had not taken the size of the station into account, and I found myself rushing to find one of the minor platforms. On overhearing a chat between the guard and a passenger mentioning Greenock, my senses kicked in.

"Is this going to Barrhead?" I asked? "No, you want the one in front", was the reply. Owing to the lack of platforms, two trains went five minutes apart on the same line. Scottish pie and soup in hand, I just made my train before the doors shut, before I relaxed for the half-hour ride.

I arrived at my destination knowing I only had twenty minutes until it returned, or I would be there for a further hour. This would not have been ideal as I was heading to a couple more grounds as well as Hampden Park for a tour that afternoon. I knew that Dunterlie Park was virtually next door to the station, and I glimpsed it as we pulled in.

I was rapidly on my way down Carlibar Road, only to find a locked gate. I managed to see inside, but I continued around as the walls weren't too high, and a path allowed me to get some decent enough photos.

The only sizeable covered area was opposite, offering shelter to a central section of open terracing. At the top end, there was an overhang from the snack bar before the natural slope with open terracing led down to the pitch. The changing rooms and clubrooms were down the open side in the corner. The rest of the ground consisted of open, standing areas.

I dashed back to the station with a few minutes to spare to catch a train to Pollokshaws West and then a walk to see the home of Pollok FC.

Ashfield (Scotland)

Ashfield FC is a Scottish football club representing the area of the same name in the Possilpark district of north Glasgow. 'The Field' was formed in 1886, with its early history being steeped in success.

Within their first twenty-four years, the club had lifted the Scottish Junior Cup on four occasions. The first win came in 1893-94 Renfrew Victoria were defeated 3-0. The trophy was retained the following season once West Calder Wanderers were beaten after a replay. 

In 1904-05, Victoria were once again seen off before the 1909-10 final saw controversy. Holders Kilwinning Rangers won the game 1-0, but the match was ordered to be replayed after Field had protested. They went on to win the rematch 3-0.

During this period, the club became champions of the Glasgow Junior League on six occasions between 1905-05 and 1920-21. Progression followed to the Scottish Intermediate League, where another league title was collected in 1928-29.

Meanwhile, more honours were challenged for in the Scottish Junior Cup 1913-14 and 1920-21, the club reached the final but lost out to Larkhall Thistle and then Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. Honours were spread out, although a decent period in the early 50s, just before future Celtic Lisbon Lion Steve Chalmers had three years at Saracen Park.

The Central Junior League was won in 1952-53 and again in 1954-55. The C Division title in the same competition was collected in 1968-69. By this point, Ashfield had won the Glasgow Junior Cup on eleven occasions. Division Two of the Central League was won in 1990-91.

Once into the new millennium, Ashfield had an upturn in form after a fire at Saracen Park led to the club losing kits, equipment and club records. The team won the Central League Division Two in 2007, before winning promotion from Division One two seasons later.

Ashfield were crowned West Super League First Division champions under manager Steve Rankin in 2010-11, leading to a place in the Premier Division. The 'Field' were relegated at the end of the 2012-13 season. The club continued under manager Paul Maxwell from July 2018 until becoming members of the SFA West of Scotland League.

Initially, sides were placed in Conferences to determine which level they should play in the following season. Ashfield were placed in the seventh tier Division Two, with Michael Oliver being appointed as manager in June 2022. At this point, the club left Saracen Park, after a series of disputes with the owners, and moved to the Stepford Football Centre in Swinton.

While being a distance from their traditional home, lacking spectator facilities for their meagre support, the artificial pitch was a far superior option playing-wise, as the team won promotion to the First Division in 2022-23. However, after an initial promising campaign, Ashfield were relegated in 2024-25, with Peter Hill arriving as manager towards the end of the season.

Ashfield FC will play in the West of Scotland Second Division in the 2025-26 season.

My visit

Saracen Park

Wednesday 27th January 2010

Having done some research on the Scottish Junior FA and looked into some of the clubs, I was determined to visit several during a three-day break in Glasgow, which was to also include getting to a couple of games, calling in at some league clubs and of course the obligatory socialising.

Ashfeld intrigued me as Saracen Park looked to be a decent venue. I found out that it doubled up as a speedway stadium, which was shared by the Glasgow Tigers team. It certainly looked to be one to visit, so after a morning of getting to five grounds and a quick call at Petershill to make it six, I walked for twenty minutes or so past wasteland along Carlisle Street and then into Hawthorn Street to the stadium's entrance.

I wandered in through an open gate past the Ashfield Bar. Two gents were working in the stand, and after a quick explanation and request, they allowed me to take some photos, although they weren't overjoyed by it. 

I was right. Saracen Park was a quirky old ground with lots of character. The Main Stand was an old raised seating deck with a few steps of terracing, which continued on either side. The far end had a cover to keep standing punters dry. Many outbuildings were scattered around the rest of the open arena, no doubt to cater for the speedway. 

There were also a few crush barriers scattered around with an occasional patch of terracing. I went on my way on the ten-minute walk to Ashfield station and eventually back to my digs for a pre-match sleep before heading off to the Celtic against Hibernian clash.

Pollok (Scotland)

Pollok FC are a non league, or to goive them the proper mantle a Scottish Junior FA club who are based in the Newlands district in the south of Glasgow. The club were formed in 1908, as a section of the Pollokshaws Working Lads Club.

When searching for a suitable home ground, the club were offered the use of some land on Pollok Eastate called Haggs Park by Sir John Stirling Maxwell. In an acknowledgement of his generosity the club adopted the same black and white colours as the heraldic shield of Pollok House. 

However after spending hundreds of pounds on Haggs Park the club were asked to leave during the 1926-27 season as the land was required by the Glasgow Education Authority.

Matches were played at Shawfield Junior's Roseberry Park home and the Queen Mary Tea Gardens in Spiersbridge. A new piece of land was secured on a lease from Messrs. Stevenson, McKellar Ltd., who ran Newlandsfield Works. 

A loan was secured to build a fence around the arena and to construct facilities. The new venue was ready for the start of the 1928-29 season. Pollok played intermediate football for several years before returning to junior status with 'Erry' Armstrong scoring over a hundred goals in one season.

In 1945 a crowd of 15,000 packed into Newlandsfield Park for the Scottish Junior Cup quarter final tie with Fauldhouse United. Many couldn't see but purchased a platform ticket for the adjoining raised Pollokshaws East station and watched from there. 

In 1948 the club were given an ultimatum to either buy the ground or leave it. After many scares the Pollokshaws Co-Operative Company Ltd came to the rescue offering a loan at very fair rates.

Several local cup competitions were collected over the seasons with 'The Lok' ambling along as a moderate junior club, but Pollok benefitted following the demise of nearby Third Lanark in 1967, as many fans decided to adopt them as their new club. 

A new clubhouse was opened at Newlandsfield Park in 1971 leading to improved finances and a period of success from the eighties onwards.

The Scottish Junior Cup was won in 1981 after a Norrie Fulton goal beat Arthurlie in front of 13,000 fans at Hampden Park. Five years later they returned to beat Petershill after a replay. 

In 1987 Lok lost the centenary final to Auchinleck Talbot, but that couldn't take away from a great period as Chic Charnley, Fraser Wishart, Sandy Stewart, Stewart Auld and Dougie Arnott all went on to progress and have successful senior careers.

After winning three Central League titles, latterly under Jim O'Donnell a third Junior Cup was collected in 1997 with a 3-1 win over Tayport at Fir Park before rivals Arthurlie inflicted a 4-0 defeat in the final the following season. 

O'Donnell called it a day after that and was replaced for a brief spell by Andy Dailly before former keeper Ronnie Lowrie took over. Junior football had been re-organised with Pollok being placed in the West Super League Premier Division. 

Lowrie's charges lifted the title in the 2002-03 season. The experienced Rab Sneddon was appointed as manager in 2004 and he led the team to three more league championships in 2005, 2007 and 2008. 

History was made during the 2007-08 season as junior clubs were allowed to enter the Scottish Cup for the first time. Montrose defeated Lok at Newlandsfield Park after a replay, which attracted almost 2,000 fans.

Sneddon resigned owing to work commitments in March 2010. His successor Willie Irvine only lasted a few months before John Richardson took over the reigns. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons saw Pollok narrowly avoid relegation.

However, the 2013-14 campaign was a disaster, with just a few players being retained and several off the field controversies with four different managers having spells in charge, blighting the club. The team were relegated to the West of Scotland Super League First Division.

Pollok showed great resilience in regrouping and returning to the top flight as champions at the first attempt under manager Tony McInally. The form continued the following campaign with a run in the Junior Cup all the way to the final at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.

Yoker Athletic, Royal Albert, Kennoway Star Hearts, Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, Kilbirnie Ladeside and Hurlford United were defeated, before the Lok went down 4-3 on penalties to Beith Juniors after the match had ended 1-1, with Robbie Winters netting for Pollok.

Pollok finished the 2016-17 Premier Division season with an eight place berth.

Pollok FC will compete in the SJFA West Super League Premier Division in the 2017-18 season.

My visits

Thursday 28th January 2010

Having been generally impressed by my visits to various Scottish junior set ups over the previous few days, I was looking forward to seeing my last for the time being. It had been a wonderful time in a great city and my plans had just about gone perfectly. The train deposited me at Pollokshaws West after my ride to Barrhead to see Loks great rivals, Arthurlie. A brisk walk soon had me on Newlandsfield Road outside the ground.

It was locked, but the low and mesh fencing allowed me some good views. It was interesting to note that the clubhouse behind the goal appeared to be doing a brisk trade on a lunchtime from its entrance from the street.

Newlandsfield Park was a no nonsense old fashioned football ground and I like what I saw. The dressing room block was in the corner by the turnstiles. Three sides had a few steps of open terracing with the final far side being double in size and covered by an almost full length roof. There wasn't a seat in sight or floodlights. Just what the petty ground graders of the English FA would think and why they have their daft stipulations was open to question.

After a brief walk up and down the main road to fill in a little time I went up the steps of Pollokshaws East station and gained another excellent view of the ground as I awaited my train to Mount Florida and my tour of Hampden Park.

My only regret as such was that I may struggle to fit in watching games at so many excellent venues, but you never know what's around the next corner!

Pollok 1 Glenafton Athletic 3 (Saturday 24^th February 2018) SJFA West Super League Premier Division (att: c550)

I’d flown to Glasgow from Southend the previous evening, going on to enjoy fine ales in the Bon Accord, The Griffin and State Bar meeting up with Karl and Guy who’d travelled up earlier from Yorkshire. We were also introduced to Karl’s cousin who lived in Paisley.

A good night had been had by all, with the weather getting very cold when we left the final pub. My mates were asking if I’d made my mind up about where I was heading the following day. They had tickets for Rangers v Hearts, but I fancied something different.

We met up again in The Counting House and I still hadn’t made up my mind while breakfasting or over beers while we chatted in the Horse Shoe. I was whittling the list down owing to distance and the fact that Scotland were taking England on at Murrayfield. I figured the trains would be packed in an easterly direction.

I was slightly tempted by the thought of the match at Camelon Juniors who were up against Carnoustie Panmure with a 1.30 kick off. Colin Williams, a friend from Hampstead CC had messaged me to say his brother was refereeing that clash.

After another beer in Ross’s I left my Ibrox bound pals to catch a bus north with the intention of heading to Maryhill v Cumbernauld United. I knew it was a good venue and easy to get to and from. I was also aware of reasonable nearby bars and the ground had a clubhouse.

I’m glad I checked Twitter as we reached Sauchiehall Street heading up the hill. The game was frozen off, along with my second choice; Shettleston v Troon. However, my third choice was still on, and Google Maps came to the rescue as I caught a bus back south.

We travelled down Kilmarnock Road to Shawlands for the encounter at Newlandsfield Park, or New Camp as the locals nicknamed it, between Pollok and Glenafton Athletic. The ride also gave me ideas for further drinking expeditions. There were certainly plenty of choices.

I’d been slightly reluctant to return to Newlandsfield Park as I knew that it often staged cup finals at the tail end of the season. That could have come in handy if I fancied a ride north in warmer climes, but I had no regrets as soon as I saw the size of the crowd gathering.

It really was an excellent football ground. Admission cost me £6, with the programme a further £1.50. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the temperatures were dropping all the time. I was certainly thankful for the 2pm kick off time.

My first port of call was the refreshment hut on the far side. A fine Scotch Pie set me back £1.40. Not full, I went for a steak pie and fantastic thick home made lentil soup for the combined price of £2.90. Junior football clubs certainly offered value for money.

A decent turn out of away fans had travelled up from Ayrshire, and congregated on the open side. I enjoyed most of the first half from the large cover before taking in the rest from behind the goal to enjoy the bright weather.

The match was typical juniors fare with plenty of passion involved while everyone got stuck into the referee Garry Doherty from an early stage. The nearside linesman was fighting a losing battle in asking both benches to stay clear of the touchline.

Pollok took the lead on eighteen minutes after Glenafton’s keeper Brian McGarrity spilled a low thirty yard free kick from Adam Forde with Stefan McCluskey following up to square for skipper Paul Gallacher to tap into the empty net.

‘Lok continued to have the majority of the play but couldn’t build on their lead against a resolute Athletic rear guard whose side began to have moments of their own on the offensive. I had a walk at the interval and positioned myself in the corner near the Lok Club.

The hosts were tricky enough going forward, but the break up in their play in the final third was frustrating the home fans. Glenafton were getting more and more into the match, so it was no real surprise when they gained parity on sixty five minutes.

A pin point Connor Lynas cross into the area was met by an excellent free header from substitute Michael McCann. Just three minutes later Gallacher allowed his man to get the wrong side of him as a free kick was slung into the box.

Referee Doherty had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, with Chris Dallas giving Jordan Longmuir no chance in the Lok net. The home teams tried to press for an equaliser, but they looked susceptible on the break.

The killer blow came in the closing stages as Longmuir controlled a back pass and attempted to clear. Unfortunately for him, Dallas had made ground and charged the ball down, with it ricocheting into the goal.

The locals weren’t happy as I went round the corner at full time to catch a bus back to Bath Street. My afternoon improved further as I cashed out on my fixed odds bet and won £80. Decent results for Scarborough Athletic and Hendon also helped.

I returned to the Easy Hotel to have a nod while listening to Scotland defeat England in the Calcutta Cup before meeting my happy pals in Jackson’s. Rangers had won to put the icing on the cake. The atmosphere proved to be brilliant all evening.

We went on to enjoy drinks in The Pot Still, Drum & Monkey, Horse Shoe, The Royal Scot, Imperial Bar and the Bon Accord with every pub busy and exuding a great atmosphere. It was a pleasure to be out in a great city with top company.

We didn’t bother looking for a late night establishment and just settled for supper before heading our separate ways. I was on a train at 9.37am the following day to go and watch Aberdeen v Celtic.

I love Glasgow!