A week is a long time at Stranraer fc

They say a week is a long time in politics and the same can be said of Stranraer fc in the last 7 days.A massive win at Ochilview last Saturday against Stenhousemuir and then on Tuesday the resignation of two big characters at the club,Director of Football Stuart Millar and Chairman David Broadfoot.The latter will be a big miss for the Gaffer Stephen Farrell if he stays at the club next season,as Stuart had loads of contacts at various clubs,and probably took a bit of pressure of the boss man,wether the same role is there next season will be open to question as clubs continue to tighten their belt in these tough times for football clubs,but I wish Stuart well in his new capacity as all blues fans do.The Chairman’s resignation was also a bit of a surprise and we move onto our 3rd Chairman of the Season,I wish him well.Now this Saturday at Stair Pk we welcome runaway leaders and champions elect Arbroath.Who would have thought back in August the Red Lichties would come to Stranraer in March needing in all probability 2 or 3 wins to clinch Ladbrokes league 1.They have been the best and most consistent team in the Division and deserve the title.As for the blues the previous 4 encounters with the Angus club this season have been pretty close with 2 lost,1 drawn and a cup win at Gayfield.The visitors have not been at their best in recent matches and one theory is that the season might be catching up with the ageing Arbroath squad,hopefully our youngsters can put that theory to the test.Our Manager could name the same side for a 3rd game in a row,quite a novelty for Faz really this season and hopefully capture the points against the League leaders.A decent sized away support is expected and a decent atmosphere,and with the blues not out of the relegation woods just yet,a good home crowd would be welcome.Then on Tuesday we have the insurance of a home game against Brechin City just 3 days after the Arbroath game.I feel we are a better team than Brechin and your blogger will be disappointed if 3 points don’t wing their way to Stranraer,this game has been cancelled twice and let’s hope it’s 3rd time lucky for the blues.And finally I saw this advert in a window that said ‘Television for sale,£1,volume stuck on full’.I thought,’I can’t turn that down.’’’😎⚽️

Birthday boy

Another year older and 63 years on this planet after the 16th of March,didn’t think I’d make that but the party goes on till I get the phone call to go home.My dear old Dad died at 47 and not till your 63 do you realise how young that was😢I noticed i shared my birthday with blues legend Tony Gallagher,met him a year back at the Challenge cup reunion,looked as though he could still pull on a Stranraer shirt,he really was in great shape.I digress and the blues travelled to Ochilview on Saturday for another ‘cup final’ got to admit not many TV cameras about for a cup final.The gaffer made no changes for this vital encounter against Stenhousemuir and with good reason as the players almost earning a point against East Fife last Saturday.The plastic pitch had been cleared of snow by some Stenny and Stranraer fans and we got going.A very edgy opening with both teams knowing the high stakes of the game,a victory to go along way to secure League 1 status.The opening and only goal of the game was scored by Stranraer on 33,good play saw Kyle Turner play in Innes Cameron to score his 8th of the season and his 5th this Calender year.The second half saw both teams with chances,but the Stranraer defence stood firm and collected all 3 points.No real failures in the game for the blues and you could see how much this meant to the players,even Jao Victoria was tracking back😲Amazingly we now go only 3 points behind 5th place Montrose,what a crazy crazy League.Well done to the blues supporters who braved the elements yesterday and made a good old noise.Probably one of my favourite bits of the afternoon was captain Jamie Hamill giving it back to the tanked up brigade in hospitality for Stenny,brilliant stuff.We move onto runaway leaders Arbroath next Saturday at Stair Pk,hopefully the Red Lichties will bring a few and give the blues some hard earned cash,looking forward to it,my preview will be online about 11am on Wednesday morning.And finally some robbers broke into my house and stole my Limbo(dance)trophies,how low can you get😎⚽️

The SPFL know SFA

What a storm that was and that was just on the Stranraerfc Facebook page!Looks like the dust is settling on a good discussion on the FB page and the blame for last nights late call off looks like landing at the Spfl doorstep,where they don’t seem to be believe technology at millions of pounds,and are dismissing weather alerts etc 2 days beforehand.Yours truly always goes by the BBC forecasts and they are very rarely wrong and I sit and watch Countryfile on a Sunday to see what to expect during the week,1,000s of Farmers do the same and maybe the big wigs at the Spfl could do the same and put a big red warning on certain forecasts.The arguments of course against this is that games would never get played,but I’m talking severe weather probably forecasted winds of 40 mph plus and the wee triangle of weather disruption.I think the real problem is people hate change,but although in my veteran stage I enhance change,especially if it’s in my pocket.But the same system has been used for years and don’t expect rapid changes.I was quite happy the game didn’t go ahead last night,I believe we are a better team than Brechin City and at this stage of the season we don’t need lottery conditions.I digress and onto our massive game on Saturday at Ochilview on Saturday.’This is another Cup final’ so P J Crossan tells us in his latest interview on the excellent Stranraer fc Page,and honestly I’ve never been to as many cup finals in my life supporting the blues.Although Stenhousemuir might have improved after the January window I have watched the blues beat Stenny quite comfortable on 3 occasions this term and if the attitude is right a clean sweep of the Warriors should be on the cards.No injuries to report as yet on the game and you would have to  think the same 11 who went down to East Fife last Saturday will start.Hopefully a good travelling support up from Stranraer and local blues fans to cheer us onto 3 valuable points.The next time you read my blog I will be another year older,but I can assure you no wiser.And finally.You know,somebody actually complimented me on my driving today.They left a little note on the windscreen,it said’Parking Fine’.So that was nice.😎⚽️

Bad day at both offices

This has been a pretty good week for your blogger.Walking up the High Street in Lanark on Thursday morning got chatting to a goal scoring hero for the blues from 1989 till 1992,none other than Colin’Rusty’Harkness.Sadly more baldy than rusty these days but still had a good blether about his time at Stair Pk.Had arranged to meet him on the Friday for an interview for the excellent Its no Easy podcast,but work prevented him from doing so,although he does work with the council,not often work and council are mentioned in the same sentence🤫I digress and today the  blues travelled through to deepest Fife to play East Fife on a plastic surface,to be fair probably one of the best of its kind in the lower leagues.I was met with the news that concessions for the game were an entrance fee of 12 pounds,the highest in League 1 by some distance🤬🤬Sat in the lounge with Grant Anderson’s dad,Mr Anderson funnily enough,and said Grant had recovered from a virus which ruled him out of last week’s game against Raith,so another selection option for the Gaffer.This New Bayview Stadium must be one of the coldest in Scotland,in fact it makes Gayfield seem like Benidorm😲The first half would have actually have got football stopped,but to be fair the wind made it a bit of a lottery at times.The only big chance in the first 45 fell to the aforementioned Grant Anderson when a free header from 6 yds neither tested the Keeper or hit the net and it was a big chance.Sadly for the blues as per last Saturday,we didn’t came out of the blocks early doors and the Fifers raced into an early lead(did you see what I did there)on 48 Pat Slattery opened the scoring for the homesters.Funnily enough this led to Stranraer's best spell and Kyle Turner being watched by 2 Scottish Championship sides today did his progress no harm by slamming in the leveller on 54.Really both sides had chances to get in front,but up stepped ref Mr Barry Cook or his Lino to give East Fife an Imaginary corner on 89,you guessed right they scored.Then on 93 the boy goes down quicker than Monica Lewinsky,mr Cook buys it big time,and Cook now has me at boiling point and guess what they scored,surprise,surprise😡A good job her indoors wasn’t about as I vented my spleen at Cook on the final whistle,these things even themselves out or so they say,try telling that to the Stranraer players after horrendous decisions at Arbroath,Raith and today.To wrap up a horrible day I’m told that Spurs have been beaten by a Sea Port City in the Prem,what’s that all about🤷‍♂️But I’m in the Faz camp,as positive as ever and 2 wins next week puts us in mid table.First up is Brechin City at Stair Pk.I know this will probably fall on deaf ears but the boys need your support,so try and get out there on Tuesday night and cheers us onto a victory.And finally I phoned the the local gym and asked if they could teach me to do the splits.He said ‘’how flexible are you’’?i said ‘’I can’t make Tuesdays”😎⚽️

Pancake day

Hopefully you all enjoyed your Shrove Tuesday or Pancake day.To be honest I had a pretty flat day😲and was only improved when the Lilywhites continued their march to European dominance against Dortmund in the Signal Iduna Park,what an atmosphere that ground has.I digress and onto this Saturday’s match against East Fife at the Bayview Stadium in Methill.We have had some strange games against the fifers this term and have scored 6 goals against them in our last 2, but have only one point to show for it.In fact if you take in our final game of the Season last term we have scored 9 in 3 out of 4 games against them.Our last home game against them produced 7 goals and the blues managed to chuck away a 2-0 and 3-1 lead,so there shouldn’t be a lack of goals on Saturday,cue 0-0.No word on any new injuries and Grant Anderson should be back after a bout of flu last weekend.The gaffer stated in his pressser last Saturday that the blues had 10 cup finals to play,let’s hope our first trophy arrives on Saturday.Talking of the gaffer he celebrates his 46th birthday on Friday,must admit I’m looking forward to being 46🤷‍♂️Next week sees another 2 cup finals with Brechin at Stair Park on Tuesday 12 March and Stenny up at Ochilview on the the 16th,but one game at a time.And finally I went to my mates for Lunch the other day.She asked me how many potatoes I wanted and I said one.Now now she says don’t be so polite,so I replied one you ugly bitch😎⚽️

Just in from the windy toon

A pleasant morning in Lanark led me to believe that it would be a mild day,good job I’m not a weather forecaster!The trip down to Stair Pk was fine,a stop at Dobbies for a coffee,her indoors almost bought a Gazebo,but I can’t afford a second mortgage,that place is like shopping in Harrods💶A detour on the 77 saw us go the coastal route,shame I hadn’t packed the picnic set.Got into the fitba bar to see Spurs salvage a point against the Gunners and it was time for Stair park.To say it was windy was an understatement,that was just in the stand,I told her indoors I shouldn’t have had beans for lunch.Onto the game itself and just after 9 the blues went ahead,a lovely passing move and Kyle Turner struck sweetly to finish the job.The cigars were on out on 22 when former Rover,Jao Victoria made it 2 with a neat hit from 20 yards.The Stranraer supporters were in dream land and this team put together on a shoe string were coasting against a team who had been in Europe not so long ago.Although the fifers huffed and puffed,the blues defence stood firm and 2-0 at the break was well deserved.Got my half time pie and the world looked rosy,apart from BRexit,how could you Rodgers😎The second half saw the Rovers come out like Roy of the Rovers and Craig McGuffie pulled one back for the full timers early doors.The next incident saw Raith get a Penalty.Never a penalty in a 100 years,a shot from a yard off  Scouse Cummins hits his hand,one Raith player appeals and inexplicably David Munro the Ref gives a spot kick,we can now expect 12 penalties a game!After this shambolic decision I feared the worst,but not at all,as this young Blues gave 100 per cent to the finishing line and with a bit of luck might have got a winner.But a Desmond it finished and 5 points in 7 days,not exactly relegation form👏I actually quite enjoyed the game and it was pretty end to end at times.But full credit to Stranraer who could folded but probably looked like the full time team near the end.A good day was rounded off by a Sausage supper in CD,quite a shop that in Castle Douglas,it’s like Bingo,they shout your number out when it’s ready,eyes down for Sausage Supper😲And finally I met the bloke who invented Crosswords today,can’t remember his name,but it’s something T,something R,something S 😎⚽️