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Archive Latest April
2005
(30/4/05)
Dire Draw In Fife
It was all over in 7 minutes when East Fife equalised
but we didn't know that. Youngster Ian Douglas scored his first for the 1st team
in 1 minute, Mitchell scored for the Fifers in 7 minutes.
The second half in particular was as dire as any seen this season with neither side managing a decent pass more than occasionally on what seemed to be a very bumpy pitch. Jim Mercer was sent off for second yellow card by the inconsistent Mr. Fyfe. The draw confirms that Rovers (barring bizarre results next Saturday) will finish the season in 9th place in the table.
(29/4/05)
Supporters' Trust
The address for trust applications to be sent to
along with any other correspondence is :
Albion
Rovers Supporters Trust
PO Box 8903
Coatbridge
ML5 3YJ
The email address is trust at albionrovers dot com (written this way to avoid spam).
(23/4/05)
O.G.
Nightmare
Albion Rovers players scored 3 goals at Cliftonhill
but contrived to lose 2-1 to Queen's Park. McInulty and Wallace were the unlucky
players to score at the wrong end of the park.
Rovers could still theoretically climb to 8 place, a win against East Fife next Saturday would put the 2 clubs on level points although the Fifers would still have a superior goal-difference. Then a point or 3 against Gretna in the last game of the season, a result which would bust a few coupons, could see Rovers in 8th if East Fife failed to win at Montrose.
The inevitable relegation of Berwick Rangers was confirmed today, so Rovers will be travelling over the border next season. The other potential teams to come down are Arbroath and Dumbarton, although Ayr Utd. can also still theoretically drop down. Arbroath (home to Tutties Neuk) are the most likely to make the drop.
(22/4/05)
Mascot Found
Andrew Herd has emerged as the "Bell's Second
Chance Saturday" mascot at Methil on 30th April. He gets a strip, 2 tickets
for the match and lots of verbal abuse from Rovers and home fans alike!
Strip Ditched
Bowing to pressure from fans the club have scrapped the strip proposed for next
season. Furthermore general manager John Reynolds will meet with fans after
tomorrow's game and go through the supplier's catalogue to attempt to find the
ideal kit.
League Changes
The SFL are to consider various changes which could take effect from next season
if passed by 75% of votes cast at the A.G.M. which takes place next month.
There would be no change to the current set-up at the top of the First Division, which sees the champions promoted to the Premier League if their stadium meets the SPL criteria. However, only the bottom club in the First Division will be automatically relegated to the Second Division, whose champions will replace them. The second-bottom club in the First Division will enter a play-off tournament with the teams placed second, third and fourth in the Second Division.
After two-legged home and away semi-finals, the successful clubs would face each other in a play-off final at a neutral venue to decide who will take the remaining place in the First Division for the following season. The same format will apply between the Second and Third Divisions. Gretna are the only club not to get a say as they have to be members for 5 years before gaining full membership of the SFL.
The play-off system would boost interest as there would be many less meaningless matches as teams vied for a play-off place, right up to the end of the season. Against the plan is the inherent unfairness on teams such as Peterhead had this been in place this season. They will finish in 2nd place but something like 20 points ahead of the 3rd place side in the table. They would however be back to scratch in a play-off which could see the 4th place team gain promotion.
The possibility of clubs finishing bottom of the 3rd division on 2 successive occasions being kicked-out in favour of a new club and reorganisation of the divisions to a 1st division of 16 teams and a 2nd division of 14 teams have been mooted but don't seem to be on the agenda when the clubs meet.
(21/4/05)
Trust Meeting
The inaugural meeting of Albion Rovers
Supporters' Trust was held tonight. A summary of the goings on with photos is
available on the trust page.
A form to join the trust can be downloaded from that page.
Shirt Furore
The proposed new kit for next season (as modeled by
Trust treasurer David Herd below) has caused a stooshie amongst fans on the
message board and in person at the Trust meeting tonight. Please bear in mind
that the shirt used by the team would have the red and yellow swapped around.
The main criticism of the strip is the inclusion of the black, not a traditional
Rovers colour although it was in the club strip during the reign of Vinnie Moore
as manager.
(20/4/05)
Bradford
John Bradford is rated doubtful for Saturdays visit
of Queen's Park. Youngsters Fleming, Wallace, Douglas and Preston are likely to
feature as the injury list lengthens.
Yardley No More
The club today confirmed the departure of Mark
Yardley, the former goalgetter had failed to score any goals in a competitive
match this season and was out of Jimmy Lindsay's plans due to a lack of fitness.
Supporters Trust
Meeting
A reminder to all fans that the meeting to launch Albion Rovers Supporters
Trust will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at Corsewall Street Community Centre.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and soft drink and nibbles will be supplied. The
interim committee shall of course be there to answer questions and take
suggestions.
The Trust will unveil it's logo at the meeting which was kindly done by Stephen McEwan of band Kasule fame. We shall also have the proposed new strip available for inspection,
Proposed New Strip
This is the proposed new strip for next
season. The original thought was that this would be used as is but fans are
likely to ask that the traditional yellow be the main colour and if so the
yellow on the sleeves will swap places with the red on the trunk. If this is
done the red version may be the change strip.
~
Click To Enlarge
(19/4/05)
Injury Woes
Lee Wilson broke a small bone in his foot yesterday in training when he
turned quickly - no tackle was involved, he will be out for around 8 weeks.
To add to the woes Marc McKenzie suffered concussion after last Saturday's match
which was clearing up but now he has mumps!
(16/4/05)
Wooden Spoon Avoided
Two goals from Lee Wilson gave Rovers all
3 points in the "6 pointer" at Firs Park today. This confirmed that
'Shire will finish bottom and gives Rovers a fighting chance of climbing the
table before the end of the season as East Fife are only 3 points ahead an
Rovers visit Methil in a fortnight.
A full match report will be on the site tomorrow.
(13/4/05)
Trust
Meeting
The meeting to launch Albion Rovers Supporters
Trust will be held on Thursday 21st April at Corsewall Street Community Centre.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and soft drink and nibbles will be supplied. The
interim committee shall of course be there to answer questions and take
suggestions.
Four of those present will be chosen at random to enjoy sponsors privileges at the home game against Queen's Park the following Saturday.
(11/4/05)
Second
Chance Saturday Update
Bell's have sent the club the following
statement about the scheme mentioned before. The prize also includes a club
strip and possibly transport costs too!
"Bell's, sponsors of the SFL, is running a fantastic initiative this month, supported by local radio station Clyde 2. Called "Second Chance Saturday", the initiative offers all our grown-up fans the unique, "once in a lifetime" opportunity to be our team mascot at the match on the 30th April at East Fife. To nominate either yourself or someone you think deserves to win this great chance, simply click on www.clyde2.com and fill in the nomination form. The winner will have the honour of escorting our team out onto the pitch as well as receive two tickets fir the match."
(10/4/05)
Supporters Trust
The trust page has been updated - click here
to read it!
(9/4/05)
Cowden Humble Rovers
Cowdenbeath humbled Rovers 4 - 1 at
Cliftonhill today, Lee Wilson scored Rovers goal from the penalty spot. A win at
East Stirlingshire next Saturday would guarantee that 'Shire rather than Rovers
finish bottom of the league. 'Shire sponsors (a well known pools company) are
subsidising the admission price so it will be half-price - no vouchers are
necessary just pay at the gate.
A full match report will be on the site tomorrow - as will an update on the supporters trust!
(4/4/05)
Supporters Trust
An substantial update on the supporters trust is available here.
(2/4/05)
Historic Win
Rovers notched up a historic win at
Cliftonhill when they beat Elgin City 2 - 0. Firstly it was Rovers first home
win this year and therefore first home win under Jimmy Lindsay and also it's the
first ever win over Elgin City at Cliftonhill. John Bradford scored with a
penalty after Roddie was sent off for a deliberate and obvious "save"
on the line and Marc McKenzie scored a cracker from 25 yards around 3 minutes
into injury time.
April Fool
As the more astute of you will have
already realised yesterday's story about Château Cliftonhill was fictitious.
(1/4/05)
Injury Update
The injury list reads as follows Chris
Silvestro out for a while yet as he's had a couple of operations on his hand.
Mark Peat is still missing due to a groin problem and Chic Connelly is also
still injured. On a brighter note John Bradford will be back tomorrow although
isn't fully match fit due to the layoff.
Sportsman's Dinner
The sales of tables for this event are
going well so we suggest that nobody leaves it much longer to contact the club!
Stag Party
A stag party lead by Mick Rowbottom (we're not sure if he is the lucky man
himself or not) will be visiting on Saturday 9th April for the Cowdenbeath
match. Mick (from Staffordshire) and around 14 pals who are mainly Bradford City
fans will be spending the weekend in Edinburgh and decided to pop over for the
game. They're having food laid on by Chick Young and may be sponsoring the match
in some fashion.
Château Cliftonhill
The original plan to redevelop Cliftonhill
has been scrapped to be replaced by an ambitious plan which would have been
unthinkable just 10 years ago. Due to global warming Coatbridge is now
considered to have a climate conducive to the growing of grapes of sufficient
quality for winemaking.
The club have teamed up with a well respected French wine producer who wish to remain anonymous at present due to commercial sensitivities. Rovers have engaged the services of Flora Iplo who although French and a wine expert is of Scottish extraction. She will oversee the planting of vines at both ends of Cliftonhill and on the unused terracing side of the ground.
In return for a large percentage of the wine produced the French company will build a 3000 seater stand at Cliftonhill which shall include a small winery and appropriately cool cellars. The existing floodlights will be augmented with specially designed heat-emitting bulbs installed next to the standard ones, these can be utilised in the very worst conditions to ensure the viability of the scheme. The upside of the plan is that no game should ever be called off due to frost on the pitch.
The final product is expected to be a white wine well up to continental standards and is likely to retail at £7.99 per bottle. The label is likely to be under the L'Ecosse name and there may be scope to name different varieties of the wine after former players such as the Jock Stein - a robust wine that packs a kick and the Vic Kasule - a smooth wine with a high alcohol content.
A pre-season tour of the Loire Valley with a few games against local opposition will be laid on by our French partners. Bus convener JJ has already booked a coach to follow the team in France and fans are advised to book their seat early as the demand is expected to be high - there may even be time to try some of the local products he quipped!
In 5 years time it is hoped that Coatbridge will be associated more readily with this the production of this quality wine than the consumption of a certain fortified wine.