Latest April 2009

Connolly Departs Cliftonhill
The club have issued the following statement

Assistant Team Manager Paddy Connolly has resigned because of work commitments. Paddy has been a popular figure around Cliftonhill and he will be greatly missed. The Board extends it's thanks to Paddy for his commitment during the season and wishes him well for the future.

Paul Martin has already begun the process of finding a suitable replacement and an announcement will be made in due course, although no appointment is anticipated before the end of the season

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the third edition of the managers web comments column.

Player of the Year
Votes are invited via email to pick the recipient of this seasons award, the poll closes at midnight on Saturday 25th April. Send your choice of up to three players in order of preference along with your name, votes without voters names shall not be counted.

Goal of the Season
A new award in memory of former director and supporter Chic Young who died last year has been instituted. Emails are to be sent to with top three goals in order and voters name. The goals were shown to those who attended the trust race night and at half-time at the Elgin match yesterday and descriptions of the goals were given in the programme for that match and are reproduced below!

1. Bobby Barr dribbles towards the box, plays a glorious one-two with a team-mate, and slots home with a low shot from ten yards past the bamboozled keeper (v Annan Athletic, Galabank, Division Three, 30 August)

2. A long clearance from the box troubles the Annan defence forty yards from goal. Pat Walker pounces on the loose ball, and chips the keeper with a stunning first time chip. (v Annan Athletic, Galabank, Division Three, 30 August)

3. With time running out and the rain lashing down, Ross Harris rockets a phenomenal ball into the roof of the net from twenty five yards that leaves the goalkeeper helpless. (v Berwick Rangers, Shielfield Stadium, Scottish Cup, 25 October)

4. Bobby Barr receives a throughball down the left wing, before reaching the edge of the box, turning his marker inside out and firing a perfectly weighted shot into the top corner past the surprised goalkeeper. (v Cowdenbeath, Cliftonhill Stadium, Division Three, 1 November)

5. A Rovers corner is cleared to Alan Benton just inside the box, and Alan volleys an unstoppable shot through the crowded six yard box and into the roof of the net. (v Cowdenbeath, Cliftonhill Stadium, Division Three, 1 November)

6. As Cowdenbeath push forward for an equaliser, Ross Harris breaks upfield in the last minute. He spots the goalkeeper just off his line and merrily puts a sublime chipped shot into the top corner. (v Cowdenbeath, Cliftonhill Stadium, Division Three, 1 November)

7. Back at Berwick, Ross Harris scores Rovers second goal in two minutes as he collects a Marc Pollock ball with his back to goal before spinning round and lofting the ball into the net off the top of the far post past a helpless custodian. (v Berwick Rangers, Shielfield Stadium, Division Three, 8 November)

8. Bobby Barr dribbles towards the edge of the box before chipping a fantastic shot over the head of the exposed goalkeeper to give Rovers a well deserved lead. (v Montrose, Links Park, Division Three, 20 December)

9. An elusive low cross reaches Bobby Barr at the far post but the defender forced Bobby to retreat to the edge of the box; however, nobody can prevent the surprise shot on the turn flying into the top corner of the goal. (v East Stirlingshire, Ochilview, Division Three, 7 February)

10. A quick free-kick down the right wing allows Ian Harty to outwit the opposing full-back and place a precision cross onto the head of Ciaran Donnelly, who powers a venomous header into he net at the back post. (v Annan Athletic, Division Three, Cliftonhill Stadium, 28 February)

Rules
Only one vote per person for each award is allowed, don't send in an email if you've already filled in a paper voting slip. The winner shall receive his award at the last home game of the season which is against East Stirlingshire on May 2nd.

Barr up for Gong
Bobby Barr of Rovers, Darren McGregor and Paul McQuade of Cowdenbeath and Kevin Motion of Stenhousemuir are in the running for the PFA Scotland Third Division Player of the Year award. The winner shall be announced at the Hilton Glasgow on Sunday 3rd May.

Andy Morrison
Our intrepid fan and gateman who missed his first home match in 32 years last Tuesday when Rovers lost to Stenhousemuir remains in ward 18 at Monklands Hospital. He is awaiting tests and hopes to be leaving soon. We wish him well!

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the second edition of the managers web comments column. Thanks to Paul himself and programme editor Bill Walker!

April Fool
As many but not all realised the Time Team story from yesterday was indeed an April fool joke.

Presenter Tony Robinson (centre) and his Time Team colleagues Phil Harding and Carenza Lewis arrive at Cliftonhill at first light this morning to start filming an episode for their latest series to be screened on Channel 4 in the Summer.

As fans of the show will know the team of archaeologists have just three days to investigate what lies under the surface at Cliftonhill. The team use ground penetrating radar to map out anomalies and dig selected trenches to see what these are.

We understand that while North Lanarkshire Council carried out test boring in preparation for building on the site once a deal to move out is struck with the club certain artifacts were unearthed. These were of Roman origin and investigations of ancient writings suggest a major structure possibly a coliseum type arena were there in excess of a thousand years ago.

Obviously as the season hasn't yet concluded the digging shall mainly be confined to areas away from the pitch although permission has been granted to the crew to dig up patches of the playing surface if it's necessary, as long as a playable surface can be laid there prior to the Cowdenbeath match a week on Saturday. The club had hoped the filming could be delayed to the close season but schedulers gave an ultimatum of take it now or leave it.

Club chairman Frank Meade said that although the programme could unearth evidence which would scupper plans to sell-up and move out he couldn't stand in the way of such a potentially important find. He went on to say he hoped that public funds could be found to preserve any remains thus allowing Rovers to move to a new ground as planned.

The former star of BBC TV series Blackadder watched Rovers lose 2 - 1 to Stenhousemuir on Tuesday evening and said that he enjoyed the experience and he had always wondered where we were based as he listed to results on a Saturday afternoon. He looked forward to unearthing evidence of ancient life and pointed out that the floodlights would make life much easier.