Latest August 2003

Rovers Under 19s today drew 0-0 with Stenhousemuir at Cliftonhill. It was a most entertaining match which only lacked a goal or two (at the right end of course) to reward the industry and good play on display.

Yards Poser

At today's youth match, spoke to director David Wright who told me that he had spoken to the referee supervisor after yesterday's Gretna disappointment, and was told that Mark Yardley would not be banned from Tuesday's CIS Cup match, but only from a match in the competition, i.e. the league, from which he was dismissed. We understand from a Hamilton website that Todd Lumsden may not feature due to injury.

Rovers have confirmed that Steven Skinner - the identity of the target we mentioned on Friday - formally signed for the club yesterday. Skinner, still only 20 years of age, is a midfielder/forward who is happy to operate in a wide position He has had experience with Gretna, Queen of the South and Carlisle United, with whom he has spent most of his time. With Saturday's red cards disrupting plans for Tuesday night's CIS Cup match at Hamilton, his signing comes at a particularly appropriate moment.

As Mark Yardley and Jered Stirling received straight red cards at Gretna - denoting violent conduct - both will be ruled out of Tuesday's match. It is thought that Yardley will be able to play against Elgin City on Saturday but that his accumulated points total will see him sit out the Montrose match.

Gretna Debacle
Rovers unbeaten run ended at nineteen with a bang at Raydale Park. In the first half they didn't seem to know what the ball was and Gretna knew exactly what to do with it. With Mark Yardley red carded for having a kick at a Gretna player and Jered Stirling getting what seemed to some of us an unjustified red card when a yellow seemed more appropriate things got worse. Assistant manager Jock McStay was sent to the stand for comments made to the linesman, he also had a heated argument with a spectator while leaving the pitch.

If both red cards were (as seemed apparent) for violent conduct both players will miss the CIS cup match at Hamilton next Tuesday.

Graeme McCaul, injured in training on Monday, will have a late fitness test before tomorrow's match at Gretna. It may be that the youngster, outstanding this season, will not be risked on Saturday to give him a better chance of being able to play against Hamilton Accies in Tuesday's CIS Cup match.

Admission prices for Tuesday's CIS Cup match at Hamilton will be £10 for adults and £5 concession. Only the main stand at New Douglas Park will be open. To get there, supporters should go down the road on the right before entering the retail park, turn left in towards the stadium and go right round to the back of this stand.

We have it on good authority that a certain addition to the squad will be made tomorrow. The player, listed on Soccerbase as a forward (yes, we do know his identity but sorry, we're not allowed to reveal it just yet) will complete the registration forms at the Gretna match, but presumably not in time to play.

The word from Cliftonhill is that there could be at least one addition to the squad before the transfer window closes on Sunday. We have no more information as to the identity of the target, but hope to be first to give you the information if and when it happens. Players not under contract to other clubs shall still be available for signing after the Sunday deadline.

Sometime between Saturday evening and Monday morning, thieves broke into Cliftonhill and stole - wait for it - 6 large perimeter advertising boards! And before you ask, no, we don't know either! It appears that the bold lads even came armed with screwdrivers so that they could have the boards without damaging them. The police have been informed and are investigating, but unless there is some help, we suspect the chances of finding them are minimal - and that's in spite of the fact that the boards are large, unusually shaped and bearing the names of some well-known local firms. Can you help? Let us know.

Youngsters Win
Rovers’ Under-19s today had a successful start to this season’s league campaign when they beat St. Mirren 2-1 at Ferguslie. Goals from Gary Robertson and Chic Connolly gave them the deserved win despite losing a late goal.

Spiders Squished
Rovers squished Queen's Park 3-1 in a game that although not a particularly dirty one three were sent off. Two of the goals scored by Rovers were of the special variety, Farrell scored from a 35 yard free-kick and substitute Jordan Smith scored with a great solo effort. Mark Yardley had already scored the opener. Captain Jim Mercer was first to go after two bookings, next was the player who'd received his first yellow for retaliating when Mercer got his first and finally former Cliftonhill favourite "Big" Ally Graham who was red-carded for an off the ball elbowing.

That's now 19 league matches unbeaten which must be some sort of record for a Rovers team and only Peterhead have prevented us sitting top of the table. There's no truth whatsoever in the rumour that the half-time 50/50 draw was rigged. As the winner of the said draw your webmaster has investigated it thoroughly and can find no evidence of a fiddle!

Doubts still exist about the condition of the knee injury suffered by Chris Silvestro. We now understand that although certain scans have indeed taken place, waiting times have led to the postponement of other diagnosis/treatment and that a final decision on whether or not to operate will not be made for another couple of weeks. The latest prognosis seems to be that some sort of surgery will indeed be necessary. It's all very disappointing considering that the injury happened before the end of last season - and the fiery midfielder's talents have been missed.

In an exclusive interview, manager Peter Hetherston has revealed that after the opening matches against East Fife and Stranraer; matches with which he was disappointed at the performances, he had some harsh words to say to his squad. Not normally a man to berate players, he nevertheless laid into them with some home truths, and no matter the actual form of words used, it has had the desired result in much improved showing against Forfar Athletic and Cowdenbeath.

The manager is particularly pleased that his strikers are getting among the goals on a regular basis - something which was lacking last season - and is of the opinion that their confidence will now be sky-high. In addition, to have people like Jim Mercer weighing in with scores from midfield is a decided bonus.

Of particular interest is his praise for the youngsters who have made up the bench complement since the start of the season. He has high hopes that at least some of them will make the grade, as Graeme McCaul has done. The young midfielder has settled in to his role with a maturity far beyond his 18 years and is already a fixture and a vital cog in the red and yellow machine.

Having said that, the search for more experience goes on and although no names were mentioned, it is probably safe to say that another couple of new faces will be joining the Cliftonhill wage bill, maybe within the next few weeks. It could be that incomers will come on loan in the first instance.

Reserves Lose
Rovers reserves lost 3-1 at Cliftonhill tonight against what we suspect (no players names are announced) was a Gretna team with a fair sprinkling of 1st team regulars. Iain Diack was the only first team regular to feature in Rovers lineup. Gary Robertson put Rovers ahead but two goals in first-half injury time left us trailing. Another goal for Gretna in the second half completed the scoring.

No New Knocks

Following Saturday's epic win at Cowdenbeath, we hear that all the players came through the match without receiving any injuries. Peter Cormack, who was on the bench, was carrying a slight niggle, but will be available for selection this week.

Very Blue Brazilians
It was a strange day in Cowdenbeath today. Firstly it was warm and sunny (virtually unheard of at Central Park) and Jordan Smith gave away a penalty in just 25 seconds. Chris Fahey did his usual and saved it although we understand at least some media reported Rovers losing 1-0 to the penalty! The next 10-15 minutes were tough going for Rovers. Three goals in four minutes changed the match completely, Mark Yardley scored the first two against his old club and Jim (announced as John!) Mercer got the third. Paul McManus got the fourth in the second half to finish the match as a contest, and Buchanan got a consolation goal for Cowden with four mins left.

Rovers were so dominant in parts that they just passed the ball around for what seemed like minutes, reminiscent of Scotland at Wembley in 1967 (as seen on TV nostalgia shows by us younger viewers). We feel very sorry for the Rovers fan (who we shall let remain anonymous) who had to leave the ground to move his car after a police announcement and came back in to find he'd missed three Rovers goals.

A full report with pics shall be linked from the fixtures page later tonight.

100 Not Out
100 years today Albion Rovers (formed 1882) played their first match in the Scottish Football League. The game (at Meadow Park, Whifflet) was attended by a "disappointing" crowd of 2000 who paid a total of £45 1 shilling and a penny to see a 2-2 draw with Leith.

Following their omission from last night's squad at Forfar, Jordan Smith and David Farrell are both almost certain to be recalled for Saturday's trip to Cowdenbeath. Although Jim Mercer, Kevin McBride and Peter Cormack all received knocks, we understand that only the latter might not make the weekend's match.

According to Jimmy Lindsay, young Chic Connolly, red-carded last night for allegedly bringing down Forfar's David McClune in the box, was devastated to be ordered off. Little wonder, for the lad appeared to be the victim of something of a miscarriage of justice, with another's boot maybe being responsible for the incident. Having also conceded a penalty kick in the friendly against Airdrie United, the lad must be wondering "why me?". It's clearly a hard lesson to learn, especially for one so young, the only consolation being that things can only get better. In any case, he can also take heart that neither of the spot-kicks resulted in goals.

Cup Exit
Rovers lost 4-2 aet at Station Park, Forfar in the Bell's Cup 2nd round match. A slightly unusual lineup lacking Jordan Smith and David Farrell with Kevin McAllister starting on the bench was 2-2 with goals from McManus and Diack at 90 mins. Connolly was red carded near the end of extra time when it seemed (from the opposite end of the ground) to be Fahey that brought down the Forfar player in the box. Paul Shields (who was on loan at Cliftonhill from Celtic a couple of seasons ago) scored a hat-trick but amused visiting fans in extra-time by missing the penalty by the proverbial mile.

Today's CIS Cup first round draw has been relatively kind to Rovers as they must just travel the short distance to play county neighbours Hamilton Accies. The match - probably on Tuesday 2nd September - will give Rovers another opportunity against a team (including former Cliftonhill favourite Todd Lumsden) from a higher division, as well as allowing fans to see Accies' set-up at New Douglas Park.

NDP (formerly The Ballast Stadium)

Manager Peter Hetherston today said that all his lads are raring to go against Forfar tomorrow night in the Bell's Cup second round. The only glitch is a slight niggle being felt by David Farrell, but he is in no danger of missing the match. The boss admitted that he had had something of a go at his side after Saturday's disappointing performance against Stranraer, and is looking for an immediate improvement.

Richardson Off

Mark Richardson, a member of Rovers' youth squad who featured on the first team bench a couple of times, has left the club "by mutual consent".

Referee Cost Rovers Dear
Referee Eddie Mack once more worked his magic to spoil a Rovers match. The man who Rovers made an official complaint about after a match against East Fife on 31st August last year allowed an obvious offside player to score a goal. Admittedly the player wasn't interfering with play when the ball was kicked but he did continue towards goal and "scored" when the ball was crossed to him. Later David Farrell fouled the Blues number eight and was (not unreasonably) booked however the Stranraer player retaliated by shoving Farrell and aimed a weakly attempted knee at him. Probably a red card offence but the player wasn't even spoken to about this!

Chris Fahey was heroic in goal giving Rovers a 1-1 draw that could easily have been a defeat. He pulled off a magnificent penalty save to top things off. Paul McManus got his first competitive goal for Rovers extending our unbeaten run to eighteen games.

We hear that there are subtle changes to the Reserve/Youth coaching responsibilities at Cliftonhill. The reserves will be under the direction of Dennis Newall and Kevin McAllister, with Jock McStay also having an input. Sometimes Jock will also turn out to offer some on-field advice/instructions to the lads. Dennis will also continue to be Peter Hetherston's eyes and ears at matches involving future opponents.

Youth coach Jimmy Lindsay has announced that for every home match this season, there will be an opportunity for some young lad (or lass, we suppose) in the 6-10 age range, to be a ball-boy/girl. It may not sound much of an offer, but in the game today there are a number of influential people who took their first steps to prominence in just this way. So, if any youngster out there is interested, their parents can contact Jimmy on 606334 to make arrangements. The successful candidate will of course be treated at half-time to something to eat and something to drink.

Photo-Call
Rovers held their annual photo-call at Cliftonhill on Thursday evening. Your website staff were of course there to take the mugshots. The new team photo can be found here. Updated player profiles with new photos and an additional team line-up including the youth players will be available in the next few days.

(l-r) Rovers' chairman Andrew Dick, Reigart boss Ian Purkiss and club commercial director Gordon Dishington

Rovers were today thwarted in a bid to sign an experienced wing-back who played around thirty times in the SPL last season. At one stage, the omens looked good, but we understand the player has now opted for a First Division club.

Rovers and Forfar Athletic have now formally agreed that next week's Bell's Cup match will indeed take place on Tuesday night at Station Park with a 7.30 pm kick-off. Admission charges will be £9 for adults, with concessions at £4.50.

Today's Advertiser reports that Peter Hetherston is actively pursuing yet another player "with SPL experience". As usual, the manager's lips are sealed as to the mystery man's identity, but if and when a deal is done, you might be able to read it here first.

Harthill Match
A young Rovers' team - plus Mark Yardley - tonight took on Harthill Royal Juniors and came out on top by 2-1.

All the goals were scored within seven first-half minutes, with trialist Dunbar and Mark McKenzie netting for Rovers after Harthill had taken the lead. Manager Peter Hetherston was an interested spectator.

Click to enlarge
Yards shot comes close

Station Park Beckons

Our intrepid reporter was at Hampden this morning for the Bell's Cup draw and he reports that there was no great razzmatazz as it was made by Bell's representatives. He didn't spot any managers with the exception of Dick Campbell of Brechin City. Rovers will travel to Forfar next Tuesday to take on the Second Division club.

The draw for the second round of the Bell's Cup will take place at Hampden tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11am. The list of possible opponents is :-

Airdrie United, Berwick Rangers, Brechin City, Clyde, Dumbarton, Forfar Athletic, Inverness Cal. Th, Greenock Morton, Peterhead, Raith Rovers, Ross County, Stirling Albion, St. Mirren, St. Johnstone and Stranraer.

Tomorrow night, Rovers will travel east to play Harthill Juniors in a challenge match, kick-off 7.15pm. Although the squad will mainly comprise Jimmy Lindsay's youngsters, the word is that Mark Yardley - banned last Saturday - will play.

According to today's Sunday Mail, both Rovers and Cowdenbeath have failed in an attempt to sign former Falkirk striker Colin McDonald who has elected to join his former Brockville boss John Clark at Gala Fairydean. Disappointing though it may be, it shows that manager Peter Hetherston is still seeking to add to the squad.

Cup Victory
An Iain Diack goal in 82 minutes won the Bell's cup tie against East Fife in a largely unexciting match. The 2nd round will be played on Tuesday 12th August. Teams still in the cup include Airdrie United, Peterhead and Morton.

The first round draw for the SFA Youth Cup sees Rovers heading south of the border to play Berwick Rangers, a match scheduled for Sunday 7th September. With Rovers having to visit Berwick, Hamilton Accies travelling to Montrose and Spartans hosting Forfar Athletic, there are a number of longish-distance trips to contemplate. However, a look at the complete draw shows that it has clearly been manipulated to ensure that all the north teams are playing relatively near neighbours, e.g. Cove Rangers v Rothes and Elgin v Forres, as are those based in the south, e.g. Hawick v Girvan and Dalbeattie v Stranraer. If this is "legal", surely it's not beyond the bounds of reasonability to eliminate long-distance travel from the rest of the draw.

. . . Kevin McBride, who today signed-on at Cliftonhill for the second time. Kevin - who was training to be a physiotherapist at the time - was with Rovers as a teenager some three or four years ago, before being released. As far as we remember, he was a rather gangly midfielder who has now presumably filled-out a bit as well as having gained some experience, latterly with Glenafton Juniors.