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Archive Latest November
2003
(30/11/03)
Offside
Rumour has it that Rovers manager Peter
Hetherston is to be a guest on the Tam Cowan football "comedy" show
"Offside" tomorrow (Monday) BBC1 10.35 pm.
(29/11/03)
Season Over?
It's not quite December yet but many
Rovers fans are thinking that the season ended today. Rovers exited the Scottish
cup by losing three goals with a player and the manager sent off into the
bargain. As they're 13 points off 2nd place in the league they seem to be
fighting a losing battle.
Peter Hetherston only had one full match back on the touchline after his eight game ban ended before being sent to the stand after the farside assistant referee (male) reported some comments made by the Rovers boss. Ironically it was assistant boss Jock McStay's first match back on the touchline after his five game ban ended. Coupled with the managers "sexist" remarks investigation already ongoing by the authorities Silky could well receive a lengthy ban very shortly.
A full match report (hopefully with pics) will be on the site sometime on Sunday.
(26/11/03)
Cash Boost
The SFL this week will hand out an early Christmas bonus. The
money will go to clubs who have been involved in the first three rounds of the
CIS League Cup. League secretary Peter Donald said: "The management
committee have decided to make this payment which will range from £5000 to in
excess of £20,000 depending on results.'' presumably Rovers will get £5000 as
they lost to Hamilton Accies in the first round.
Injuries
Manager Peter Hetherston reports that
David Farrell, Mark Yardley, Jered Stirling, Chris Fahey and one other unnamed
player as all injury doubts for the cup replay.
(25/11/03)
Stirling Match
The match against Stirling Albion
postponed from Saturday to make way for the Montrose cup replay will now be
played next Tuesday the 2nd of December with a 7.30 kick-off.
(23/11/03)
Diack
After playing yesterday as a trialist for
Arbroath at Hamilton Iain Diack has signed for the 2nd division side.
(22/11/03)
Stalemate At Links Park
Rovers may consider themselves fortunate
not to go out of the Scottish Cop today in Montrose. The home team certainly had
a larger share of the play and the best opportunities. The two teams now go head
to head (for the 3rd time this month) next Saturday at Cliftonhill.
A full report with a pic or two will be on the site tomorrow.
Diack
It seems that Iain Diack isn't quitting
football altogether. We hear he played as a trialist for Arbroath at Hamilton
today in a 2nd division match and despite his team losing 2-0 he played well our
correspondent reports.
(21/11/03)
Rovers Fined
The football authorities have fined Rovers
£1000 for fielding Neil Bennett and Mark Malloy (twice) without international
clearance and fielding three trialists in a match when the limit is two. Rovers
have ten days to appeal the decision and although it's a large amount of money
for the club to lose they may well leave it at that. An appeal would once more
raise the possibility of point deduction which would certainly kill off any
remaining hopes of promotion.
Montrose
The Gable Endies are set to unveil their
new boss before tomorrows cup match. It seems likely to be Henry Hall who has
been caretaker boss since John Sheran resigned the post last month. He has seen
much improvement in the teams performance since taking charge, not least a
league win against Rovers earlier this month.
(18/11/03)
Double Trouble
It seems that Rovers are doubly in trouble
with the SFA. Apparently the rumours are correct and Rovers did field three
unsigned players against Peterhead on 27th September, the limit being two.
Sweeney, Malloy and Bennett all played in the 2-0 win and although we understood
at the time that Sweeney had been signed it seems that he hadn't. Punishment
could easily be a fine of a few thousand pounds and/or the docking of a few
points. Under John McVeigh Rovers played (if memory serves me correctly) four
trialists in the one game and were admonished by the SFA. Rovers lost that game
and therefore no points had been gained, this time that cannot be said.
Manager Peter Hetherston has been asked for his comments about the "sexist" comments he made about the female assistant referee at Montrose recently. While not denying the comments Silky has said they weren't to be taken seriously and has been pictured in the press cooking for charity with a woman bossing him about. We make it he has now served his eight match touchline ban and will be back in the dugout at Montrose on Saturday, how long he'll have that privilege remains to be seen.
(15/11/03)
Gretna
Rovers promotion hopes took another
battering in a 3-1 defeat at home to Gretna last night. A minutes silence was
observed before kick-off for Max Crichton who died a week before. Ironically one
of the assistant referees was named Crichton - no relation. The overhead
conditions were dreech to say the least but the Cliftonhill pitch stood up
admirably. Silky made changes to the team, out of the squad altogether went
Farrell and Sweeney and the now departed Diack. The bench being mostly populated
by youngsters. A reasonably tight first half didn't prepare Rovers fans for the
dire performance of their team in the second period. Ripped apart at will with
only a few Rovers playing anything approaching decent football it was not to be
a happy experience.
John McCaig being sent off for a second yellow card in 78 mins didn't help. He shall however be available for selection next Saturday in the Scottish cup match at Montrose.
A report, possibly with a pic or two shall be available later.
Diack Leaves
Rovers longest serving player Iain Diack
has left the club for a job outside of football. Signed in August 1998, Iain
came through Rovers youth system to become a first team regular. Lately more
used to starting on from the bench Iain scored 3 goals this term out of a
competitive total of about 30 in his time at Cliftonhill.
(13/11/03)
Transfer Ban Relaxed
FIFA have announced that with immediate
effect SFL teams can transfer a maximum of two players outwith the transfer
window per season (as long as the transfer is between two SFL clubs). The total
ban remains for SPL teams, it seems however that there'll be a complete review
of the transfer window system at the end of the season. This could help Peter
Hetherston overcome Rovers current difficulties by replacing some
underperformers. On the other hand some "bigger" team may try to
plunder our stars.
(11/11/03)
Funeral
Thanks to all the Rovers fans and staff
that turned up at my fathers funeral today. My mother and myself were honoured,
and I think he'd be touched at the large turnout. Sorry I didn't get a chance to
speak to anybody unless they went to the hotel but the crematorium folk were
trying to cope with the traffic jam also sorry the venue wasn't announced during
the service.
There will be a one minute silence before the Gretna match on Friday night and the club have given permission to have his ashes scattered on the pitch at some future date. A special thanks to club general manager John Reynolds for his assistance.
(10/11/03)
Silky "Causes" A
Stooshie
Comments attributed to manager Peter
Hetherston after the Montrose match about a female assistant referee could land
him in trouble with the S.F.A. His current touchline ban ends in time for the
Scottish Cup 1st round match at, ironically, Links Park, Montrose on 22nd
November.
The BBC article about the alleged comments can be read HERE
Scott Shearer
It has been reported that former Rovers
goalie Shearer may not be 1st choice for Coventry City much longer. Apparently
manager Gary McAllister is watching other keepers.
(8/11/03)
Slump Continues
Rovers promotion hopes took another dent
today as they lost their third match on the trot. For obvious reasons your
webmaster wasn't at the match (the first I've missed in about six years) so
can't give any idea how the play went but it was that perennial thorn in Rovers
side Steve Kerrigan who scored the only goal of the match at Links Park,
Montrose.
Rovers are now 6th in the table a whopping 10 points off 2nd place and having played a game more than Stranraer who occupy that spot.
We have a report on the site thanks to Forbes Prentice, no pics this week though I'm afraid.
Obituary
I have now added an obituary for my father
Max Crichton with a couple of pics. Thanks for all your kind comments on the
message board and in person. Thanks also to the Airdrie & Coatbridge
Advertiser and the club especially John Reynolds.
Click HERE to read it.
(7/11/03)
Max Crichton Dies
As webmaster of this site
it is my very sad duty to inform you that
Max Crichton (my father) passed away this morning at Monklands Hospital at the
age of 66. As you may well know he obtained and wrote much of the information on
this website, news, match reports etc. Known as "Cliff Hill" on the
message board he was a life-long Rovers supporter and was also co-editor of the
Rovers programme and supplied match reports to the Airdrie and Coatbridge
Advertiser.
A more detailed obituary shall be on this site later.
His funeral is being held on Tuesday 11th November at Donald McLaren funeral directors, Sunnyside Road, Coatbridge at 1.30 pm then Daldowie crematorium at 2.30 pm.
(5/11/03)
Injury & Suspension
Rovers shall be short of the services of
the suspended Peter Cormack and the injured Mark Yardley at Links Park this
Saturday. Peter Cormack is missing due to his red card at Stair Park on Saturday
where Mark Yardley picked up a calf injury which caused him to be subbed in the
first half.
(1/11/03)
Humbled
Their first league match at Stair Park for
almost 10 years saw Rovers suffer their largest defeat by Stranraer for over 40
years. Under the cosh for most of the match Rovers were only 1-0 down at
half-time but didn't compete in the 2nd half losing another 4 goals and lost a
player (Cormack) to a red-card too. Mark Yardley hobbling off in the 1st half
was an unwelcome sight although seeing John Bradford fit enough to join in the
pre-match warm-up was one piece of good news.
A match report (not as in-depth as usual due to the ongoing illness of our reporter) with pics will be linked from the fixture page tomorrow.