Albion Rovers Latest News

Alloa Match
Alloa have advised us that this match scheduled for this Saturday (July 4th) is now a closed door affair and therefore no fans shall be admitted. They did not advise why this change has been made!

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the latest edition of the managers web comments column in which he summarises pre-season thus far. He tells us that Paul Stewart has been signed from Montrose and Alan Reid shall re-sign shortly, he also lets us know what's happening with other players offered contracts. A certain Mr. Sawyers may find his ears burning this evening!

Season Tickets
The club are encouraging all who can do so to purchase their season ticket prior to the first match (prices listed on 24/6/09 article below). Matchdays (especially the first of the season) can be very busy for those behind the scenes so earlybirds will avoid the queues. If you're unsure times of day when they'll be available call the club on 01236 606334. These tickets shall be valid only for the 18 home league matches not cup or play-offs.

“The memorial will take the form of a match before the end of the year and possibly a memorial dinner. There may also be another event to announce at a future stage.

“The beneficiaries of any funds raised will be Gordon’s partner Kelly and their wee boy Kai. There will also be collections on behalf of the fund at the upcoming Dumbarton Home friendlies against Partick Thistle and St Mirren. “

Gordon Lennon Memorial Fund c/o Ryan's Pet Centre 157 High Street Dumbarton G82 1NZ

Please cross your cheque/postal order and make it payable to “Gordon Lennon Memorial Fund.”

If you require a receipt then please either provide an email address where we can send it OR enclose a self addressed SAE with your donation.

The sort code is 07-02-46 and the account number is 06177959. If you require a receipt from this method of payment then please email Robert at robert@ryanspets.fsnet.co.uk quoting your date of payment, amount and payment reference and they will email one to you.

Season Tickets
Next seasons tickets are now available from the club at the previously announced prices below. This time a voucher system is being used rather than the single card one used for several years. This assists the club in accurately counting the crowd and judge usage of the tickets.

Adult Season Ticket - £120

Concession Season Ticket (Senior Citizens and Unemployed) - £70

Youth Season Ticket (ages 13 to 16 years) - £30

Children - Free when accompanied by an adult.

Adult Gate Admission - £10

Concession Gate Admission (Senior Citizens and Unemployed) - £5

Children - Free when accompanied by an adult

Marc McCusker
As expected former Clyde player Marc has put pen to paper on a contract at Cliftonhill. He proved a valuable addition to the squad when he joined on loan last term until he received an injury which put him out for a considerable period.

Fixtures Released
The SFL have released fixtures for the 2009/2010 season, and they can be found on the fixtures page! We have been handed a trip to Stranraer on the opening day. One fixture to note is our match at Hampden against Queen's Park on Sunday August 23rd instead of the Saturday which could be related to U2 playing there in the previous midweek.

The game scheduled on Saturday November 14th at Cowdenbeath is liable to be changed to the following day if Scotland are involved in a World Cup play-off match.

Supporters' Trust AGM
A reminder to all fans that the AGM of the trust is taking place tomorrow (Thursday) at Cliftonhill starting at 7.30pm. All members or those wishing to join are encouraged to come along to the meeting being held in Chicks cafe!

Funeral Arrangements
THE funeral arrangements for Gordon Lennon have been released.

There will be a service on Wednesday 17th June 2009 at 11.00 am at Hillington Park Church, Berryknowes Road, Cardonald, Glasgow. The service will be followed by a burial at Hawkhead Cemetery, Hawkhead Road in Paisley.

On Tuesday 16th the hearse carrying Gordon will leave from John Kane Funeral Directors to travel to Gordon and Kelly's home. On route it will visit Strathclyde Homes Stadium at a time to be confirmed.

The family have confirmed that flowers will be welcome and should either be sent to the Church or to the Strathclyde Homes Stadium where they will be added to the hearse.

The Lennon family have issued a statement thanking people of all clubs for their support at this difficult time.

Dumbarton have announced that a memorial match will be arranged at a later date and The Sons Trust are arranging collections at their upcoming friendlies against Partick Thistle and St. Mirren.

Saturday 4th July away to Alloa Athletic
Saturday 11th July away to Crawley Town (match being played at Inverclyde Sports Centre in Greenock)
Saturday 18th July away to Selkirk
Monday 20th July home to Dundee United which could have a 2pm kick-off as this is Fair Monday!

The now traditional Jock Stein Cup match against Celtic at Cliftonhill is to be held on a date which is yet to be confirmed. Crawley Town have a connection with Rovers in that their manager is former Rovers player Stevie Evans. Dundee United plan to bring a mixed team of younger and older more experienced players.

New Community Initiative
The New Football Pools has today joined forces with The Scottish Football League and announced an exciting new partnership that will tackle serious issues within the game.

Fit for Football, Fit for Life has received over £900,000 of investment by The New Football Pools for the multi-channeled scheme that will deliver young people’s heart screening, alcohol awareness training, U17 and U19 training as well as the donation of a Defibrillator to every football club across the leagues.

The New Football Pools became an Official Partner of the Scottish Football League at the beginning of the 08-09 season. Today at Scotland’s National Stadium, Hampden Park, The Scottish Football League and The New Football Pools officially launched the scheme.

The New Football Pools has developed a longstanding relationship with football and the community during its 85 years history. Ian Penrose, Chief Executive of Sportech PLC, owner of The New Football Pools said: “We are very fortunate to be in the position of supporting the nations biggest sport through our Pools products - the company has invested over £1.1billion into football and other good causes throughout its history. For 25 years, from 1975 to 2000, the pools companies were one of the only sources of external funding for British football and this can be seen here at Hampden Park which had £5million made available to assist the renovation of the national stadium.

”With the re-launch of the Pools in the last football season comes a renewed commitment to fans and their communities. Today, we are delighted to build on this legacy ensuring The New Football Pools is even closer to the game that we have supported over the decades.”

Fit for Football Fit for Life will see all 30 Scottish Football League clubs work to support football at the under-17 and under-19 and increase training and participation. The scheme also aims to engaging young people in alcohol awareness training in order to educate and inform them of the dangers of alcohol misuse and the importance of health and fitness. Furthermore, Fit For Football, Fit For Life will provide young people’s heart screening, including the provision of a brand new defibrillator pitch side at every football club.

Speaking at the launch at Hampden Park, Scottish Football League Chief Executive David Longmuir said:
“Health and well being are key within the football environment, and the Scottish Football League is delighted to have received this much needed support from The New Football Pools. This investment will go directly to support our young people’s football programmes throughout the country and will underpin three key strands of our Fit For Football Fit for Life strategy.
“We believe this new community citizenship programme will bring a renewed focus to community football and will allow clubs to continue the many excellent community programmes that are already in existence. The New Football Pools, over three decades, has contributed to many football related good causes and the support we are receiving today provides a significant investment which will benefit all thirty clubs across the Scottish Football League.”

Legends Ticket Discount
A one-off match of "Scotland v England legends" takes place at Almondvale Stadium, Livingston on Saturday 20th June with a 1.15 k-o. Tickets are £18.50 but Rovers fans can get them at a 20% discount (£14.80). See this file for details of the offer through Grow Sport, please note the small print which points out that texting the number mentioned costs £1.50 - whereas email is (more or less) free!

Disclaimer - it's unclear whether the club will gain from this promotion but the website does not. This website does not endorse this offer in any way as I have no knowledge of the company offering the discount.

Lennon Car Crash Tragedy
Former Rovers player of the year who recently celebrated the third division championship win as captain of Dumbarton Gordon Lennon has been killed in a car crash.

Signed from Harmony Row the 26 year-old left Rovers for Partick Thistle who subsequently loaned him out to Stenhousemuir before he signed for former Rovers gaffer Jim Chapman at the Strathclyde Homes Stadium.

A university graduate and talented footballer Gordon was one of the nicest people to talk to, even when at Cliftonhill with his new team! We understand he became a father earlier this year.

Cup Draw
The draw for the first round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup took place today and Rovers were handed a home tie against the troubled first division side Livingston. The match will take place at Cliftonhill on Saturday 1st August.

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the fifth edition of the managers web comments column in which he concentrates on a clutch of impressive new signings!

MG ALBA to sponsor Challenge Cup 2009
MG ALBA has confirmed that it is to continue its sponsorship of the Scottish Football League Challenge Cup for the 2009 competition. The announcement was made as the draw for the 1st Round of the tournament took place at the SFL offices at Hampden Park.

The tournament, now in its 19th year, will again be known as the ALBA Challenge Cup and will see live televised coverage of one semi-final and the final on BBC ALBA. BBC ALBA is a partnership between MG ALBA and the BBC.

Alasdair Morrison, Chairman of MG ALBA, welcomed the announcement saying “We are delighted to enter into this agreement again with the Scottish Football League which will enable BBC ALBA to offer viewers national coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup. Working with a national partner such as the Scottish Football League supports our objective of promoting Gaelic at national and community level. Televised coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup will also bring football at that level to new audiences who rarely see their teams on television.”

Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Football League, Chief Executive David Longmuir said, “We are delighted to welcome MG ALBA as the title sponsor once again of the Challenge Cup. Our aim has always been to improve the coverage and profile of the Challenge Cup and to increase the awareness of the true community spirit attached to the competition. The partnership links the community aims of both organisations and provides live coverage of two very important games in the competition.”

MNE Media will be responsible for providing the coverage of the ALBA Challenge Cup as part of a comprehensive package of programming which they provide to BBC ALBA. Managing Director of MNE Media, Allan MacDonald, said, “Co-operation like this between broadcasters, production companies and sports bodies is good news for the broadcast industry in Scotland and for viewers and sports fans. I am pleased that MNE Media is involved in covering these football games at a time of great opportunity for the production industry, allowing us to record and broadcast more sports coverage than ever before.”

A New Accolade For Bobby
It has been announced that Rovers starlet Bobby Barr is the Irn-Bru player of the year!

A Seaside Trip
The draw for the first round of the Alba Challenge Cup was made today and Rovers were handed a trip to Somerset Park on Saturday July 25th to face first division newcomers Ayr United. Ayr defeated Airdrie United in the first division play-off final and this match shall be their first competitive match as a first division side.

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the fourth edition of the managers web comments column in which he concentrates on players, why the ones leaving are going and his signing targets including Todd Lumsden.

Admission Prices Set
Season ticket and general admission prices for the 2009/10 season are unchanged and are as follows :

Adult Season Ticket - £120

Concession Season Ticket (Senior Citizens and Unemployed) - £70

Youth Season Ticket (ages 13 to 16 years) - £30

Children - Free when accompanied by an adult.

Adult Gate Admission - £10

Concession Gate Admission (Senior Citizens and Unemployed) - £5

Children - Free when accompanied by an adult

Chairman Frank Meade points out that as with the season just ended season tickets cover Scottish Football League matches only and represent a net match admission cost of less than £6 (£6.66p inc VAT) per match on an adult ticket.

Barr Prize!
Bobby Barr has been voted the Scottish Professional Footballers Association 3rd division player of the year. He faced stiff competition from a couple of Cowdenbeath and one Stenhousemuir players for the title last won by a Rovers player just two seasons ago when Scott Chaplain listed the award.

Another Defeat
Rovers went down by two goals to nil against East Stirlingshire at Cliftonhill this afternoon. 'Shire leapfrog Cowdenbeath into second and have a mathematical chance of winning the championship although in reality Dumbarton are champs in all but name. Only a turnaround of the 18 goal difference gap would see former Rovers gaffer denied a trophy with his team.

Player Awards
Bobby Barr was, this afternoon awarded the Albion Rovers Supporters' Trust Player of the Year trophy along with £100 cash and a bottle of Champagne donated by this website. On behalf of Pat Walker, captain Robert Walker received the goal of the season trophy in memory of Chic Young from his widow Gina for the strike at Annan back on 30th August.

PFA Award
Bobby Barr will find out tomorrow at the £100 a head do if he has been voted the Scottish Professional Footballers Association 3rd division player of the year. He faces stiff competition from a couple of Cowdenbeath and one Stenhousemuir players for the title last won by a Rovers player just two seasons ago when Scott Chaplain listed the award.

Due to entirely avoidable circumstances this site shall not be updated again until Thursday. If you wish to know how the wee man got on it shall of course be posted on the message board by someone, hopefully on Sunday night!

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.

Rovers On Receiving End
Last week at Annan an 88th minute goal gained Rovers a point, this week however it lost them one as Stenhousemuir grabbed a winner.

Club Statement
The club this evening have issued the following statement.

Over the past couple of weeks the Board has become aware of a group of self-styled politically motivated individuals, the Coatbridge Brigada, who have attempted to associate themselves with the Club. These attempts culminated in the Club refusing admission to a number of people at last night's match with Dumbarton. This decision has sparked some comment, given that some of the group were admitted to last week's match with East Stirlingshire. This statement clarifies the Club's position.

While on the face of it this group claims to want only to support the Club, a visit to their Bebo site clearly indicates a sectarian agenda. Albion Rovers is a non-sectarian, non-racist Club which supports and leads positive action to eradicate these twin cancers from our game, There is a Zero Tolerance policy on this and the Club will exercise it's right to refuse admission to anyone or group of individuals, who overtly or covertly demonstrate that they are at odds with the Club's published policy.

Much has been said of the appearance of Police CCTV cameras at our match with Forfar Athletic last weekend, a decision made by the appropriate Police authorities with NO input from either Albion Rovers or Forfar Athletic. That said, we will co-operate fully, if requested, with the appropriate authorities to remove this stain from the Club.

The Club has built an enviable reputation within the local community, the SFA , SFL and with our key sponsors, for it's excellent work in raising awareness of sectarian and racist issues and the Board will not allow the Club to be used as a platform for politically motivated sectarianism, no matter how it is dressed up. We aim to provide a safe, family-friendly experience at Cliftonhill and we aim to encourage family participation in our football activities.

We all have a responsibility to protect the Club's good name and also to protect the fabric of our game from individuals intent on capitalising on political situations. The Board is determined to uphold these principles and will take appropriate action up to and including lifetime bans, against anyone or group of individuals who fail to meet the standards of Club policy.

I trust that this now clarifies the Club's position and I look to our regular and loyal supporters to ensure that the Club's objectives are met.

Frank Meade
Chairman

Editor : We note that over the period of the last 10 days the Bebo website in question has gradually divested itself of most of the material which the statement refers to.

Paul Martin Column
Today we publish the first of the managers web comments column. Thanks to Paul himself and programme editor Bill Walker for making it happen!

Manager On The Radio
Paul Martin is the guest on a new football phone-in this on L107 from 5pm - 7pm Friday (6th March). If you wish to contribute to the show call 01698 337107.

Listen live on your radio (in the Lanarkshire area only of course) or online at www.L107.com and click on the listen live icon to the right of the main page!

Dumbarton Transport
As usual there shall be no supporters' bus going to Dumbarton on Saturday due to the frequent and direct train service. Details of the train times and fares etc. can be found on the supporters' bus page!

Leapfrog
Rovers beating Annan Athletic yesterday saw them take sixth place which is a tantalising three points from a play-off place.

Irn-Bru Survey
League sponsors Irn-Bru have issued a survey which they'd like readers of this, and other websites to complete and email to (now closed) ideally at latest on Tuesday 24th. Download the survey by clicking (now closed) if you're interested. It's fairly brief and is on a Word document.

Karaoke
The supporters' trust has arranged a karaoke evening at Cliftonhill in memory of former club director/fan and all round helper Chic Young. It shall take place appropriately named Chic's cafe on Friday 27th February. Admission is free and it's bring your own bottle of booze should you require alcoholic refreshments (glasses are available). Pies and peas shall be served at the event!

Kick-off of the karaoke is 7.30 and some of Chic's family shall be in attendance for the evening which includes the unveiling of a trophy which shall be awarded at the end of the season for best goal named in Chic's honour.

Race Night
The supporters' trust has announced that the annual race night shall be held in Chic's cafe at Cliftonhill on Friday 17th April. This years event shall be horse racing with eight horses competing in each of the eight races. As usual horses are up for sale for the measly price of £3 each, the owner gets to name their cuddy and that name appears in the racecard. The owner of the winning horse in each of the races picks up a prize given by the race sponsor, often a bottle of booze!

Races are available for sponsorship, although no actual cost is specified the sponsor is expected to donate a prize for the winning horse. As sponsor you get to name the race.

To sponsor a race or buy a horse please speak to any trust committee member or email races09@albionrovers.com

Matches Rescheduled
All of Rovers outstanding fixtures have had dates fixed (see below).

Tuesday 3rd Elgin City (Home)
Tuesday 10th East Stirlingshire (Home)
Tuesday 17th Dumbarton (Home)
Wednesday 25th Annan Athletic (Away)
Tuesday 31st Stenhousemuir (Home)

As the kick-off times are yet to be confirmed we shall assume they're 7.30 to be on the safe side, better 15 minutes early for a match than the reverse!

Stenny Match Off
As predicted Rovers will have no Valentines match against Stenhousemuir tomorrow due to weather conditions.

Snow Go?
The following photo which was taken this afternoon shows the Cliftonhill pitch (or more accurately the snow covering said pitch). It seems unlikely that the covering will melt in time for Saturdays visit of Stenhousemuir, and if it did it could leave it waterlogged. We shall of course keep you updated as to whether the game will go ahead!

Barr Gets Irn-Bru Award
Bobby Barr has been awarded the Irn-Bru Young Player of the Month Award for January. Barr has been a favourite with the Cliftonhill faithful since arriving on loan from St. Johnstone on loan last season. He has gone from strength to strength since signing permanent contract in July and was fixed up for next season a couple of months ago.

A well deserved award, not only for Bobby himself but in recognition of the set-up at Rovers which enabled him to flourish!

SFL Live Matches
The following is the official press release, regrettably no third division matches are scheduled for broadcast as yet! The channel is (as far as we're aware only currently available via Sky on channel 168 and also via Freesat. The channel is, for the uninitiated, a gaelic language one so don't necessarily expect any understandable commentary (Archie McPherson springs to mind).

The Scottish Football League and BBC ALBA today announced a package of three live televised First Division games over the next few months.

The televised games will take place on Sundays with kick-off times at 3.15 p.m. An announcement regarding the end of season Play-Off matches will be made in due course.

The agreement represents another step forward for the Scottish Football League, securing live broadcast of First Division matches, and reflects BBC ALBA’s commitment to televise a range of sports.

BBC ALBA is a partnership between the BBC and MG ALBA, the Gaelic Media Service.

David Longmuir, chief executive of the SFL, said: “MG ALBA has been an excellent broadcast partner since it became sponsor of The Challenge Cup last year.

“I am delighted that the new TV channel recognises the excitement, passion and community values that the Scottish Football League can offer, and I look forward to developing this relationship in the months ahead.”

Alan Esslemont, head of content for BBC ALBA, said: “We are very pleased to be able to offer excellent live SFL fixtures to viewers. These games will enhance our comprehensive sports package which already includes the ‘as-live’ televising of SPL matches on Saturday nights.”

The First Division games selected for Sunday live coverage are as follows: