INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2024
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
MAIN CLUB SPONSOR
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
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CHAIRMAN
FINLAY NOBLE February already !! It is crazy how quickly time passes. Anyway, welcome to the February edition of the Bellslea Bulletin. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far. Yet again, Steve has surpassed himself with another brilliant issue, albeit I am biased. We have a new feature, Meet the Ref, where we hope to get some of the familiar faces we see officiating at games. We have to remember that these individuals are lovers of football too or they wouldn’t be involved in the sport. Hopefully this feature will show that, and we can all look at them differently. It was hoped we could have three in this months issue but that didn’t quite work out as planned. I feel that clubs like ours are lucky in that we have seen them officiating at U18 and U21 levels, here at Bellslea Park where they have been learning their trade and let’s not forgot that they are still learning, just as the players are. With that exposure to each other in the Aberdeenshire League especially, I genuinely believe that helps by the time they reach Highland League levels. Over the course of the January, we have played five games, winning three, drawing one and losing one. Scoring 15 goals and conceding seven. The loss on Wednesday was disappointing in that we could and should have won the game, but it is all about scoring at one end and not conceding at the other. On another
Finlay No ble day, Ryan’s shot goes in and we win the game. But that is football and why we all love it. It is unpredictable. The high spot was the 4-0 victory at Huntly in the Aberdeenshire Cup. We played very well on the night and deservedly got through to the next round this coming midweek. We have a busy month ahead with six games, four of which are here at Bellslea. Hopefully the weather gives us a break and we get them all completed. One of those is against Hermes in the Aberdeenshire Cup, our first competitive meeting. Hermes are currently sitting at the top of the North Junior League and deservedly so. They have been a great addition to the Association, playing in the Highland Youth League and I am sure that is hugely beneficial to them having that exposure. Who’s to say they won’t replicate Banks O Dee and get
themselves into the Highland League. I am looking forward to our recently announced Hall of Fame Dinner which will take place in the Leisure Centre on Friday 3rd May. We will be sitting down in the next couple of weeks and deciding on the recipients which we plan to announce shortly afterwards. In conjunction with the Supporters Club Player of the Year Awards I am sure it will be a great event. There is more details to come but as I said, it is an event that we can place firmly in the calendar as an annual event. Thanks again for reading the Magazine and the readership figures are healthy so please reach out with any feedback and suggestions for future issues. Come awa the Broch Finlay
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
LAST FIVE
HEAD-TO-HEADS
Click or Double Tap for Forres Mechanics Squad List
Deveronvale
Buckie
Lossiemouth
HOME
L0-2
L1-8
Current
3-0 15 April 2023
HOME
SEASONS
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE BROCH v. FORRES SAT. 3rd FEBRUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
RESULTS
Coming up
Strathspey
Rothes
D1-1 HOME
W2-0 AWAY
L0-1
22/23
21/22
18/19
17/18
1-1 5 Nov. 2022
5-0 16 April 2022
0-7 20 Nov. 2021
3-3 7 Sep. 2019
HOME
13th 11th 12th 6th 5th Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League
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th
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Inaugural Hall of Fame Dinner +End of Season Awards Night in conjunction with FFCSC 7.30 PM to 12 midnight, Friday 3rd May, Fraserburgh Leisure Centre Tickets £40 each or £400 for a Table of 10 (to include two-course meal) Please contact events@fraserburghfc.co.uk to reserve your place
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th
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MATCH
CENTRE
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE SAT. 6th JANUARY PRINCESS ROYAL PARK, BANFF
Click or Double Tap for Match Report and Line Ups
2 DEVERONVALE
Butcher at the double as Broch overcome Vale fightback
Mitchell 37’, Park 60’
Match Gallery
V.
FRASERBURGH 4 Beagrie 19’, Cowie 23’, Butcher 68’, 85’
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
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MANAGER
MARK COWIE Welcome to 2024! Another mixed bag of a month in terms of results and performances. We started off the year with an away trip to neighbours Deveronvale. Our previous visit there in the cup gave us a 9-0 win however I knew that it would not be a repeat scoreline and so it proved. We started the game relatively well and ended up in control. We got into a comfortable lead with goals from Jamie Beagrie and Ryan Cowie before an error allowed them to get a goal back before half time. Another error in the second half allowed Vale to equalise despite us controlling the game. It seemed like it would be one of those days however pleasing for me the subs we made that day made a difference with Aidan Sopel giving us a creative spark and Sean Butcher returning to what he does best getting a couple of goals to secure a 4-2 win. Next, we played Clach at home which would see us drop two valuable points. Again we played well in the first half and should have been a few goals in front but ultimately just managed to go in at the break 1-0 up thanks to a Willie West volley. The second half didn’t start well for us. We lost a cheap goal again that made the score 1-1 and shortly after were reduced to 10 men with a sending off. We were still a threat though and managed to create a couple of chances including a missed penalty. It looked like a draw until Logan Watt managed to score a late goal which should have given us the win but deep in injury time, we failed to clear our lines and ended up losing a goal to a cross ball which drifted into the corner. A disappointing result in the end where we really should have got the win. We then had a week’s break due to a bad spell of weather which saw Bellslea surprisingly covered in a blanket of snow. Our next game would be Wednesday 24th as we opened our Aberdeenshire Cup account with a trip to Huntly. In the last match there, we ended up losing 4-1 so we had to prove something this time round. This ended up being our best performance of the month where we dominated from start to finish. The score ended up 4-0 with doubles from Ryan Sargent and Paul Young, the latter was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch that night. A bit of reassurance of what we are capable of was shown here but we knew we needed to see it more. Next up was Wick at home where again we controlled the game and won 3-0 with goals from Logan Watt (2) and Willie West. The game was marred a bit as we ended up having two players sent off. Josh Bolton reacted to a scuffle and ended up being sent off. I don’t think there was much in it personally however his reaction gave the referee a decision to make which ultimately turned out to be a red card. We managed the
Mark Cow ie game well with 10 men until the referee sent Willie West off for time wasting with 6 minutes to play. I do not want to comment on the decision, however I ended up being shown a red card for my reaction which I regret. I didn’t agree with the referee’s decision but my manner on the touchline was very unlike my usual and I crossed a line which I have since apologised for. No matter how much we disagree with referees’ decisions, they should always be treated with respect as they are just as important to the game as managers, coaches, players etc. On this occasion my feelings got the better of me and for the way I conducted myself, I am truly sorry to the officials present that day. We then went to play a young Turriff Utd side and lost 3-2 on the night. I thought we were the better team however I think our forward play let us down. We lacked a cutting edge or any real quality in the final third and ended up being caught on the break a couple of times with their winning goal coming in injury time. I think we have played worse and won but have reminded the lads that we need to be ruthless in both boxes and convert the chances we are creating. Joshua Hawkins has made a couple of starts as he makes his way through the early stages of his career. It is all relatively new to him however for the first half against Wick he was our best player and he did really well for the whole game against Turriff. He is one to watch over the coming years. I want to finish with a bit on the players as I feel they are having a tough time lately. We have been largely inconsistent this season with some good performances, some games where we have been excellent and poor across the 90 minutes,
and some others where we have not been near the standards we have set. We have had some incredible moments over the years, and it is largely down to those players who have put on the Fraserburgh FC jersey. Yes, we are having an inconsistent time of it but let’s remember what we have done in the past and how we did it. We did this all through hard work, enthusiasm, and energy. We did it all with a humility that kept our feet firmly on the ground. We did it all together as one group where every member of the club played a pivotal role in reaching the success we have had. Currently there feels to be something missing with critics out there ready to jump all over us because we have had some poor results. Everyone is saying Fraserburgh are having a poor season, yet we have been to Brechin twice and won, we get to look forward to taking on a great side in Brora Rangers in the Highland League Cup final in March, as well as still being in the Aberdeenshire Cup. There is still a lot to play for this season, with a lot of big games to come. I have every faith in the players, as you don’t become a bad team overnight. Yes, we are not hitting the standards that we have in the past, either individually or as a team, however my backroom team and I will not stop until we sort things and get us back to where we want to be. I owe it to the players to do everything I can to do that so that it gives them the best chance possible of having a successful playing career. Lads you are very good players, and we are a very good side. Never ever forget that. Now let’s get back to work !!
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
LAST FIVE
SEASONS
EVENING EXPRESS ABERDEENSHIRE CUP BROCH v. HERMES WED. 7th FEBRUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
RESULTS
Coming up
Click or Double Tap for Hermes Squad List HERMES HISTORY The club was founded in 1968 by pupils of Robert Gordon's College, Aberdeen and joined the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association, playing our first game in August of that year. THE NAME One of the most common questions we are asked by visiting teams is how the name came about. Many assume it to refer to the Winged Messenger of the Gods, others that there is some link with the mighty HMS Hermes. Neither are correct. The real reason for the choice is more basic. Unable to agree, as a group, on a name and with the deadline for application looming, one member, who was casually flicking through a magazine, noted an advert for a typewriter known as a Hermes 2000. This was gratefully accepted and a club was born. THE AMATEUR YEARS The club spent 25 years in the Aberdeenshire Amateur Football Association, starting in Division Three. From 1968 until the late 1970s the club achieved little. Promotion to Division Two followed by relegation to Three and ultimately Four were the only points of interest. In season 1977-78 we won our first trophy - the Division Four title. This was followed in season 1978-79 with the winning of the Paterson Trophy a feat repeated in 1981-82. The club continued to improve during the 1980s and 90s with success in the Ian Napier Shield in 1989-90, the AFC Trophy in 90-91 and the Trophies International Cup in 1992-93. Our last success in the amateur ranks was being presented with the Frank Waugh Shield as runners-up in Division One. With our own enclosed ground, first class changing facilities and a degree of ambition it was decided that it was time to leave the amateur ranks and apply for membership of the Scottish Junior Football Association. THE MANAGERS It would be wrong of me to leave this era without reference to some of our managers. Firstly Jim Wood. Jim managed us in our darkest days as we languished at the bottom of Division Four in season 1976-77. Struggling with the loss of some of our original players and finding it difficult to attract new blood, Jim's enthusiasm and drive kept us going. That we narrowly avoided relegation that year, and with it a chance we may have folded, was due to Jim and Hermes owe him a lot.
Maud
Nairn St. Ninian
W3-1 HOME
Current
22/23
W4-0 HOME
2nd NRJFA Premier
2nd NRJFA Premier
W3-0 HOME
Culter
L1-2 AWAY
Buchanhaven Hearts
21/22
18/19
17/18
Longside
3rd NRJFA Premier
4th NRJFA Premier
L1-4 AWAY
2nd NRJFA Premier
No previous Head-to-Head as this is our first ever fixture with Hermes
Jim returned to his committee role and handed over the reins to a new manager at the start of season 1977-78. That manager was Brian D'Arcy. Brian was nearing the end of his career in the Highland League when secretary Alex Fiddes persuaded him to lead the club forward. The new manager wasted no time in changing the mentality of the club. No longer were we a group of friends having a 'kickabout' on a Saturday. Attitudes had to change, training was made compulsory and commitment had to improve. Brian achieved this and, with the introduction of new players, Hermes swept all before them and finished in top spot after trailing by 18 points shortly after Christmas. The following season in Division Three saw us win the Paterson Cup for the first time. Sadly Brian got a chance to return to professional football with Brechin City and we lost a great manager. Brian returned to manage the club for 2 short spells in the eighties but the success of 77-79 was not to be repeated. The third of the managers to note was Peter Freeland. Peter started with the club as a 17 year old in the late 70's. He left to play Junior and Highland League football for a number of seasons before returning as player manager in the late 80s. Peter led the club to Division One where we stayed, regularly finishing in the top few without ever managing to win the title. Prior to season 1993-94 Peter led the move to join the North Region Junior Football Association believing that our facilities and players were good enough. Peter's work was not limited to getting a good team onto the field, he was also a driving force behind the scenes, helping to build the changing rooms, installing the floodlight and keeping the pitch in fine condition. THE JUNIOR YEARS We entered the Juniors to a baptism of fire, meeting FC Stoneywood, then a giant of local junior football, in our first league cup tie. Winning 2-1 after going one down saw us imagining all sorts of future success. The reality was different and we had to settle for a fourth place finish in Division One and winning the Morrison Trophy. Not too bad for a first season perhaps. The early promise continued in 1994-95 when we finished as champions and lost in the final of the Morrison Trophy. It was clear early on in season 95-96 that there was a gulf between the top two divisions and relegation from the Premier League after only one season was disappointing but made us determined to return at the earliest opportunity. Manager, Peter Freeland achieved this in one and we returned to the Premier League at the end of 1996-97 where we have stayed since.
Hermes enjoyed their greatest success under joint managers Steve Mearns and Neil Dawson when they became PMAC Superleague Champions in season 2011-2012 with record total of 73 points, 14 points clear of their nearest challengers. Out of 26 league games the team won 24 with one draw and one defeat, scoring 79 goals and conceding only 16. Hermes were unbeaten at home, in the league, all season. Czech Republic striker Marek Madle finished the season with 26 goals, winning both the Superleague Top Scorer and the Superleague Player of the Year Award whilst at the other end of the field keeper Lee Sweeney, who picked up the Green Final Junior Player of the Year Award, and his defensive partners kept 14 clean sheets, including a run of 6 league games without conceding a goal. This league win meant that Hermes qualified for the Scottish Cup, making their first ever appearance in the National Trophy, at Lochside Park on 28 August 2012 against Deveronvale. In March 2013 Hermes negotiated a lucrative agreement with the Uniconn Group of companies to sell the naming rights to their home ground which was renamed Uniconn Park. For the start of season 2017-2018, the home ground reverted to its original name, Lochside Park. TROPHIES WON PMAC Group Superleague Champions: 2011-2012 North Regional Cup: 1997-98, 2003-2004 North East Division One Winners: 1994-1995 McLeman Cup: 2008-2009 North Region Grill League Cup: 2003-2004 Morrison Trophy: 1993-1994, 1996-1997 In addition Hermes have been runners-up in several cup competitions including the Jimmy Gibb Trophy, the McLeman Cup and the North Regional Cup.
Source: Hermes FC website
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Paul Young in action during our recent clash with Wick Academy Photo: Mark Grant
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
CAPTAIN
WILLIE WEST Happy New Year everyone! We kicked off the New Year with a win against our rivals Deveronvale and I was chuffed to see Butcher get a couple of goals to save the day similar to what he had done earlier in the season when coming on against Lossiemouth. Jamie Beagrie also put in a good performance and bagged another goal. Ryan Cowie scored with a contender for goal of the season before receiving some encouragement from the sidelines and put in a strong performance. I’ll not mention the goals conceded.... even superheroes have bad days...but we dug in and got the 3 points which is the most important factor. On another positive note, it was great to see Zane Laird back in the squad following his injury last month which gave Mark and Bax a full strength squad to choose from. Although, we did lose one of our key men in January with Alex Mair taking some time out for an operation. His presence is always missed by the players at training and games. Next up was Clach at home. Clach were on the back of quite a bad defeat from Turriff and so we knew they would look to try and get a reaction against us which unfortunately turned out to be the case. The day started badly with us losing Ryan Cowie in the warm up due to injury. It wasn’t the best day for football with the high winds and heavy park with all the rain during the week. But played quite well in the first half but could only manage the one goal to lead 1-0. The 2nd half we knew was going to be tough but we lost a goal quite early from a counter attack and going down to 10 men meant it was going to be even tougher. Clach came into the game more and had chances to go ahead but thankfully Logan was able to keep a cool head and stroke one home. But it wasn’t to be…. The last minute equaliser from Clach devastated the players and it felt like a loss. But we move on.
Willie W est We then entered a week of snow and it became impossible to train but the players are quite professional and were able to do their own workouts. The upcoming game against Turriff was, as expected, postponed. We were able to train on the beach instead and it was a good work out for us after getting a week off. The cold weather didn’t stop Hayser, Josh, Sarge and Joe from taking a dip in the sea post training to help with their recovery. The Huntly away game was an opportunity for us to get some revenge from the previous fixture which ended in a heavy defeat for us. I think it was quite clear we were well up for it and fought hard to win the game. Paul Young, as has been so common this season, was a joy to watch and came up with the goods with two goals and came close to a hat-trick. Keiran also produced a solid performance with Sargent also chipping in with a couple of goals and performing well. Wick Academy was our next challenge and one which might be remembered more for the red cards than the result
unfortunately. After getting ourselves one nil up through a tap in from Logan, we went down to 10 men in the 2nd half and it was going to be a battle to get the points. Thankfully myself and Logan with his 2nd secured the points. It ended on a sour note unfortunately with 5 minutes to go I received my 2nd yellow card for timewasting. Last up in January was Turriff away from home and, with a few players missing for this one, we knew it was going to be a tough game for us. We started the game quite well only to be 1-0 down but thankfully managed to work an equaliser, switching the ball from left wing to right to then allow Sarge to cross for Logan who is making a good habit of scoring goals lately. It was not our day unfortunately and although Fig managed to score an uncharacteristic header (was a great effort really) we lost it at the death. Was a hard one to take but the team will move on and focus on the games ahead.
Willie
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MATCH
CENTRE
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE SAT. 13th JANUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
Click or Double Tap for Match Report and Line Ups
2 FRASERBURGH
Late drama at the Bellslea as the sides share the spoils
Willie West 44’, Logan Watt’89’
Match Gallery 1
Match Gallery 2
| HIGHLAND LEAGUE | MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
FRASERBURGH CLACHNACUDDIN SATURDAY 13TH JANUARY BELLSLEA PARK
V.
CLACHNACUDDIN 2 Mackenzie 48’, 93’
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
Official Travel Partner of Fraserburgh FC
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head of youth
MATTHEW WEST After some great work to progress the group over the festivities, January has been a frustrating time with weather bringing disruption to our schedule. We were grateful for opportunity to get a friendly with local Welfare side Longside Thistle which was a chance for guys to get gametime. Dyce's pitch had suffered from the winter weather and therefore we agreed to reverse the fixture last Monday to Bellslea. Our only match of the month. The game was competitive, both teams had to settle for a point with game finishing 1-1 after Max Wiseman headed home from a set play. We were content with the overall performance on the night. Naturally you want to win but we showed much of what we have been working on in training so this was a big positive. A number of our U18s have helped Peterhead Boys Club 2007s progress into the semi finals of the Scottish Cup. A terrific achievement having trailed 3-0 in their Quarter
Matthew West Final match against Milton FC. Managed by former Broch Player Scott Mackie, we wish all involved well in the semi final. It was great to watch Fraserburgh Link Up 2009 overcome Johnstone Burgh and progress to the Scottish Cup quarter finals last Sunday. Many of these guys have been involved recently in our youth set up and all have a bright future in the game. The Battle of the Burghs was an entertaining match, Broch would cling on come the final stages having led 3-0 in the match. Big Remi in goal with a couple of important saves and some cool heads to convert seen the Broch Link Up progress after penalty kicks with some
great scenes of celebrations at Kessock Park. Well done to all. We are keeping the group motivated to get better, progress and improve despite the challenge that the weather brings to our fixtures. A big thanks must go to the groundstaff who are doing a fantastic job to provide the players a good playing surface considering the winter we are enduring. These guys are so important and valued by us all. We have many games still to play which is exciting. All the best. Thanks - Matthew
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
On this day
FEBRUARY DOWN THE YEARS st th st
1 nd 2 rd 3 th 4 th 5 th 6 th 7 th 8 th 9 th 10
1975: Deveronvale are defeated 6-0 at the Bellslea with goals from Eddie Gammack (2), Bertie Bowie, Bobby Fraser, Charlie Esslemont, and Jimmy Noble 1985: A ding-dong battle at home to Buckie sees a share of the points in an eight goal thriller
2018: A goal on his 100th Broch appearance for Aidan Combe as the Broch take the points at Princess Royal Park by four goals to one 1978: Dave McKenzie nets the Broch’s 4,000th goal but it’s not enough to prevent Keith leaving the Bellslea with a 2-1 win 2020: Heartache at Victoria Park, Buckie as a penalty shootout sees the hosts progress in the Highland League Cup
2016: Paul Campbell and Cameron Buchan net their first goals for the club in a 4-0 victory at Lossiemouth
1976: A double from Brian Newlands takes the points at Forres but not without cost as Eddie Gammack breaks a leg
1992: Andy Lavelle nets the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Rothes
1980: A Davie Robertson hat-trick guides the Broch to a 4-1 Aberdeenshire Cup win over Deveronvale, Bertie Bowie claims the other. 2018: A goal scoring debut for Kieran Simpson as Fort William are thrashed 9-0 at the Bellslea
11 th 12 th 13 th 14 th 15 th 16 th 17 th 18 th 19 th 20
2023: A debut and a clean sheet for young Sam Inglis in a 1-0 win up at Brora
2005: Michael Stephen bags a hat-trick as Huntly go down 3-1 at the Bellslea
1954: A club record crowd of 5,800 for the visit of Hearts who win the Scottish Cup tie by three goals to nil
1953: A Valentine’s Day massacre for Turriff as a Norman Davidson treble and Kenneth Murray brace see the Broch run out 5-0 winners 2023: The Aberdeenshire Shield is Bellslea-bound once more as Buckie go down 2-1 at Kynoch Park through goals from Scott Barbour and Sean Butcher 1957: The trek to Dingwall brings a win over Ross County by 6-2 thanks to goals from Don Emery (3), Ian Bett, Clifford Meldrum, and Alex Stephen 1996: A tough Aberdeenshire Cup test at Keith is successfully passed in a 2-1 win with goals from Ian Murray and Jimmy Young 2004: Gavin Wemyss bags four as Fort William go down 7-2 at the Bellslea
2022: A first Broch goal for Logan Watt as the Broch help themselves to a 3-1 win at Lossiemouth
1965: The Broch keep their Aberdeenshire Cup dreams alive with a 2-1 extra time win over Huntly, Jimmy Milne and Billy Smith are the scorers
21 nd 22 rd 23 th 24 th 25 th 26 th 27 th 28 th 29
1987: Brian Thomson’s hat-trick helps the home side to a 6-0 win as Brora visit the Bellslea, John Chalmers, John Thomson, and Davie Robertson netting the others 1992: An always-welcome victory at Recreation Park as Peterhead go down 1-0 thanks to a Symon Sim counter
2019: A 4-1 romp at Buckie as the goals are shared amongst Scott Barbour, Sean Butcher, Paul Campbell, and Lewis Davidson 1979: A visit to Lossiemouth brings a 3-1 win through a Jim Oliver treble
1933: The King’s Own Scottish Borderers visit the Bellslea on Highland League duty but can’t prevent the eventual Champions running out winners by three to nil 1990: A strike from Doug Ellis sees the Broch progress in this Aberdeenshire Cup clash at Kynoch Park
1982: Huntly are the visitors for another Aberdeenshire Cup tie and goals from Dave Oxley, Davie Gibson, Davie Robertson, and Ian Grant see the home side through by 4-2 1914: An encounter with Ellon United brings a 5-3 win in this Aberdeenshire Charity Cup clash 1992: Strikes from Ronnie Smith and Scott Murray are enough to ensure the points head east in this visit to Inverness Thistle
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COMMERCIAL CORNER
GEORGE THOM FRASERBURGH FC
In the first Commercial update last November, I outlined the four key areas, commercially, For business that the Board are focused on to generate income for our Club.
CLUB
1910
We’re delighted to have delivered on a key investment of new LED floodlights and had a successful launch of our 1st ever Fraserburgh FC Official Tartan which has been well received. Whilst there are still 3 months left of the current Highland League Season, operationally and financially, we are already planning towards Season 2024/25 and beyond, to make sure we have sound financial foundations to build on the success enjoyed at our Club over recent times. A key part of this focus, is to have a closer engagement with our business community and I’m delighted to confirm our new Business Club, Club 1910, has now been launched and all current Businesses who already support us financially have been invited to a series of initial meetings to explore how we can work together, locally and regionally, to help one-another, our Community, and importantly help the club financially in a number of ways. I will provide an update in the March Bulletin. I’ve already mentioned in most recent Bulletins, income generated from Sponsors, Business Partners and
George T hom Advertisers is absolutely crucial for the Club – another major source of income to our Club is funds generated from the HOSPITALITY LOUNGE: As part of a thorough review of all our non-playing operations of the Club, we are about to conduct a full review of our current proposition which includes everything from the Season Ticket and Match day prices, open times, cost to run, value received and management. We will involve representatives from all key stakeholders including existing season ticket holders, regular matchday visitors and our FFC Supporters Club. We will have a fresh approach for the start of Season 2024/25, retaining many of the key features that have made the “Hutty” such a unique experience for our fans and visitors over the years. HALL OF FAME DINNER: We are excited to confirm we have set up a Club Hall of Fame to recognise the exceptional service and contributions to our Club over our long and rich history. To recognise this special moment, we have arranged an inaugural Dinner
where we will honour the initial inductees, and this will become an Annual Event. This Dinner, on Friday 3rd May, will be in conjunction with the wellestablished FFCSC end of season awards. Ticket prices have been set at £40 per person (£400 for a Table of 10) and given the occasion, we expect a “full house” of 200 attendees. Please contact events@fraserburghfc.com to reserve your place. NEXT MONTH: In next month’s Bulletin our update will include outputs from the early Club 1910 initial meetings – a key reason for forming our new Business Club is to generate fresh income that will go directly to a new fund set up for the sole purpose of supporting our management team in player recruitment, development and retention.
Until our next Bellslea Bulletin, all the best,
George
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
MATCHDAY
MASCOTS Our Mascot for the visit of Clachnacuddin on January 13th was Leighton Hastie. He is 9 years old and attends Fraserburgh South Park School.
Leighton plays for Kessock Park Thistle 2013 Blacks and his favourite player is Ryan Sargent.
Our mascots for the visit of Wick Academy were brothers Alexander and Andrew Milne. They both attend South Park Primary. Alexander is 9 and he's in
MATCHDAY
P5, plays for Link-Up 2014's and his favourite player is Ryan Sargent. Andrew is 5, in P1 and plays for Link-Up 2018's and his favourite player is Logan Watt.
interactive
CLUB
JUNIOR QUIZ Welcome to our new Fraserburgh FC Interactive Quiz! You will find the answers to all five questions in this month’s magazine… how many tries will it take you to get them all right?!
CLICK HERE TO PLAY OUR QUIZ! Also at the Clach game we welcomed Ellon Meadows 2012’s at Our Matchday Club sponsored by Gray and Adams. They were a great group and
displayed football.
some
fantastic
Thanks to ex-Broch skipper Steven Main for taking his team down to the Bellslea.
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MEET
THEMcFREF e n a l ar Dan
Photo credit: Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC
WHAT IS YOUR JOB OUTSIDE OF FOOTBALL? SOLICITOR HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN REFEREEING FOR? 14 YEARS! FIRST MATCH YOU CAN REMEMBER REFEREEING? I REMEMBER MY FIRST GAME PRETTY WELL. COLONY PARK V TURRIFF YFC AT U14S ON 24TH JANUARY 2010. IT WAS FREEZING!!! WHY DID YOU START REFEREEING? ONE OF MY OLD SCHOOL TEACHERS, MAT NORTHCROFT WAS A CATEGORY 1 REFEREE. I ALWAYS ENJOYED CHATTING FOOTBALL AND HIS MATCHES WITH HIM!
IT WAS ALSO A GREAT WAY TO BE A PART OF THE GAME I LOVE AS I WAS HOPELESS AS A PLAYER! I HAVE REACHED A LEVEL OF OFFICIATING NOW THAT I COULD ONLY HAVE DREAMED OF AS A PLAYER. FAVOURITE GROUND TO OFFICIATE AT? I REALLY ENJOY REFEREEING AT THE FALKIRK STADIUM. I ALWAYS JUST SEEM TO GET A GOOD BUZZ WHEN I AM THERE. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE 4TH OFFICIAL AT SEVERAL SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP GROUNDS. CELTIC PARK WAS DEFINITELY A HIGHLIGHT! I ALSO ENJOY GAMES AT EASTER ROAD. BEST REFEREEING MOMENT? WITHOUT DOUBT PROMOTION TO CATEGORY 1 IN MAY 2021.
IF YOU WERE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO CREATE OR AMEND A RULE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE? GETTING RID OF A YELLOW CARD FOR AN OVER THE TOP (WITHIN REASON!!) GOAL CELEBRATION. ANY PRE MATCH RITUALS OR SUPERSTITIONS? THERE IS ALWAYS SOME BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ON THE PRE MATCH PLAYLIST! ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO A NEW REFEREE? ATTEND ASSOCIATION TRAINING SESSIONS, INTERACT AND LEARN FROM OTHER OFFICIALS. YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING IN THIS JOB!
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
LAST FIVE
HEAD-TO-HEADS
Click or Double Tap for Formartine United Squad List
Clachnacuddin
Keith
Strathspey
Brechin
Banks o’ Dee
W3-0
W6-2 HOME
W1-0 AWAY
W4-3 HOME
Current
22/23
21/22
18/19
17/18
1-2 4 Oct. 2023
2-2 30 Dec. 2022
0-1 23 Dec. 2022
1-1 30 Sep. 2022
0-2 16 March 2022
HOME
SEASONS
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE FORMARTINE v. BROCH SAT. 10th FEBRUARY NORTH LODGE PARK, PITMEDDEN
RESULTS
Coming up
L1-2 AWAY
3rd 4th 6th 4th 2nd Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League
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rd
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(FFC won 3-2 on pens)
th
www.thebroch.online
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20
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
FRASERBURGH
Back (left to right): Scott Murray (Kitman), Connor Wood, Aidan Sopel, Ryan Cowie, Josh Bolton, Edward Finn, Bryan H Front (left to right): Greg Buchan, Zane Laird, Grant Campbell, James Duthie (Assistant
www.thebroch.online
H FC 2023/24
Hay, Joe Barbour, Lewis Davidson, Sean Butcher, Logan Watt, Ross Aitken, Sarah Robertson (Physio), Alex Mair (Coach) Manager), Willie West, Mark Cowie (Manager), Ryan Sargent, Paul Young, Scott Barbour
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22
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
LAST FIVE
Click or Double Tap for Huntly Squad List
HEAD-TO-HEADS
SEASONS
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE BROCH v. HUNTLY SAT. 17th FEBRUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
RESULTS
Coming up Buckie
Inverurie Locos
HOME
HOME
W3-1 AWAY
22/23
21/22
L2-3
Lossiemouth
L1-2
Current
Brechin City
Rothes
L0-5 AWAY
D4-4
18/19
17/18
HOME
8th 8th 10th 9th 11th Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League 0-4 24 January 2024 th
4-1 3-0 0-6 7 October 2023 4 February 2023 25 January 2023 th
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1-4 2 Nov. 2022 nd
www.thebroch.online
23
FAN
FOCUS WHERE DO YOU NORMALLY WATCH FROM? WITH ANYONE? I go in Gate 2 and stand with all the Broch supporters. Keri loves following the Burgh so she stands with me.
Karen W isely
WORST GAME? Losing against Bonnyrigg Rose and not getting through to the next round of the Cup.
ALL TIME FFC ELEVEN? Billy Gordon Neil Main Ryan Cowie Bryan Hay Russell McBride Ryan Christie Ian Murray Ryan Sargent Steven Main Michael Stephen Scott Barbour
FAVOURITE CURRENT FFC PLAYER? Ryan Sargent
LIKE MOST ABOUT THE CLUB? A family friendly club.
ONE HFL PLAYER YOU’D BRING TO THE BROCH? Paul Campbell
FAVOURITE OTHER TEAMS? Only one club for me!
BEST GAME AND WHY? Winning the League in 2021/2022 and why? Well because we became champions!
FAVOURITE HFL AWAY GROUND? Princess Royal Park, Banff ONE THING ABOUT FOOTBALL YOU’D CHANGE? I wish the refs would let the game flow more. WHO WILL WIN THE LEAGUE? A hard one to call and I don’t want to think it but maybe Buckie… but hopefully the Broch!
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
LAST FIVE
Click or Double Tap for Buckie Squad List
A jubilant Bellslea crowd pictured back in November 1957 during the second leg of the Qualifying Cup Final. Inverness Caledonian were the visitors and the Broch were to repeat the first leg score of 3-1 to take the trophy in front of 2,300 spectators.
HEAD-TO-HEADS
SEASONS
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE BUCKIE v. BROCH WED. 21st FEBRUARY VICTORIA PARK, BUCKIE
RESULTS
Coming up Huntly
Forres
W3-2 AWAY
W8-1 AWAY
Current
22/23
1-3 12 August 2023
2-1 15 Feb. 2023
Turriff United
W3-1 AWAY
Wick Academy
W5-2
Inverurie Locos
HOME
W2-0 AWAY
21/22
18/19
17/18
1-0 19 Nov. 2022
2-1 30 July 2022
1-3 9 Feb. 2022
5th 2nd 2nd 8th 7th Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League
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www.thebroch.online
25
MATCH
CENTRE
EVENING EXPRESS ABERDEENSHIRE CUP WED. 24th JANUARY CHRISTIE PARK, HUNTLY
Broch march on in commencing Aberdeenshire Cup defence
Click or Double Tap for Match Report and Line Ups
0
HUNTLY
Match Gallery
|ABERDEENSHIRE CUP| MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
HUNTLY FRASERBURGH WEDNESDAY 24TH JANUARY CHRISTIE PARK
V.
FRASERBURGH 4 Ryan Sargent 26', 63', Paul Young 33', 48'
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BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
FFCSC
NEWS
On the 6th January we were off to first foot Deveronvale, it was like going back in time where we had to start the game at 1pm due to a lack of floodlights. The Broch took the lead in the 19th minute, Scott Barbour sends in a corner from the left, Jamie Beagrie climbed highest and heads the ball into the net from 6 yards out, the Broch doubled their advantage in the 23rd minute, Ryan Cowie moves forward with the ball and fires a screamer of a left foot shot from 30 yards out, the ball goes over Sean McIntosh and sails into the net, 2 slack back passes either side of halftime allowed the vale to draw level, Sean Butcher came off the bench and swung the game back in the Broch’s favour, in the 68th minute, Aidan Sopel dribbles into the box, he passes the ball forward to the feet of Greg Buchan, he sends the ball into the edge of the 6-yard box, Sean Butcher slots the ball home with his right foot from 6 yards out, Sean sealed the win in the 85th minute, Willie West fired in a shot which McIntosh blocked, the ball comes out to Sean who takes a touch and slots it into the empty net, a hard fought 3 points in a game we dominated from start to finish, the win puts us up the League table into second place behind Brechin City. We were at home to Inverness Clachnacuddin in our first home match of the year, a strong wind blew down the park which we had at our backs in the first half, Willie West broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, he lobbed the ball into the box with his left knee, Keith Mason could only clear the ball with his head to the edge of the box, Willie reacted quickly and fired in a cracking left footed volley which went into the net off the right-hand post, early in the second half Lewis Mackenzie showed Beagrie and Simpson a clean pair of heels as he slotted the ball past Joe Barbour to level the scores, things became a lot harder for the Broch in the 56th minute, Sean Butcher was shown a straight red card after he tried to kick a high ball but connected with a Clach defenders head instead, the Broch were awarded a penalty in the 81st minute, Ryan Sargent crashed the ball off the underside of the bar, the ball looked to have gone over the line but the linesman waved play on, Willie West swung in a cross from the left wing in the 90th minute, Logan Watt controlled the ball with his right foot then slotted it past the keeper from 8 yards out, Clach equalised in the 94th minute after a cross was headed in by Dylan Mackenzie, a disappointing end to the game with 2 points dropped. Congratulations must go to Jamie Beagrie who made his 250th appearance for the Broch in the Clachnacuddin game, Jamie is 35th in the Broch all time appearances, next up to pass is Neil Main who is on 253, Jamie made his debut in a 1 all draw at home to Clach on the 2nd August 2008, he has 31 goals for the Broch, he scored his first goal for the Broch on the
13th December away at Brora in a 3 goal to 1 victory, all at the Supporters club wish Jamie all the best for the future and thank him for the past. We were supposed to be at home to Banks O’ Dee in the under 18’s League on the Monday night, the Bellslea had a covering of snow over it so that game will have to be played at a later date. We were away to Huntly on Wednesday 24th January in the 1st round of the Aberdeenshire Cup, Ryan Sargent settled the nerves when he slotted home in the 27th minute to put the Broch ahead, Paul Young put us 2 up in the 34th minute, Fraser Hobday cleared the ball up field, Paul controlled it then fired in a shot from 40 yards over the defenders into the net, the best move of the match resulted in a 3rd goal in the 48th minute, some intricate passing between Adan Sopel, Ryan Sargent and Greg Buchan down the left wing, Greg squares the ball to Paul Young who from 8 yards out smashes the ball high into the net with his left foot, Ryan Sargent completed the scoring in the 63rd minute, Paul Young crosses the ball into the box from the right side, Ryan has a diving header from 8 yards out which goes into the left corner of the net, a great win at Christie Park which now gives us a home tie against Hermes in the Quarter Final. The last Saturday of the month we were at home to Wick Academy in the league, Logan Watt scored the opener in the 5th minute, Joshua Hawkins fires a ball up the left wing to Connor Wood, he slots the ball through to Scott Barbour, he sends in a low accurate cross into the feet of Logan, he slots the ball into the net from 6 yards out with his right foot, Josh Bolton gets sent off early in the second half for an off the ball incident, Willie West scores our second goal in the 63rd minute, Scott Barbour sends a freekick from the right side, Willie losses his marker and stoops to head home from 6 yards out, Logan Watt wraps up the points in the 72nd minute, Ryan Sargent dribbles along the bye line, he passes the ball to Scott Barbour who shoots the ball at goals, James More blocks the attempt, the Wick defence clear the ball out to Logan, he reacts quickest and strokes the ball from 16 yards out, into the bottom right side of the net with his left foot, Willie West then gets a second yellow for time wasting and Mark Cowie has to follow him to the dressing room, a crazy finish to a game. Congratulations must go to Joe Barbour who had his 50th clean sheet in the Wick game, Joe has completed this on his 132nd appearance for the Broch. The under 18’s got their New Year going when Dyce came to the Bellslea, It was a tight encounter with the 1 all draw probably a fair result, Dyce broke the deadlock late in the first half, the Broch equalised in the 83rd minute, Stuart Laird swung in a corner from the right, Max
Visit our Facebook page Wiseman rose highest in the 6-yard box and bulleted a header into the net. On the last day of the month, we were off to Turriff in a rearranged league fixture, the Broch had to ring the changes due to suspensions and injuries, the Broch dominated the early stages of the game but Turriff took the lead against the run of play in the 29th minute, Ryan Sargent crossed the ball into the box in the 37th minute for Logan Watt who side footed home from 6 yards to draw the sides level, in the 55th minute the Broch went ahead when Kieran Simpsons looped the ball into the box, Scott Barbour rose and headed the ball over the keeper into the net, Turriff drew level in the 71st minute, Murray Cormack fired in a left footed shot from 16 yards out which went in off the underside of the bar, the home team won the game in the 90th minute, Ryan Sargent had a chance which was blocked by the keeper, they broke up the park and Murray Cormack managed to poke home the winner. It was a game that the Broch did not deserve to lose but that’s fitba. For those who are interested, due to matches being off Zander Smith has only scoffed his 8th pie to date this year, Zander should be able to up his intake with the run of midweek matches that are up and coming. We will be running a bus to the Formartine game on Saturday 10th February, the bus will leave the Elizabethan at 12:30pm, the cost of travel is £8 for adults and £5 for others. We will also be running a bus to the Buckie game on Wednesday 21st February which will leave the Elizabethan at 6:15pm, the cost of travel is £10 for adults and £5 for others. Please note that all seats on all buses must be booked by contacting Barry Walker at the supporter’s club. We hope to attract new members to the supporter’s club as we have kept our membership and bus prices at the same cost as last year. Non members are also very welcome to travel to games but they will have to pay an extra £2. Our bus info page will tell you the cost and times of bus travel, we leave for home right after the final whistle.
Visit our FFCSC website at http://www.fraserburghfcsc.co.uk Ten Nil
www.thebroch.online
27
MEMORY
MATCH BROCH’S EXTRA-SPECIAL TRIUMPH FIGHTING Fraserburgh collected the 1996 Jarlaw Aberdeenshire Shield for the fourth time in six seasons after a nine-goal thriller at Allan Park, Cove. After an hour the holders looked dead and buried, trailing slick Peterhead 3-0, courtesy of a Colin Milne hattrick. But battling Broch staged a remarkable last-gasp rescue bid to score three goals in 18 minutes, the third in injury time to send a cracking cup final into extra time. Wednesday 28th November 1996 Aberdeenshire Shield Final
6 FRASERBURGH 3 PETERHEAD after extra time Fraserburgh Billy Gordon Derek Milne Henry Michie Scott Clark Andrew Stephen Jimmy Young Mike McCafferty Ian Murray Clark Killoh Kris Hunter James Geddes subs Michael Stephen Kevin Norris Russell McBride
Peterhead dominated the first half and went in front in 29 minutes when MILNE slotted the ball calmly under the advancing Billy Gordon after Derek Smith's clever footwork set him up 12 yards out. Half-Time: Fraserburgh 0-1 Peterhead Nine minutes into the second half MILNE extended the Blue Tooners' lead and eight minutes later MILNE made it 3-0 with a powerful header which flew past Gordon off a Broch defender.
home Stephen's cross from six yards out. Full-Time: Fraserburgh 3-3 Peterhead A minute into extra time, Fraserburgh led for the first time, McBRIDE the marksman. A minute into the second period KILLOH crashed home goal number 5, and with three minutes left HUNTER completed the scoring. Full-Time (aet): Fraserburgh 6-3 Peterhead
In 72 minutes Fraserburgh launched their comeback, HUNTER curling an 18-yard shot round Peterhead keeper Pirie.
Scorers Fraserburgh: Hunter 72, 117, M.Stephen 87, McBride 90+1, 91, Killoh 106
Three minutes from time Michael STEPHEN made it 3-2 to give the Broch contingent in the enthralled 500-strong crowd something to shout about.
PETERHEAD: Pirie, McCredie (Robertson), Cormack, King, Simpson (Beddie), Bridgeford (Rattray), McKenzie, Yule, Milne, Brown, Smith
A minute into injury time Broch were level when teenager McBRIDE slammed
Peterhead: Milne 29, 54, 62
Referee: A.Freeland (Aberdeen)
Celebrating Jamie Beagrie’s opener at Deveronvale Photo: Barry Walker
www.thebroch.online
29
LAST FIVE
Click or Double Tap for Nairn Squad List
HEAD-TO-HEADS
SEASONS
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE BROCH v. NAIRN SAT. 24th FEBRUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
RESULTS
Coming up Lossiemouth
5-1 HOME
Inverurie Locos
L0-6 AWAY
23/24
Brechin City
L0-1
Rothes
HOME
W3-0 AWAY
Banks o’ Dee
21/22
18/19
17/18
1-0 9 April 2022
2-3 14 August 2021
0-1 19 Dec. 2020
22/23
D3-3 HOME
6th 7th 8th 10th 9th Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League Highland League 2-2 0-4 21 January 2023 27 August 2022 st
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ADVERTISINGOPPORTUNITIES
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Advertising opportunities at Bellslea allow you to promote your business within our ground whilst at the same time supporting our club. We offer a range of options with an Annual Fee of: • Behind Goals: £400 + vat • New Terrace area: £400 + vat • Above Hospitality Lounge: £400 + vat • Pitch-side: £230 + vat • Behind dug-outs: £180 + vat • Gate 2 & 3 area: From £100 + vat to £300 + vat • Larger boards around the ground: From £460 to £500 + vat High quality Design, Production, and Fitting facilities are provided by Passell, our Official Communications Partner: • Standard Board £275 + vat • Double Board £500 + vat To make an enquiry, please contact stephen.sim@fraserburghfc.co.uk
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BELLSLEA BELLSLEABULLETIN BULLETIN12 12
A & Q
i w e L
n o s d i v a sD
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? PETERHEAD TEAM SUPPORTED AS A BOY? ABERDEEN - HAD A SEASON TICKET FOR A GOOD FEW YEARS. FIRST GAME YOU REMEMBER WATCHING? PETERHEAD V FORT WILLIAM, THINK IT WAS 17-0! FIRST GAME YOU CAN REMEMBER PLAYING IN? CLERKHILL COUGARS - USED TO LOVE PLAYING AT DALES PITCHES AND IN THE GALAS.
WHO DO YOU SIT NEXT TO ON THE BUS? I HAVE A LITTLE GIRL WHO GIVES ME SLEEPLESS NIGHTS SO I SIT MYSELF AND CATCH UP ON SLEEP! THE BOOTS YOU WORE FOR YOUR LAST GAME? NIKE TIEMPOS BEST MOMENT ON A FOOTBALL PITCH? I'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO PLAY AGAINST CELTIC & RANGERS IN THE SCOTTISH CUP
BUT THE GAME AGAINST FORRES TO WIN THE LEAGUE TOPS THEM BOTH. HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE MORE DAYS LIKE THAT.
FAVOURITE GOAL YOU HAVE SCORED? I SCORED A GREAT GOAL IN A TRIAL GAME WHEN I WAS ABOUT 15 … AND I HAVEN'T SCORED MANY SINCE! FAVOURITE GOAL YOU HAVE SEEN? ZIDANE VOLLEY OR BALE OVERHEAD KICK, BOTH IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALS WHICH MAKES THEM A BIT SPECIAL. FUNNIEST THING YOU HAVE SEEN IN A DRESSING ROOM? SEEN A LOT OVER THE YEARS BUT AIDEN SOPEL IS GOOD ENTERTAINMENT AT THE MOMENT! ANY PRE-MATCH RITUALS OR SPECIAL ROUTINES? NOTHING SPECIAL JUST THE SAME PRE MATCH MEAL BEFORE EVERY GAME. WHICH PLAYER IN HISTORY WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY ALONGSIDE? MESSI OR RONALDO, CANT CHOOSE BETWEEN THEM.
IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHICH ONE THING WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT FOOTBALL? PROBABLY AN EASY ANSWER BUT THE TIME IT TAKES FOR VAR DECISIONS TO BE MADE. HOW DO YOU RELAX AWAY FROM FOOTBALL? SPENDING TIME WITH THE FAMILY AND WATCHING MORE FOOTBALL. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE OR TV SERIES? STILL GAME! FAVOURITE BAND OR ARTIST? WILL LISTEN TO ANYTHING BUT OASIS. IF YOU COULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE ANOTHER SPORT A GO ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, WHICH SPORT WOULD THAT BE? GOLF
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT PLAYING FOOTBALL? HAD A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES OVER THE YEARS BUT YOU STILL CAN’T BEAT A WIN ON A SATURDAY
www.thebroch.online
31
MATCH
CENTRE
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE SAT. 27th JANUARY BELLSLEA PARK, FRASERBURGH
Click or Double Tap for Match Report and Line Ups
3 FRASERBURGH
Logan Watt brace helps nine man Broch to the points
Logan Watt 4', 71', Willie West 63'
Match Gallery 1
Match Gallery 2
| HIGHLAND LEAGUE | MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
FRASERBURGH WICK ACADEMY SATURDAY 27TH JANUARY BELLSLEA PARK
V.
WICK ACADEMY 0
32
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
PLAYER AND STAFF SPONSORS
FIRST TEAM 2023/24
www.thebroch.online
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact fraserburghfc@highlandleague.com
33
34 Date Opponent JULY Sat 1 Celtic Sat 8 Cove Rangers Wed 12 Fraserburgh United Sat 15 Aberdeen Wed 19 Maud Juniors Sat 22 East Fife Sat 29 Lossiemouth AUGUST Sat 5 Inverurie Locos Sat 12 Buckie Thistle Sat 19 Deveronvale Sat 26 Deveronvale SEPTEMBER Sat 2 Clachnacuddin Sat 9 Strathspey Thistle Sat 16 Wick Academy Sat 23 Caledonian Braves Wed 27 Keith Sat 30 Brechin City OCTOBER Wed 4 Formartine United Sat 7 Huntly Wed 11 Aberdeen Sat 14 Turriff United Sat 28 Bonnyrigg Rose NOVEMBER Fri 3 Banks o' Dee Sat 18 Rothes Sat 25 Brechin City DECEMBER Sat 9 Lossiemouth Sat 16 Inverurie Locos Sat 30 Keith JANUARY Sat 6 Deveronvale Sat 13 Clachnacuddin Wed 24 Huntly Sat 27 Wick Academy Wed 31 Turriff United FEBRUARY Sat 3 Forres Mechanics Wed 7 Hermes Sat 10 Formartine United Sat 17 Huntly Wed 21 Buckie Thistle Sat 24 Nairn County MARCH Sat 2 Brora Rangers Sat 9 Banks o' Dee Sat 16 Nairn County Sat 23 Rothes Sat 30 Brora Rangers APRIL Sat 6 Brechin City Sat 13 Strathspey Thistle To Be Arranged TBA Forres Mechanics TBA Strathspey Thistle TBA Brora Rangers
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12 H/A Competition
Result
H A A H A A H
RNLI Benefit 0-0 (3-5 pens) Testimonial 0-1 Friendly 10-0 RC4 Testimonial 0-2 Friendly 3-1 Friendly 0-1 League 3-1
A H H A
League League League HL Cup R1
7-0 1-3 3-2 9-0
A A A A A A
League HL Cup R2 League Scottish Cup R1 League HL Cup Semi
6-2 3-1 3-0 2-1 2-2 2-1
H A A H H
League League Abdn Shield R1 League Scottish Cup R2
1-2 1-4 2-2 (4-5 pens) 3-0 1-2 (aet)
A League A League A League
0-2 3-0 1-0
A League H League H League
1-0 4-2 3-0
A H A H A
League League Abdn Cup R1 League League
H H A H A H
League Abdn Cup R2 League League League League
A H A H N
League League League League HL Cup Final
H League A League A League H League H League
4-2 2-2 4-0 3-0 2-3
First TEAM STATS
2023/24 Appearances & Goals Joe Barbour Scott Barbour Ryan Sargent Paul Young Greg Buchan Kieran Simpson Logan Watt Sean Butcher Connor Wood Ross Aitken William West Josh Bolton Bryan Hay Jamie Beagrie Ryan Cowie Aidan Sopel Lewis Davidson Zane Laird Grant Campbell Joshua Hawkins Callum Kelly Cameron Robertson 0
Start Sub Total Goals 27 0 27 24 3 27 12 24 3 27 15 25 1 26 3 22 4 26 1 22 3 25 17 8 25 7 12 13 25 14 11 13 24 3 17 6 23 16 6 22 2 8 14 22 2 18 3 21 1 18 2 20 4 12 4 16 3 5 10 15 3 11 3 14 3 10 13 2 3 1 4 2 1 3 0 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0
League Table Pld Brechin City 19 Banks o' Dee 20 Formartine United 19 Fraserburgh 20 Buckie Thistle 14 Nairn County 20 Turriff United 20 Huntly 20 Brora Rangers 14 Rothes 23 Inverurie Loco Works 21 Lossiemouth 20 Forres Mechanics 18 Deveronvale 21 Wick Academy 18 Clachnacuddin 22 Keith 18 Strathspey Thistle 19
W 16 13 13 13 12 12 12 10 9 9 6 5 4 3 3 2 3 1
D 1 6 3 2 1 1 0 3 4 4 2 3 4 6 4 7 2 1
L 2 1 3 5 1 7 8 7 1 10 13 12 10 12 11 13 13 17
Click or Double Tap for Full Details of Fixtures & Results
Pts 49 45 42 41 37 37 36 33 31 31 20 18 16 15 13 13 11 4
www.thebroch.online
35
MATCH
CENTRE
BREEDON HIGHLAND LEAGUE WED. 31st JANUARY THE HAUGHS, TURRIFF
Click or Double Tap for Match Report and Line Ups
3 TURRIFF UTD
Late Turra coup as hosts snatch points in Haughs thriller
Clark 29’, Cormack 70’, 90+2’
Match Gallery
| HIGHLAND LEAGUE | MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
TURRIFF UNITED FRASERBURGH WEDNESDAY 31ST JANUARY THE HAUGHS
V.
FRASERBURGH 2 Watt 36’, Barbour 54’
36
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
development
TEAMS
Date Opponent H/A Competition Result AUGUST Mon 7 Huntly H U21 League 5-0 Mon 21 Dyce A U21 League 5-0 Mon 28 Dyce H U18 League 3-4 SEPTEMBER Mon 4 Formartine United H U21 League 3-3 Wed 13 Keith A Scottish YC 6-1 Mon 18 Buckie Thistle A U21 League 7-1 Mon 25 Deveronvale A U18 League 3-2 OCTOBER Mon 2 Inverurie Locos H U21 League 1-0 Mon 9 Turriff United H U18 League 2-0 Mon 16 Deveronvale A U21 League 3-4 Mon 30 Turriff United H U21 League 3-3 NOVEMBER Mon 6 Hermes H U18 League 6-1 Sun 12 Stirling Albion H Scottish YC 2-0 Fri 24 Rangers H Scottish YC 0-4 Mon 27 Stonehaven H U21 League 3-2 DECEMBER Mon 18 Huntly H U18 League 2-2 JANUARY Mon 29 Dyce H U18 League 1-1 FEBRUARY Mon 12 Formartine United H U18 League Mon 26 Deveronvale H U18 League MARCH Mon 4 Turriff United A U18 League Mon 11 Hermes A U18 League Mon 18 Hall Russell United A U18 League Mon 25 Inverurie Locos H U18 League APRIL Mon 1 Huntly A U18 League Mon 8 Dyce A U18 League
U21 League Table
P W D L P
Fraserburgh
8 5 2 1 17
Turriff United
7 5 1 1 16
Keith
6 4 0 2 12
Inverurie Loco Works
6 4 0 2 12
Formartine United
5 3 2 0 11
Deveronvale
8 3 1 4 10
Dyce
4 2 0 2 6
Stonehaven
7 1 0 6 3
Huntly
5 1 0 4 3
Buckie Thistle
6 0 0 6 0
Click or Double Tap for Details of U21 Matches U18 League Table
P W D L P
Inverurie Loco Works
7 7 0 0 21
Dyce
5 4 1 0 13
Formartine United
4 4 0 0 12
Banks O' Dee
7 4 0 3 12
Fraserburgh
6 3 2 1 11
Turriff United
7 2 1 4 7
Hall Russell United
7 2 0 5 6
Huntly
6 1 1 4 4
Deveronvale
7 1 0 6 3
Hermes
6 0 1 5 1
Click or Double Tap for Details of U18 Matches
www.thebroch.online
37
OFFICIAL CLUB PARTNERS AND SPONSORS 2023/24
Click on our Partner and Sponsor logos to visit their website.
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES FRASERBURGH FC
We have various sponsorship and partnership opportunities available at Fraserburgh Football Club. For further details and enquiries, please contact: George.Thom@fraserburghfc.co.uk
CLUB
1910 For business
38
BELLSLEA BULLETIN 12
FROM THE
D
ARCHIVES Highland Football & Sport Magazine December 1992
Scott Murra y
"FEES ARE CHEAP - BUT NOT FOR 'RUBBISH' PLAYERS" The fees being splashed out by Highland League clubs for quality players are relatively cheaper than 20 years ago. That's the surprise viewpoint of Fraserburgh manager Charlie Duncan. But he adds: "Some ridiculous money is currently being spent on rubbish." The Broch boss can take a dispassionate view because he doesn't have the funds to join the jostling and cheque-waving and the Bellslea Park youth policy is ticking over nicely. "Clubs are lashing out thousands in the middle of a recession as if there was no tomorrow", says the man who was one of the finest midfielders in North football in the past 25 years. "If they have the money available, there's no reason why they shouldn't. The big question is whether such big fees and good for the North game - it is whether the spenders are getting value for money." He points out that there was a spate of fat fees forked out in the early 1970s - before the Inland Revenue clampdown forced a clutch of clubs out of the market. "People tend to forget that Ray Mackintosh, a superb striker with Caley and Elgin, cost £7,000 in the early 70s and wee Ray O'Hara, with Keith, Peterhead, and others, cost £5,000", recalls Charlie. "By that yardstick, some of today's big deals are certainly not out of order. "The better players being transferred in the past six months are worth the money and some are cheap by comparison with 20 years ago. "But when quality players like Mackintosh and O'Hara were commanding big fees, the average players of that era were fetching only a few hundred pounds - so the balance was right. "The big difference now is that average players are also costing the earth - and over-the-hill players and some with modest track records are being valued are grossly exaggerated prices. "I don't speak from envy of the top teams just because I'm not in the spending stakes. In fact, I'm glad the money is about elsewhere to bring or keep good players in the Highland League, for it improves the standard. But some clubs are
not getting value for what they are splashing out - and it would be a waster of time giving me money to go for some of the player commanding big price tags, for I wouldn't pay through the nose for rubbish." Charlie adds: "We have been pretty inconsistent this season - but I'm actually more encouraged by the actual performances than the results suggest. "Every youngster I've taken into the first team has proved a good player and not a Mickey Mouse. Against Cove Rangers last month we fielded five players who were 18 or under Marino Keith, Scott Murray, Kris Hunter, Jim Geddes and John McGruther. That represents genuine potential for all five of them played in our BP Youth Cup side last season - and this season's youth team also contains a couple more who I'll have in the first team by next Christmas." Inexperience has seen Broch lose games they might have won and he points out that if you lose five games by the odd goal when it might have been the other way round, that represents a swing of 15 points - which adds up to the difference between a very good season and a poor one for a club of Fraserburgh's means. "I'm far from depressed", he stresses. "In fact, I'm happy enough that in a couple of years' time - and I mean two years, not five - we could have a really good side." Scott Murray, for instance, is still 18 yet in his THIRD season in the first team attack and his manager says: "Scott has really matured and I'm surprised not to have had any official approaches from south scouts. Kris Hunter, son of former Broch and Buckie favourite Rex, has come in this term and has done "exceptionally well" according to Charlie. KEY PLAYERS HIT Bright babes, however, need experience to get them out of the woods. That's where the Bellslea club has been right out of luck this term. Two of their best players, Alan Thomson and John
Thomson, have had considerable injury layoffs while their longest servant, Brian Sim, has been unavailable for work reasons. Ronnie Smith was out for a month which Simon Sim was lost to the game when he joined the local trawling fleet. "Simon's departure has been a big blow", says Charlie. "But if the right job came along, I'm hopeful he might give up the fishing and be able to play again." Keith McCreadie, the inspirational midfield player who broke his ankle at the start of last season, is now at the point of comeback after having seven steel pins extracted from his ankle. McCreadie scored 18 goals from midfield in his previous full season and he and veteran striker Dave Robertson, who has now gone junior, clocked up more than 40 between them. It's that kind of strike rate the Black and Whites lack. Graham Alexander started this season brilliantly with seven goals in five games but went off the boil. His manager points out that Alexander is being regarded as a senior, experienced player - at the age of 21. "Look at the top four teams - they don't have youngsters and they regard 20 or 21 as being very young", he points out. "Cove are probably the best I've seen with possibly Elgin next. To be successful, you need experienced players. Over a 40-game season, it is difficult for clubs like us to compete. But it can be done - look at Lossiemouth. "I would have loved the cash Deveronvale made available this season - but I'm so unused to dabbling in the transfer market, I might have got my fingers burned. My committee is doing reasonably well in generating cash but it is going into ground improvements, such as the new dressing rooms in 1993, and there's nothing wrong with that - at least you know you've got value for money." Charlie may not have a cheque book - but he was a rich deposit of young talent piling up interest at Bellslea.
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