#05 v Forfar Athletic - Saturday 28th November 2020 by peterheadfc

Now read in over 52 countries across the world!

Season 2020/21 MATCH DAY #05

PETERHEAD v FORFAR ATHLETIC Saturday 28th November 2020

01779 471251

7.00 7.00 8.00 10.00

- 9.30 - 10.00 - 10.00 - 9.00

Mon - Thu Fri Sat Sun

LUNCH/DINNER VALUE SPECIAL (Served 12.30-2pm and 5-7pm)

CHOOSE A 6” SUB Ham / Turkey / Turkey & Ham / Spicy / Veggie Delite / Big Beef Melt

REGULAR 16oz CUP

COOKIE or CRISPS

ALL FOR £2.50!

PETERHEAD FOOTBALL CLUB

Est. 1891

Address

Balmoor Stadium Balmoor Terrace Peterhead AB42 1EQ

Telephone Email Official Website Facebook Twitter

01779 478256 office@peterheadfc.co.uk www.peterheadfc.org @peterheadfc @pfcofficial

Scottish League Div 2 Champions 2013/14, 2018/19 Scottish League Div 3 Runners Up 2003/04, 2012/13 Scottish Challenge Cup Runners Up 2015/16 Chairman Directors

Rodger Morrison Michael Duncan Les Hill Charlie Watt

General Manager

Martin Johnston

Team Manager Assistant Manager Goalkeeping Coach Sprint Coach Physiotherapist Kit Man Assist. Kit Man Groundsman Assist. Groundsman Safety Officer

Jim McInally Davie Nicholls Jim Butter Stuart Hogg Gregg Smith Jock Morrice Marco Alexander Stan Stephen Jason Gordon Craig Keir

Community Liaison

Nat Porter

Hon. Club Chaplain Hon. Club Doctor

Neil Cameron Dr. Iain Small

Bar & Catering Manager Match Day Announcer Office Administrator Accounts Assistant Blue Toon Talk Editor

Mary Buchan Graeme McLean Sharon Brown Mandy Davidson Ken Morton

BTT Contributors Duncan Brown, Sharon, Brown, Charles Buchan, Jamie Currie, Martin Johnston, Issac Buchan, Glenn Moir, Peter Myers, Nat Porter, The Late George Ritchie, Craig Stewart. Please note that some of the views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Peterhead FC 3

Today’s visitors Forfar Athletic have had a poor start to the season failing to build on an impressive draw recently away to Falkirk (1-1). The Station Park side also gave Premiership high flyers Hibernian a good battle just losing 1-0. The panic buttons at Station Park won’t be getting hit immediately with the Angus outfit only 2 points behind East Fife & 4 with Clyde & the Blue Toon. Forfar boss Stuart Malcolm has opted to go for a youthful squad this campaign, they have brought in Jack McKenzie on loan from Aberdeen alongside Kyle Dalling on a permanent deal from the Pittodrie club. Christian Antoniazzi has enjoyed a good start to the season with Athletic netting 2 goals from 4 games. Antoniazzi earned plaudits having starred for Cove

Rangers & Montrose in the past 2 seasons only netting 2 goals across the whole season. The 20 year old attacker has nearly matched his scoring ratio at both clubs already and we aren’t inside December yet. Antoniazzi is reunited at Station Park with John Robertson (On loan from St Johnstone) who linked up a good partnership with Antoniazzi at Cove Rangers. Malcolm has also amassed some experience into his squad bringing in Gary Irvine, an experienced defender who served Celtic, Dundee & St Mirren in his career, the former East Kilbride boss has brought a great deal of stability at Station Park especially during these tough times however his record in the hotseat doesn’t speak well with only 3 wins out of a possible 25. Time will be on his side though with Malcolm

getting various resources to rebuild at Athletic. Now until the festive period is key for Forfar, after today’s game against Peterhead, it’s trips to Clyde & East Fife alongside home matches versus Partick Thistle & Cove Rangers. It’s early days in the season but points are important for the Angus outfit, something which boss Stuart Malcolm will understand more than anyone else. Forfar will look at this assignment as a possibility to get their season finally up & running & get some momentum in the season, a win for the Blue Toon will be a big boost in what is a shortened league campaign because of the current pandemic we find ourselves in. The club are nicknamed "the Loons" ('loon' is a Northern Scots word for a young man), although they

are sometimes referred to as the "Sky Blues" (which the club stopped using in the early 1990s). One explanation for the origins of the Loons' moniker is that the second string were younger than the first team, so over time people would say "I'm off to watch the Loons".[3] Forfar share many local rivals in Angus, including Arbroath, Brechin City and Montrose, as well as the larger clubs of Dundee, Dundee United, St Johnstone and Aberdeen in the wider east of Scotland region. As well as taking part in the Scottish Professional Football League, the club also participate in the Scottish Cup, the League Cup, the Challenge Cup and the Forfarshire Cup every season.

Corporate Events ● Private Entertainment ● Private Catering ● Outside Catering (Shows, Events etc.) Commercial Catering ● Crockery & Cutlery Hire ● Catering Equipment Hire Licensed Bars ● Barbeques ● Weddings Official Caterers for Peterhead Football Club

We pride ourselves in our personal & professional service through our 35 years in the catering industry Harry Fraser Catering Services Limited Units 3 & 4, Inverurie Food Park, Blackhall Industrial Estate, Inverurie AB51 4FW

Tel: 01467 622008 www.harryfraser.com

BUCHANESS PLUMBING & HEATING For all your plumbing needs

◊ Free Estimates

01779 477656 07798 645191 bucplumb@btconnect.com

Across the North East and on Digital via the Aberdeen Multiplex

Licensed Business LB117

General 01779 491012 Sales 01779 490333 waves@wavesfm.com www.wavesfm.com

8 Love Lane ● Peterhead ● AB42 1PT

MOT DUE? YOUR CAR IS IN GOOD HANDS AT WESTFIELD MOTORS • • • • • •

MOT TESTING SERVICING REPAIRS TYRES & EXHAUSTS SUPPLIED & FITTED ALL MAKES & MODELS OF CARS 4x4’s, VANS LIGHT COMMERCIALS

THE PLACE TO GET AN MOT

PBP Services was established in 1968 and provides high quality surface preparation and finishing services, specializing in all types of protective coating applications such as paints specified for the marine, industrial and commercial markets. +44(0) 1346 514056 info@pbpservices.co.uk SLIP-WAY, HARBOUR ROAD, FRASERBURGH AB43 9TB

FROM THE DUG OUT

DIGGING DEEP “I’m pleased after Saturday’s win over Dumbarton, it was a brilliant start from us and we got a good goal. We looked for 10 minutes as if we would add to it, but we had to make a change with Simon Ferry going off and it affected us. Andy McCarthy has been one of our best midfield players but we had to slot him into the right-back position. We knew set pieces would be a problem as they have a lot of height in their team and we ended up under a bit of pressure because of that, but we didn’t concede a lot in terms of chances. We told the players at halftime to focus on doing the dirty side of the game. We improved in the second half, and we were better. There is no doubt this is a big three points for sure. I would have taken an ugly three points before the game and I think it was pretty ugly, but we kept at it and finished the game well. We were not really under too much pressure.” On the injuries picked up “Simon, to be fair, it was his right hamstring. We don’t think it’s too bad, as he played on for five minutes. Having had hamstring injuries myself, I could never have played on for five minutes, so we’re hoping it is not too bad. Isaac stepped in a divot, so hopefully it’s not too bad. Gary might be back next week as he has been training on his own in the last week and Jason will be back in, so we should have some more options. Sometimes I stand there thinking we are having to make stuff up because of injuries and it is on to next week and we’ll see what sort of team we can come up with again.” Jim 8

Your impact Over the last four years, your support has helped generate a huge amount of awareness around LGBT people in sport. 12 million people in Britain saw the Rainbow Laces campaign in November 2019, including a massive 35 per cent of all sport fans. More importantly, Rainbow Laces has helped foster positive attitudes towards LGBT people in sport and persuaded allies to play their part. We found that, after seeing the campaign: • 62 per cent of fans feel they have a responsibility to stick up for LGBT fans of the teams and sports they

follow, compared to 48 per cent who didn’t see the campaign. • 66 per cent of fans feel more confident that reports of anti-LGBT language at live sport fixtures will be taken seriously. • 46 per cent of sports fans believe they would be more likely to challenge anti-LGBT language at live sport fixtures, and 45 per cent would be more likely to challenge it on social media. With your ongoing support, we’re sure to make 2020 another impactful year.

TeamPride Rainbow Laces is supported by TeamPride, a consortium of world-leading brands committed to making sport everyone’s game. Now in its fifth year, TeamPride join together in 2020 to ensure that despite the impact of Coronavirus, Rainbow Laces continues to drive positive change in the sporting world. They make Rainbow Laces possible by: • Investing expertise and strategic guidance • Utilising their assets to help amplify the campaign message • Engaging leading sports institutions and bodies • Creating a team of Rainbow Laces supporters through their staff and customer networks

Rainbow Laces has always campaigned to make sport everyone’s game. We’ve focused on inspiring, educating and encouraging allyship to support LGBT inclusion in sport.

The events of 2020 have highlighted long-standing inequalities across society. We’ve seen the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on marginalised groups and the results of structural racism throughout society, including in LGBT communities and across sport. The events of this year have also shown us how much community and allyship matter. We’ve seen the role that sport and fitness play in bringing us together, and so many LGBT people and allies have been doing amazing work to make sport everyone’s game. To make this work even further, we have to fight racism in all forms and strive for anti-racism in our own organisations. Stonewall is on a journey towards more meaningful anti-racist campaigning and we ask you to join us in this. It’s vital that the 2020 campaign properly reflects the current climate. As such, this year we will: • Ensure our messaging is closely linked to the impact of COVID on our communities and how sport is helping us get through • Focus throughout the campaign on stories about 10

how sport helps LGBT people and shows what we contribute to sport • Represent LGBT people of colour and/or trans people across our content – and we’re encouraging our partners to do the same

MATCH REPORT

PETERHEAD 1-0 DUMBARTON Saturday 21st November 2020 • SPFL One Peterhead secured their first home league win of the season with a 1-0 win over Dumbarton with the Blue Toon having to dig deep to see off the Sons.

Adam Frizzell sent over a cross that was begging to be put in with Jamie Wilson only inches away from converting.

Everything in the Blue Toon garden looked rosy early on when Ben Armour scored however after injury problems again resurfaced with Simon Ferry and Isaac Layne going off the hosts had to dig deep to keep Dumbarton out.

Former Peterhead player Ryan McGeever headed a good chance over before the break however the half time break allowed Peterhead the chance to regroup and the second half was a more even affair.

Wise words from manager Jim McInally at half-time saw Peterhead enjoy the better of the chances in the second half however they kept everyone on their toes as they could not score a second goal but eventually a 1-0 win was secured. Peterhead with Joshua Rae back in goal took the lead on four minutes when Andrew McCarthy worked his way free on the right and picked out Alan Cook with a cut-back. Cook’s shot was saved by Kevin Dabrowski however Armour was on hand to lash the loose ball home.

Ferry came off just before the quarter hour mark after suffering a hamstring injury and that saw Lyall Cameron come on and tactical changes took place with Kyle Bailey going into central defence and McCarthy moving to right back.

Steven Boyd missed a great chance to make it 2-0 and Rae did well to keep out a Sam Wardrop shot as Dumbarton pressed. Injury issues surfaced again when Layne had to be replaced by Hashim Bakar after he looked to have suffered a knee problem with Derek Lyle failing to ease nerves when he headed over just before the end. Nerves were finally soothed with the final whistle and Peterhead had picked up their second win of the season. Peterhead – Rae, Freeman, Conroy, Ferry (Cameron 13), Bailey, S.Brown, McCarthy, Fraser, Boyd, Cook (Layne 65 (Bakar 86)), Armour (Lyle 65) Unused substitutes – Kesson, Trialist, Wilson

These changes unsettled Peterhead and Dumbarton took control and they could have equalised when 11

A story of football in Peterhead from 1946 and including other aspects of life enjoyed by A story brought of football Peterhead from 1946after and the including other aspects of life enjoyed by children up in during and immediately 39-49 war years. children brought up during and immediately after the 39-49 war years. “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory” was first serialised in the Buchan Observer in 2002 and we “Mine Eyes Have Glory” was first serialised the Buchan Observer in 2002 and we are delighted thatSeen Blue the Toon Talk brings you the LateinGeorge Ritchie’s wonderful account of are delighted that Blue Toon Talk brings you the Late George Ritchie’s wonderful account of his memories to a whole new generation of Blue Toon fans. his memories to a whole new generation of Blue Toon fans.

PART 37b –

Peterhead’s Palace of Varieties

Never to be out done, the contralto tones of Jessie Strachan surely Bobby Toe’s “Top of the Pops” preferring a taste of the Orient with “China Doll in the mild yodelling style of “Slim Whitman” and later cruising on a “Slow boat to China.” Fykie Slessor leaving not a dry eye in the hall with “Give the roses to your mother while she’s here.” This sad song interrupted with the intermittent whispered comments from the older dears in the front row. “Ooh me… fit eh shame!” My dear and early North School friend Betty Geddes (Forbes) letting everyone know, “There’s a tree in the meadow, with a stream drifting by.” Bettie’s mum Lizzie Porter and Fykie Bagshaw give’n it laldy with McNamara’s band. Later, Betty’s 11 year old sister Eva Geddes (Cameron) an early day “Lena Zavaroni” belt’n out “Ma! He’s make’n eyes at me!” Could that possibly have been Lou in the background with collar up Humphrey Bogart style and with the ever present “Woodbine?” Gena Cameron (Massie) taking off 12

forces sweetheart Vera Lynn with “Yours till the stars loose their glory” and later “Come to me my melancholy baby. Cuddle up and don’t be blue.” Jean Wilson (Davidson) with a cultured version of Deana Durbin’s “I can see the lights of home shining brightly o’er the foam” and a beautiful Xmas time “Silent Night” duet with her mum Rena Forman (Wilson). Jean’s aunt Ivy Wilson, always one of the lynch pins of the show would bring the house down with “Ramona” and later “It’s only a shanty in old shanty town” and “Leaving her heart in San Francisco.” Andrew “Semo” Greig ballad singing his way through “We made mistakes and we’re sorry. All over nothing at all.” Then younger brother William “Bub” with spurs a “jingl’n jangl’n, jingl’n as he moseyed along in time with “I’m a one time cowboy, talk about your cowboy, Rag Time Cowboy Joe.” This number also a showstopper with Jimmy Youngson. Another member of the Greig family to appear at Toe’s was sister Peggy. As a nine year old she was

Sister duo Betty and younger sister Eva. This snap taken at “Parkinson’s Mission Hall at the top end of Wilson Road.

Peterhead’s inimitable Belle McCartney seen here at Crossie’s works radio concert in the wartime 40’s.

Gena Cameron on her 1948 wedding day to Bobby Massie. Isabell Dixon prepares to leave her “Toorie-oorie” behind as she leaves on a Bobby Toe’s drive. Peterhead’s very own Walter “Bing” Forbes seen here as a 16 year old.

19 year old Ivy Wilson who “left her heart in San Francisco!” Jean Wilson, seen here on here on her wedding day. Freda Pirie who, as a 15 year old could have been considered Bobby Toe’s “Little Sparrow.”

Regular ballad singer Andrew “Semo” Greig. Was this the first ever 1940’s “Blue Toon” combo?

one of the youngest to perform Mario Lanza’s “I’ll walk with God” being one of her most regular contributions to the evening entertainment.

style in the Bing Crosby mould was always popular with the audiences. “In the Blue of the Night” and “Night and Day” were favourites in Walter’s repertoire of songs from the swing era.

“Andre” Buchan’s melodic tones reaching the audiences with “You belong to me… see the market in Tangiers, send me photographs and souvenirs.” Then a little over halfway through Calamity!... Andre freezes and forgets the words. A brief and embarrassing silence. Andre’s muckets at the rear of the hall give him the “razz” “Boo Boo!” “Git aff min! Yer useless!” Tosh bangs his staff on the pillar near the stage, “Come on now, quiet please. Come on, come on, give the lad a chance!” Cummin restarts his accordian, but Andrew sulks aff the stage say’n “Am nae sing’n nae mair!” A Langate primadonna.” Fit ever next? When will we see their likes again? The ever so professional turn was Walter “Bing” Forbes, a highly rated dance band singer and known all over the north east. Walter’s crooning

Another in the same category as Walter was the inimitable Belle McCartney (Summers) who like Bertha Reid had performed at a Crosse & Blackwell wartime “Workers Playtime” BBC broadcast from the factory. Belle died in 1999 just a few months before her 92nd birthday. She spent much of her singing life desperate “Not to dee an aul wife in a garret.” She appeared in scores of fund raising concerts and was a big favourite at Bobby Toes where her most requested song was “Goldmine in the sky.”

LEADERS IN OUR FIELD…

The Complete Construction Specialists… Supporting Peterhead FC “Come on the Blue Toon!” SITE CLEARANCE & EXCAVATION WORKS ● EARTHWORKS ROADS, KERBS & DRAINAGE ● CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS & FLOORING ● LIGHT & HEAVY PLANT HIRE ● TIPPER HIRE

01358 722309 33-34 The Square, Ellon, Aberdeenshire AB41 9JB ● info@jj-c.co.uk ● www.jj-c.co.uk

MALKY MACKAY STEPS DOWN AS PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR The Scottish FA can confirm that Malky Mackay has today stepped down from his role as Performance Director. Malky joined the association four years ago and has had overarching responsibility to improve elite talent development across the game, working in partnership with the clubs to develop and deliver successful future international players and support our elite coaches. Malky has embedded strong core principles within the performance strategy, which have cascaded through our National Youth Teams, the Scottish FA Performance Schools and Club Academy Scotland. He has also played a vital role in further developing the Scottish FA’s renowned Coach Education curriculum and also worked on the prestigious UEFA Jira Coaching Panel. Malky Mackay: “As a number of qualification campaigns draw to a close and after four years in post, it feels like the right time to step down from my role as Performance Director. I would like to acknowledge the support I’ve had from my colleagues at the Scottish FA, to those at the clubs for their year-on-year cooperation and in particular to our talented team within the Performance Department for their passion, hard work and dedication. “Together, I believe significant progress has been made during my tenure. Collaboration at its best is a powerful force for good in the Scottish game. One such example being the Pride Labs, which our club coaches have really embraced and come together to share best practice. “We’ve seen more players reared in Performance Schools breaking into first teams north and south of the border and playing with distinction. We have also enjoyed strong relationships with our member clubs both at board level and within the academy structure. “At various age levels our National Youth Teams have consistently recorded excellent results against countries such as Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and France. Most importantly we have done so with a

consistent style of play throughout all our youth teams, one which I firmly believe will equip us to compete against our European counterparts more readily and over time give our players the platform to become top internationals of the future. “Our Talent ID player database stretches further than it ever has and our dedicated team of staff continue to scour the UK and beyond for Scottish talent to broaden the pool of players available to our national coaches.

“Last year, we came together as a nation to support Shelley Kerr and her staff as they led Scotland to its first FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals, in France – another ground-breaking experience I thoroughly enjoyed supporting and being a part of. “It was also a great pleasure to be asked by the board to step in as interim manager for our national men’s international against Netherlands – an honour I’d like to thank them for and a memory I will cherish forever. “I am proud to have served Scottish football and to have played a part in the progress that has undoubtedly been made in more recent times. “I care deeply about the Scottish game and about the role the Scottish FA plays in leading and nurturing it. We have some of the most passionate, knowledgeable and committed coaches around and it’s no real surprise to me that a new generation of confident, brave and technical players are now emerging. I look forward to seeing them grow and compete with the very best going forward.” Ian Maxwell, Scottish FA Chief Executive: “Malky has implemented a best practice framework within the performance department that has strengthened our national teams and reinforced relationships between clubs, Performance Schools and Club Academy Scotland. “I would like to thank Malky – as a colleague, friend and former team-mate – for his considerable contribution and commitment to the performance strategy and wish him every success for the future.” 15

NEW & USED CAR AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SALES, ANY VEHICLE SOURCED

SALES ● SERVICE ● FINANCE ● RECOVERY 2019 (69) Vauxhall Astra VX Line 1.4 T SRI Exterior: White Interior: Black cloth Transmission: 6 Speed Manual Mileage: ONLY 8,000 Park Assist Sat Nav Price: £ 12,995 2017 (66) Ford Focus 1.5 TDCI Zetec Exterior: Silver Interior: Black cloth Transmission: 6 Speed Manual Zero tax Mileage: 40,000 Park Assist 1 Owner Price: £ 8,995 2016 (66) Vauxhall Astra 1.6 CDTI Tech-line Exterior: Red Interior: Black cloth Transmission: 6 Speed Manual Zero tax Sat Nav Mileage: 31,000 Front/Rear Park Assist 1 Owner Price: £ 8,495

07715 176650

Scotstown Villa, St Fergus

www.brianhendersoncarsales.co.uk

1893-1986

1936

1947-48

The website HISTORICAL KITS gives an interesting insight into the changing nature of North East fashion through the years and depicts how the Blue Toon used to run out onto the field of play.

The website shows Peterheadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original colours as blue and white stripes. In 1893 the team played regular friendly matches, Scottish Cup and Aberdeenshire Cup games. In 1906 the team changed to their current all blue top which is still the current colours. Through the years the only difference being minor changes to the shorts and socks. The first appearance of the club badge was in 1947-18 season possibly after the success of claiming the Highland League title the previous season. The badge soon disappeared only to return in the early 60s and then again in the late 70s

Another change occurred in 1989-90 when a tartan chequered square effect was adopted, this became a popular iconic design matching other Scottish League clubs at the time.

1989-90

Source: http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Peterhead/Peterhead.htm

TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S REFEREE: ASST. REFEREE 1: ASST. REFEREE 2:

PETERHEAD Ben ARMOUR Kyle BAILEY Hashim BAKAR Steven BOYD Jason BROWN Scott BROWN Lyall CAMERON Ryan CONROY Alan COOK Simon FERRY

Gary FRASER Kieran FREEMAN Derryn KESSON Isaac LAYNE Derek LYLE Gary MACKENZIE Andy McCARTHY Josh MULLIGAN Joshua RAE Lenny WILSON

SQUADS Chris GRAHAM Stuart HODGE Scott LESLIE

FORFAR ATHLETIC Jordan ALLAN Steven ANDERSON Chris ANTONIAZZI Bobby BARR Cameron BREADNER Bernard COLL Kyle DALLING Steven DORIS Sam FISHER Martyn FOTHERINGHAM Mark HILL Daniel HOBAN Florent HOTI

Gary IRVINE Jack MacKENZIE Murray MacKINTOSH Marc McCALLUM Ross MEECHAN Daniel SCALLY Archie THOMAS John ROBERTSON Scott SHEPHERD Cole STARRS Michael TRAVIS Darren WHYTE

SPFL1 RESULTS ● SPFL1 TABLE ● TODAY’S FIXTURES First Half of Season (Matches 1-14)

First Half of Season (Matches 15-27)

HOME \ AWAY AIR CLY COV DUM EAS FAL FOR MON PAR PET

Airdrieonians - 5:0

Clyde Cove Rangers

0:2 -

- 3:1 - 3:0 -

Dumbarton

0:3

- 1:0

Falkirk

Forfar Athletic 1:3 Montrose -

3:2 1:0 0:2

Clyde -

1:0

Cove Rangers -

Dumbarton

2:2 -

0:0 -

Partick Thistle 2:1

- 2:3 -

2:0 2:2

Partick Thistle

Montrose

Peterhead -

Forfar Athletic

3:2

Falkirk

1:3

0:2 1:0

East Fife

2:0 - 1:1

Peterhead

Airdrieonians -

2:1 -

East Fife

2:0

SPFL1

POS. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Falkirk Cove Rangers Airdrieonians Partick Thistle Montrose Dumbarton Peterhead Clyde East Fife Forfar Athletic

P 6 5 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 5

HOME W D 2 1 3 0 2 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 1

L 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 2

F 4 7 7 6 4 1 1 4 4 3

A 1 1 2 3 5 3 2 4 3 6

AWAY W D 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

L 0 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 1

F 8 2 4 0 7 3 4 0 1 1

A GD PTS 3 8 14 1 7 12 3 6 9 2 1 7 7 -1 7 3 -2 7 5 -2 6 6 -6 6 7 -5 4 4 -6 2

TODAY'S FIXTURES BETFRED CUP 2nd Round LEAGUE 1

LEAGUE 2

SLFL

SHFL

A llo a v Hearts

A irdrie v Co ve Rangers

A lbio n R v Stirling A lbio n

Co wdenbeath v A lbio n R

B o nnyrigg v E Kilbride

Devero nvale v B ro ra R

A rbro ath v Dunfermline

East Fife v Clyde

A nnan A th v Edinburgh C

Edin City v Stranraer

B SC Glasgo w v Edin Uni

F William v Strathspey Th

Hibs v Dundee

M o ntro se v P artick Th

B rechin C v Stranraer

Queen's P ark v B rechin

Cumb Co lts v Caley B r

Inverurie LW v Keith

Livingsto n v A yr Utd

P eterhead v Fo rfar

Elgin C v Co wdenbeath

S/ho usemuir v A nnan A th

E Stirling v Uni o f Stirling

Lo ssie v Fraserburgh

Gala Fairydean v Kelty H

Nairn Co v Clach

Gretna v B erwick Rangers

Ro thes v Huntly

Spartans v Dalbeattie

Turriff v Fo rmartine Utd

Vale o f Leithen v CS Stro ll

Wick A cad v B uckie Th

M o therwell v St Jo hnsto ne St M irren v A berdeen

Queen's P ark v S/ho us/mr Stirling A v Elgin City

PETERHEAD SETTING AN UNWANTED RECORD

Peterhead manager Jim McInally reckons that the Blue Toon have created an unwanted record this season by having to make substitutions for injuries in the first half hour in more than half of their games so far. The tone was set in their opening day fixture at Tannadice against Dundee United in the Betfred Cup when Josh Mulligan limped off after 9 minutes with Ben Armour having to come off with a minute more played in their next game against Brechin City. Simon Ferry suffered a hamstring injury after half an hour in the Balmoor side’s opening league game at Airdrie and after four games where no first half replacements were made the jinx has returned In the Betfred game against St Johnstone 11 days ago Armour left early again with Ferry lasting only 13 minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 league success over Dumbarton with Jim saying: “I have never known a run like this before.

We have had injuries all season that have affected our starting line-up, and therefore we are going in short and then having to change our plans really quickly. Sometimes we have been making changes up on the spot as we have been losing players so early in games and need to get someone on. To have to do that in five games so far must be some sort of unwanted record.” Jim added: “We have had six different central defensive pairings so far in only 9 games and against Dumbarton at the weekend we ended up with one of our best midfielders this season, Andrew McCarthy, at right back after just 13 minutes. Our players deserve credit for adapting so quickly and winning on Saturday.” 21

www.peterheadfc.org THE HOME OF PETERHEAD FOOTBALL CLUB

Cooling the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best diesel engines Specialists in the Design, Manufacture, Test & Supply of Diesel Engine Coolant Pumps Pump Design using the latest 3D Solid Modelling Technology Bespoke Mechanical & Hydraulic Coolant Pump Design Pump Refurbishment, Spares and Pump Service Kits Original Manufacturer of Pegson Pumps

LFH Engineering Ltd Aberdeen UK LFH Shanghai Office FM 561520

www.lfhengineering.com

1894 1970

1908

1981

1934

1987 1973 1984

1998

1992

Whilst I was researching the past results against St Johnstone I came across a number of games in The Dewar Shield and this was a competition that was played between 1899-1983. Peterhead took part in the competition a number times and I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the history of the competition and record all the matches that Peterhead took part in. So many of the local competitions which once generated pride and passion in Scottish football have gradually fallen by the way-side in the post war era. One of the most interesting of these was the Dewar Shield. It was early in 1899 that Lord Provost Dewar of Perth (later to become Lord Forteviot) presented the handsome Dewar Shield for annual competition between the respective winners of the Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, Forfarshire and Stirlingshire Cups. The winners would then be ‘champions of the northern counties’. Lord Provost Dewar, of course, was a member of the celebrated Perth-based Dewar family who made their fortune producing some of Scotland’s most famous brands of Whisky. The first competition took place towards the close of season 1898/99 and the participants were King’s Park, Orion, Fair City Athletic and Arbroath. King’s Park defeated Orion 1-0 and Arbroath beat Fair City Athletic 3-2 to qualify for the final which was played at the St Johnstone Recreation Grounds in Perth. 1,500 spectators turned up to witness King’s Park’s 2-1 victory in the final as they claimed the trophy for Stirlingshire. The competition brought the curtain down on every season until the outbreak of War in 1914. The Dewar Shield then went into abeyance and was not revived until 1926 when Lord Forteviot sponsored it’s reemergence. The Fifeshire FA requested to be allowed to participate at this time but were rebuffed as this would have disturbed the ‘symmetry’ of the 4 club content. By this time the resolution of the winners of the respective local cups to decide who would participate in the Dewar Shield was often not concluded by the end of the season. In response to this, the Dewar Shield would henceforth be played in the early months of the following season. If the cup winners had still not been decided the local FA or the 26

Dewar Shield committee would nominate an entrant from the county concerned. The competition then carried on in this vein until it was halted by the intervention of the Second World War. This time the competition would be revived immediately after the cessation of hostilities. The Fifeshire FA again asked to take part but once more met an unsympathetic response. Aberdeen won the 1945/46 Dewar Shield but unfortunately the competition then lapsed into an erratic pattern e.g. not being concluded or stretching over 2 seasons (or more). This was due primarily to the priority given to other ‘more important competitions’. The Dewar Shield limped along for many years but as far as can be seen has not been competed for since the early 80’s. 1905-06 Peterhead’s first involvement in the competition was on the 24th March 1906 in a match against Stirlingshire Champions, Dunblane. This was the result of Peterhead’s Aberdeenshire Cup success in that season. The match was contested at St Johnstone’s former ground Recreation Park which was located on the South Inch in Perth. Playing in their traditional blue shirts and white knickers the Blue Toon fairly showed their Southern adversaries that they were not just there to make up a numbers. As the Buchan Observer match report details the fact that Dunblane keeper Eadie was a lucky man following a number of close shaves in his goalmouth preventing Peterhead from scoring. The swathes of attacks continued in the second half and it was unfortunate that three minutes from time Dunblane netted what proved to be the winner, this was despite a Peterhead goal being disallowed for offside. DUNBLANE 0-1 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: McRobbie, Robertson, Craig, MacIntosh, Davidson, Mitchell, Shand, Simpson, Buchan, Munro and Thomson. 1935-36 It would be 29 years until the next involvement in the competition this time when Peterhead met Aberdeen in the Preliminary Round of the competition. It was a two legged affair with the first game being played at Recreation Park, Peterhead on Saturday 27th April 1935. The Don’s had fielded a rather youthful but talented side (their first team was away to Queens

The Peterhead team that faced the Dons on the 12th August 1935

Park that afternoon) and it was Peterhead who really began to show their visitors who was in charge by dominating the early stages of play. It was only the short shooting of the forwards that Peterhead failed to take any advantage and passed up a number of opportunities. The opening goal game from the Don’s when a cross from Jim Westland was turned in by Hugh Adam. Laurie Conwell made it two and it looked as the Reds would increase their advantage but a penalty was awarded to Peterhead and Burnett converted to reduce the leeway. There was no further scoring in the second half and the Don’s held on to this slender advantage. PETERHEAD 1-2 ABERDEEN Peterhead team: W.Duthie, Burnett, Scott, Jason Buchan, White, J.Duthie, Duncan, Davidson, Joe Buchan, Strachan and Wiseman. The second leg was not played until the start of the following season on Monday evening 12th August 1935. The Pittodrie clash proved to be a goalfest but Peterhead were outshone by the superior talents of a well drilled Aberdeen side who claimed victory winning the tie 9-4.

Aberdeen centre-forward Willie Scott scored a total of 5 goals as the Dons raced to an 8-1 half time lead. The Press and Journal reported of the Blue Toon “their defence could not cope with the Aberdeen attack and their forwards would undoubtedly have got less rope from the Pittodrie defence had they treated the match seriously”. The Don’s opened the scoring after only 5 minutes when, Bucksburn born, Scott netted and although Peterhead forward Brinham equalised 2 minutes later, Aberdeen scored in multiple waves of attack with Joe Devine, Willie Scott (4), David Warnock and Ritchie Smith all converting before the whistle sounded for half time. In the second half with the game pretty much completed, Brinham scored his second and Buchan accepted two chances for Peterhead to reduce the deficit. Willie Scott added his fifth goal and Aberdeen were through to meet Dundee in the next round. The Don’s would then go on to win the Shield beating Falkirk 3-0 in the final at Pittodrie. Continued on Page 30

in association with Tennents

…continued from Page 27

ABERDEEN 9-4 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Copland, Hood, Scott, Brown, Townsley, Duthie, Davidson, Craig, Buchan, Strachan and Brinham. Peterhead next competed in the competition at the tail end of the 1949-50 season, again they faced Aberdeen in the Preliminary Round and again it was a two legged tussle. The Blue Toon had already lifted their second Highland League championship when they faced the Dons and gained great plaudits drawing 3-3 in the first leg at Pittodrie on Wednesday 4th May 1949. Peterhead were without their top scorer Jimmy Paterson yet The Press and Journal touted “there was no fluke about the North Champions’ performance, for they were up 3-1 at one stage and defended doggedly against strong Aberdeen pressure after half time”. The intention was set in the early stages when after only 3 minutes a header from Bray came off the bar and Hay hooked it home. Aberdeen scored an equaliser 7 minutes later when Don Emery hammered home a 20 yard free kick but then Strachan restored Peterhead’s lead on 21 minutes turning in a pass from A. Smith. Peterhead were in the driving seat when A. Smith scored from the penalty spot on 30 minutes after Bray 30

was fouled by McKenna, at this point it looked as though a victory may be on the cards for the Aberdeenshire side. A free kick from George Hamilton and an equaliser in the second half from South African, inside right, Stan Williams saw the fightback complete which made for an exciting prospect for the second leg just 3 days later. ABERDEEN 3-3 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Norman Cook, Frank Middleton, Jimmy Simpson, Johnny Strachan, George Buchan, A. Smith, Norman Bray, Alec Hendry, Ian Hay, Johnny Martin and C...Smith.

The two teams met again at Recreation Park for the second leg on Saturday 7th May 1949 and it proved to be just as tight a game as the one 3 days previously. Peterhead made one change with club and Highland League top scorer Jimmy Paterson back in the team replacing Alec Hendry. Both teams had ample chances to score but despite this Peterhead’s forward line could not convert in the final third which grew as a frustration throughout the match. That being said even though the Dons defence had a busy afternoon the Blue Toon never produced the same level of football as they did in the first leg at Pittodrie. A solitary goal by Archie Baird settled the tie and his goal saw Aberdeen through and again they eventually lifted the Shield winning a two legged final against East Stirling.

PETERHEAD 0-1 ABERDEEN Peterhead team: Norman Cook, Frank Middleton, Jimmy Simpson, Johnny Strachan, George Buchan, A. Smith, Norman Bray, Jimmy Paterson, Ian Hay, Johnny Martin and C.F. Smith. 1950-51 The 1950-51 competition saw Peterhead play Aberdeen once more in a two legged contest. The first leg was held at Pittodrie on Monday 1st May 1950 with Peterhead surprising Aberdeen with a 2-2 draw.

Aberdeen right back George Merchant suffered an early injury and had to leave the field of play that undoubtedly would have eased the Highland League side’s spirit who were well worthy of their draw. Jimmy Paterson in attack and Jimmy Simpson in defence were the standout players for Peterhead. Tommy Pearson opened the scoring for Aberdeen on 25 minutes with a left foot drive and it took until the 55th minute before the equaliser arrived. A shot by Jimmy Paterson was saved by keeper Fred Martin and Jimmy’s brother Willie netted from close range. Jimmy himself scored the best goal of the game on 70 minutes rounding keeper Martin to but Peterhead in the mood for victory only for centreforward George Hamilton score the equaliser with a header 7 minutes later. Aberdeen may have won the tie five minutes from the end but Tommy Pearson watched his spot kick fly wide of the post. ABERDEEN 2-2 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Norman Cook, Frank Middleton, Jimmy Simpson, Jim Buchan, George Buchan, Bobby Jeffrey, Willie Paterson, Jimmy Paterson, Johnny Strachan, Johnny Martin, Norman Bray. The second leg at Recreation Park on Monday 8th May 1950 saw Peterhead play an unchanged side with Aberdeen winning through 2-0. The referee came under fire in this tie being accused of spoiling the match with the monotonous din of his whistle for many infringements some deemed unnecessary. This made for a disappointing match for both sides perspectives more so Peterhead who suffered an forehead injury to the experienced George Buchan just before half time following an accidental collision with Aberdeen left-half Archie Glen. George Hamilton opened the scoring for the Dons after seeing Harry Yorkston’s strike hit off the bar. Peterhead had their chances and poor finishing let them down with Willie Paterson and Jimmy Strachan both having good strikes but were unable to equalise. Aberdeen went ahead 2-0 when Norman Bray brought

down Aberdeen left winger Jack Hather on 35 minutes leaving Don Emery to score easily from the resultant penalty kick. Jimmy Paterson had the best of chances for Peterhead in the second half but was unable to open the Blue Toon’s account and Aberdeen eased through where they defeated Falkirk in the semi final and eventually sharing the Shield after a 2-2 draw in the final against Dundee. PETERHEAD 0-2 ABERDEEN Peterhead team: Norman Cook, Frank Middleton, Jimmy Simpson, Jim Buchan, George Buchan, Bobby Jeffrey, Willie Paterson, Jimmy Paterson, Johnny Strachan, Johnny Martin, Norman Bray. 1965-66 A gap of 15 years elapsed before the next involvement which came on Wednesday 27th October 1965. This was a result of Peterhead’s success in the 1964-65 Aberdeenshire Cup win. Aberdeen were not involved and this time St Johnstone were the opponents in a one-off match at Muirton Park, Perth. St Johnstone won the tie 6-3 and from the other scant details available for this match it would appear that former Banks o’Dee and East Fife player George Sim was ordered off near the end of the match. There had been an incident with St Johnstone player Jim Kerray and it first looked as though he would escape with just a booking but the referee saw otherwise and off he went. Kerray scored two of the six for St Johnstone with Fraser, Ewen and Watson the marksmen for Peterhead. ST JOHNSTONE 6-3 PETERHEAD 1968-69 Peterhead were drawn at home to face Falkirk in the 1st Round of the competition but with Falkirk not keen on playing the match it was agreed with the Aberdeenshire FA secretary, Bill Cowie, that Peterhead will forfeit the tie and withdraw from the competition. The Aberdeenshire FA had written to Falkirk manager Willie Cunningham, at the beginning of April 1969, to remind him about the Falkirk clubs obligation to play Peterhead. On the 9th December 1969 Peterhead club Secretary, Arthur Buchan, was quoted saying “It looks as though there is now no hope of getting the game played, so we are now ready to take a bye to get the competition going”. It was over 12 months later before Falkirk completed the competition, winning 4-0 against St Johnstone in the final. Continued on Page 46

HEAD

2 HEAD

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

WHO WILL WIN?

HOME WIN

DRAW

AWAY WIN

5/6

13/5

NB: All Odds subject to change

FORM

PETERHEAD

FORFAR ATHLETIC

21 NOV 20 FT

Peterhead Dumbarton

1 0

WON

21 NOV 20 FT

Forfar Athletic Airdrieonians

1 3

LOST

14 NOV 20 FT

Peterhead St Johnstone

1 3

LOST

14 NOV 20 FT

Cove Rangers Forfar Athletic

1 0

LOST

10 NOV 20 FT

Kelty Hearts Peterhead

1 1

DRAW

10 NOV 20 FT

Forfar Athletic Brora Rangers

3 3

LOST

07 NOV 20 FT

Montrose Peterhead

3 2

LOST

07 NOV 20 FT

Cove Rangers Forfar Athletic

3 0

LOST

PREVIOUS MEETINGS AT BALMOOR

25 FEB 20 SPFL1

Peterhead Forfar Athletic

1 1

DRAW

24 AUG 19 SPFL1

Peterhead Forfar Athletic

1 0

HOME WIN

20 MAY 17 PLAY OFF

Peterhead Forfar Athletic

1 5

AWAY WIN

13 FEB 16 SFL1

Peterhead Forfar Athletic

3 2

HOME WIN

03 Oct 15 SFL1

Peterhead Forfar Athletic

2 2

DRAW

www.malahidefilters.co.uk Greenhill Road Peterhead Aberdeenshire

01779 480908

The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading international oil and gas logistics company

ascoworld.com +44 (0)1779 873000 info@ascoworld.com

ASCO South Base Peterhead Offshore Supply Base Peterhead AB42 2PF

THE 1890’s PENALTY KICKING ELEPHANT Sanger’s circus was in town. They had an elephant who was unbeaten in penalty-kick competitions. When the circus proprietor issued a challenge to Leicester Fosse professional footballers – no one can beat our elephant – it was a challenge too good to miss. Four Leicester Fosse players accepted and took on the elephant.

penalty-taking technique. Keech feinted to play the ball one side of the elephant, then, as the elephant raised his foot in anticipation Keech slotted the ball into the other corner. The elephant had met a worthy opponent but hung on to draw 2-2. A replay was ordered. This time Keech’s deceptions were too much for the elephant, who won 3-2.

For each competition the player and the elephant would take four penalties each. The ball, must be said, favoured the elephant. It was about six times the size of a normal football.

So, if you ever get around to picking a team from the animal kingdom to play one of those world teams selected in the back of a football autobiography, please don’t forget about the elephant. He may not have much mobility but, with a spot of training, could warrant a place on the substitute’s bench, just in case the game should go to a penalty shoot-out.

Three of the four Fosse players lost to the elephant. The last hope was William Keech , who used to crafty

(taken from ‘football strangest matches’ book by Andrew Ward (1999), Portico) 35

Undoubtedly 2020 has been a year like no other and Peterhead Football Club, just like every other football club suddenly found themselves at odds with the norm. - So how did the Blue Toon cope with lockdown?

When the news broke on the eve of their home game with Raith Rovers back on the 13th March there was almost a sense of disbelief that football was cancelled. General Manager Martin Johnston recalls, “The timing couldn’t have been worse. As everyone knows, we normally cater for a large number of people on at match day at Balmoor. Friday the 13th March was no different. We had 220 booked in for pre-match hospitality and suddenly we were frantically trying to cancel food orders with suppliers at less than 24 hours’ notice.”

“We had hoped initially that the suspension of football would be a temporary measure, but it became evidently clear after a very short period of time that this was not to be the case.” With hospitality also being curtailed the club swiftly swung into action in the hope that they might be able to provide both a home delivery and take away service from the coffee shop. That lasted all of 24 hours. Johnston explained, “We rapidly tried to think of ideas on how we could continue. The staff suggested take-away, something that our Chairman Rodger Morrison had vast experience in but he was cautious in respect that he knew the size of turnaround the club would have to achieve to cover the club overheads alone. Within 48 hours the decision was made to stop, Morrison stating, “If

MacDonald’s can’t operate in these circumstances then we certainly can’t either.” A massive cleaning exercise then took place along with all stock being itemised. Perishable items being set aside and prioritised along with items that had a short sell by date. By the following Thursday Balmoor Stadium was ready to go into complete lockdown. “Some big decisions had to be made at this point,” explains Johnston. “It looked very much as if everyone was going to have to go on some form of voluntary leave, with a small core of staff on hand just to keep things ticking over. After a number of emergency meetings with the Board it was time to speak with the staff. I fought hard to retain 6, it had been suggested that we could manage with 4. I must admit I was emotionally drained going into the meeting with the girls. There were tears… from all of us!”

…continued on page 54

37 37

At Masson Glennie, we’re here. Financial Investments Accountancy & Taxation

Estate Agency & Solicitors

Independent Mortgage Advice

Commercial Law

Court & Litigation

Commercial Insurance Wills, Powers Of Attorney & Executives

Here in Peterhead… and Fraserburgh. Here in law, property, insurance & accountancy Here for the exciting times in life, like buying a home or investing in business. And here for the tough times, when sound, impartial advice is invaluable. Whenever you need us, and whatever you need us for, we’re here.

Broad House, Broad Street, Peterhead AB42 1HY

01779 474271 www.massonglennie.co.uk

Sending Sharing Printing We can make it all easier

Print Management Data Processing Mobile Print

Multi Function Production Press Wide Format

UK Wide Service Bespoke Solutions 3D Printing

Concept Group Ltd Concept House 66 Carden Place Aberdeen AB10 1UL

Archiving

Print Media Consumables Scanners

01224 648 784 www.concept-group.co.uk

Wealth management advice focused on your financial goals

We provide a comprehensive wealth management service, offering Specialist face-to-face advice tailored to you. Our services include: • • •

Investment Planning Retirement Planning Later Life Planning

• • •

Inheritance Tax Planning Intergenerational Planning Mortgages

You home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. For further details please contact us on:

Proud to support Peterhead Football Club 01224 202464 │ bwm@sjpp.co.uk │ www.buchanwm.co.uk 10 Broad Street, Peterhead AB42 1BY

THE JAMIE CURRIE INTERVIEW

WE HAVE TO STICK TOGETHER! says GARY FRASER Peterhead have picked up a few good results in recent week and the up-and-down nature of the results seem to be taking a turn for the better. Last weekend, of course, the Blue Toon overcame Jim Duffy's Dumbarton side with the help of a goal from Ben Armour and that was the team's second league victory of the season. Midfielder Gary Fraser played the full 90 minutes alongside Scott Brown in midfield and even though it's very early on in the season Fraser was delighted with the three points, especially as the team lost Si Ferry's influence early on. He said: "It was great to get the win on the day. It was an important one too. It was a bit of a blow as when Si went off, but we showed our resilience and stuck at it, we kept going for each other and managed to see it out and get the win." 40

It's now two wins from five in the league so far for Jim McInally's men, and Fraser is confident that he and his teammates can go on a good run which would ensure they are able to class this season as a positive one. He explained: "It's still so early in the season so there are plenty of points to play for and I am hoping we can pick them up regularly this season. But if we are to do that, we have to stick together to work hard, train hard and the results will follow. " Of course, today's match like the rest this season will go ahead without the backing of the Blue Toon supporters, and we asked Gary how he felt playing at Balmoor without the fans in attendance. He said: "Playing with no fans is weird, but it's the same for everyone just now. Hopefully, they will be back soon and are still supporting the team even though they are unable to be with us inside the stadium.

For us players, we have to get on with it and try and do our best for the club and we really hope and cannot wait for the better times to be upon us and have the fans with us back inside Balmoor as soon as it's safe and possible to do so."

But it will be a difficult game, as every game in this league is, and maybe Forfar will have a point to prove given their current position in the table. But I don't see why we won't be able to win the match if we manage to play at our best."

Today Peterhead face bottom-of-the-table Forfar Athletic, who just have two points from their first matches. Despite that, though, Fraser is not getting ahead of himself or disrespecting the side from Station Park. He's confident of getting the three points, but at the same time, he's aware that if Peterhead aren't at their best then it could potentially leave the door open for Forfar to collect some points from their trip north. "This is a good chance for us to pick up maximum points, especially as we will look to build on last week's win. 41

We offer a high level of assistance & commitment to supply you the customer with the correct equipment for your job. • Van Hire ● Mini Bus Hire (8-17 seat) ● 4x4 Hire • Car & Estate Car Hire ● 7.5 tonne Flat Bed Van • 7.5 tonne Box Van c/w Tail Lift • New & Used Van & Car Sales • Plant Hire, Tool Hire and Sales • Trailers & Horsebox Hire ● HGV Rental • Access Machine Hire (from 7m-42m) IPAF, RTITB, PASMA, and CPC Training (Call for details) NO JOB IS TOO BIG OR TOO SMALL

www.mbplant.co.uk Unit 13 Clayton Court, Invergordon Tel: 01349 853760 Fax: 01349 852067

Unit 1/3 Maxwell Place, Fraserburgh Tel: 01346 517022 Fax: 01346 515859

14 Wilson Street, Peterhead Tel: 01779 475397 Fax: 01779 479236

The Blue Toon Podcast Your weekly unofficial podcast dedicated to all things Peterhead Football Club

http://thebluetoonpodcast.podbean.com/ https://twitter.com/toon_blue https://www.facebook.com/The-Blue-Toon-Podcast113313383374544/

MATCH STATS ● APPEARANCES ● GOAL SCORERS n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

10-Oct 13-Oct 17-Oct 24-Oct 31-Oct 07-Nov 10-Nov 14-Nov 21-Nov 28-Nov 05-Dec 12-Dec 19-Dec 26-Dec 02-Jan 16-Jan 23-Jan 06-Feb 13-Feb 20-Feb 27-Feb 06-Mar 13-Mar 20-Mar 27-Mar 03-Apr 10-Apr 17-Apr 20-Apr 14-Apr 01-May

Opponents Dundee United Brechin City Airdrieonians Cove Rangers Clyde Montrose Kelty Hearts St Johnstone Dumbarton Forfar Athletic Falkirk East Fife Partick Thistle Montrose Cove Rangers Airdrieonians Dumbarton Clyde Forfar Athletic Partick Thistle East Fife Falkirk Cove Rangers Clyde Airdrieonians Forfar Athletic Partick Thistle East Fife Montrose Dumbarton Falkirk

H 0 3 2 0 0 3 1 1 1

Away Home Away Home Away Away Away Home Home Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Away Home Home Away Away Home Away Home Away Home Away

A 1 1 Rae 1 Rae 0 Rae 2 Rae 2 Rae 2 Rae 1 Wilson 3 Wilson 0 Rae

2 Mulligan Bailey Freeman Freeman Freeman Freeman Freeman Bailey Bailey

3 Conroy Conroy Conroy Conroy Conroy Conroy Conroy Freeman Freeman

4 5 J. Brown Bailey J. Brown MacKenzie J. Brown MacKenzie J. Brown Bailey J. Brown Bailey J. Brown Bailey J. Brown Bailey J. Brown Conroy Ferry Conroy

6 Ferry Ferry Ferry S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown Fraser

7 McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy Cook Cook Cook Cook Ferry McCarthy

8 S. Brown S. Brown S. Brown McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy McCarthy S. Brown

9 Layne Layne 2 Layne Cameron Fraser Fraser Fraser Fraser Boyd

10 Boyd Boyd Boyd Boyd Cameron Cameron Cameron Boyd Armour

11 Armour Armour Bailey Lyle Boyd Armour 2 Armour Armour Cook

Substitutes Wilson, McKenzie, Lyle, Fraser, Cook, Kesson, Cameron Wilson, Cook, Freeman, Lyle, Cameron, Kesson Wilson, Cook, Freeman, Lyle, Cameron, Kesson Layne, Kesson, Wilson Armour,Kesson,Bakar (T), Wilson, Lyle Ferry, Boyd, Kesson, Bakar (T), Trialist, Wilson, Lyle Ferry, Boyd, Kesson, Bakar, Lyle Cook, Kesson, Cameron, Bakar, Lyle Layne, Kesson, Cameron, Bakar, Trialist, Wilson, Lyle

KEY - n SPFL n Betfred League Cup n Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup n Scottish Cup BOLD NAME = Goalscorer ITALIC NAME = Penalty SHOTS GOALS CONCEDED CLEAN SHEETS GOALS SHOTS ON TARGET FOULS CONCEDED YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

GOALS SHOTS ON TARGET CLEAN SHEETS SHOTS GOALS CONCEDED FOULS CONCEDED YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

Falkirk

Montrose

Airdrieonians

Clyde

Montrose

East Fife

Cove Rangers

Forfar Athletic

Partick Thistle

Peterhead

East Fife

Dumbarton

Peterhead

Airdrieonians

Clyde

Partick Thistle

Dumbarton

Falkirk

Forfar Athletic

Cove Rangers

GOALS GOALS CONCEDED CLEAN SHEETS SHOTS SHOTS ON TARGET FOULS CONCEDED YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

Cove Rangers

Falkirk

Dumbarton

Airdrieonians

Falkirk

Montrose

Airdrieonians

Cove Rangers

Peterhead

Partick Thistle

Clyde

Dumbarton

Forfar Athletic

Partick Thistle

Clyde

East Fife

Montrose

Peterhead

GOALS GOALS CONCEDED CLEAN SHEETS SHOTS SHOTS ON TARGET FOULS CONCEDED YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

Falkirk

Peterhead

Cove Rangers

East Fife

Airdrieonians

Dumbarton

Montrose

Falkirk

Partick Thistle

Airdieonians

Forfar Athletic

Montrose

Dumbarton

Clyde

Cove Rangers

Peterhead

Partick Thistle

East Fife

Forfar Athletic

GOALS GOALS CONCEDED CLEAN SHEETS SHOTS SHOTS ON TARGET FOULS CONCEDED YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

Peterhead

Dumbarton

East Fife Falkirk

East Fife

Montrose

Peterhead

Falkirk

Airdrieonians

Clyde

Cove Rangers

Dumbarton

Partick Thistle

Forfar Athletic

Partick Thistle

2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Score Group Limited is a supplier of engineering services and products to the energy and marine industries specialising in the valve, industrial gas turbine and subsea markets. Founded in Peterhead over 30 years ago and now operating worldwide, Score Group employs over 1,700 people and operates a multi-award winning apprentice scheme.

To find out more about the services and products offered by Score Group companies you can visit our website:www.score-group.com Are you interested in starting a career with Score Group? You can find details of current job vacancies on our website at: www.score-group.com/careers/ Score Group Ltd is proud to sponsor Peterhead FC

…continued from Page 31

1969-70 The following season Peterhead were drawn at home to face St Johnstone in the 1st Round of the competition. A trawl through the archives shows that this game never took place and the Shield was never completed.

1970-71 There appears to be only one game contested in the Shield this season and it was the final played on Saturday 26th February 1972. Peterhead contested the match against Dundee United at Tannadice Park. Reports from the match indicate that Peterhead shocked an almost full strength Dundee United side with the Blue Toon creating most of the good chances in the first half and it would appear that United were lucky to reach half time goal-less. This prompted a furious reaction from United manager Jim McLean in his half time team talk. The United side that included Jackie Copeland, George Fleming, Frank Kopel and Archie Knox were far superior in quality and McLean’s tirade seem to do wonders as United rattled up three goals in a much improved second period. The goals came from Andy Rolland, Ian Mitchell and Pat Gardner. Attendance 2000. DUNDEE UNITED 3-0 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Adrian Connell, McKean, Jim Ross, Pirie, Johnny Anderson, Doug Milne, Andy Kerr, Duthie, Rex Hunter, Duncan, Len Morris. Sub: Summers - replaced Morris - 69th minute 1971-72 Peterhead travelled to Brockville for a 1st Round tie on Thursday 26th October 1971 against Falkirk and it turned out to be an eventful evening - but not for the Peterhead club officials or fans for that matter. Falkirk won the match 8-0 with Peterhead secretary George Ritchie being quoted afterwards “it’s cost us £80”. He reckoned every goal Falkirk scored cost them £10. He lamented “it cost us £140 to go there and our share of the 500 gate after match expenses came to £30. When Falkirk manager Willie Cunningham heard how much out of pocket we were, he arranged for his club’s share of the gate to us as well. It was nice of him – but we still lost £80 on this venture”. Falkirk were rampant throughout the match and 46

scored for fun, who were 3-0 up at half time including a hat trick from a young Alex Ferguson, who later, as we all know became one of the most famous names in global football. The Peterhead side also included 16 year old defender Willie Miller on loan from Aberdeen who was to finish top scorer at Recreation Park that season. FALKIRK 8-0 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Adrian Connell, McKean, Jim Ross, Ally Christie, Johnny Anderson, Doug Milne, Andy Kerr, Duncan, Willie Miller, Brian Newlands, Malcolm McRae. Sub: Morris - replaced Brian Newlands 1972-73 Muirton Park, Perth was the venue for Peterhead’s next foray in the Dewar Shield on Monday 13th November 1972. St Johnstone, who used the game to try out some of their young reserve players, ran out with a comfortable 6-0 victory. It was, however, the experienced Henry Hall who caught the eye of many scoring a second half hat trick. His performance had drawn a fair bit of criticism from some fans in Perth but his outstanding display put silence to that. Peterhead found it tough going against a far superior side and their best effort came in the first half when Forsyth broke through into the penalty box but his decent effort hit the side netting. Afterwards, despite the defeat, the players and officials of Peterhead were keen to lay praise to St Johnstone for the excellent hospitality they were shown on their visit and it was hoped that Willie Ormond could bring his side North for a friendly in the near future. ST JOHNSTONE 6-0 PETERHEAD Peterhead team: Adrian Connell, Ewan, Duthie, George Pirie, Anderson, Christie, Forsyth, Duncan, Gordon, Cheyne, John McMaster. Sub: Abbots – replaced Cheyne 1973-74 Peterhead were drawn at home against St Johnstone in the Dewar Shield on the 31st July 1973 but records show that this game was not contested. The Dewar Shield was unfinished in season 1973-74. 1977-78 & 1980-81 In the 1977/78 competition Peterhead were drawn at home to face Falkirk in the first round but it appears that there is no record of this match taking place. Likewise, the Blue Toon were due to play the winners of Forfar Athletic v St Johnstone in the 1980/81 competition but again no records seem to exist of the match.

The official club shop is located in the main office and is open on a non matchday. A wide variety of club merchandise and souvenirs are available and in stock to purchase.

Ages 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12

£12

Pin Badges £3 Scarf (Blue)

Home/Away Shirts Adult £49 Youth £45 Junior £39

£8 Scarf (Stripe) £8 Squad Snood £15 Water Bottle £2 Wooly Hat

Home/Away Shorts Adult £28 Youth £26 Junior £22

£7 Pom Pom Hat £10 Mugs £10 Pint Glass

£10 Air Freshner

Home/Away Socks 6.5-12 £13 13.5-6

£2 Car Sticker £2 Money Box

Failure to Mirror English Fans Return Will ‘Sound Death Knell’ SPFL Formally Requests Emergency Meeting with First Minister

The SPFL have this week written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking for an emergency meeting to end the lock-out of fans across the country. Following the announcement that clubs in England have been given the green light to welcome fans back, the SPFL’s chief executive Neil Doncaster has issued a direct appeal to the First Minister on behalf of the country’s 42 professional to very quickly let Scottish fans back into stadia in carefully-managed, meaningful numbers. Mr Doncaster said: “Scottish football fans are the most passionate in Europe, with more league attendances per capita than any other country, so our clubs have been hit far harder by the lock-out than those in England because we depend much more heavily on gate receipts. Every major club in Scotland has very detailed, well-founded plans in place for safely returning fans back to stadiums, and thousands upon thousands of Scottish fans are simply desperate to get back quickly to watching their teams in the safety of a carefully-managed, open-air environment.” “We are now calling on the First Minister to do the right thing by Scotland’s hard-pressed football supporters. If it’s good enough for English fans, it must be good enough for Scottish fans. If the First Minister refuses to allow football fans all over Scotland to watch their beloved teams in carefullyregulated, limited numbers, complete with track and trace, she will have to explain to them the clinical difference between Scottish fans and English fans. Make no mistake, failure to get fans back in the very near future will sound the death knell for some of our best-loved clubs and no-one wants that. The First Minister alone has the opportunity to put a smile on the faces of Scottish football fans and give them a much-needed early Christmas present and we are calling for meaningful, urgent engagement. 48

Despite the enormous financial consequences, our clubs have followed every directive and every instruction from the Scottish Government for month after month. Clubs, supporters and players have been hugely patient. Apart from supporter safety, there is no higher priority for our game. It’s now time to get the fans back. “We have written to the First Minister seeking an emergency meeting, because time is really against us. We will meet with her at any time, day or night, to fit in with her busy schedule and we await her response. The clubs have done the hard work of putting their plans in place for the safe return of fans in limited numbers. All we need now is for the First Minister to say ‘Yes’.”

REF WATCH ( Average all SPFL1 Matches )

FOULS

YELLOW

RED

Gavin Ross

Alan Newlands

Matthew McDermid

Calum Scott

Craig Napier

Graham Granger

Duncan Williams

Barry Cook

Steven Reid

Grant Irvine

41 49

Ben Armour celebrates scoring the only goal of last Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game against Dumbarton.

1 Ugie Road Peterhead AB42 1NR

07387 224611

info@tayloreng.scot

GOAL SCORERS

APPEARANCES

GOALS

1= Dale Carrick - Airdrieonians

1= Mitch Megginson - Cove Rangers

4= Ben Armour - Peterhead

4= Russell McLean - Montrose

4= David Goodwillie - Clyde

4= Jack Hamilton - East Fife

4= Callumn Morrison - Falkirk

9= Christian Antoniazzi - Forfar Athletic

9= Calum Gallagher - Airdrieonians

Brian Graham - Partick Thistle

Accountants & Tax Advisers “Supporting your Business Performance” •

Accountancy & Auditing

•

Bookkeeping

•

Business & Personal Taxation

•

Bureau Payroll Services

•

Business & Personal Tax Planning

•

Management Accounts

•

Business Development Advice

•

Estate Planning

•

Business Planning Services

•

IT Advice & Training

Peterhead: Fraserburgh: Banff: Aberdeen:

21 Links Terrace

T: 01779 474616

2 Cross Street 9 Carmelite Street

T: 01346 516787 T: 01261 818521

49 Carden Place T: 01224 647300 www.sbp-ca.co.uk

…continued from page 37

COPING WITH LOCKDOWN “I tried to make light of the situation by asking the staff what they planned to do during the lock down period. There were wide ranging answers, and when the question was turned on me, I said it wasn’t so much what I was going to do but what I wasn’t going to do. Thinking that the lockdown would last for little more than a couple of weeks, I vowed that I would stop shaving until such time football returned, …something that I now regret!” But as the Club would find out again later in the year, help would be at hand in the format of the Furlough scheme. Johnston explained, “I heard about it on the radio on my way home that night, I didn’t even know what Furlough meant!” Within 12 hours Johnston was contacting all the staff with the happier news that there was now an

alternative to yesterday’s news. A small crumb of comfort but welcomed never the less. “With everyone being Furloughed I was concerned that the club would become disengaged from the fans, our sponsors, and our employees,” said Johnston, “I thought about ways to communicate with the fans via Facebook and for a couple of weeks hosted a “Saturday Live” show on Facebook, which looking back was woeful. However, it helped pass a Saturday afternoon when we should have had games and it gave us the opportunity to hear from fans!” “We started to hold our Platinum Club draw by video also and we continue to do that every month.”

Social media was now integral to everything the club did and Johnston assisted Mandy Davidson in building a new website for the club, evidence that the lockdown is some instances gave the club the opportunity to make some changes that would normally have taken many months to achieve.

of our match day 50/50 but of course everything had to be organised online. ClubForce, an Irish based company managed to modify one of their existing software packages and we had a phenomenal response from the Blue Toon fans. It really was a magnificent effort!”

The club actively promoted the NHS appreciation campaigns and when it became known that Nat Porter, the club’s Community Liaison Officer had fallen ill a heart-warming tribute video was produced with the assistance of all the young fans that wished him a speedy recovery.

In addition to the engagement with the fans and sponsors the club also found time to engage with their staff during a lengthy period of uncertainty. “Tik Tok certainly played it’s role during lockdown!” laughs Johnston. “The girls were brilliant recording their very on version of the toilet roll challenge. We also had staff quiz nights and quizzes. They were there for each other throughout the whole time. We are very much a big family here at Peterhead and that came shining through over the months of lockdown!”

The jewel in the crown for the club was undoubtedly the launch of the “Super 50/50 Raffle” which raised almost £40,000. Johnston explained, “The Super 50/50 was the brainchild of the Chairman who wanted to build on the success

Forfar’s Cup jousts with the men from the north by Peter Myers

A “potential banana skin”, meaning the risk of an upset especially in a cup-tie, features in the current football lexicon. A lacklustre Forfar Athletic slipped on a banana skin in November 2017 when Formartine United sent them crashing out of the Scottish Cup at North Lodge Park, thanks to a goal from Jonny Crawford. The Loons’ exit was all the more surprising because their blend of youth and experience had seen them eliminate Aberdeen Colts 3-1 in convincing style in the Irn-Bru Challenge Cup at the same venue a year earlier. Forfar’s previous Scottish Cup encounter with a Highland League side had been five years earlier when they knocked out Nairn County following a replay. The Wee County side showed great character in making a comeback in both matches and which earned the team well-merited praise. The Loons were at home for the third-round tie against Nairn County on November 3, 2012 and seemed to have wrapped up the match by half-time with goals from Chris Templeman, Gavin Swankie and Stephen Tulloch. But the north side stormed back in the second half with strikes from Martin Macdonald, Ross Naismith and an injury-time equaliser from Craig MacMillan. County boss Les Fridge hailed his team’s performance: “To come back against quality opposition was a great achievement”, adding that “all three of their goals could have been avoided”. In the replay a week later at Nairn’s Station Park, there was to be no fairytale ending for the home side as they went out of the Cup, losing 3-2. In a repeat of the first match, Forfar went 3-0 up with a brace from Ross Campbell, son of Loons’ boss Dick Campbell, and one from Gavin Swankie, but Nairn fought back with Wayne Mackintosh and Martin Macdonald going close with headers. With 12min left, Conor Gethins scored “the goal of the game” as the Irishman “sent a swerving, unstoppable effort well away from Soutar’s 56

reach”. Substitute John Cameron tapped home the second goal in the closing minutes after Nairn captain Michael Morrison had laid the ball on. After the match, Nairn goalkeeper Colin Donaldson paid tribute to his team-mates: “The spirit at our club is incredible, we never know we’re beaten.” There was also praise from Dick Campbell, who said: “All credit to Nairn for their spirit.” The match had been Forfar’s 14th meeting with a north team in the Scottish Cup since 1960, and in the previous 13 encounters the Loons had won five, lost eight, scored 25 goals and conceded 28. Their opponents had included Elgin City, Huntly, Inverness Caledonian, Lossiemouth, Nairn County, Ross County and Peterhead. In a clash with Elgin City on January 27, 1968, 6,608 fans crammed into Borough Briggs to see the Black and Whites defeat Forfar 3-1 with a hat-trick from Thomson. Even worse was to come in the following season when the Loons, who were riding high in the Second Division, were knocked out of the Cup at home on December 14, 1968 by Nairn County who were languishing mid-table in the Highland League. Stephen took the lead for County on a frostbound pitch, which had been declared playable, before Carrie equalised. Just when the tie seemed to be heading for a replay, Thom scored the winner for Nairn in the dying seconds. Among Forfar’s side was Archie Knox, one of the club’s legends and who would later return to Station Park to do his managerial apprenticeship. The Loons’ six victories against north sides in the Cup were against Ross County (January 1974), Peterhead (December 1982), Inverness Caledonian (January 1983), Lossiemouth (November 1996), Huntly (December 2002) and Nairn County (November 2012). Forfar won their away clash against Peterhead 5-0 on a frostbound and snow-covered pitch. The Blue Toon

won a notable Cup victory over Forfar, four days before being elected to the Scottish League in January 2000. Goals from Gary Clark and Jim Cheyne secured a 2-1 victory over the visitors. Neil Cooper, who had won a Scottish Cup winner’s medal with St Mirren in 1987, was Forfar’s boss when they welcomed Huntly to Station Park for a first-round clash on December 7, 2002. In his programme column, Cooper said his team always showed every side the utmost respect and warned his players that Huntly would go into the match “with nothing to lose and everything to gain”. He added: “We must try and get the job done early, and not give Huntly the chance of an upset.”

The Angus side had already eliminated Meadowbank Thistle, Ayr United and Queen of the South in the League Cup before they met Rangers in the semi-final. Player-manager Archie Knox’s part-timers gave the Gers a scare when they needed a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at full-time, but brave Forfar were knocked out after conceding three goals in extra-time. The Loons’ plucky and skilful performance won them many admirers, although the result was a particular disappointment for their captain, Alex Rae, who had already lifted the League Cup when he skippered Partick Thistle to their astonishing 4-1 victory over Celtic in October 1971.

Cooper’s players responded with striker Martin Bavidge scoring twice against his father’s old club while Kevin Byers sealed the 3-1 victory when he exploited a bad mistake by Gary McGowan. Marco de Barros scored a consolation goal for the visitors with “a flashing 25yd drive”. After the match, Bavidge reckoned that only the heroics of Huntly keeper Ross Bremner had prevented him from grabbing a memorable hat-trick. He said: “I don’t know how Ross got to some of those shots. All credit to him, he had a great game. I missed a real sitter in the first half, although I still think the ball stuck in the mud slightly behind me. But we got the job done, although Huntly put up a good performance.” The Loons’ most memorable performance, which brought them national attention, was in the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on February 27, 1978. Severe frost and then fog had prevented the semi-final from being played on November 28 and further bad weather had led to its postponement to February. Earlier that month, on Saturday 11th, only two matches started in Scotland including Forfar’s home clash with Stranraer which was abandoned after 35min because of the wintry weather. 57

info@neildanielcars.co.uk www.neildanielcars.co.uk

Coaches and Wedding Cars Mini Bus and Coach Hire 8 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 57 seats available TELEPHONE:

01779 480 480 FAX:

01779 474 850 info@victoriacoaches.co.uk www.victoriacoaches.co.uk

No one will ever come close to the stardom and admiration that was bestowed on him, not just by the entire world, but especially in his home of Argentina. He was quite literally seen as a king, as when he was in charge of Argentinean club Gimnasia, During an away trip to his former club as a player Newell’s Old Boys, The home side decided to give their returning hero a throne to sit on, instead of the normal dugout. That story says all you need to know about the admiration his homeland had for him, and they had good reasons to, to worship “El Pibe de Oro”. Maradona’s life in football started at the mere age of 3 years old, when he as gifted a football from his father and fell in love with the game immediately. He was swiftly spotted by a talent scout aged 8 while playing for his local youth side Estrella Roja, and soon joined the famous Argentinos Juniors Youth academy which has went on to produce another Argentinean legend, Juan Roman Riquelme, And in true Maradona Style, As a 12 year old ball boy, he would often show his skills to the crowd during half time of Argentinean First Division Games. 3 years later, at 15 years old, Maradona would go on to become the youngest debutant in Argentinean history, with an iconic moment of within minutes of 60

the pitch, the small 15 year old picked up the ball and nutmegging an opposition defender, which has gone on to become another iconic tale to the Maradona legacy. He soon later moved onto Boca Juniors, where he scored a brace on his debut and in his first Superclásico, dribbling past the two River Plate centre halves before slotting home in traditional Maradona Fashion. Despite only spending one season with the side, he won the League with Boca and instantly became a hero amongst the supporters, as he did with most sides he played at, and then at the age of 22, moved across the Atlantic to join Barcelona. Before he could start however for his new club side, he had to play in the 1982 World Cup, hosted by Spain. Argentina’s opening fixture was against Belgium at the Nou Camp with the Catalan Crowd eager to see their new signing. However, the defending champions lost 1-0, and Maradona actually put in a sub-par performance, and was even sent off in their final game against brazil after being fouled repeatedly and retaliating against the defenders. This did not fill the Barcelona fans with hope, however he was soon about to prove them wrong. In his first season he won the league and cup double, and was even applauded by Real Madrid Fans after taking it past the keeper and slotting it in with ease.

His 2nd and final season in Spain however didn’t end so well. After breaking his ankle through a poor tackle by Andoni Goikoetxea, commonly known as the Butcher of Bilbao, he was then ruled out for 3 months. Then came the 1984 Copa Del Rey Final in what is now one of the most infamous games of all time. After being told to “f off” by the Bilbao Captain, the Butcher of Bilbao, and being taunted all game by xenophobic and racist insults by the Bilbao supporters aimed at his father, Maradona then started an absolute brawl between both sides after another rough tackle from Andoni. Maradona then proceeded to head-butt one player, elbow another before knocking out a third Bilbao player with a knee to the face.

This resulted in Diego having to apologise face to face with the King of Spain who was in the crowd watching. He was then sadly shunted out the door by the Barcelona Board after scoring 38 goals in 58 games, where he began arguably his most famous period in his club career, as he moved to Napoli in 1984. He was welcomed by 75,000 adoring fans in Italy when he arrived and writer David Goldblatt said, “The

fans were convinced the saviour had arrived”. When Diego first arrived at Napoli, No team from southern Italy had ever won Seria A and Napoli were even considered as relegation candidates when the Argentinean arrived. Maradona soon became club captain and became a cult hero in Naples. Napoli won their first ever Scudetto in 1986, during the height of Italy’s NorthSouth divide, and soon Murals were painted in the city of their new star and even new born children bearing his name, the man was a god to the people of Naples and still is. Maradona went on to win a second title and finish runners up twice, while also picking up a UEFA cup in 1989 during his time in Italy. However he wasn’t famous for just his actions on the pitch in Naples. He became the headline of every Italian paper every other week, with his Cocaine struggles, over $70,000 worth of fines for just not showing up to training or even matches, Shooting at journalists who bothered him at his home to allegations of links to the Italian Mafia. However, no one can overlook his mesmerising skill on the ball and the passion he brought to the people of Naples. 61

During his time at Napoli, Maradona quite possibly played his most famous game, but not in a Napoli shirt.

He went on to captain Argentina to take home the trophy and cement his place as the Greatest of All time.

The 1986 World Cup quarter final between England and Argentina will be remembered as one of the most famous games in footballing history.

Despite his personal struggles throughout his life, Maradona will always be regarded as an all time great. Arguably the most technically gifted player off all time and one of the most loved too. After his passing this week, outpours of support has came from the footballing world. Napoli have decided to rename the stadium in his honour and thousands have gathered in Buenos Aires to mourn the death of their saviour. Poignant images have came out of this such as mourners outside his mural in Naples, to tearyeyed Boca Juniors and River Plate fans hugging it out on the streets of his hometown.

Only 4 years after the Falklands war tensions were high between the two teams, especially with Maradona expressing his dislike of the English and his sympathy of the Argentinians who died. Now if you ask any Scottish person about his most famous moment, they’ll likely tell you that 5’5” Diego Maradona outjumped 6’0” Peter Shilton and headed it home. However this wasn’t exactly the case as the hand of god came to his aid to put it past Shilton and unlucky for the English, the referees excuse was that the sun was in his eyes. 4 minutes after Maradona’s most famous goal, he scored another, with 11 touches, he dribbled past 5 English players before taking it round Shilton in the most Maradona-esque goal you will ever see. 62

There is no one that will quite compare to Maradona and it is unlikely there ever will be, His name will be etched into footballing folklore for years to come, as the greatest to ever kick a ball.

Diego Maradona 1960-2020

12b Kirk Street Peterhead

01779 470909

PENSIONS INVESTMENTS MORTGAGES PROTECTION

01224 659788 neil@focusfa.com 42 Queens Road, Aberdeen, AB15 4YE

Visit our new modern Coffee Shop now serving a selection of quality Caber Coffees, Home Bakes & Home Made Soupsâ&#x20AC;¦ Monday to Friday Saturdays Sundays -

01779 487186

10am to 4pm 9am to 2pm CLOSED