#18 Alloa Athletic - Saturday 25th March 2023

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 Rodger Morrison

Directors Les Hill Charlie Watt Conrad Ritchie

Head of Administration Ken Morton

Team Manager

Assitant Manager Coach

Goalkeeping Coach Barry Thompson

Physiotherapist Donal Gallagher

Kit Man Marco Alexander

Assist. Kit Man Chas Green

Groundsman Stan Stephen

Assist. Groundsman Jason Gordon

Safety Officer Craig Keir

Community Liaison Nat Porter

Hon. Club Chaplain Neil Cameron

Hon. Club Doctor Dr. Douglas Nicol

Bar & Catering Manager Mary Buchan

Match Day Announcer Graeme McLean

Office Administrator Sharon Brown

Accounts Assistant Mandy Davidson

Club Historian Ken Morton

It would be fair to say it’s been an eventful week for myself and Jordon since Davie left during the week. We’ve been organising training and balancing that with our jobs, it’s kept us busy and we are not scarted to say that it hasn’t been easy.

It’s a steep learning curve that we are enjoying though and we feel that we will be prepared enough for the visit of Alloa today Last week’s result against Airdrieonians was a dark day for the club and it goes down in history as our worst league result ever We as a group of players can change that and that’s what myself and Jordon will be aiming to do in the remaining games this season.

It has been a tough season for all of us and we will do our very best in the last few weeks of the season to get above Clyde and give ourselves a fighting chance of staying in this league.

We need your support more than ever and I know it has been tough but we must stick together as much as we can to get us through this vital run of games

MILLION POUND MAN

When we think of seven figure signings in Scotland we look to the old firm clubs Celtic have signed the likes of Robbie Keane, Scott Brown, Paolo Di Canio and Stuart Armstrong for well over £1 million The Hoops broke their transfer record in 2018 when they made Odsonne Edouard’s loan move from PSG permanent for a reported £8 million.

Rangers have similarly spent well over £1 million on players like Mikel Arteta, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Ryan Kent and Steven Davis. The Gers have also broken the £10 million mark on one occasion when they signed Norwegian Tore Andre Flo from Chelsea for £12 million, the biggest transfer fee ever in Scottish history

Never in your wildest dreams could you imagine a team outside the top two behemoths of Scottish football parting ways with £1 million for a player Well, it’s already happened once before That player was Paul Bernard.

Bernard was a Scottish midfielder who began his career with Oldham Athletic, where he famously scored in his second game for the club, ending their 68-year wait for a return to topflight football.The midfielder would solidify his place in the squad and be crucial in helping the Latics survive in the Premier Division for three years before being relegated on the final day of the 1993-94 season

The Scottish Under-21 international would stay at

Boundary Park for another year in which he continued to impress His form caught the eye of then Scotland manager Craig Brown, who called up the 22-year-old for the Kirin Cup in Japan Bernard made his international debut 13 minutes from the final whistle against Japan His second and final cap came against Ecuador, where he played the full 90. The youngster returned to Oldham as a full international in the Summer 1995 and he was now looking for a new challenge.

North of the border Aberdeen were struggling with the sacking of club legend Willie Miller and their quick descent from the summit of Scottish football. The board believed that a statement of intent had to be made Paul Bernard became the first, and only, player to be signed for £1 million outside of the old firm

His time in the north-east started off quite brightly During his first season under Roy Aitken, he would pick up silverware with a League Cup win in November. The Dons would then finish the season in third place, although they were still 28 points behind second placed Celtic. The million-pound man was still only 23, Aberdeen looked as though they had a spring in their step and European football was returning to Pittodrie. Even though it was a successful season, Bernard struggled to live up to the price tag and adapt to the Scottish game

In his first season with the Dons the midfielder made 30 appearances, but he would only make 40 over the

next three years These three seasons would be plagued with injuries for the now former Scotland International His bad luck with fitness led to his loss of form and confidence Due to his lackluster performances on the pitch, Bernard’s million pound price tag became a punchline off it The midfielder saw somewhat of a career renaissance during the 19992000 season, he played more regularly and also managed to bag four goals. After many years of trying to compete with the Old Firm, Aberdeen were now in serious debt and Bernard had become the face of their frivolous spending in the transfer market.

When Ebbe Skovdahl took charge, a new cost cutting era at Pittodrie was introduced, which brought Paul Bernard’s time in the north-east to an end The once highly regarded midfield prospect left Aberdeen for the final time in his Ferrari in October 2000 Bernard was released by the Dons

He would cross the border again this time heading to Barnsley, where he failed to make an appearance in his only season at the club. Bernard later moved to Plymouth, where again he struggled for game time, before returning to Scotland to sign for St Johnstone. After appearing sporadically for the Perth club for a couple of years, the two-time Scotland international moved to Irish side Drogheda United where he would then retire

When Bernard signed for Aberdeen, it was meant to usher in a new era of Scottish football, however, he

became the poster boy for the Dons financial mismanagement in the late 1990’s Nearly 28 years later and no club outside of the Old Firm has ever risked parting with £1 million for a player Who knows if or when we will witness anything like it again in Scottish football

STUART McKENZIE

It was up there with one of those days as a football fan you want the ground to open and then proceed to swallow you up. That’s how the Peterhead fans felt as the team contrived to lose to Airdrie last Saturday. It wasn’t the losing that would hurt the most; given the season the Blue Toon are having most wouldn’t have suggested getting anything from this game and a team who had spanked Kelty Hearts 6-1 the week before would be a tall order. However, I doubt even the most ardent fan of the North Lanarkshire side saw their team going one better and hitting Peterhead for seven at the Penny Cars Stadium It was a long, painful afternoon for the Blue Toon, who found themselves 4-0 down before half-time and faced 20 shots throughout the 90

The man in the Peterhead goal for that afternoon was Stuart McKenzie and the 35year-old shot stopper made it clear that he felt the team had let everyone involved with the club during the 90 minutes in Airdrie. But he admitted the result was a sore one considering the margin of the loss. He said: “Yes, it was a very sore one to take. From start to finish we were nowhere near good enough. We let a number of people down. The fans, the board, the manager and ourselves. But with football the next game is never too far away and this Saturday we have a chance to put it right and we need to put in a positive performance and look to get the three points.”

It’s not been a good couple of weeks for David Robertson’s men – they have conceded five goals away at Falkirk and the seven at Airdrie, but McKenzie is looking to move on quickly and get focused on the games ahead But he conceded that having two heavy defeats in such a short space of time can possibly kill the morale within the dressing room “Yes, we’ve suffered two heavy defeats but the two performances before that were a lot more positive,” he explained. “Results like this can hit the morale within the team, but the more experienced heads in the dressing room need to keep the boys going and make sure that when we are at training, we are at our very best and look to make it right in the games ahead.”

McKenzie is a winter arrival, joining the club from Cove. The experienced keeper gave an insight into how his move to Peterhead materialised – knowing the manager and some of the playing staff helped push the signing over the line Speaking regarding his move to Peterhead, McKenzie said: “I already knew the manager, the goalkeeping coach and a few of the players in the team from before So, after hearing them speak highly of the club, I knew it was the right move for me With Cove signing a new goalkeeper in January, I felt my playing time would be limited and felt it was the right time to move on for a new challenge.”

McKenzie has been a key man for the manager since joining. He’s played in all six games he’s been able to appear in and he’s firmly established himself as Robertson’s number one choice in goals and while he has come in and cemented his place in the team he’s under no illusions that if he is not playing well, that he could find himself being out of the side as quickly as he was put in it “Yeah, as any goalkeeper would tell you, their ambition at any club is to be the number 1. I know I need to work

hard to keep my position as if I’m not performing well I'll find myself out of the team. But that’s football.”

Peterhead are still rock bottom of League 1 But the one saving grace they have at this point in the season is that Clyde, who occupy the relegation play-off place at the moment, are just three points ahead of the Blue Toon given the team have just won two matches all season, their situation could be much worse. However, the form table hasn’t been good reading for the Blue Toon faithful. In their last four matches, they have three defeats and a draw and a -14 goal difference, having scored just one goal and seen 14 fly in at the other end. If they are to achieve the goal of staying in the division it seems obvious that they have to find a way to tighten up at the back and stop leaking so many goals They have to move on and look forward and McKenzie shared his aims for the rest of the season and those aims he has will come as no surprise to anyone connected to the football club

“The aim is to maintain our position in League 1; hopefully we can pick up a few positive results to finish above Clyde and get some momentum going into the play-offs.”

The immediate concern for McKenzie and his teammates is trying to get themselves picked up to go again today against third-placed Alloa It’s bound to be a tough match as the Wasps are sitting in third place and will be looking to hold on to their promotion play-off place McKenzie is hoping his teammates can raise their game and identified what they need to do in order to achieve a positive result from the fixture: fight, scrap and start quickly and avoid being put on the backfoot. “Alloa are sitting third in the league at the moment and they will be doing all they can to maintain that play-off spot. They have a very strong squad of players and play very good football but can also go direct if they need to. Everyone of us needs to raise our game to the level that is required at Peterhead We need to fight and scrap for every ball And we have to start positively and look to take three points from the match ”

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BALMOOR STADIUM • GROUND REGULATIONS

1 All matches are played in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, The Scottish Football League, and where applicable, the Regulations of FIFA/UEFA Competitions.

2 Play cannot be guaranteed to take place on any particular day or at any particular time and the Club reserves the right to change its advertised fixtures without prior notice and without liability.

3 Tickets allotted by this Club/Event Organiser are issued on the express conditions that no holder thereof shall sell or transfer same for a larger price than appears on the face thereof. In the event of any breach of this condition, the Club reserves the right to cancel this ticket and to retain the money paid therefore on allotment.

4 In the event of the match being abandoned after having kicked off you may be entitled to a refund of the cash admission charge paid at the turnstile in the determination of the Club/Event Organiser acting reasonably. Where a match is abandoned before the expiry of the first half admission arrangements for the rearranged fixture will be issued to those who attend the abandoned match. These arrangements in cases where the match is abandoned after the expiry of the first half shall be a matter for the reasonable discretion of the Club.

5 In the event of an all ticket match being postponed for any reason, the ticket will be valid on the postponed date. In the event of postponement/abandonment/cancellation of a match you may be entitled to a refund (in full or in part depending on the circumstances) of the purchase price of the ticket. Please contact the Club/Event Organiser for details.

6 All children entering the Ground, must pay for admission or hold a valid ticket.

7 Unauthorised persons are not permitted to enter upon the trackside, field of play or any other place specified by the Club or Police.

8 With the exception of authorised Media representatives holding accreditation issued by the club/event organiser, the taking of photographs or filming by any means inside the Ground is prohibited. In addition, no transmission or reproduction, in whole or in part, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise is permitted save with a special authorisation in writing by the club/event organiser and, where appropriate, the prior consent of The Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Football League or appropriate body.

9 Only persons specifically authorised in writing by the Club are permitted to offer Newspapers, Periodicals or any other Articles for sale in the Ground and any charitable collection will only be permitted within the ground with prior written consent of the Club.

10 Unnecessary noise such as from the use of radio sets and behaviour likely to cause confusion, annoyance or nuisance of any kind, is not permitted in any part of the Ground.

11 The use of threatening behaviour, foul or abusive language is strictly FORBIDDEN. Racial, sectarian, homophobic or discriminatory abuse or chanting is also forbidden and is considered as unacceptable conduct and may result in arrest and a lifetime ban from regulated football matches.

12 Please note that it is an offence punishable by law for any person to enter or attempt to enter the Ground:

• Whilst in possession of a prohibited container which is or was capable of holding liquid and which if thrown would be capable of causing injury to another person.

•Whilst in possession of alcohol.

•Whilst drunk.

•Whilst in possession of any article or substance whose main purpose is the emission of a flare for purposes of illuminating or signaling or the emission of smoke or a visible gas.

•Any article which is a firework. and all persons entering the ground may be searched by the police.

13 Standing is FORBIDDEN in seated viewing areas.

14 Banners, or other articles which could, or might be used as a weapon, or to cause annoyance or unnecessary obstruction or offence, are not permitted within the ground.

15 All persons entering this Ground are admitted subject to the condition that they may be required to submit to search to prevent prohibited articles being brought into the Ground which might be used to cause injury or damage to other persons or property.

MATCH DETAILS

CLYDE 1 PETERHEAD 0

Saturday 18th February 2023 • New Douglas Park, Hamilton

An afternoon full of enthusiasm, creativity, and prowess in the attacking third ended with no reward as Clyde netted a late winner to defeat Peterhead 1-0 with the Blue Toon running away frustrated with how the game faded out. The opening stages were played in an intense manner with both clubs acknowledging the magnitude of the game. Some good play down the left almost opened the deadlock on four minutes for Peterhead was the catalyst with how vibrant this game was going to evolve with some good interchanges of play from the Blue Toon saw Daniel Fosu find Josh Oyinsan who saw an audacious effort bounce off the bar with Clyde exposed defensively, Kieran Shanks was waiting in isolation for the rebound but the Bully Wee cleared to safety

Clyde were clever on the front foot and almost opened the scoring on eight minute as Ross Cunningham averted the ball goalwards with an instinct lob over Stuart McKenzie that found Kyle Doherty who saw his goal-bound header blocked superbly by Kevin Joshua as the former West Brom defender galloped to clear the danger. A bright start by Fosu was merited five minutes later as he showed a bit of trickery to cut inside Jon Craig but a tame effort was straight into the hands of Neil Parry before at the other end, Martin Rennie cut inside and curled a chance towards goal that streamed wide of the left post

As the half progressed, the visitors were continuing to push for an elusive opener and Joshua Oyinsan came agonisingly close to giving Peterhead the opener as he hit the bar midway through the half, Jason Brown sent a long, diagonal ball to the forward before he cut inside and kissed the bar with a well-hit effort as Neil Parry was beaten all ends up. Just a minute later, Jack Wilkie saw space for an effort at goal that went wide. Fosu had an opportunity after lobbing Parry before having a shot cleared by Erik Sula as the Blue Toon showed a relentless approach in the latter stages of the first half but didn't have any rewards on the goal front to show for their admirable efforts

The early exchanges of the second half was tepid in comparison to the first but a Jack Wilkie corner from the right found Jason Brown who headed into the path of Andy McCarthy who forced Parry to tip a volley round the post as the Blue Toon surged in a hunt to get the opener. Clyde had attempted to open the scoring prior in an entertaining clash but the efforts didn't force Stuart McKenzie into too much trouble. The congregation of Peterhead fans that made the journey to New Douglas Park thought Oyinsan took the lead on 74 minutes, Kieran Shanks did superbly well to break into the box and force Parry into a save before the ball came out to the former Dumbarton striker who fired over the bar

Clyde took the lead with eight minutes remaining, Martin Rennie sent a looping ball into the box from the left finding Cameron Salkeld who guided a thumping header into the net past the stranded McKenzie, a credit to the Bully Wee for showing a level of resilience but massive disappointment for the Blue Toon. Peterhead put a lot of creativity and impetus into the game but endured another frustrating afternoon in Lanarkshire as Clyde tried to add a second before the end with several blocks thwarting the hosts

Clyde: Parry, Lyon, Craig, Sula, McGeever, Cuddihy, Roberts, Doherty (Scullion 88), Salkeld (McLean 88), Rennie (Cameron 90), Cunningham. Subs: Bradley-Hurst, McDonald, Thicot, Hynes

Peterhead: McKenzie, Jason Brown, Joshua, Bisland (Allan 85), R.Strachan, McCarthy, Wilkie, Shanks, Fosu, Oyinsan (Jack Brown 85), Ikwa (Jordon Brown 71). Subs: Wood, MacIver, D.Strachan, Gabriel, Melingui, McLeod.

Daniel Fosu up against Kelty’s Jamie Barjonas in our last home match

Andy McCarthy surges past the Kelty Hearts midfield

BLUE TOON PHOTO GALLERY

in association with Tennents

SQUAD CHECK

Tom Ritchie

Sandy Wood

Jack MacIver

John Allan

Paul Dixon

Conor O’Keefe

Ryan Strachan

Jordon Brown

Danny Strachan

Jack Brown

Enock Walusimbi

Kevin Joshua

Cody McLeod

Andrew McCarthy

Jason Brown

Jack Wilkie

Daniel Fosu

Glenn Gabriel

Kieran Shanks

Elie Ikwa

Josh Oyinsan

WEEKEND FIXTURES

SATURDAY 25th MARCH 2023

Myles Hogarth

George Stanger

Mark Durnan

Scott Taggart

Michael Doyle

Kevin Cawley

Murray Miller

Jon Robertson

Quinn Coulson

Ross MacIver

Luke Donnelly

Andy Graham

Stefan Scougall

Adam King

Conor Sammon

Cameron O’Donnell

Luke Rankin

Rayan Mohammed

Owain Clark

Willie Muir

Craig Howie

OFFICIALS CHECK

Referee: Mike Roncone

Asst Ref 1 Ross Nelson

Asst Ref 2 Tommi Kerr

HOT SHOTS

UEFA Euro Qualifier Group A Scotland v Cyprus

League One

Montrose v Dunfermline Ath

Peterhead v Alloa Ath

League Two

Albion Rovers v Bonnyrigg

Annan Ath v Stranraer

Stenhousemuir v Forfar Ath

Stirling Albion v Dumbarton

Highland League

Banks o’Dee v Brora Rangers

Brechin City v Wick Academy

Buckie Th v Nairn County

Inverurie Locos v Turriff Utd

Keith v Forres Mechanics

Rothes v Huntly

Lowland League

Civil Service v Caledonian Braves

Dalbeattie Star v Bo’ness Utd

East Stirlingshire v Cowdenbeath

Edin Uni v East Kilbride

North Region Superleague

Banchory St Ternan v Dufftown

Bridge of Don Th v Colony Park

Dyce v Stonehaven

Maud v Ellon Utd

Nairn St Ninian v Culter

Stoney Parkvale v Aberdeen EE

North Region Championship

Aberdeen Uni v Buchanhaven

Deveronside v Glentanar

Sunnybank v Burghead Th

North Region – Elginshire Cup

Fraserburgh Utd v Forres Th

Islavale v Cruden Bay

Longside v Banks o’Dee Juniors

Newmachar Utd v Lossiemouth U

Adeyemo, Ola*

Allan, John

Asare, Prince Annor

Bisland, Layton

Brown, Jack

Brown, Jason

Brown, Jordon

Carre, Julien*

Dixon, Paul

Dow, Ryan*

Fosu, Daniel

Gabriel, Glenn

Gillies, Max*

Hefzalla, Ramez*

Hewitt, Michael*

Ikwa, Elie

Joshua, Kevin

Kisuku, Christian*

McCarthy, Andrew

McDonald, Andrew*

McGale, Robbie

McKenzie, Stuart McLean,

& GOALS

PFC Career PFC Career

*no longer with club

S.McKenzie, K.Joshua, Jas Brown, R.Strachan, K.Shanks, L.Bisland, E.Ikwa,A.McCarthy, J.Wilkie, J.Oyinsan, D.Fosu.

Used Subs: Jor Brown, C.McLeod

04/03/23

S.McKenzie, K.Joshua, D.Strachan, Jas Brown, R.Strachan, E.Ikwa, A.McCarthy, J.Wilkie, D.Fosu, J.Oyinsan, K.Shanks

Used Subs: Jac Brown, G.Gabriel, Jor Brown

S.McKenzie, K.Joshua, Jas Brown, R.Strachan, A.McCarthy, D.Strachan, K.Shanks, Jor Brown, E.Ikwa, J.Oyinsan, D.Fosu

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Scotstown Villa, St Fergus

O’KEEFE SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION

Peterhead FC are delighted to announce that Conor O'Keefe has signed a new two-year deal keeping him at Balmoor to the summer of 2025.

Conor signed for the club in the summer of 2022 and made a good impression on the Peterhead fans including scoring the winner against Kelty Hearts in a 2-1 win back in September.

O'Keefe is progressing well from the injury he picked up against Airdrieonians back in October

Despite never playing under Davie Robertson, the winger is keen to repay the loyalty the Gaffer has placed in him Conor hopes to be back in action again for the Blue Toon by the end of the season Speaking about extending his deal at Peterhead, he said, "The club has been brilliant with me throughout my injury, I was enjoying my time with the club before the injury and I was happy to sign a new deal with the club.

"It was quite a weird injury when it happened, we thought we would just do some rehab and see if we could get the strength back but after a few months, me and Donal agreed it wasn't getting any better I got an operation recently and the pain is less and

less every day I am hoping to be back by the end of the season and get some goals, I've had conversations with the Gaffer and he says he watched videos of me in action and spoke to players at the club. I think my style suits the Gaffer, I am looking forward to working with Davie and playing the style of football he wants to bring to Peterhead."

With eight players now contracted with the club beyond this season, Robertson is excited to work with O'Keefe when he returns from injury, "I have heard a lot about Conor, he's the type of player we want at this club and he's stayed with the team and travelled during his injury

"He was another one that had a couple of offers elsewhere but it shows loyalty from Conor the club and it's another good one to get line, hopefully, we can get him back in action run-in, it's important we have a core of we are not scrambling about next season pace, a lot of ability, and is athletic, versatile which is what we need, he attributes to his game and he's impressed of the goals he's scored "

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MATCH DETAILS

PETERHEAD 1 KELTY HEARTS 1

Saturday 25th February 2023 • Balmoor Stadium, Peterhead

A battling display by Peterhead saw them pick up a 11 draw at home to Kelty Hearts with gaffer Davie Robertson admitting they are getting ever closer following a valiant display from the hosts. The Blue Toon started on the ascendency with intent from the word go, Jack Wilkie had an effort go wide for the hosts on seven minutes before Daniel Fosu pounced on a mistake and tried to flick the ball towards goal but it was held by Kelty goalkeeper Darren Jamieson. John Potter's side were always a threat going forward and a last-ditch Jason Brown tackle stopped Alfredo Agyeman in his tracks as he was set to pull the trigger on 13 minutes,

Kelty took the lead in controversial circumstances on 24 minutes, Kieran Shanks was challenged in the middle of the park by Lewis Martin who intercepted the ball off the on-loan Arbroath striker and scurried 22 yards from goal hitting an audacious strike high into the net past Stuart McKenzie. Shanks was furious by referee Iain Snedden's decision and sprinted to the official immediately after the Fifers had taken the lead to protest. It shows a change in mentality implemented by gaffer Robertson when the Blue Toon kept on putting Kelty under pressure, they had a scare a minute after the goal as Kallum Higginbotham linked up with Agyeman but the linesman deemed them both offside

Despite his exasperation at Sneddon's conclusion, Shanks earned a few fouls for Peterhead as the forward looked hungry for goals and won a foul on 32 minutes that got Jamie Barjonas booked. Peterhead pulled level in first-half stoppage time with virtually the last kick of the half thanks to a cute free kick from Jack Wilkie, Daniel Fosu had an attempt from a similar angle five minutes previously that went over the bar but on-loan Dundee full-back Wilkie curled an effort goalwards that sneaked into the bottom right corner past Jamieson The lift that Peterhead needed in a half they played with authority but lacked any luck in the final third prior to the hit

If anyone looked like scoring in the opening exchanges of the second half, it was Kelty. The hosts were still creative in their approach with Jason Brown looking to find the front three of Shanks, Fosu and Joshua Oyinsan but good organisation by the Maroons thwarted the hosts, 13 minutes after the restart, a good ball came into the box that Joe Cardle volleyed towards goal with an instinct save by McKenzie denying the Hearts playmaker. Kelty maintained their pressure with several chances later in the half, Nathan Austin pulled a shot wide of McKenzie's goal before the experienced custodian made a strong save to deny Ross Philp. Shortly afterwards, a Kallum Higginbotham free kick

was blocked by the Blue Toon backline as the hosts remained resilient.

Jordon Brown has made a patient return from injury and the Peterhead stalwart made some crucial interceptions against Kelty's experienced midfield duo of Cardle and Higginbotham but also got forward and had a few opportunities that was held by Jamieson. A man of his experience was welcomed though in a 40minute cameo.

A sense of enthusiasm had crept into Balmoor once chances came along, there was more set-piece opportunities and a lot more adaptation for the forwards, Andy McCarthy had an opportunity nine minutes from time with his delivery blocked by the visiting backline. From the subsequent corner, there was nothing effective for Peterhead with Kelty forcing the Blue Toon support into finger biting with a few more opportunities for setpieces including Cardle forcing McKenzie to tip a shot over the bar with a good effort

McKenzie made sure of what could be a decisive point deep into injury time for Peterhead, saving a Nathan Austin header with ease after a Higginbotham delivery. Shanks was having a rough afternoon as he was on the receiving end of a Jamie Barjonas challenge that was worthy of at least a booking but he showed a battling performance for the hosts.

Peterhead: McKenzie, Joshua, Jason Brown, R.Strachan, McCarthy, Shanks, Bisland, Wilkie, Ikwa (Jordon Brown 60), Oyinsan (McLeod 75), Fosu. Subs: Wood, Jordon Brown, Allan, D.Strachan, McLeod, Melingui, Jack Brown, Gabriel, MacIver.

Kelty Hearts: Jamieson, O'Ware, Martin, Barjonas, Higginbotham, Tidser (Austin 55), Philp, Milne, Agyeman, Leitch (Cardle 55), Lyon (Shearer 68). Subs: Cardle, Austin, Hill, Shearer, Campbell.

NORTHERN SLANT

JIM RICHMOND

Jim Richmond was a player/coach with Lossiemouth between 1966-69 In his first season he helped the Coasters reach their highest position in the Highland League for years and was hailed by the club chairman as the best signing they had yet made. Richmond had earlier played for four Scottish League clubs including the fine Kilmarnock side of the early 1960s. It may come as a surprise that his links with the Highland League went back to the 1950s when he turned out for Rothes while doing his National Service at RAF Kinloss

Richmond (1932-2019) joined Hamilton Accies in 1955 but it was a move to Falkirk in August 1958 which gave him his first taste of top-flight football. The full-back’s team-mates included legendary inside-forward John White who found greater fame with Tottenham Hotspur. Kilmarnock manager Willie Waddell was impressed with Richmond and brought him to Rugby Park at the end of 1959 While with Killie, a pen picture of Richmond described him as: “Always calm and collected under pressure. Heavily built, he tackles strongly and keeps a close eye on his winger.”

Falkirk line-up, August 12, 1959. From left, back, Jimmy McIntosh Billy Price, Tommy Younger, Bill McCarry, Jim Richmond, Ian Rae; front, Jim Oliver, John White, John Hunter, Doug Moran, Willie Robertson

In his five years at Rugby Park a hoodoo hung over Kilmarnock who finished runners-up in the League four times, were finalists in the League Cup in 1960 and 1962 and Scottish Cup finalists in 1960 In the 1962 League Cup Final, Hearts were leading 1-0 as Killie fought to level the score A free-kick from Richmond floated into the Hearts’ goal and teammate Frank Beattie rose to head the ball home for what seemed like the equaliser. However, to the fury of Kilmarnock and their fans, referee Tom Wharton disallowed the goal because he had already signalled for an infringement. As Killie players protested, he conferred with a linesman but still ruled that it was no goal. Moments later the final whistle sounded and Killie were once again “second best”.

Richmond was displaced by Andy King for the rightback berth in 1963 and languished in the reserves until he moved to St Johnstone in November 1963 where he remained until freed in April 1966 The highly experienced defender had much to offer and returned to Moray as a player/coach with Lossiemouth for the start of the 1966-67 season. In his first season with the Coasters, Richmond’s steadying influence helped them achieve sixth place in the league, their highest position for some years. Other outstanding players in the Lossie team were Charlie Gervaise. Pete Smith and Bruce Roy and upand-coming youngsters included Hamish Leibnitz

Johnny Cowie and Neil Murray

The following season didn’t get off to a good start for Richmond when he was absent for at least six weeks because of a foot injury During his absence in September 1967, Lossie had been defeated by the astonishing score of 9-6 by Ross County in a Qualifying Cup round. While Richmond was recovering from his injury, the Coasters’ form took a dip and they were conceding too many goals. Lossiemouth announced that a five-man committee would select the team until their player/coach returned to full fitness. In the meantime, the Coasters signed goalkeeper Dave Harris from Bishopmill United to take the place of Scottish schoolboy international Johnny McVean who was finding the “hurly-burly” of Highland League football quite tough

Outside of football, Richmond was employed as a fish roundsman by Hamish Kellas, who was a wellknown Lossiemouth football personality. His round took him as far south as Bankfoot, Perthshire, where an acquaintance recommended Bankfoot FC players, goalkeeper Dick, right-half McCluskey and insideforward Wallace.

Jim Richmond

The trio were given a trial by Lossie in April 1967 and football writer Bill McAllister reported that at least one would “find a peg at Grant Park next term”. He added that in the opinion of Lossie chairman Jim Campbell and his management team that signing Jim Richmond was “one of the best moves they had ever made”.

Lossiemouth’s form later slumped and they finished 11th in the league in 196869 Richmond left in 1969 to join Rothes as a player/coach. His successor at Grant Park was Jim McIntosh, an inside forward who had been in Australia’s World Cup pool and took up the Lossie job when he returned to Scotland He had earlier made his name with Elgin City before going to play for Azzurri in Western Australia.

The Evening Express’s Green Final sports newspaper interviewed Richmond in June 1974 when he was manager of Rothes. He had high hopes that his players could make a major impact on the North soccer scene. He said Highland League clubs had relied too heavily on veterans and he was all for nurturing promising young players with an emphasis on physical fitness. Reflecting on the past season, Richmond said he made no apology for Rothes playing defensively for the greater part of the season: “It was necessary at the time because we simply did not have the shooting power to

be an attacking side Even so, we managed to beat Caley, Clach, Thistle and the eventual champions, Elgin City. It wasn’t a bad record. If there were moans it was only because these more fancied clubs failed to come up with the answers to our defensive set-up ”

He spoke highly of his most promising players including Calvin Malcolm who he had switched from defence to attack and soon became the club’s leading goalscorer The introduction of Danny Fitzsimmons brought more goals and by the end of the season Rothes had become an attacking force.

Richmond admitted Rothes probably had the smallest band of fans in the Highland League. He admired those who followed the team for their loyalty and constructive criticism and was always ready to listen to the fans: “I am interested in their point of view even if I do not agree As far as I am concerned, players, officials and fans have one objective – to see the team strike a blow for Speyside and take Rothes back to the top.”

Richmond quit as Rothes manager in October 1974, saying he had had too much to do and had become “fedup”. He had a change of mind in February 1975 when he returned as trainer, working alongside manager, Bill Cormie In the late 1980s, Richmond had a spell as co-manager, with his son, Gordon, of Lossiemouth United.

LAST WINNER

Football writer and opinionist, David Reid updates us on the latest football news

A quick read of the newspaper last Sunday morning saw loads of headline grabbers. Social media also has a part to play in today's world

I'll go through them all in chronological order One that stuck out when having my daily view of Twitter was St Johnstone fans criticising Callum Davidson, a man that won the double two seasons ago with the Saints and I guess there's a hint of anxiety after near relegation last season.

I covered the McDiarmid Park side at Ross County just before Christmas, the Perth side that day came from a goal down to win. Regardless of being a goal down, they looked very good and I was impressed. Maybe I caught them on a good day? Who knows, but for someone who has seen St Johnstone sporadically since Davidson arrived, I've always been impressed by them Maybe it's a timely reminder that's where football is going now

From an Aberdeen point of view, it was great for Barry Robson to get a big win beating Hearts 3-0, Luis 'Duk' Lopes with a double and a scintillating performance. That was a big audition for the Dons job and he passed that with flying colours. Robbie Neilson is once again under scrutiny after only picking up seven points in seven league games. It's not Brora Rangers level but with the Pittodrie side hot on the heels, it's going to be intense for third now

Full-Time referees up next? An outcry almost every week, we haven't come onto VAR yet, that's the conclusion. After a valiant effort by Hibs at Celtic, Easter Road boss Lee Johnson admits there's a stark

difference in the refereeing levels between Scotland and England.

In fact, on that subject, someone should maybe have a word with Alexander Mitrovic and Marco Silva, completely in control of the FA Cup tie at Old Trafford with Fulham a goal in front, Willian handles the ball on the line and gets sent off via VAR before the duo went berserk in two different moments and it saw the officiating team with no option but to have three red cards for the people mentioned.

Silva admitted in his post-match press conference that he's had problems with the referee in question this season but there's no doubt that was a penalty and a red card The speed of the shot is powerful and there's a degree of sympathy there but football is fluid, unfortunately

Finally, Jim Goodwin and he was a lot calmer in comparison to his time at Easter Road last September. VAR is likely to get put in the spotlight again and the conversations will rumble on for a long time yet.

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