MATCH 2081 - Thursday 27 August 2026

SEASON 2026/27

Qualifying Round - 2nd Leg

Venue:  EASTER ROAD STADIUM

HIBERNIAN  2  GENT  3

Scorers:  Kerr, Passleck;  Vergara, Burgess, OG

Attendance:  18.997

View from the middle of the Pat Stanton Stand

This was a great chance to experience a full Easter Road and in the very impressive one tier Pat Stanton Stand to see if Hibs could qualify for the group stages of an UEFA competition for the first time.  

Their opponents were Belgium side, Gent who I saw back in 1984 against Celtic.

With less than 15 minutes to go Hibs took a 2-1 lead to send the crowd into dreamland and looked set to qualify as Gent rarely threatened in the second half except for one very dangerous corner kick.  So all Hibs needed to do was avoid concession of a corner however with just six minutes of normal time remaining they gave away a needless corner and all the fears were realised because this time the delivery was even better into the six-yard box and only required a neat glancing header to send the ball home which levelled the tie.  Hibs never recovered and conceded again in injury time to end their dreams.

Match report:  LINK

Personal note:

•  This was my 3rd time seeing Hibernian in UEFA competition and the 2nd time seeing Gent
• Overall this was my 216th UEFA tie including 42 not involving Celtic
• This was my 7th game I've seen in UEFA European competition involving clubs from Belgium

Hibs fans dreaming of more European trips

Unfortunately their dreams go up in smoke

MATCH 2078 - Wednesday 12 August 2026

SEASON 2026/27

FRIENDLY

Venue:  CROKE PARK

MANCHESTER UNITED  1  LEEDS UNITED  1

Scorers: Zirkzee;  Aaronson

Attendance: 82,300

I travelled to Dublin purely to see a football match at the iconic Croke Park which traditionally is exclusive to GAA games of hurling and Gaelic football.

The chance to see it with Manchester United was too good an opportunity not to and it didn't disappoint.

Not much to look at outside ground but inside its presence is breathe taking.  It's a monster of a stadium, holding 82,000 which was full for this pre-season friendly between two of England's top clubs.

The 82,000 crowd mainly made up of Irish Man U fans but on every leg of my journey from Glasgow Airport on Wednesday morning to Dublin Airport on Thursday morning all I encountered were groups of Leeds fans heading to and from Ireland's capital.

The Leeds/Man Utd rivalry is one of the most fierce in football but there was absolutely no trouble as the game was played in a wonderfully friendly atmosphere.

Match report: LINK

Personal note:

• My 10th match in Ireland in Dublin,(7) Cork, Dundalk, Derry
• My 87th time seeing Man United
• My 6th time seeing Leeds United

My pictures from Croke Park:

Leeds legend, Eddie Gray

My first view

MATCH 2076 - Saturday 1 August 2026

SEASON 2026/27

SCOTTISH LEAGUE DIVISION 2

Venue:  MEADOWBANK STADIUM

EDINBURGH CITY  0  ELGIN CITY  5

Scorers: Murray, Hyde, OG, Girvan, MacIver

I finally see Elgin win a league game and in some style.   After nine years of going to Elgin matches in the lower tiers of Scottish League football to visit grounds that I hadn't managed to visit for a match, I returned to the revamped Meadowbank Stadium for the same fixture I attended in 2017.  

The new Meadowbank Stadium also known now as the Meadowbank Sports Centre is a huge downgrade on the original stadium that was built for the commonwealth games of 1970.  The replacement stand has just three rows running the length of the running track with a capacity of only 500.  On the plus side the plastic seats are quality, the best in the country and the standard gents toilets are the cleanest and best I've seen inside a football ground.

It was match day 1 of the new Scottish League season so it was a very good start for Elgin City.

Three row stand

Match report: LINK

Personal note:

• Third time seeing this fixture - all in the league and in Edinburgh
• The 9th time seeing Elgin in the league
• Overall this was the 3rd time seeing Edinburgh City and the 13th time seeing Elgin

MATCH 2073 - Tuesday 14 July 2026

SEASON 2026/27

SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP - Group Stage

Venue:  LINKS PARK

MONTROSE  1  DUNDEE UNITED  0

Scorer: Webster

Attendence: 1,454

My 46th season attending football matches begins with a trip to a new ground, Links Park in the Scottish north-east town of Montrose. Not the best game as top tier Dundee United struggled to create clear chances against their tier 3 opponents which did not go down well with their good travelling support and especially one very loud mouth fan sitting a few rows behind.

Montrose is a lovely little town to visit prior to a game and has plenty of hotel opportunities to make it a pleasant stay.  It is also very accessible by car as a day trip from Dundee (30 miles) or Aberdeen (40 miles).

Match report: LINK

Personal note:

• Links Park was the 126th ground I have attended 
• This was only the 3rd time seeing Montrose and the 136 time seeing Dundee United
• Overall this was the 141st time attending a Scottish League Cup tie - the 11th not involving Celtic

MATCH 2033 - Saturday 25 October 2025

SEASON 2025/26

SCOTTISH CUP 2nd ROUND

Venue: OLIVEBANK ARENA

MUSSELBURGH ATHLETIC  1  FORFAR ATHLETIC  2

Scorers: Todd;  Morrison, Slater

Attendance: 700

My second visit to Musselburgh to see an early Scottish Cup tie.  Exactly one year since my first.  This time the opposition was a Scottish League club in Forfar. A lovely bright day just before the clocks go back tonight!

The story of the match was exactly the opposite of last season's tie in that the home side took a first half lead only for the away team to win the match with a second half turnaround. The winner was a very well executed free kick near the end of the 90 minutes.

Kick off

Match report: LINK

Match video:  

Personal note:

• A new fixture (number 432)
• 2nd time seeing Musselburgh; 6th time seeing Forfar (1st since season 1989/90)
• The 170th time attending a Scottish Cup tie; the16th not involving Celtic