Recreation Park (Alloa Athletic v Aberdeen)

Last night I took a train from Glasgow Queen Street to Alloa for my first visit to Recreation Park, home of Alloa Athletic. Alloa is a small town seven miles east of Stirling. The railway link re-opened in May 2008 and it takes less than an hour to travel from Glasgow to the home of the Wasps. Recreation Park, a small but tidy ground, is only a five-minute walk away from the station.

The SFL Second Division side were playing hosts to SPL leaders Aberdeen in the second round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup. The Dons, who started the season perfectly in the league, were of course favourites to win this tie easily but there is always the chance of an upset.

However after 15 minutes Alloa goalie Stephen Robertson brought down Fraser Fyvie and of course Paul Hartley scored from the spot once more. Rory McArdle's header ensured a 2-0 lead for the Dons at half time. Chris Maguire made it 3-0 with a long-range effort. It was a comfortable win for Aberdeen but the Wasps had a opportunities to score a consolation goal but they missed composure faced with substitute goalkeeper Thomas Flynn.

Recreation Park has an artificial pitch, which was blamed after the game by Dons boss Mark McGee for the knee injury sustained by Fyvie. Alloa manager Allan Maitland however did not think anything was wrong with their plastic pitch and felt the 18-year-old was partially to blame for wearing blades on the artificial surface.

I arrived early at the turnstiles so no queues. The people you see queueing have tickets for the grandstand.

The Main Stand.



The covered terrace in the Clackmannan Road End.



Aberdeen fans in the Railway End...


...and more Aberdeen fans in the Hilton Road Stand.

Paul Hartley's penalty.

Celebrations after Hartley opened the score.


Queuing up for an excellent steak pie.

Tuesday 24th August 2010
Co-operative Insurance Cup round 2
Alloa Athletic 0 Aberdeen 3
Goals: Hartley (pen) 18, McArdle 38, Maguire 60.
Att: 1,649

Pittodrie Stadium (Aberdeen v Inverness Caledonian Thistle)

The Daily Record is not a newspaper I usually read however they had an offer I could not resist. A return journey to any destination in Scotland with Citylink coaches for only a fiver made an away trip to Aberdeen a very interesting prospect. The journey from Buchanan Bus Station in Glasgow to Aberdeen was quick (3.5 hours) and comfortable apart from the boy next to me being sick on the floor of the bus literally minutes before we arrived at Aberdeen Bus Station. Luckily he managed to avoid my legs and feet so I was ready to explore Aberdeen in a pristine state.

I had a few hours to wander about in the City Centre and after walking up and down Union Street, which is Aberdeen's main shopping street, it was time to look for a decent pub and since I was on a budget today I was particular keen to find a Wetherspoon's. When I had almost given up I stumbled upon The Archibald Simpson. After a couple of pints of Deuchar's and watching Hearts v Celtic come to a close (1-1) it was time to head for the ground.

The Archibald Stimpson

Approaching the granite entrance to Pittodrie Stadium.

The two-tier Richard Donald Stand.


The South Stand where my seat was. I had purchased a ticket in advance over the internet.


The Main Stand


The Merkland Family Stand. The picture also shows the uncovered area between the Merkland Stand and South Stand, the only uncovered part of the ground.

The Red Ultras were displaying banners showing the names of the people who died in the North Sea helicopter crash on 1st April 2009. A very impressive one-minute silence was observed before kick-off by both sets of supporters.

Aberdeen deservedly won 1-0.

The beautiful traditional brick facade of the Main Stand

The main entrance.

The Richard Donald Stand and the club shop.

After the game it was back to The Archibald Stimpson for a cheap meal and a cheap pint. It had been an enjoyable day and everything so far had gone as planned. Unfortunately the journey back to Glasgow took a bit longer than expected. The coach broke down near Perth and we had to wait for what seemed like ages to get a replacement bus. After we arrived back in Glasgow I only just managed to catch the last train back to Paisley.

Saturday 11th April 2009
Scottish Premier League
Aberdeen 1 Inverness CT 0
McDonald 79.
Att: 11,114