Cappielow Park (Greenock Morton v St Mirren)

On Tuesday 23rd August I made my way to Greenock for the clash between arch rivals Greenock Morton and St Mirren. The Scottish League Cup second-round encounter was the first competitive Renfrewshire derby since they were paired in the semi-final draw of the League Challenge Cup in 2005. I was at that match as well, a tense affair at Love Street, which turned out to be the final Renfrewshire derby played at the old Saints ground. Both teams were unable to find the net during 120 minutes of football six years ago but the Buddies were victorious on penalties.

A healthy but strong (and sometimes not-so-healthy) rivalry has remained despite the teams not meeting each other regularly on a competitive basis. During the noughties the 'Ton dropped down the SLF divisions. The Greenock side sank as low as the Third Division in 2002 but recovered fairly quickly. By the time they returned to the First Division in 2007 the Saints had won promotion to the Scottish Premier League. Nowadays the sides usually meet in the Renfrewshire Cup final, a glorified pre-season 'friendly'. Despite its humble status the Renfrewshire Cup has quite a bit of history illustrated by the fact Morton has won it 51 times compared to their Paisley rivals' 53.

Exactly one month ago today I took the 6:20pm train at Paisley Gilmour Street train station and got off at Cartsdyke station at 6:45pm. Since I travel to my work in Greenock every day by train I did not have to buy a train ticket, a nice little bonus. The walk from the station to Cappielow Park is a short one, about 5-10 minutes. The St Mirren fans were allocated the Wee Dublin End, an uncovered terrace that has been turned into an all-seater stand by adding bench seating. With its variety of stands and terraces Cappielow is a great Scottish football stadium, similar in character to Ayr United's Somerset Park and Queen of the South's Palmerston Park. Of course, when in the presence of Morton fans I will maintain that St Mirren Park is a slick and modern SPL stadium and Cappielow is a tip...who am I kidding.

Much like the venue, the match itself was a cracker, a lively encounter between two in-form sides: after eight minutes, Gary Teal put the visitors ahead with a free-kick, my camera said 'memory full' as the ball went in, typical. Truth be told, Morton had been the stronger team so far and, credit where its due, they were not fazed by this early set-back and twenty minutes later the First Division side were 2-1 up, thanks to goals by Michael Tidser and Peter MacDonald. 2-1 was also the half-time score and Saints only had themselves to blame.

The Buddies looked more convincing at the start of the second half. Steven Thompson levelled the score 1o minutes after the interval and five minutes later, Nigel Hasselbaink's spot-kick made it 3-2 to the visitors. Steven Thompson's second came six minutes later but somehow Saints seemed adamant to do this the hard way and complacency (Lee Mair...) struck again: with eleven minutes to go Andy Jackson netted the home side's third goal. Somehow and with five men in defence, St Mirren managed to hang on to their slim lead.

In the third round St Mirren defeated St Johnstone 2-0 at McDiarmid Park. Saint will meet Ayr United at St Mirren Park next month with a League Cup semi-final berth at stake.

For pictures of a capacity crowd at Cappielow (against Celtic) see this post. For last year's Renfrewshire Cup final at Morton's ground see this post.

Terraces in the back, seats in the front: the magnificent Cowshed before the game.

The Cowshed during the game.

The Main Stand, Saints fans were allocated part of it but the majority preferred the Wee Dublin End.

The Sinclair Street End: Gary Teale is about to take the free-kick that put the Buddies ahead: 0-1.

Saints are ahead once more after Nigel Hasselbaink's penalty: 2-3.

Tuesday 23th August 2011
Scottish Communities League Cup 2nd round
Greenock Morton 3 St Mirren 4
Morton: Tidser 17, MacDonald 27, Jackson 79
St Mirren: Teale 8, Thompson 55, Hasselbaink (pen) 60, Thompson 66
Att: 4,959

Somerset Park (Ayr United v St Mirren)

Last Saturday I paid my second visit to Somerset Park in less than three weeks. On 20th January I had witnessed the Honest Men knocking Hibs out of the Scottish Cup. In the fifth round St Mirren came calling and this time I was in the Railway End as a St Mirren supporter. I took the train to Ayr (a 40-minute journey from Paisley) and had a pint in the local Wetherspoon's, the West Kirk, before heading for the ground, a short walk of about fifteen minutes from the town centre.

The game was made all-ticket on advice of Strathclyde Police and Saints had been allocated 2,500 tickets of which they sold about 2,300. A crowd of just under 6,000 showed up today and created a great cup atmosphere at Somerset Park. Craig Dargo scored the first goal for Saints after barely six minutes and added a second to his tally in the dying minutes of the first half. The chance of another upset by the part-timers started to look very slim until United's Mark Roberts scored from the spot thirteen minutes after the interval. St Mirren managed to hang on to their slim lead however and Dargo had a couple of chances to complete a hat-trick but manager Danny Lennon took him off fifteen minutes before time. This resulted in the Paisley contingent chanting: 'You don't know what you're doing!' but Lennon afterwards explained Dargo had started to look tired. It was a bizarre decision in my opinion but Saints are through to the quarter-final where they will meet Aberdeen at home.

For more pictures of Somerset Park, see this post and this one.

A pre-match pint in the West Kirk.


The Main Stand.


Queues at the away end.


A packed Somerset Road End.


2,500 Saints fans in the Railway End.


The Main Stand was sold out. Saints fans in the foreground.


The North Terrace.


A packed Railway End.


Mark Roberts' spot-kick ensured a tense finale.

Saturday 5th February 2011
Scottish Cup 5th round
Ayr United 1 St Mirren 2
Ayr United: Roberts (pen) 58.
St Mirren: Dargo 7, 45+1.
Att: 5,997

Easter Road (Hibernian v St Mirren)

Every five years I have to take a day off to go to Dutch consulate in Edinburgh to renew my Netherlands passport. As my passport had already expired in January and I have a groundhopping trip to Holland booked in for April I had to do this as soon as possible and I decided to make the appointment with the consulate on Wednesday 2nd February as this date coincided with Hibs v St Mirren. This SPL game was originally scheduled for 4th December last year but it had fallen victim to the Big Freeze. This was actually my third midweek fixture in as many weeks. Unlike many fans I do not mind them, especially when they are not too far away as it adds a bit of spice to the working week.

My mate Tony, who also holds a Dutch passport, went along to Edinburgh with me but, being the smart fellow he is, decided against joining me on my visit to Easter Road. I started the day with a breakfast at the Counting House in Glasgow and we took the 11am train to Edinburgh. I had an appointment at 12 noon with a photographer in Edinburgh to have my passport pictures taken. After a twenty-minute walk to the photo studio near East Meadow Park we had to walk the whole way back again but we made a stop at McEwans Ale House in Clerk Street. We then walked to the Dutch consulate which is opposite a new JD Wetherspoon pub, the Alexander Graham Bell, in George Street, so after handing in our forms and having our finger prints taken we decided to give it a try. After one pint we moved to the next Wetherspoon's in George Street, the Standing Order. After visiting three more pubs Tony took the train back to Glasgow and I started to walk in the direction of Leith. There was still a Wetherspoon's pub in Edinburgh I had not visited so I made my way to the Foot of the Walk, which was quite a trek from the city centre.

I had one pint and then walked to Easter Road. I had visited the home of Hibernian two seasons ago and at the time sat, or rather stood, amongst the home fans in the East Stand. In the meanwhile this stand had been demolished and replaced by a new single-tier stand. This makes the ground look a lot more modern but it has taken away a bit of the character of the stadium. Last week I went as a St Mirren fan and I took my seat in the South Stand. As both teams are near the bottom of the league this game was crucial but only a few hundred St Mirren fans had made the trip to Edinburgh. It was a woeful display and it was clear that the league table does not lie. Hibs however managed to score through Derek Riordan 17 minutes after the break. By the time David Wotherspoon added to Hibernian's tally in injury time I had already left the stadium in order to make the 10pm train back to Glasgow.

For more pictures of Easter Road see this post.

A new JD Wetherspoon in George Street, the Alexander Graham Bell.

Then off to the Standing Order.

Passing the Playfair on my way to Leith. It looked like it was closed for refurbishment.

The Foot of the Walk in Leith.

The new East Stand.


The West Stand.


The Famous Five Stand.

Wednesday 2nd February 2011
Scottish Premier League
Hibernian 2 St Mirren 0
Goals: Riordan 63, Wotherspoon 90+3.
Att: 9,436

Cappielow Park (Greenock Morton v St Mirren)

After last Saturday's trip to Peterhead I stayed a bit closer to home last Tuesday. I took the train to Greenock, for the second time that day as I work in Greenock, for the annual Renfrewshire Cup 'final' between Morton and St Mirren. At least the Ton went through an actual semi-final to reach it, thrashing amateurs Moorcroft 13-0. According to Morton chairman Rae Douglas in tonight's matchday programme the amateur team played 'well and competed well.' At least that's something I suppose.

Morton and St Mirren have enjoyed a longstanding rivalry for decades and it has remained strong despite both teams not having played in the same league for over a decade. This traditional pre-season 'friendly' is always fiercely contested and never meaningless to use a pre-season cliché. Saints were poor against last year's First Division strugglers but then again I do not think anyone has been expecting an easy 2010/11 season for the Buddies. The loan deal Celtic's Paul McGowan had signed shortly before the game at least was a bit of good news. The ex-Morton player came on as a replacement for Steven Robb eight minutes before time and added a bit of spice to the occasion.

There were no goals during 90 minutes of regular time which is worrying for St Mirren as they still seem unable to find the net easily, even against opposition from the second tier. It also meant I would not be able to make my 9:31pm train back to Paisley. Expecting extra time I went to the snack van for a coffee, no pies in the away end unfortunately, just something resembling a hamburger. Then it turned out there was no extra time and the teams had already started taking penalties. When John Potter scored the deciding 4-3 for St Mirren I had lost count. As there was no extra time I could still make the 9:56pm train from Cartsdyke to Paisley. Both sets of fans were separated at the station to prevent a repeat of the ugly scenes seen in recent years.

For more pictures of Cappielow see this post.

Long queues at the turnstiles.


The Grandstand before kick-off.


The Cowshed before the start of the game.


Saints fans in the Wee Dublin End.


Quite amusing, thirteen-year-olds taunting other thirteen-year-olds: 'Fatty, gie's a wave!"

Will there be a fifth consecutive Renfrewshire Cup at the end of this rainbow?

Cappie the Cat's bizarre antics...I really had no idea what he was up to. Well-nourished cheerleaders in the background.

Saints won the penalty shoot-out.

The Cowshed after the game.

The Grandstand after the final whistle.

Fans were separated by the police at Cartsdyke station. Not much happened. Some Morton fan threw an egg...better than a brick I suppose, see this report from two years ago.

Tuesday 27th July 2010
Renfrewshire Cup Final
Greenock Morton 0 St Mirren 0 (after 90 minutes, St Mirren win 4-3 on penalties)
Penalties:
Morton: Holmes missed, Monty scored, Kelby missed, Tidser scored, Smyth scored
St Mirren: Higdon scored, Van Zanten missed, Brady scored, McGowan scored, Potter scored
Att: 3,422

Love Street (or what's left of it...) Part 3

It has been five weeks since my last match visit and the first one of the new season is planned for next weekend (Peterhead v Montrose). Of course there was the small matter of the World Cup and the first time I saw my native Netherlands play in the final of the competition. The legendary 1974 final against hosts Germany took place two months before I was born and I am too young to remember the final against Argentina who were hosting in 1978. I was almost 14 when 'we' won the Euros in 1988 but the World Cup feels like another level.

This was not the best Oranje we had ever seen but reaching this year's final, after winning all qualifiers and the first six games at the finals, was a great achievement. On the BBC, and in other UK media, a lot was made of the 'brutal' play by Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong, with Alan Hansen talking about the Dutch playing in a 'cynical' way and how he was desperate for Spain to win the game after the first half. If the Dutch had won it would have been 'bad' for the game according to Hansen and Lee Dixon called the Dutch gameplan wrong as they had 'wanted [to see] an open game.' I admit that Germany v England was probably a more entertaining affair for the neutral spectator but I am glad we got put out in the final instead of the first knock-out round.

It was heartwarming to see orange-clad Scots supporting Holland in their thousands the day after the unexpected result against Brazil. Many of them were even wearing Dutch shirts showing that there is nothing sectarian about these marches as surely they all know that Catholicism is the predominant religion in the Netherlands.

However the World Cup is over now and now that we have sat through three days of 'pre-season' with Motherwell playing in a Europa League preliminary round last night, beating Breidablik of Iceland 1-0 at Fir Park, I decided to walk to Love Street after work to find out what is left of St Mirren's old stadium these days. And unfortunately it is not much that is left so I do not think I will go back to this site just to take pictures.

For pictures of the last home game at Love Street see this post. For pictures taken in February 2010 see this post and for photos taken in March 2010 see this post.

The Love Street turnstiles have not been demolished yet.

The main stand had already been demolished in February but the West (away) Stand is now completely gone as well.


This is where the West Stand used to be.


The North Bank.


This is all making way for a housing development.

New Douglas Park (Hamilton Academical v St Mirren)

Last Wednesday I visited New Douglas Park to see Hamilton Accies take on St Mirren. I had already planned to see this match as a St Mirren fan anyway but the decision of the Lanarkshire club to cut down the gate price to £5 removed all hesitations I might have had. As per usual I took the train. It is a 20-minute journey from Glasgow Central and an off-peak return ticket from Paisley is only £4.90.

It was a good thing I did not have to pay full price (which is a staggering £22, no wonder Accies have the lowest crowds in the SPL...then again only just over 3,000 fans turned up tonight) because this end-of-season affair surely was not worth much more than a fiver. I could have witnessed a twelve-goal thriller a couple of miles down the road at Fir Park for a tenner but it was not to be. Had St Mirren won they could have leapfrogged Aberdeen in the final league table (the Saints are welcoming the Dons tomorrow) but to be honest the Buddies did not deserve the three points. Marco Paixao's 40-yard shot, only minutes into the game, was the highlight of the game. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced towards the line but no Accies goal was given. From what I have seen on the telly the referee's decision was correct as the ball did not appear to cross the line completely but it was very close.

After last Saturday's 1-1 at Falkirk it had already seemed highly unlikely that St Mirren would go down however after this 0-0 draw it became official: the Saints will play in the SPL for at least another season. Happy days!

For other pictures of New Douglas Park see this post.

The Reid Furniture Stand before the game.

Outside the ground.

St Mirren fans in the North Stand.

Still no stand on the southern end of the ground.

The Reid Furniture Stand housed the home support.

The temporary stand which I have never seen in use.

Wednesday 5th May 2010
Scottish Premier League
Hamilton Academical 0 St Mirren 0
Att: 3,102

St Mirren v Rangers (2010 Co-operative Insurance Cup Final)

Yesterday we went to Hampden Park for this year's edition of the Co-operative Insurance Cup final. St Mirren had reached their first major final since 1987 (and their first League Cup final since 1955) after beating East Stirlingshire, Ayr United, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, and Hearts. The Saints had never won the Scottish League Cup, Rangers had won it 25 times. Rangers were of course overwhelming favourites to bag their first major trophy of the season, and not just because of this disparity in League Cup pedigree.

However today it was not a case of simply turning up for the Ibrox men. St Mirren were the stronger team in the first half with a few decent chances but, as so often this season, they were unable to find the net. After the break Saints continued in the same vein. Then Rangers saw red: first Kevin Thomson was sent off, followed by Danny Wilson not much later. The Buddies could not capitalize on the numeric advantage though, and it seemed to spur on Rangers.

After 83 minutes Kenny Miller scored with a header that followed Steven Naismith's cross and in doing so cruelly crushed the hopes of the 10,000 Buddies in attendance. We all knew it would be difficult to beat Rangers in a cup final, but Saints should have done it yesterday. Instead Rangers won it for the 26th time.

Approaching Hampden Park.


Rangers fans show their favourite flag.

Saints fans on the South Stand.

Unfortunately St Mirren were unable to sell their complete allocation of 14,000. About 4,000 tickets remained unsold.

More Buddies on the East Stand.

Kevin Thomson was sent off after a late lunge on Stephen Thomson.

Danny Wilson was sent off after pulling back Craig Dargo.

Even against nine men Saints were unable to score.

Sunday 21st March 2010
Co-operative Insurance Cup Final
St Mirren 0 Rangers 1
Goal: Miller 84.
Att: 44,538