Hoops 3 Irn Bru 2
All those with serious injuries and irreparable damage to their minds should see Hector Cook for legal action. It's a wonder that so many got through the 90 minutes before bombing it down to the supporter's hut for a pint prior to the Stirling Albion encounter.
The game was played in good spirits and fun was had by all. The first-half saw the Hoops dominate and I was under constant bombardment in the "Bru" goal. I had hardly got to the grips with the surface when a goal was scored by the men in orange and blue. Alan Johnston, much better than his pro namesake, opened the scoring. But sadly that was as good as it got for the next 20 minutes as I was hassled in goal. Stephen Gilp scored an alleged goal although a huge assist must go to deflectee Richard Johnston. I looked on in anguish as the ball spun to the right and into the top corner. 1-1 then. An error from yours truly gave the Hoops another goal. Ally Dick's shot was stopped by my legs, but the youngster hammered in the rebound. Other than that, I was untroubled in terms of shots but was abused at corners. Thank you very much, Mr McNaught. Dick was the biggest threat, but my excellent handling kept the scoring at two. At the other end, Martin Harvey was tucking into a bacon sandwich, but had to drop the buttie to save some tame crosses.
At half time, tempers flared and Bru's Colin Stewart said to Hector Cook: "This is f*cking one sided." The ageing star was correct though, but Cook brought himself on in place of me to play the second half. Centre-half American Footballer Jamie McNab played the remainder of the game in goal for the Bru.
Joseph Mullaney played the entire match for the Hoops, but his lightning speed, pin-point crossing, and sinister finishing were not utilised.
For the second half, I helped Joe McMonagle officiate and watched the match from the touchline as linesman. The Bru got themselves back into the match, but shocking finishing let the Hoops off the hook on countless occasions. Hector did get an equaliser, but the Hoops got a lucky win through Paul Quigley. Quigley was constantly offside during the match, but my assistance from the line was not noticed by Joe McM.
Honourable mentions for Person of the Match go to Eileen Myles of the Bru and Ally Dick of the Hoops.
When the final whistle blew, handshakes were exchanged and both sides headed for the changing rooms. I don't know if an eleven can be selected from the 28 that showed, but hopefully another match of this type will be arranged for the future.
Teams:
Hoops: Martin Harvey, Andy McNaught, Fraser Gibson, David Wilson, Gordon Hunter, Paul Bladworth, Colin Shepherd, Stephen McGilp, Joseph Mullaney, Derek Stronach, Ally Dick, Paul Quigley. Subs: Alan Raeburn.
Bru: Martin Kelly, Stephen McGovern, Richard Johnstone, Jamie McNab, Ian Fitzpatrick, Andy Myles, Graeme Shields, Ross Greig, Alan Johnston, Colin Stewart, Chris Creighton, Scott Gorrod. Subs: Hector Cook, Eileen Myles.
My take on the match: The following people should be chosen :
Martin Harvey, Ally Dick, Paul Quigley, Fraser Gibson, Derek Stronach, Stephen McGilp, Colin Shepherd, Jamie McNab, Andy Myles, Alan Johnston, Eileen Myles, Graeme Shields, Ian Fitzpatrick, Hector Cook.
Match Rating: 10/5