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So for our latest trip we thought the bets way to decide where we were going to would be to try and select a fixture at random. We ended up with Berwick Rangers vs. Elgin City, but with the thought of having to travel all the way to Berwick, when we could go to the title party at Gretna we changed our minds once again!
Again we lost a man, with Mark having to stay behind on this occasion, so it would just be myself and Jamie on the trip down the motorway. We wanted to make an afternoon of it so I decided to drive so that we were away for longer than 2 hours!
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Gretna could win the 1st Division if they secured all 3 points against their title rivals St Johnstone, so a sell out was expected. Raydale park has a capacity of 3000, which is 300 more than the population of Gretna, but unsurprisingly it was full. The stadium has a lot to be desired, and is in desperate need of upgrading which it is duly getting next season. If they gain promotion they will need to increase it to 6000 capacity to meet SPL standards. There are 2 stands, one completely seated at the end, with another partly seated, partly standing running the length of the pitch on one side.
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We took our place in the standing area for the beginning of the match to be greeted by a giant cock on the pitch. And no we aren’t meaning Chic Young, who was also there. The match kicked off with Gretna pressing well and striking the bar inside the first 15 minutes, but that was about as close as Gretna came for the rest of the match. Some of the hardcore Gretna fans proceeded to abuse the linesman, in a fashion we’ve regularly seen, but the poor guy hadn’t had a decision to make, so not sure what they had against him. Jason Scotland opened the scoring when his shot took a huge deflection, caring it past the Gretna keeper. It didn’t take much longer for Scotland to double his tally before half time when he latched onto a through ball, and slotting calmly past the keeper. We thought this might have given Gretna a kick up the arse, but unfortunately it didn’t, and the second half continued with a lack lustre display from Gretna, and even when St Johnstone were reduced to 10 men they still couldn’t break them down. St Johnstone sat back, defending well, and releasing the ball to Scotland who was able to turn whoever was marking him as if he wasn’t even there. The final whistle came, and a swift exit was made, and not before long we were home again, reflecting on what could have been if we had gone to the 0-0 draw at Berwick.
About the only good thing about the day was the fact it was blazing sunshine, which we hope we see a lot more of on our future travels.
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Quality of Seat: 1/5 Quality of Banter: 2/5 Quality of Ground: 1/5 (It will be getting reconstructed next season if Gretna gain promotion) Quality of Pie: 2/5 Overall: 2/5 |
