A short one this week, busy weekend wrapping up what seems like a million Christmas presents and all the running about that Christmas drops on the doorstep
It was a. trip down with my dad for this game with a boot full of Christmas presents for my wife’s family who are in Berwick. A Santa run for the day. Once that was sorted it was to Foulis in Tweedmouth for the all day breakfast before heading to Shielfield. Hospitality was booked for this game but I would also be cameraman too. Alan doesn’t get anywhere near enough credit for this. Recording the game takes you out of it somewhat, not able to interact with anybody really. Watching. The game on a tiny screen. He then does the editing too. So thanks Alan for all the effort. It’s very much appreciated.

Berwick are fielding a smaller pool of players at the moment due to various injuries but had the ex Berwick player Darren Smith was in the squad as a trialist. Manager Ian Little commented “We are delighted to have brought Darren back to Berwick. With his experience and calmness on the pitch we think he will be an outstanding addition to help our young squad. He will also play a big part in our backroom staff and will certainly bring a lot of qualities to the club”. Gretna took the lead in the first half after a defensive mixup saw Berwick’s keeper fumble the shot from the Gretna number 9 to make it 1-0. Berwick equalised in the first half when a penalty for handball was confidently dispatched by Ricky Miller to level the game. Halftime 1-1.
Berwick dominated the second half pushing for the win and creating many chances that they were unable to convert. Gretna threatened on occasion but the Berwick defence soaked up the pressure.
Darren Smiths introduction at halftime seemed to be the experience the young Berwick squad were needing and Smith scored the winner with a looping ball into the top corner after cutting inside and beating two players to secure 3 valuable points for Berwick. Smith signed for the club after the game to become a Berwick player once more having left Berwick in 2005.
Full time 2-1.
Berwick next opponents will be an away game to Stirling University.

It was a trip down of the Friday for this one. My dad tucked up at home. I was unsure if the game would go ahead anyway, it was so cold. My wife was due to be marshalling a race for Tweed striders on the Sunday morning so were we’re planning on staying over anyway. This was a fixture free Saturday but the BSC game was a midweek postponement. I had various things to do in Berwick, visit the foodbank to drop off some selection boxes (40 of them), visit B.A.R.K to drop stuff off there (they were shut but I’ll try next week) and also dropping off some money for Berwick Cancer cars. I also picked up a barrel of beer from Bear Claw brewery for a Christmas party at work. A busy weekend.

I was expecting a hiding, damage limitation but we actually put up a decent performance. Sadly we still lost though and we are hovering around the bottom of the table. A place we don’t need to be. The game started with the ref requesting a kit change. The BSC fan I was talking to couldn’t understand what the ref was doing requesting a change of kits. BSC playing in their home kit (yellow) and Berwick in their away kit (green) was requested. There would have been no clash with BSC in Blue (their away) or yellow (their home) and Berwick in Black and Gold as far as I could see.

Anyway, kickoff time and in the 13th minute we have a straight red card. Puzzled faces all round, even the BSC fans were left wondering what happened. The ref had been ok up to that point, missed a few things that others might have picked up but that’s the nature of the game. We held on to end the half 0-0 and we put in a reasonable show to be fair. We are not where we want to be, that’s a given but we looked better than last week.
So the next step after a red card is usually for Berwick to give away a penalty (not related to the red card I might add) and we did just that. BSC score and we were left chasing the game. The ref was losing it a bit now though, decisions sliding on both sides. The BSC manager having a screaming match about an offside decision. The ball hit the ref twice and he never halted play, once took a deflection that lead to a dangerous BSC attack. BSC had a man sent off for dissent with about 10 minutes to go. A double yellow. Quite harsh I felt (although happy to see it as a Berwick fan to perhaps give us a chance at an equaliser). The ref couldn’t get the second yellow out of his pocket quickly enough.

Again points dropped though, another week of almost but almost doesn’t put points on the board. Next up Gretna 2008 at Shielfield. Gretna are sitting below us on 6 points to our 12. Surely we must add another 3 point on Saturday. The game should go ahead as the temperature is rising throughout the coming week and no rain is forecast.
I’ll be in Hospitality for that game and also on cameraman duties, so it will be a quick cup of tea at halftime for me then.

An early start for this one. A Supporters Trust meeting at 11am means leaving the house at around 7:30am and collecting my dad just before 8am before heading to Berwick. It would be myself, my dad, my brother and his wife at the game my wife and dog coming to Berwick with us but not attending the match. My brother and his wife having headed down to Berwick on Friday. I had hospitality booked and hoping that the game wouldn’t be off because of the rain. (It wasn’t.....).

Plenty of rain on the way down but the game was still on. Family dropped off in Spittal and off the Shielfield for the Trust meeting. A change of venue from the pilot inn but much easier to get parked. The meeting was a bit longer than expected but there were a few things to discuss. I’m the new membership secretary and still have a few things to sort out but I’m getting there. Bill the previous secretary had a comprehensive set of documents that I need to tweak (update addresses etc) and it looks like the bank have finally granted me access to the account to check payments (the biggest stumbling block).

Trust meeting finished it was off to collect the troops (dog included) and head to the leaping salmon for lunch. Cheap and cheerful but with the usual mixup (chicken sub ordered, chicken club arrives but obviously we say nothing because it’s not worth the hassle). Lunch finished and it’s off the Shielfield.

We arrive, usual stuff can of coke and watch the first half of the Scotland game on the tv, buy half time draw tickets etc. Then outside to watch the game.
I actually won the £200 Black and Gold bond prize at half time (money will be going to Berwick cancer cars).

Well it was a 4-0 victory to Berwick at the end of the game. The first half however was dreadful. Miller scored a penalty late in the first half to east the pressure but it was a pretty poor performance. The second half however saw a different team emerge scoring early in the half with a great cross into the box that Osei nodded in at the back post. Chalmers scored the third from close range, poking in the ball. Late on in the second half Miller scored the second penalty of the game (couldn’t tell why we got the penalty though). A crucial 3 points that we desperately need to build on. An interruption in the league next as it’s away to Kelty Hearts in the football nations cup on Tuesday night. (Kelty won 7-1 today).

An early start for me. The trust A.G.M is at 11am and I’ll need to be there early. The Supporters club have announced that they are making their shares available if a buyer is out there and the Trust will need to discuss our stance. So a meeting before the A.G.M. I was going to head down on Friday night but Ruth’s come back from work with the cold and I decided that it wasn’t worth it. I’ll head down in the morning but it will be a 6am start and a long day. I have not got much hope of a result against Kelty Hearts, they have the money of a team leagues above us. Managed by Barry Ferguson the ex Rangers and Scotland player Kelty are a difficult team to beat.

Well an early start and the Queensferry crossing still slow at 7am on a Saturday. If I arrived in plenty of time and had a McMuffin thing from McDonalds for breakfast. I popped to the shop in Spittal to grab. A pie for my lunch later on. A long day ahead.

I’m taking over as the Trust membership secretary, I’m still waiting on The bank of Scotland giving me access to the bank account. The form was sent in a number of weeks ago but I’ve heard nothing yet. I have the paperwork I need for the rest of it, I need to find time to look through it. I was handed a list of the junior members birthdays. Turns out we post them a birthday card.

It was a poor turnout, I was expecting more people. Membership is down but it’s still just under 200 which is a reasonable number given the average crowds over the last few seasons, It is an election year and everybody has been re-elected. We could do with a few more on the board though but that’s always been a bit of a struggle. After the usual business was attended to Dennis Mcleary gave us an great talk on his 50 years at the club. This was followed up with a question and answer segment with Manager Ian Little and assistant Kevin Haynes.

It was then off to sell programs for this game and asked to work the Turnstile for the next home game.

Well I wasn’t expecting much from this game but I was pleasantly surprised. We are an improving team and we were unlucky not to get a point. It was still goalless at halftime and we were looking much more composed. Kelty scored a free kick to win 1-0 in the end but I was expecting a thrashing.
We had a shot off the underside of the bar cleared off the line and a header just off the inside of the post that was a so close I though we had scored. We did of course give away a penalty but it was struck rather poorly and our keeper saved it. Cook was given a second yellow for the tackle that resulted in the penalty but we still put in a decent shift with 10 men. 11 would have been better though.

Oh and there was a fuss by the referee before the game started, he was concerned that the goals were lower on one side than the other. I guess in the end he was happy enough as the game went ahead.

No game on Saturday which is a bit of an odd feeling! Elgin away in the Scottish cup the Saturday after. Still not sure if I want to travel up to Elgin but I’ll think about it.

An early start for me, there’s a Trust meeting at 11am so I’ll need to leave about 8am. I’ll no doubt leave earlier. My dad won’t be with me for this one, it’s too early a start for him. I’ll take him to the Spartans away game on Tuesday night though (although I’m not looking forward to getting over the Queensferry crossing and into Edinburgh at that time of evening). I’ll go to Shielfield after the Trust meeting and see if there are any jobs that the club need help with, there’s always something.

We are desperate for points on the board. Cumbernauld Colts don’t sound like a difficult team but they will be, they all are. It may be a case that teams raise their game against Berwick, the new boys to the league but we need to get over this and raise our game. Stupid mistakes have been costing us games and we need to be more careful. We also need to take a shot on goal when the opportunity arises. It’s becoming a bit of a chore now and I want a win. I’ve had a heavy cold this week and I want something to lift my spirits.

I arrived in plenty of time for the Trust meeting. The Queensferry crossing as slow and as busy as usual. I arrived and grabbed a McMuffing thing for breakfast. The Trust meeting went well. Difficult times at the club and we need to support them. Next stop the supermarket to buy flowers for the ladies at the club, a thank you for their support. A quick chat with some folk at the club and the. selling programs my task for the afternoon.

This bit becomes more difficult to write, a huge part being that I usually write it when I get home (currently 8pm) and I’m tired after a long day and a 2+hr drive. But the danger is leaving it to Sunday and t might not get done at all...

We started well and went 1-0 up. Happy days but the dread soon set in when we gave away a penalty. Cumbernauld missed the penalty blazing it high over the bar and relief set in, a bit of luck our way for a change. We ended the half 1-0.
Second half saw us going 2-0 up, hurrah, the road to victory etc. This was soon cut short when Cumbernauld slotted one home. Our keeper looked like he had it but it went in (looked like he had it to me but I’ll watch the highlights). Then in the death of the game Cumbernauld score again. 2-2. 2 points chucked away. Lack of concentration coming back to haunt us. It’s looking like we need to score 3 or 4 goals to win a game.

So it’s off to East Kilbride, a bit of a detour for this one as my dad and I are going to take my brother and his wife. I think it’s more about spending time as a family than it is about the football. My brother and his wife were there last season for the Cove game at Shielfield and at Hampden when we were on the end of a 7-1 drubbing and my brother was there for this seasons Betfred cup game at Livingston. Still a day out and we will go for dinner afterwards.

I need to get to games early to get a parking space close to the ground so my dad can manage. It’s usually not a problem but it is a bit of a concern. There’s not much information out there on accessible parking at football grounds. It seems to be a case of already knowing before you go.

As for the game I’m not expecting a victory, as sad as that seems, I believe East Kilbride will be too strong for us. I hope that we win but i wouldn’t put money on it.

I headed off to my brothers and from there he drove to the game. We arrived in plenty of time as usual and parked in the carpark at the club. I was expecting a battle after reading that the carpark was for players and officials only but it was half empty and nobody said a thing. The gate was open so we paid and bought some draw tickets, a program and a bacon roll and tea. The to take our “seat” in the stand. The seats are backless and hard but we had the back row so my dad could sit against the wall and I folded up my hoodie so he could sit on it.

We started with a changed lineup from Saturday’s disappointing cup game against Tranent. And boom 1 up in about a minute. Happy days and we had a good number of chances and were playing ok. East Kilbride didn’t look like they were to be feared. About a minute before the end of the half East Kilbride scored after about 10 minutes of pressure ending the half at 1-1. The second half saw us pinned in our own half from the start. We lost our way and some errors saw us 3-1 down and out of it. We pulled back a goal to make it 3-2 it there seemed to be no sense of urgency to bring it level. We had our chances but squandered them. Too many passes when we should had had a go. A frustrating game to watch. Yaw Osei came on as a second half sub with about 20 minutes to go and was bloody awful. He had about 2 touches and was all over the place, I was expecting much better from him. The loan player from Rangers looked decent though, putting in some good passes and having decent control. Next up Cumbernauld Colts. There’s a trust meeting at 11am before that game so I’ll need to leave about 8am. The though of an 8am start is quite unappealing at the moment and my dad probably won’t go as it will be a bit too long a day for him. I might take him to the midweek Spartans game though.

I missed last weeks victory over Spartans in the Football Nations Qualifying Cup so I’m hoping to catch a win here. Last Saturday was spent in the rain as my wife took part in a triathlon. I had said we could make it to Berwick if we timed it right but the way the triathlon was organised didn’t help, a 1/2 mile walk to pick up a wetsuit at the end adds a fair bit of time and the killer was the 50 minutes it took to get out of the muddy car park. We were about 10 cars from the exit but nearly every car got stuck in the mud and had to be towed. The time had gone. Still a good win and hoping for the same this week. I’ll be down with my dad and my friend Gordon will be joining us. Hospitality is booked for the 3 of us for this game. At £20 it’s worth it to help the club. My dad and I have season tickets that are valid for this game but we aren’t talking a lot of money here. It might also be the case that I’m needed as a volunteer, I’ll ask when I get there.

Gordon wants to go to Eyemouth on the way down and get fish and chips for lunch. I’m sure my dad will manage to munch them down rather than the usual all day breakfast at Foulis in Tweedmouth...

So Eyemouth it was. A small fish tea x2 and a pensioners fish tea (the same only cheaper). Then back on the road and down to Berwick. Hospitality for us and a lovely sunny day.

Well I was fully expecting a win, but as last season still looms in my mind as do the first 2 Lowland league games I was also thinking we could get turned over here. I was in fact delighted that we won. A 4-0 victory none the less. I had a brief 5 minutes as cameraman while Alan put some cameras behind the goals then I took my seat for the game.
All 4 goals came in the first half and we were off the gas somewhat in the second half but it was very hot and with 4 goals under our belt and games on Tuesday and Saturday we could afford a bit of coasting. Our first goal was a penalty, a rare thing at Shielfield for Berwick, not for the opposition though.... some decent passing and movement too from the team. It was my first look at Ricky Miller in the flesh but he’s is what we have been missing. A good solid no nonsense central defender. I’m back down to Berwick tomorrow for the week, I’ll then go up to Edinburgh for the Tuesday night game and then cameraman for the civil service Strollers game. I’ll not be at the following game at Gala, that’s the Berwick food and beer festival!