well it started out with disappointment for my dad, he couldn’t get chicken curry and chips at foulis in the town as they didn’t have it on! (It was on the advertising screen) Still an all day breakfast sorted him out... That done it was off to Shielfield to our spot in hospitality and to watch the end of the Chelsea v Man U game. It was also time to distribute haribo bags that I had bought for the opening game of the season but due to my back/leg problem i was unable to at that time. A cup game seemed as good as any to give them out. I left a few in the wee bar downstairs, hospitality, the shop and handed a few out. There was around 150+, I can’t quite remember how many bags I’ve eaten at home since the opening game of the season but I started off with 200....

well I was hoping for a win but also expecting a torrid time. Berwick performed well, the team seemed to hold its shape and played some decent football at times. This may be due to the level of the opposition but Gretna had their chances and hit the woodwork 3 times in the game. We scored in the first half and went in 1-0 up so pleasing and a relief. Still we could easily slip and be in trouble. 2 goals within a minute of each other in the second half (51,52) put the game to bed though and Berwick were in the driving position. Gretna scored in the 87th minute but we managed to hold on...... it was a good game to watch and we rode our luck at times but it was a needed win for the team and the fans. We are now up against East Fife at Shielfield in the next round of the cup on the 24th of November. A tougher task but £15k waiting for the winners at the end of that game with the hope of a big club in the next round. A big club away is the golden goose, ticket sales are split 50/50 (I’m fairly sure anyway) so a potential large income if you don’t proceed through to the next round.

well its Berwick v Gretna 2008 tomorrow in the Scottish cup and we need a win. The team needs confidence and the new man in charge can start off with a victory to get the ball rolling. There is not going to be a better chance for a win, Gretna 2008 should offer no match but realistically it’s going to be tough. Berwick have not fared well against smaller teams in the cups in recent years. We were beaten at home by Hawick Royal Albert in 2016 (2-3) and beaten at home by Spartans in the challenge cup in 2016 (0-3). Hopefully the team fan pull together and we can progress to the next round of the Scottish cup. I have my £10 free bet on a win anyway! I’ll be travelling down with my dad and my friend Gordon for this one. The plan is to leave my parents house at 10am and head down in plenty of time to get some lunch and then into the hospitality lounge around 1:30pm.
Best of luck to the team and new man in charge Johnny Harvey.
And best wishes to Jamie Todd after the injury he picked up against Edinburgh City a couple of weeks ago. It’s a tough time to be out when there’s a new man in charge.

off to Arbroath for the game, Berwick 5-1 to win this but I had hope.... The day started off with a trip to my folks to get the old boy, my brother Thomas (who was coming up from just outside Lanark) and Gordon. We then drove up to Arbroath nice and early to get a spot of lunch in the Bellrock before the game. Lunch was good, fish and chip bufffet. The only thing spoiling it was the fact that I had rice pudding and my dad had bread and butter pudding then we noticed the ice cream machine in the corner.........(spoiled perhaps a strong choice of word here).

well not much to say, beaten 3-0. Berwick were 5-1 to win so Arbroath clear favourites. Berwick did at least seem to put in a shift although the defence were under constant pressure and Arbroath could easily have had another 3 or 4 goals. Berwick still seem to do the odd thing of having everybody in the goal mouth for corners. This odd tactic means that when the ball is cleared it comes straight back into the box from the opposition. There is also still the tendency for everybody to chase the ball. This leave a huge gap on one side of the field that is often exploited by the opposition. Surely the new manager Robbie Horn can see this? The lack of any recognised striker is quite obvious, here's hoping that there are a few on the Christmas list. It wasn't the worst game and I have high hopes for the squad under the new manager. If we had a couple of strikers then obviously the game would have been different, the shape of the team would be drastically improved and of course our decent midfielders would then be in midfield and not upfront. The only problem looming on the horizon is the loan player situation. There are 5 or 6 in the squad and they are regular team players. The danger now is the parent clubs pulling them out at Christmas and then placing them in teams that are in a higher league.

i arrived in Berwick around 11am with my dad. We had hospitality for this game it was offered at £10 each so it was an offer too good to refuse! Tickets alone for this game were £12 and £7 so it only cost and extra £1! We pottered around until 1pm when Hospitality started. We arrive and were the first there. I was hoping to watch the Liverpool v Man Utd game on the tv's in the lounge but it turns out that the club don't have sky sports! Some cooking show was put on instead..... for future reference it would be better if they put on one of the free sport channels. It might not be football but it's sport! I had a can of Coke and my dad had a beer. We picked up a couple of programmes and had a read. Nice to see an advert for St Andrews Berwick Rangers Supporters in it. The place slowly filled up and we had a chat with a few people. About 30 minutes before kick off we headed out for a seat in the stand. We prefer a seat in the stand over the directors box, it's nice to be among the crowd and although it was raining it wasn't cold.

halftime arrived and it was a decent shift from Berwick, the game looked like it could swing either way and my dad said a goal either way would win it. We quickly scoffed down our sandwiches tea and cake and headed back outside to take our seats for the second half. I even managed to get a picture with Eric Tait the club legend! Although looking at the picture i probably should have had a shave......

well we won 1-0 thanks to a goal from defender Pat Scullion in the 70th minute. I also had £10 on this game. Berwick were 3-1 so £35 back for that! £5 stake was my actual money and William Hill matched my stake to put it to £10 with a Scottish cup promotion. I think they must hate me because I hardly ever bet and don't get drawn in to spending all my cash! At the final whistle it was into the car and back home to Fife. We were listening to the radio waiting for the next round draw. It turns out that there was some confusion when the 6 or was it 9 ball came out so they decided to scrap the draw and start again! Finally Berwick were drawn away against Arbroath. Arbroath is about a 50 minute drive from Fife so that's not too bad! I'll take my Dad and Gordon will probably come too.