well it’s an away trip to Stirling, rain and gales forecast so fun for all. Gordon’s bailed on this one, something about rain, can’t be bothered etc. I’ll go and pick up my dad and attend this one. It is more a sense of duty rather than enjoyment. I have no confidence in a win here, not with the state the team is in with injuries and last weeks 3 red cards. Still it’s nice to spend some time with my dad so that’s something. I have my new thick gloves at the ready and thermals to put on for this one. Last week was freezing at Shielfield and the last time I was at Forthbank it was one of the coldest football games I had ever been at.
The match preview for this one mentions that two players from the development team are stepping up into the main team. Jack Murray and Matthew O’Connor step up into the squad having shown good form with the Reserves this season. Jack Murray is sponsored by St Andrews Berwick Rangers Supporters and we wish him all the best and hope he gets an opportunity to show the new boss he’s worthy of a place.

we arrived in plenty of time as usual despite the roadworks. The turnstiles were open so we went in. A bit of pre match chat before the game where I found out our assistant manager would be the central defender. Desperate times at Berwick Rangers...
We had our chances again but cannot convert them, passing where we should have a shot and a shot where we should be passing. Sean Brennan had a great game pulling off some fantastic saves, without him the score would have been far greater. A fantastic double save and a penalty save has him as my man of the match for sure. The penalty save did result in him “bringing down the striker” who ran in to attack the loose ball and the referee awarding a penalty against Brennan for it which was bizarre. The penalty this time was off the bar. But Brennan wasn’t booked for the challenge which I thought he was going to be, last man red card? Thankfully that never happened. A reasonable travelling support despite the weather and recent run of results. We eventually made it back home after a few detours because of the roadworks and missing a couple of turns I should have taken but still an enjoyable day out despite the results. There’s alway drama at a Berwick game. Elgin City next week but I’ll pass on that one. A bit too far for me at the minute.

so after a conversation I’ve decided to compile a list of the ticket prices in Scottish league 2.

The most expensive adult tickets are at Elgin City and Queens Park. Elgin offer a discount if you don’t want access to the stand.
The cheapest tickets are at Annan, Berwick, Cowdenbeath,Edinburgh, Elgin and Peterhead. All have the same price.

The most expensive concession tickets are Elgin and Stirling Albion. Again Elgin offer a discount if you don’t want access to the stand. Given that most concessions are older access to the stand is a must to get a seat.
The cheapest tickets are to be found at Queen’s Park.

The difference between the most expensive adult ticket and the cheapest is 15.38%
The difference between the most expensive concession ticket and the cheapest is 57%

Annan Athletic
Adults:-£12 Adult & Child (under 12 years):-£12 (Accompanied Children U12 free entry). Concessions:-£6 (Concession entry covers Senior Citizens (65+), Juniors under 16


Albion Rovers
adults £13, concessions £7 and under 16s £2.


Berwick Rangers
Adults: £12 Concessions*: £8 Under 16s: £2


Clyde
Adults: £13 Concessions (Senior Citizens, Students, Under 18-s): £8 Under-12s: FREE


Cowdenbeath
Adults - £12 OAP (65 and over) - £6 Youths (under 16) - £6


Edinburgh City
Adults: £12. Concessions: £6 (OAP 65 years +, Students with matriculation card, under 18s. Under 12s: Free with any paying adult


Elgin City
Ground Adults £12. Concessions £7.
Stand Adults £14. Concessions £9.


Peterhead
Adult entry is £12.00, while concessions 12-16year olds, seniors (65+), students enter for £6.00.


Queens Park
Adult £14. Senior Citizen (over 65) £5per match. Student/Unemployed (proof required) £3per match. Child (16 and under) £3per match


Stirling Albion
Admission is £13 for adults, £9 seniors & students, £5 for U16s and free for U12s.

Keeping this short because I can’t really be bothered. I was at this game myself, I’m glad my dad didn’t come. It was freezing for a start and it turned into a bit of a horror show. We had glimmers of hope but overall looking at the result and what happed it was a real kicker. We were beaten 3-0, one of the goals was a penalty and we received 3 red cards. The penalty wasn’t even linked to a red card incident. We were doing ok up to the first sending off, the wheels came off the bus then. A stupid red card for an off the ball incident that to be frank cost the team and started the downward spiral. What looked like a two footed lunge saw another red card and the final red was a second booking for needlessly pulling a shirt. With the team only having 4 subs on the bench due to injuries and 3 defenders now missing the next crucial game against Stirling were are looking in quite the sticky situation. The needless red cards cost us the game and could count us the next one too. The referee was pretty poor for both teams, quite erratic with his decisions either way, we lost our cool though and let the situation get the better of us. We are in a struggle for league survival, we have been for a number of seasons but this season is looking pretty bad just now. We can only be thankful for Albion Rovers struggle to keep us from the bottom spot. Every game against Albion will have to be played like a cup final, we need to take all 3 points from the remaining games against them and hope that their woes continue. If we slip into the lowland league we will be stuck there forever, it’s a tough league and getting tougher each season.

I’ll take my dad to the away game at Stirling next week (if he wants to go that is) but I’m under no illusion that we will come away with any points, my belief has crumbled in he Shielfield cold. I’ll try to persuade Gordon to come too but with the recent league results and the fact that the last time we were at Stirling we nearly froze to death it might be a hard sell.....

who knows what tomorrow will bring? I hope it’s not another hammering. We beat Gretna in the cup last week but tomorrow against Cowdenbeath will be a much greater test. Cowdenbeath have been improving and put Clyde out of the Scottish cup last week, a much stiffer test than Gretna. Gretna were not without their chances too, good clear cut chances that could have seen them through. All games have chances of course but we can’t be complacent. We desperately need the points to open up the gap from the bottom team Albion (sound familiar swap Albion for another team , see the last umpteen seasons for confirmation). New man in charge Johnny Harvey will be hoping to get the best from the squad and I hope they respond. The last game away to Cowdenbeath was a heavy defeate and really quit moral sapping for me. I was still on Tramadol at the time for my back and hamstring issues and was looking forward to a win and 3 points, a draw would go ok too I though before the game. Aargh! We got stuffed and were really poor on the day. My £10 free William Hill bet is riding on a Berwick win so complete faith there..

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.

Berwick Rangers have appointed a new manager Johnny Harvey.
St Andrews Berwick Rangers Supporters would like to welcome him and wish him all the best at the club.

Berwick Rangers FC are pleased to welcome Johnny Harvey as the Clubs new First Team Manager, following the resignation of Robbie Horn 11 days ago. The vacancy attracted a large number of applicants, and interviews were held yesterday after a rigorous short-listing process. Harvey, 36, is widely acknowledged as one of the brightest managerial prospects outside the SPFL, having enjoyed success with Edinburgh United, Haddington Athletic and most recently with Penicuik Athletic. He will take charge of the squad with immediate effect, and his first game will be this weekends Scottish Cup clash with Gretna.
Vice Chairman John Bell, who led the recruitment process, said: “Johnny made a real impact on the interviewing panel with his infectious enthusiasm, attention to detail and a real desire to do well at Berwick Rangers. After his presentation there was no doubting that he was the man for the job and we’re delighted to have secured his services”. Berwick Rangers would like to express their gratitude to Penicuik for their co-operation.

well I started off full of optimism, hoping for at least a draw against Edinburgh. I though we might score and hold on for a win.... I knew that that wouldn’t happen but I had hope. The day turned into a day that I’ll never forget in a while but not for any good reason. The day started out with Ruth diriving me to my folks so my dad could drive the two of us to the game. I’m still unable to drive. My dad and I arrived in Edinburgh just before 2pm and parked. I walked to the ground stopping or 4 times, my hamstring aching but it needs to be worked to get better. My dad was asked for Identification for his consession ticket (he’s 81). Still tickets bought it was a curry pie and tea (bovril for dad). It was then off to take a seat in the stand. The sun was shining and we sat with our pies and drinks watching the teams training. My hamstring was aching but I had a disposable Koolpack that was surprisingly good. We were now ready for kickoff.

Well we had some chances and we didn’t take them. For some reason there is no instinct to shoot but to hold the ball and pass. It’s getting a little frustrating to watch, especially as we will then either lose the ball or have a shot from a position that isn’t as good as the first one. Grrrr. We went in at the break 1-0 down but I didn’t think it was a mountain to climb. The second half saw a tackle on Jamie Todd that has my dad convinced that Todd has broken his leg. We were sitting in the stand close to the incident and we did hear what sounded like a snap. We are hoping it might just have been studs on shin pad or something else. The poor lad was stretchered off and an ambulance arrive so it’s not looking good. This is the point when Edinburgh scored the second goal. The game wasn’t stopped and Edinburgh played on and scored. Sean Brennan the Berwick keeper picked up a yellow card for “talking” to the ref about the decision.
David Burrel was in charge today, Robbie was absent for this game. David was sent to the dressing room during the second half too.
We then conceded a penalty for the third goal.

yep, halfway home and my phone is practically bouncing out of my pocket. Robbie Horn has tenedered his resignation and the Berwick board have accepted. My hamstring is in spasm at this point but I think it’s unrelated.... All the best Robbie. A nice guy and always approachable.