Tangerine Dream

It seems a lot longer than the beginning of August when I tuned in to watch Dundee United's Europa Conference League qualifier at home to AZ Alkmaar.

An old-school European atmosphere at Tannadice came through loud and clear as Jack Ross' vibrant home side gained a narrow victory to take to the second leg in the Netherlands.

Looking back at the BBC report for the game it says: 'The tactical discipline and positional diligence typically evident in Ross teams were there in abundance, but so too was ambition, intricate football, and attacking menace.'

The report also said that a 'dizzying' opportunity awaited but the only dizziness would come from the speed of the fall as United lost the return 7-0 before conceding two more than against Celtic ended Ross' reign before it had even begun.

On the day Celtic nearly hit double-figures at Tannadice, Aberdeen lay fourth in the fledgling SPL table after a solid enough start to the season under Jim Goodwin but he too would experience a horror show when the Dons were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Darvel from the sixth-tier.

Fast forward to today and it is Goodwin who is enjoying some happier times as the new man in charge at United, three straight wins moving them four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the post-split fixtures.

The first of these at Tannadice sees Ross County visit on Saturday 13 May and tickets have been reduced to £10 adults and £5 concessions while season ticket holders can bring a friend for free for Kilmarnock's visit on 24 May.

Every Day Is Like Sunday

A chilly, overcast Sunday in Sheffield today but hopefully much brighter this time week down the road at Pride Park with Derby County FC hosting the FA Sunday Cup Final.

Aigburth Arms and St. Josephs's (Luton) are the final two of the 86 teams who entered the 2022/23 competition and will kick off at 2pm in their bid to succeed Baiteze FC as champions.

Tickets are available from the DCFC website, priced at £5 for all ages and must be purchased in advance.

Choose Your Free Game

Thanks to the official Ishmian Football League twitter page for alerting me to two free matches this coming Saturday.

Haringey Borough are throwing open the turnstiles of their Coles Lane stadium for the visit of Cray Wanderers, themselves chasing a play-off place in the Premier Division.

One point and one place separate Cray Valley PM and Sheppey United in the South East division and their play-off battle at the Artic Stadium is also free entry. 

More details over on the league website.

What A Backdrop!

I couldn't resist putting this tweet from Fisher FC onto the main blog page, ahead of Tuesday night's 'Pay What You Want' home game where, if you're there, you should be rewarded with a backdrop like this.

⚽️⚫️⚪️🔦🔦🔦🔦🔦⚪️⚫️⚽️
We are back in action on Tuesday night in our last game under the lights this season.
It’s Pay What You Want on the gate!

🆚 @Sutton_Athletic
🗓️ 18th Apr
🕰️ 7:45
🏆 @SCEFLeague Premier
🏟️ St Paul’s Stadium
📍 SE16 6NT
📕 Programme
🍺 🍔 ☕️ pic.twitter.com/A2R6Ej3DXS

— Fisher FC (@FisherFC) April 16, 2023

Battle Of The Jags

Bottom versus top in the Highland League on Saturday as Strathspey and Buckie met in the battle of the Thistles on a beautiful day in Grantown-On-Spey.

League leaders Buckie needed all three points to maintain their advantage over Brechin City in the title-race and would have travelled in confident mood of getting them given that Strathspey had conceded well over 100 goals in the season to date.

But the hosts have improved dramatically in recent weeks following the arrival of a new manager and they mounted a determined rearguard action in the face of both the visitors' attacking threat and the wind which was firmly against them in the opening 45 minutes.

Goalkeeper James Kendall saved a penalty just before the break and the second-half followed a similar pattern, Strathspey having just two outfield substitutes available perhaps preventing them from making the changes they may have wanted but the home side still offered enough of a threat on the break to keep Buckie alert at the back.

90 minutes had been and gone by the time the deadlock was broken, to cheers of relief from the large visiting contingent and the sight of home players on their knees, a second goal extending that lead at the top of the table and setting up a potential title decider on the final day of the season, Saturday 22 April.

If you're in the Highlands over the next couple of weeks then it is a great time to catch a match as the weather improves, you'll pay no more than £10 for admission, watch some very competitive football and likely have some glorious backdrops as well.

Postcript: Brechin won easily on Wednesday night to maintain their hopes while Strathspey's home season ended with a 1-0 defeat to Keith but the mood around the Jags is much improved as they look to climb the table next season.

The 2022/23 campaign will be wrapped up in the excellent North of Scotland Football Review which is set for release towards the end of July and which can be pre-ordered here. 

The Montagu Cup

Time is slightly against me this week but a quick word for the final of this long-running competition, which takes place at 11am on Easter Monday.

Dearne & District take on Dog Daisy United at the Fireparts Stadium in Mexborough with admission costing £3 adults, £2 concessions and free for accompanied primary school age children.

The Montagu Cup website has a wealth of information on the history of the tournament.