Late Summer Days

At Seafield Park, home of Highland League side Strathspey Thistle where the hosts were comfortable 3-0 winners against Huntly on Saturday afternoon.

Admission in Grantown-on-Spey is £12 for adults, £6 for concessions and free for under 16's and the club have worked hard over the years to make progress both on and off the pitch, reflected in some of the ground improvements that have taken place over the summer and an impressive display to claim all three points.

Next home fixtures are on Tuesday 1 September against Inverness Caledonian Thistle (7.30pm kick-off in the North of Scotland Cup) and Wednesday 16th when Rothes are the visitors.

Highland League 2026/27

My first venture into the Highland League came in August 2019, while visiting family in the area, and I have been back many times since to this beautiful part of the country.

It is a historic competition, founded in 1893, and one that existed almost entirely in its own world for much of its time, until the election in the 1990's of Ross County and the newly-formed Inverness Caledonian Thistle (from a fractious merger of two famous Highland League clubs) into the Scottish Football League.

Now firmly part of the Scottish pyramid system, the league is still a focal point of life in many towns in the Highlands, its clubs and their volunteers working hard to get matches on.

There are some lovely grounds with many stunning backdrops and the whole thing is superbly covered by the regional Press & Journal newspaper.

It's well worth a visit at any time of the year but the early weeks of the season are particularly enticing. 

Fixtures are available on the BBC Football pages with the season beginning on Saturday 25th July when champions Brora Rangers host Deveronvale and excitement is usually guaranteed right through to the end of the campaign as the title race has gone to the final day in the past five seasons.

Net Gains

 

Taking down the nets one final time after the last home game of the season, a disappointing afternoon for Strathspey Thistle as they lost 4-0 to Turriff United in the Highland League but a very positive campaign on the whole with a best ever points tally.

A scene that will be repeated around the country over the next few weeks and here's to the volunteers who have made matchdays possible during the 2025/26 season.

Highland Fling

 

The pre-match scene at Seafield Park, home of Strathspey Thistle FC, ahead of the Highland League fixture against Formartine United on Saturday.

A hard-fought game was decided with three second-half goals, two for the visitors from Aberdeenshire in between an excellent equaliser for the home side.

A beautiful setting at kick-off on what was (initially) a lovely day in Grantown-on-Spey, admission was £12 for adults and £6 for concessions.

In Brief

I haven't wasted too much time getting to grips with the new Champions League format, any lingering interest I had in the competition now firmly ended by the 'Swiss Model' that has been introduced this season.

Surely if a tournament structure needs explaining in some detail then it loses some of its atractiveness, especially when the changes are so clearly being made in order to accomodate the wishes of the continent's major clubs.

If it was confined to the Champions League then it wouldn't bother me so much but the impact of extra matches in Europe has already been felt domestically, with the scrapping of FA Cup replays and a seeding system now in place for the League Cup which led to a farcical Third Round draw last week.

Hopefully the impact in terms of people getting out to midweek matches lower down the footballing scale will be minimal, keep following on X for games that may be of interest.

Although I could probably be classed as a traditionalist/dinosaur (take your pick), I have sadly gotten out of the habit of buying a local newspaper. Here in Sheffield like many areas, The Star is a shadow of its former self.

But I did pick up a Carlisle News & Star on a Monday, while travelling to Scotland a couple of weeks ago, and it had a cracking inside back-page report on the weekend's game between Carlisle United and Barrow.

Jon Colman delivered the kind of 'final verdict' on Saturday's action that I used to love when reading either a Saturday Pink or Coventry Evening Telegraph on a Monday when I was younger and his writing on the Brunton Park club is well worth a follow.

Up in Scotland, I caught a game at Strathspey Thistle and also saw the Jags' in North of Scotland Cup action at Clachnacuddin a few days earlier.

There is a sense of space and openness around many Highland League grounds but Grant Street Park, home of Clach, is in a warren of tight streets just away from Inverness city centre and exudes history, Clach having played there since 1886, and atmosphere.

An excellent article on the BBC website from 2020, when the club were forced to temporarily leave their traditional home, gives a flavour of what Clach mean to their local area.

Keep Believing

The beautiful backdrop to football at Seafield Park, Grantown-on-Spey, home of Highland League club Strathspey Thistle last Saturday afternoon as they hosted Formartine United. 

A glance at the league table following this 4-0 defeat for the home side suggests another season of struggle after ending bottom last season and avoiding a relegation play-off only by virtue of no suitable club in the various feeder leagues finishing as champions. 

But new ownership has brought about improvements to the ground and, hopefully, fortunes on the pitch will follow suit. 

One thing remains constant and that is the warmth of the welcome on offer from the club's brilliant volunteers.

If you're reading this on Friday 30th then there is a home match tomorrow against Lossiemouth, after that it is a League Cup tie against Clachnacuddin on Saturday 14th September.

Highland League 2024/25

The big kick-off in the Highland League takes place this coming Saturday (27th) July and, if you are on holiday in the area, I would highly recommend taking in a game.

Not only is the football itself highly competitive, given a fair weather day you can find yourself with some of the most stunning backdrops you will find anywhere in the UK.

Reigning champions Buckie Thistle, who were unable to subsequently take their shot at the promotion play-offs, will wait to begin the defence of their crown as they are involved in Scottish League Cup action at the weekend.

Last season's title race went down to the final game and both Brechin City (away to Keith) and Fraserburgh (on the road to Wick Academy) will be looking to get some early points on the board.

Brora Rangers, who host Turriff United, and Banks O' Dee, who visit Formartine United, will also see themselves as contenders.

There are also matches this Saturday at Lossiemouth, Huntly, Forres Mechanics and Deveronvale.

Tickets generally come in at a tenner for adults. Full fixtures can be found on the BBC website.

Pre-season: Highland Summer

Summer in the north of Scotland is a beautiful time of year to catch some football and it won't be long now until the new Highland League season begins in earnest.

Banff club Deveronvale are warming up for the campaign with four home friendlies, against Tayport (Sat 6th July, 2pm), Lossiemouth United (Tue 9th, 7.30pm), Longside (Sat 13th, 2pm) and Maud (Sat 20th, 2pm).

Admission prices are £5 for those aged 16+, free for anyone younger.

Scottish Football Fixtures has the definitive list of pre-season matches north of the border. 

Game On!

 

'Game on' - Probably the two most welcome words in football across the UK at this moment as leagues and clubs battle the elements to get season's finished and promotion/relegation issues sorted as soon as they can.

This was the scene at Turriff United on Saturday, their Highland League fixture against Strathspey Thistle going ahead despite heavy overnight rain as some sunny spells and a strong wind helped the pitch survive for 90 minutes.

The hosts will have been pleased with that as they ran out 7-1 winners against the league's bottom club.

Another thrilling Highland League title race is being played out as I write and, if you're ever in the area, there a host of beautiful backdrops to football in the region.

Highland Games

 

A view from the touchline last Saturday as Lossiemouth and Strathspey Thistle battle it out in the Highland League Cup, a late penalty giving the visitors the victory.

I can't quite put my finger on why I enjoy watching football in this part of the world so much but there is something about it, perhaps the way that clubs such as Lossie, Keith, Rothes and others are at the heart of their local communities, or perhaps by knowing that in having a pint in the social club a couple of streets away and then walking across to Grant Park you are doing what many have done before.

Strathspey Thistle's history begins later but, as at Lossiemouth, a hard-working group of volunteers are working full-time to improve year-on-year and put foundations in place for a brighter future.

The threat of relegation out of the league, due to the expansion of the Scottish pyramid system, is a new one, however, and one that both these clubs are fighting hard to avoid this season, Strathspey's victory, as welcome as it was, would have been sweeter if it had brought three points with it.

Football goes back even further at Forres Mechanics, founded in 1884 and founder members of the Highland League, although not quite at this exact spot as Mosset Park was moved to accomodate the A96 on which traffic was pretty constant during Wednesday night's North of Scotland Cup victory against Strathspey.

Highland League Opening Day

Just over two weeks until the opening day of the Highland League season, with nine fixtures taking place on Saturday 29th July.

Champions Brechin City begin their defence of the title at home to Formartine United while it is a trip to Inverness for runners-up Buckie Thistle who begin at Clachnacuddin.

The lovely seaside town of Nairn is home to Nairn County FC and they have a home opener against Brora Rangers while there are also games at Banks o' Dee, Deveronvale, Forres, Fraserburgh, Rothes and Turriff (below)

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

The Big 10-Year Piece

This month marks 10 years since I first starting posting here on the blog and also over on twitter as @AffordableFooty and I'm really pleased that it's still going strong and hopefully still letting people know about upcoming matches they may fancy going to.

There's been some constants throughout the years, my local club Hallam FC being one of them.

I've seen The Countrymen go from strength to strength during that time, combining their history in the origins of the game with great use of social media to increase crowds at Sandygate and then keep them coming back with admission still only a fiver for adults and a warm, friendly welcome from their army of volunteers.

And speaking of fivers it's great to see that that humble note will still get you through plenty of turnstiles around the country.

My own Sky Blues were the original inspiration for the site after the success of their football for a fiver initiative in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy during the dark days of a decade ago when only a run to the semi-finals of that competition kept spirits up.

It was hard to imagine then (and even harder after relegation to League Two in 2017) that the club could be back on the brink of a Premier League return and much more firmly established back in the city. 

Inevitably that means they probably feature slightly less on these pages than a few years ago like when 28,000 watched the League Two game against Accrington Stanley for which tickets were priced at a fiver.

Bradford City's affordable season ticket campaigns have spanned the entire lifespan of this blog and  they show no sign of stopping with over 14,500 already sold for the 2023/24 campaign, a remarkable figure especially as League Two hasn't changed in terms of how difficult it must be to run a club successfully in that division. 

I've written about more than once about new owners coming into the lower leagues with good intentions and special offers for supporters but staying the course has proved difficult for many.

Further down the pyramid it is a testament to thousands of hard-working volunteers that so many clubs have come through the past few years, not only to survive but thrive as hubs for their local community.

Speaking of constants, The Non-League Paper is still going strong, a great source of results and fixtures on a Sunday morning and Non-League Day, the brainchild of James Doe from the London Football Guide, has become part of the football calendar.

I'll also never tire of posting photos of the wooden grandstand at Great Yarmouth Town!

My first article on women's football was in September 2013 and it has been great to see the growth in interest and participation over the following decade, culminating of course in a joyous atmosphere for last year's European Championships, Sheffield enjoying the luck of having both Swedish and Dutch fans in town.

By contrast I didn't write about the Highland League until August 2019 after my parents had moved permanently to the area and I went to a game at Mackessack Park, the home of Rothes FC.

I've been back plenty of times since, to Strathspey Thistle, Keith, Turriff United and Lossiemouth with more competitive football and cracking backdrops to come.

So, a massive thanks to everyone who has ever read these pages and/or followed or liked on twitter. here's to pre-season friendlies!

Highland League Round-Up

Brechin City’s bid for a return to the SPFL, after two seasons in the Highland League, is over after losing a dramatic play-off against Edinburgh-based Spartans FC, champions of the Lowland League.

Trailing by a single goal from the first-leg, Brechin fell further behind at Glebe Park on Saturday but managed to take the game to penalties where Spartans progressed 4-3.

They will now meet Albion Rovers, who finished bottom of SPFL League Two, again over two legs (tickets £10 adults, £7 concessions and free for under 16's). 

The battle for the Highland League trophy itself matched anything else seen in British football this season as Brechin travelled to Buckie Thistle on the final day of the campaign needing a win to leapfrog their hosts at the top of the table.

A final day showdown had long been circled in diaries as a title decider and both sides kept their nerve in the weeks leading up to the game with some crucial victories.

And the drama went into the final five minutes at Victoria Park when Brechin broke the deadlock before adding another late goal to spark wild celebrations among their supporters.

Brora Rangers finished in third with reigning champions Fraserburgh in fifth while league newcomers Banks o ’Dee managed to finish in mid-table despite being hit with a 24 point deduction and also triumphed in the League Cup, defeating Inverurie Loco Works by a single goal.

Heading into the summer there is speculation that an extra-tier will be introduced to the Scottish pyramid from 2024, with a ‘Conference League’ of 10 clubs, potentially including four Premiership ‘B’ sides who would not be able to gain promotion to the higher level.

Although the Highland League would have some representation in the proposed league, it would fit between SPFL League Two and the current Step Five leagues and effectively relegate the majority of current clubs to a lower level.

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. 

A Fan With A Pen

 

During the lockdown months off work between 2020 to 2022, Rob A. Clark, a committee member and the club historian of Grantown-on-Spey based football club Strathspey Thistle (in the Highlands of Scotland) kept himself busy by digging out his paperwork as Club match day reporter from the clubs first nine seasons of 1993-94 to 2001-02 and beginning detailed research into the history of football in his hometown.

What he discovered is an amazing few stories dating back to the late 1800’s and how Grantown-on-Spey individuals and teams played a role in the development of football.

In the next few months, the book of over 180 A5 pages entitled “A fan with a pen!” will be published by Thomson Partnership of Inverurie and Rob is inviting people to pre order a copy of the book retailing at £12.50 UK Sterling plus additional postage and packing costs depending on where the book – when it is available around late July to early August - is heading.

A donation from each copy of the book sold will be donated by Rob to the UK Charity “Teenage Cancer Trust” in memory of his cousins' son who died aged just 15 years old of blood cancer.

Please contact Rob directly to order a copy or for more information by e-mail to; afanwithapen@gmail.com or by post to; 34 Cairngorm Avenue, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26-3EX, Highland, Scotland.

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Strathspey Thistle have upcoming home games against Huntly on Wednesday 8 March and Keith the following Saturday.

Admission prices at Seafield Park are £10 adults, £5 concessions and free for accompanied under-12's.

As at all grounds across the Highland League you'll find a warm welcome, hard-working volunteers, competitive football and some stunning backdrops.

There May Be Trouble Ahead

Watching a game in the Highland League, especially at this time of year, offers an escape from the thought of harder times ahead.

So it was as Strathspey Thistle entertained Deveronvale on Saturday, those who had made their way to the end of Grantown-on-Spey's handsome main street and turned right towards Seafield Park perhaps looking for something to focus their minds on for 90 minutes, away from headlines which promised little in the way of good news.

The club's hard-working volunteers were there early, their efforts in spreading the word about the game and getting the ground match-ready rewarded somewhat with a first point of the season for the home side although they were twice pegged-back by their visitors.

A tenner on the gate is pretty much the norm across a league with some of the most stunning scenery as a backdrop to many grounds (click here for a view from the sky) and if you can make it to a game then you're guaranteed a warm welcome and competitive action.

A full fixture card takes place this coming Saturday.

A Century of Football

Having first hosted a game in August 1921, a centenary of football at Borough Briggs will be marked later this month as Elgin City host a pre-season tournament featuring themselves, Peterhead, Fraserburgh and Inverurie Loco Works.

That first fixture was a Highland League one and the line-up for the tournament has past and present members of a league that has endured just as successfully as Borough Briggs.

Both Elgin and Peterhead moved up from the Highland League to the Scottish Football League in 2000 and remain there, Peterhead in League One and Elgin in League Two, although the tournament hosts endured a nervy 2021/22 season as they finished one place off the bottom of the table.

Filling that final position were Cowdenbeath who subsequently lost their league status to Bonnyrigg Rose, Lowland League champions and victors over their Highland League equivalent Fraserburgh in the promotion play-off.

That leaves Fraserburgh looking to retain their title and have another shot at promotion, although the three b's, Brora, Brechin and Buckie, will have other ideas.

Inverurie, meanwhile, will seek to build on an encouraging seventh place finish.

The tournament takes place over the weekend of 25/26 June, a beautiful time of year to be in the Highlands, with tickets available both for single days (family £20, adult £10 and concessions £7.50 for ground entrance) and the whole weekend (£30, £15, (£10).

The High(land) Life

 

Two matches in the Highland League this week, starting in the sunshine (after an earlier stint of wind, rain and hail) at Lossiemouth on Saturday where the hosts were pegged back by a late Strathspey Thistle penalty.

Lossie end their campaign with a home game against Brechin City this coming Saturday (April 16th).

Then, on Wednesday evening, Strathspey Thistle welcomed Fort William to Seafield Park for what was a 'home' game for the Fort, who have spent the season on the road due to problems with their own pitch.

Despite already being confirmed as finishing bottom of the league and facing a play-off later this month, Fort William gained a first win of the season with a 4-2 success.

Strathspey are also at home this Saturday, welcoming Inverurie Locos.

Down to the Wire

 

Two teams sweeping all before them, just one point separating them as the season reaches its finale, I can only be talking about the Highland League of course where Fraserburgh and Buckie Thistle have just two matches left in their battle for the title.

I've spent some time at various Highland League grounds over the past couple of years and hope to take in another couple of games over the next week or so.

Admission around the league doesn't go above £10 at clubs who are genuinely in the heart of their community.

Once the season ends, the North of Scotland Football Review will chronicle it all and you can pre-order a copy here.

Highland Double-Header

 

I was lucky enough to get to two Highland League matches last week, starting with the 3-3 draw between Turriff United and Strathspey Thistle, the home side coming back from a three-goal deficit to earn a share of the spoils.

While not having the glorious backdrop of some of the grounds in the league, The Haughs was very well-appointed, easily accessible from the town and part of a wider complex that seemed very well-used by local children.

With a warm welcome on the gate, and change from a tenner for adults, Turriff's next home game is this coming Saturday versus Lossiemouth.

On Saturday afternoon it was to Seafield Park, home of Strathspey Thistle, and the visit of Keith in lovely late summer sunshine.

Situated just off the very attractive main road in Grantown-On-Spey, the home of The Jags has a mountain view at one end and friendly officials on hand for spectators.

Keith were good value for the three points and Strathspey will hope for better in their next home league fixture against Rothes on Saturday 11 September.