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.

See Elvis on Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day 2026 falls on a Saturday this year, hopefully leading to some special ticket offers and plenty of puns from club marketing departments.

Dundee FC are early out of the blocks and asking supporters to 'bring the love' to Dens Park for an important SPL game against Livingston for which prices have been reduced to £10 for adults and £2 for under 12's.

Before Christmas this would have been earmarked as a classic six-pointer at the bottom but Dundee, managed by Steven Pressley, 'Elvis' of course and a likeable, engaged manager of Coventry City at an incredibly difficult time when the club were playing 'home' fixtures in Northampton, have pulled away from the foot of the table in recent weeks with some important victories.

Keep up to date on our X page and to support Affordable Football, online since 2013, click here.

Something Different

A couple of unusual fixture match-ups for the next couple of weeks if you're seeking a football fix.

In what can surely be classed as the first game of the 2025/26 season in the UK, Welsh champions The New Saints are already preparing for their Champions League qualifiers and have a home friendly on 11 June at 7.45pm.

The opposition are simply known as PLAYER, with the TNS website describing them as 'a football app co-founded by former Manchester United defender and France international Patrice Evra'.

Admission is free for this one.

Having been in the Highlands recently, I can vouch for the beauty of the long summer nights and they reach a peak on June 21, happily a Saturday this year and the perfect time for a match between the Alba FA, representing Gaelic speakers, and the Kernow FA, representing the region of Cornwall.

Admission is £10/£5 at Canal Park, Inverness, for a 3pm kick-off with lots going on beforehand.

Changing Places

A glimpse of the Falkirk Stadium, taken last Saturday and which comes into view if you take a walk from the magnificent Kelpies through the Helix Park to the ground.

Two promotions in successive seasons means the stadium will be hosting Premiership football in 2025/26, as well as being the home of Lowland League club East Stirlingshire FC.

I was then lucky enough to watch the crucial promotion/relegation play-off second leg between Ross County and Livingston on Monday evening.

The hosts took an early two-goal lead, moving 3-1 ahead on aggregate but a Livi goal before the break saw nerves set in amongst the home players and the away side deservedly ran out winners with three second-half goals to secure a Premiership place alongside Falkirk and leave a Highlands-shaped hole in the top-tier of Scottish football next season.

But I really liked the location of the Global Energy Stadium, next to the railway station, in the town centre and with some good, old-fashioned, alleyways leading down to a couple of the stands.

There was also a nice family atmosphere among the home supporters who, having seen their side come through successive relegation play-offs in the past couple of seasons, took their fate with good grace as Livingston supporters cavorted on the pitch.

The end of one domestic season but it won't be long until the next and Scottish Football Fixtures has a comprehensive friendly guide.

Hampden Hopes

Via BBC Alba, I watched a closely-fought game between Glasgow City and Rangers recently in the Scottish Women's Premier League and those two teams, who have a league rematch this week, will also meet in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park on Sunday 25 May after weekend wins at the famous old stadium in the semi-finals.

Tickets are sure to be well-priced and a neutral section of the ground will also be in place, with an early-bird offer currently running that will give 25% off ticket prices for those registering an interest. 

A few days after the cup final, Hampden hosts Scotland Women against Austria in the Nations League on Friday 30th at 7.35pm. Tickets for that game are priced at £10 adults, £5 concessions and free for under-16's.

The Kindness of Rangers

Shielfield Park, home of Berwick Rangers since 1954 and, famously, in England but the regular host of football in first the Scottish Football League and now the Scottish Lowland League following relegation in 2019.

The article title relates to a very kindly volunteer at the club who gave my dad and me an impromptu guided tour while we were on holiday in the area recently, sadly leaving just one day before the final home league game of the season, a 4-1 victory against Broxburn Athletic.

Times have been tough since that relegation, the opening of a pyramid system in Scotland allowing for the rise of a number of ambitious clubs but also a fall for Berwick, Cowdenbeath, East Stirling and Albion Rovers, staples of the classified results in my youth but all now in the Lowland League.

But the local community continues to get behind their club, highlighted by a largely upbeat update on the club website a couple of weeks before this photo was taken.

Up in the Highland League it has been another exciting season with a title race decided on the final day once again.

Brechin City (another former Scottish League side) just missed out to Brora Rangers who now play East Kilbride, winners of the Lowland League, for the right to play the bottom side in League Two in a promotion/relegation play-off.

Fir's Fair

Fir Park, home of Motherwell FC, will host this season's Scottish Women's Premier League Cup final (currently known as the Sky Sports Cup) with Hibernian and Rangers meeting on Saturday 22 March at 3pm.

Tickets are on sale for the game, priced at £10 adults, £4 concessions and £25 for a family (2 adults, 2 children) and fans of all clubs and women's football in general are encouraged to attend. 

Before then, Scotland Women host the Netherlands at Hampden Park in a Nations League fixture on Tuesday 25 February at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £10 for adults and seniors with kids going free.

Easter at Christmas

Testing times for both of the big Edinburgh clubs so far this season, Hearts enjoying some success in Europe but currently at the foot of the Scottish Premiership, one place behind a Hibernian side who have once again managed to flummox their fans with some dismal results and yet another managerial change.

The potential of these two historic institutions, in a city visited by people from around the world, can be seen in the interest that has been shown in them by outside investors such as the Black Knight group who own AFC Bournemouth and took a stake in Hibs earlier this year.

But for the moment it is a battle at the bottom for club legend David Gray, whose side host Kilmarnock at Easter Road on Sunday 29th December.

All tickets for the game have been reduced to just £5, a great opportunity to visit one of the game's famous grounds at a special time of year in Scotland's capital.

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.

As One Season Closes...

Good luck to Scotland's men this evening as they look to maintain their 100% start to Euro 2024 qualifying by beating Georgia at Hampden Park.

A well-earned short break beckons for those involved after a long season but the 2023/24 campaign in Scotland is up and running this week with plenty of friendlies taking place ahead of the League Cup group stages starting in mid-July.

Football for a fiver this Saturday at Linlithgow Rose of the Lowland League when they host Raith Rovers in a 2:30pm kick-off and on Tuesday 27th at Civil Service Strollers where Falkirk are the visitors for a 7:45pm start.

Scottish Football Fixtures is a superb website and twitter page that will keep you up to date with everything going on at all levels of the game north of the border.

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.

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.

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.

*****************

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.

Work In Progress

 

Building work ongoing at Lesser Hampden a couple of weeks ago as Queen's Park FC prepare for their move to the stadium in the new year.

Having moved rapidly through the leagues in the last couple of years, following the historic decision in 2019 to end their amateur status, top-flight football is realistically on the cards next season.

While work at Lesser Hampden has been ongoing, the club have been ground-sharing with Stenhousemuir but made a temporary return to the main Hampden Park ground at the weekend when nearly 2,000 fans from local school and community groups were part of the crowd watching a comprehensive victory over Hamilton.

Queen's Park remain at the national stadium this Saturday for an SPFL Trust Trophy tie against Montrose for which prices have been reduced to £10 for adults and £5 for concessions (65+) and under 16's.