Kids

[displaced_seagull]

McPherson and O'Brien both look pretty handy...

Hopefully they'll be able to break through. I love this style of management, it's superb.

[HD]

42.

Pre-season saw us beat Dumbarton, Tranmere and Västerås away from home, the Swedes with only 10 men, but lose at Malmö despite a good performance. The bookies had us in the pack set to challenge for the title, though officially fourth favourites behind Falkirk, St Johnstone and Ross County. Defeat in the Challenge Cup to Partick by three to two despite leading twice was disappointing, but we bounced back with an opening day win over County that promised to hold huge psychological value. As the schedule worked we faced the three sides favoured by the bookies ahead of us consecutively on the first three weekends. If we could amass seven points we'd be right in the mix, but the trip to Perth was next up and promised to be a true challenge.

An own goal with fifteen minutes to go left us in bother, but Andy Hamilton came to the rescue with a last gasp leveller and the seven point target remained a possibility going into the home game with Falkirk. For the first time this season we had a full squad to select from and John Johnston returned from the suspension incurred for his red card in pre-season. A scoreless first half was visibly tense as both sides sensed the importance of the game even this early in the season, defensively we were solid, but we couldn't capitalise on the few chances we created and had to settle for a point. Still, we had negotiated a tough opening spell unbeaten, we were tied for second place and only a point off Inverness in first.

August culminated with a trip to Kirkcaldy to face Raith. We went with an unchanged XI, but lost Johnston to injury after twenty minutes of a scoreless first forty-five. After the break we came out all guns blazing, but another 0-0 draw ensued and its a habit we need to break and break now if we are to challenge for the title. Inverness lead on nine points, St Johnstone have seven, whilst we are tied with Falkirk both having six points, three goals scored and two conceded.

[HD]

43.

We don't do cups. A shootout defeat at home to Dumbarton in the League Cup, after a 2-2 draw, to open September was proof positive of that. It's hard to fathom why that should be - we were at full strength for the game, but lost two bad goals before we woke up with ten minutes to go and forced extra-time with goals from Wilson and Johnstone. The added period was uneventful, but we missed our first three penalties and our lower league opposition won 3-1 after four kicks.

I risked an unchanged side for the visit of Queen of the South and it paid off as Johnstone and Johnston established an early two-goal lead, the second coming ironically from the penalty spot. A controversial third from Hamilton was ultimately ruled out for offside, but the midfielder made one count in the second half and the 3-0 scoreline was a major boost for us as we moved back to second place, a point behind Inverness and are now the only unbeaten side in the division.

We were once again unchanged for the short trip to face Clyde at Broadwood, but worryingly it was the home side who were the stronger before the break and they took the lead through Melaschenko. Johnstone though was on a one-man mission to keep us in the game and he levelled in first half injury time. A Steven Ritchie free kick early in the second half put us ahead and it was noteworthy in that it was his first successful attempt in about 50 tries. From then on Clyde pressed for a leveller but were always vulnerable on the counter-attack. With fifteen minutes to go though they levelled after poor play from Robertson in goal and it was game on once again. Nobody found the net from then on though and Inverness stretched their lead out again thanks to another fine performance from reigning player of the month Paul Craig - you may remember him.

We squared up to Caley Thistle a week later on their own turf and looked to take the game to them with an unchanged lineup. Fifteen minutes in we were trailing and I was starting to question the resolve of this bunch of players. A second Inverness goal fifteen minutes later exposed our defence badly and by this stage we were really struggling. A third before half time left us floored and an injury time fourth was simply embarrassing. A triple substitution at half time would have been seven changes had it been allowed and a red card for Ross Adam after the break was simply inexcusable. Thankfully Inverness were content with four goals and the only chances thereafter fell to Brian Johnstone who came close on two occasions. By full time we were a broken team and I have a major job on my hands to rally these troops, especially with Andy Hamilton breaking his shoulder with seconds to play rendering him incapacitated for at least a month.

[bjorn]

Shame about the loss against Caley, but you couldn't expect anything less with such a manager

Nice story

[HD]

44.

October kicked off through at Brechin, and again we were disappointing. Brian Johnstone netted the opening goal, but Brechin were level by half time and scored a winning goal with two minutes left to play. I figured it would take something out of the ordinary to break us out of our funk, and with Hamilton injured I threw young Chris McPherson into the frey at home to Forfar. The Angus side led after 42 seconds, but McPherson scored on 4 and 6 minutes, and, after Gareth Jones sealed the points in the second half, the youngster completed his hat-trick with a sweet strike on 74.

The kid had done enough to keep his place for the final game of a short month of action at Dingwall. County were coming off winning the Challenge Cup final at Hampden three days earlier, whilst we'd had ten days rest, but precisely to who's advantage that was couldn't be told. Certainly neither team looked particularly lively in the first half, but even after the break there wasn't much in it. A 70th minute strike from Gareth Jones with twenty minutes to go kick-started County, and they laid siege to our goal for the remaining time. Craig Robertson though was playing some good stuff, and on the basis of his show, and that of Jones, we probably just about deserved the three points we won. The win moves us to sixteen points, 5th place, joint 4th, a point off County and Inverness who are tied for second and two adrift of Brechin. Despite some patchy form we're right in the mix, and a strong November will set us up nicely for the festive season.

[HD]

45.

Brian Johnstone and Gareth Jones picked up the Player and Young Player of the Month awards for October as we prepared for a massive game with St Johnstone, sitting four points behind us but with a game in hand. Sloppy defending in the early stages allowed the visitors to nudge ahead, but a Steven Ritchie free kick tied the game after about half an hour. A double substitution with fifteen minutes to go was designed to give us fresh impetus, but we created nothing more and had to settle for a point.

An away game at Falkirk was one I'd call winnable, but 1-0 down with time ticking away was not where we'd hoped to be. Brian Johnstone though struck from close range on a rebound from his own shot, and within a minute he'd won a penalty kick. John Johnston slotted it home and the game had turned on its head. Mark Wilson then got himself sent off with five minutes to go, so Andy Hamilton's comeback was cut slightly short via substitution, so we simply defended our lead, and did so successfully to full time.

Raith at home preceded two more away trips, though the balance would soon be addressed as all four games in December are scheduled for Somerset. This match got off to a bright start with David Davidson, in for the suspended Wilson, going close in the opening stages. Raith weren't here to lie down though and Robertson had his work to do at times as well. Neither side managed a breakthrough before the interval, but Rovers took the initiative as the prolific Hunter notched his tenth of the season. Defeat looked inevitable and so it proved as our lack of creativity was exposed.

Dumfries was next up and we stunk. Two first half goals for Queens looked to have us beaten, and though Johnstone scored just before the interval we looked poor. A triple substitution five minutes after the break had little obvious effect as the home side took an almost immediate 3-1 lead. With Kevin Buchanan having come on in goals due to an injury to Robertson we looked nervy at the back. Johnstone grabbed his second with fifteen minutes to go to reduce the defecit to one, but a bad miss with 85 on the clock seemed to have ended our hopes. That was before a 93rd minute header by Michael Kerr tied the game and handed us a thoroughly undeserved point.

The last game of the month came at Forfar where we managed to again come in losing at half time, this time by a Barry Sellars goal to nil. The second half was wide open stuff as play raged from end to end with both sides creating numerous chances. The first to find the net was a Grant Graham effort for Forfar though, and now we were up against it. Andy Hamilton nicked one back on a counter attack, and had two or three presentable chances to level, but goinginto the last ten minutes we were behind and looking beaten, and so we found ourselves seventh. Fortunately it was very much a seven-team race for the title at this stage.

[UBoy 2001]

i guess this means that it is no more

[Terk]

and the award for most ridiculous uppage goes to UBoy 2001. After 5 months and thirteen days, i think it's pretty obvious there won't be any more to this story. Thanks for making it clear to us all though

[Educated Hick]

Here's one that even more useless to up Here...check this out.

[HD]

Heh. I am actually still playing the game. Now in my first season in the SPL, and sitting 2nd, lost the League Cup final to Motherwell due to a red card, and was beaten by Ayr in the Scottish Cup semis. This is probably a year or two on from the story, can't remember the date off the top of my head. Anyhoo.

At least one guy was reading! \o/