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[01/02] Gretna


bestbrother
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Mini Intro:

Hopefully a 01/02 update is allowed in here, arguably one of the greatest games made and definitely one that holds many memories for me.

Anyway I will be using the .68 update and the database that came with that, no mods, ARSE mode enabled via the editor.

Rules:

Well I dont like calling these rules, but with the potential for 'downloading' super tactics (on all CMs etc) I always restrict myself to game created setups. So to that end, every game no matter what will be using the default tactic 4-4-2 in game, never changing for any situation / game or division.

Edits:

I have dabbled in the editor and added Brooks Mileson as the Chairman/Owner and made him as 'Sugar Daddy' as possible, to try and replicate the Gretna situation. I also gave the club £5,000,000 as this is a commonly associated figure that Mileson invested (albeit via loans).

Other than that I will use my standard bestbrother approach and hope it all works out :D

 

Edited by bestbrother
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Season 01/02 

image.png.870b8810c13a35fb287624825c436b23.png

Scottish Third Division

Pre-Season

The simple fact was, the squad is not good enough, not just for the 4th tier but for a quick rush through the divisions. Money had to be spent, the wage bill had to increase and to that end 18 players signed from all over Scotland.

4 players joined from St. Johnstone including Paul Hartley and Darren Dods. 3 came from Ayr as the 1st division players took money over prestige, with James Grady the notable deal circa £1,000,000. The SPL wasnt immune from the Gretna attraction either as both Stephen Pearson and Keith Lasley chose to ply their trade in the lower reaches, whilst another youngster in Stephen Simmons left Hearts as Gretna continued to bolster their ranks.

League Campaign

Things started in a funny fashion as although we would win on opening day at East Stirling, a 1-3 thumping at home to Elgin soon put us in our place and thoughts of romping away with the title being questioned. However we maintained a steady pace and it soon became a 3-way race for the 2 promotion spots with Montrose and East Fife pushing us all the way.

It wasnt until November that things really kicked on for us, we would beat the aforementioned East Fire thanks to a Grady header, a result that was a part of a 10 game unbeaten spell that gave us a bit more breathing room going into the final stretch of fixtures.

Turmoil would hit however, as a defeat at Morton sparked a 4 game skid that allowed Montrose to take the lead in the division and East Fife to close the gap. Things had to be re-assessed and with youngsters Pearson, Simmons and Lauchlan put in the midfield, the newly energised lineup began to click again. We qould continue to spend as Andy Webster and Barry Robson signed on in the hope that a fresh face or 2 would change things up as the pressure for success mounted.

A huge home win over East Fife saw us come from 2 down to win 3-2 and pad our cushion a little more. A draw at home to Montrose slowed us a little, but the effects were minimal as 3 away wins at Elgin, Albion and Peterhead secured our promotion, whilst we would celebrate the title on the final day with a 1-1 draw at a full Raydale Park, putting to bed any notion that the Gretna project was wasted money.

================================================================================================
 2001/2 Fixtures
================================================================================================

Date      Opposition                 Ven  Competition                     Res    Attend  Scorers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.7.01   Rangers                     H   Friendly                        0:2    2171    
4.8.01    East Stirling               A   Third Division                  2:0    1614    Grady, Lauchlan
11.8.01   Elgin City                  H   Third Division                  1:3    2198    Pearson
18.8.01   Montrose                    A   Third Division                  4:1    1079    Lasley 2, Grady, Simmons
25.8.01   Stirling                    H   Third Division                  3:1    2052    Lauchlan 2, Grady
1.9.01    East Fife                   A   Third Division                  3:3    1983    McShane 2 (1 pen), Grady
8.9.01    Peterhead                   H   Third Division                  2:1    2166    Grady, Simmons
15.9.01   Morton                      A   Third Division                  0:2    3413    
22.9.01   Albion Rovers               H   Third Division                  2:1    2178    Finlayson, Pearson pen
29.9.01   Queen's Park                A   Third Division                  2:3    2193    Grady 2
20.10.01  Stirling                    A   Third Division                  3:2    2072    Lauchlan, Pearson, Grady
27.10.01  Montrose                    H   Third Division                  1:1    1962    Lauchlan
3.11.01   Albion Rovers               A   Third Division                  1:2    2445    Lasley
7.11.01   East Stirling               H   Third Division                  2:1    2178    Lauchlan, Dods
10.11.01  East Fife                   H   Third Division                  1:0    2141    Grady
17.11.01  Elgin City                  A   Third Division                  1:1    3503    Grady
24.11.01  Morton                      H   Third Division                  0:0    2160    
1.12.01   Peterhead                   A   Third Division                  2:1    2469    Campbell, Finlayson
15.12.01  Stirling                    H   Third Division                  2:0    2056    Pearson, Grady
26.12.01  East Stirling               A   Third Division                  1:0    1627    Finlayson
31.12.01  Queen's Park                H   Third Division                  1:0    2000    Lauchlan
12.1.02   Montrose                    A   Third Division                  1:0    1164    Hartley
19.1.02   Albion Rovers               H   Third Division                  3:1    2152    Lauchlan, Pearson, Cleland
2.2.02    East Fife                   A   Third Division                  1:2    1960    Simmons
9.2.02    Elgin City                  H   Third Division                  2:0    2183    Webster pen, Cleland
23.2.02   East Stirling               H   Third Division                  2:0    2024    Lovering, Webster pen
27.2.02   Morton                      A   Third Division                  1:2    3594    Webster
2.3.02    Queen's Park                A   Third Division                  0:1    1828    
9.3.02    Peterhead                   H   Third Division                  0:1    2088    
16.3.02   Stirling                    A   Third Division                  0:1    2091    
27.3.02   East Fife                   H   Third Division                  3:2    2128    Webster pen, Grady, Pearson
30.3.02   Elgin City                  A   Third Division                  2:1    3494    Lauchlan, Grady
6.4.02    Montrose                    H   Third Division                  1:1    1907    Webster
13.4.02   Albion Rovers               A   Third Division                  2:0    2487    Pearson, Robson
20.4.02   Morton                      H   Third Division                  0:1    2177    
27.4.02   Peterhead                   A   Third Division                  2:0    2453    Campbell, Pearson
4.5.02    Queen's Park                H   Third Division                  1:1    2020    Hartley

================================================================================================
 2001/2 Table
================================================================================================

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Gretna                          36   11   4    3    27   15   9    2    7    28   22   66   
2nd  P  Montrose                        36   10   3    5    32   28   9    5    4    28   22   65   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     East Fife                       36   6    6    6    31   30   10   3    5    31   18   57   
4th     Queen's Park                    36   10   5    3    33   24   5    3    10   22   32   53   
5th     Morton                          36   7    5    6    27   26   7    4    7    25   26   51   
6th     Elgin City                      36   6    5    7    22   24   7    3    8    27   26   47   
7th     Peterhead                       36   8    5    5    24   20   4    6    8    25   34   47   
8th     Stirling                        36   9    3    6    28   24   3    7    8    25   31   46   
9th     East Stirling                   36   7    3    8    26   25   4    6    8    17   24   42   
10th    Albion Rovers                   36   6    0    12   19   28   3    0    15   16   34   27   

image.jpeg.90daac50c2419553a8c0369fa3b3a358.jpeg

Tenants Scottish F.A. Cup

We had a wee run in the Cup this year, thumping Stirling 4-1, before thrilling the fans with a 4-3 win at QoS in our first matchup against the local rivals.

Things came to a halt as St. Mirren toppled us in a replay, after we held the 1st Division side to a draw at a soggy Raydale.

5.1.02    Stirling                    H   Scottish Cup 2nd Rnd            4:1    2198    Lauchlan, Dods, Finlayson, Hartley
26.1.02   Queen of Sth.               A   Scottish Cup 3rd Rnd            4:3    2157    Finlayson 2, Lauchlan 2
16.2.02   St. Mirren                  H   Scottish Cup 4th Rnd            1:1    2153    Lovering
20.2.02   St. Mirren                  A   Scottish Cup 4th Rnd Replay     0:1    4267    

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SKOL Cup

We stunned Raith with a 3-0 win at Stark Park as our first competitive  game couldnt have gone any better, however SPL giants Dundee United soon crushed any hopes of a fairytale cup run by rinsing us 4-1 at Tannadice.

14.8.01   Dundee Utd                  A   League Cup 2nd Rnd              1:4    7877    Caldwell

image.jpeg.0a7f721ce796825b3e90772f5882bfad.jpeg

Bells Challenge Cup

Almost a dream double for us as we went on a early season cup run, cruising to the Final by edging out 1st division sides such as Clyde and Inverness, before the challenge of St. Johnstone was too much to overcome, as we lost 4-2 aet in a thriller.

7.8.01    Arbroath                    H   Challenge Cup 1st Rnd           2:1    1847    Simmons, Grady
22.8.01   Albion Rovers               H   Challenge Cup 2nd Rnd           1:0    1854    Hartley
29.8.01   Clyde                       H   Challenge Cup Qtr Final         3:0    2005    Lauchlan 2, Pearson pen
5.9.01    Inverness C. Thistle        A   Challenge Cup Semi Final        1:0    8238    Campbell
14.10.01  St. Johnstone               N   Challenge Cup Final             2:4    17982   Pearson, Lauchlan

The Boys

================================================================================================
 2001/2 Senior Club Stats
================================================================================================

No  Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-   Campbell, Mark             44       4      0      0        1      7      0      1      6.41   
-   Cleland, Alec              47       2      0      0        3      2      0      2      6.79   
-   Craig, David               0        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      ----   
-   Dods, Darren               24       2      0      0        0      4      0      0      6.38   
-   Finlayson, Kevin           27 (1)   6      0      0        0      0      0      2      6.89   
-   Grady, James               43       14     0      0        9      3      0      4      7.19   
-   Hartley, Paul              40       5      0      0        11     5      0      2      7.03   
-   Irving, Craig              -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   Lasley, Keith              43       3      0      0        5      4      0      1      6.93   
-   Lauchlan, Martin           38       15     0      0        6      0      0      6      7.16   
-   Lovering, Paul             43       2      0      0        2      7      0      2      6.91   
-   McCaldon, Ian              36       0      36     0        0      0      1      3      7.36   
-   McGroarty, Chris           20 (1)   1      0      1 (1)    6      0      0      1      6.86   
-   McGuffie, Ryan             -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   McShane, Ian Paul          6 (1)    2      0      2 (1)    1      2      0      0      6.86   
-   Murray, Grant              10 (2)   0      0      0        0      1      0      0      6.83   
-   Nicolson, Iain             7 (3)    0      0      0        1      0      0      0      6.40   
-   Pearson, Stephen           36       10     0      2 (2)    7      2      0      2      6.97   
-   Preece, David              11 (1)   0      16     0        0      0      0      0      6.83   
-   Robson, Barry              6        1      0      0        2      0      0      1      7.33   
-   Roulston, Darren           -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   Simmons, Stephen           15 (1)   4      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.81   
-   Webster, Andy              16       5      0      3 (3)    0      2      1      0      6.38

Transfers

================================================================================================
 2001/2 Transfers
================================================================================================

Date      Player In                  From                       Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
11.7.01   Paul Lovering              Ayr                        £225K     
12.7.01   David Preece               Aberdeen                   £250K     
13.7.01   Martin Lauchlan            St. Johnstone              £300K     
13.7.01   Grant Murray               St. Johnstone              £850K     
13.7.01   Mark Campbell              Ayr                        £250K     
13.7.01   Alec Cleland               Free Transfer              Free      
15.7.01   Stephen Simmons            Hearts                     £1M     
16.7.01   Darren Dods                St. Johnstone              £750K    
16.7.01   James Grady                Ayr                        £1M       
17.7.01   Paul Hartley               St. Johnstone              £1M     
17.7.01   Chris McGroarty            Dunfermline                £500K     
24.7.01   Iain Nicolson              St. Mirren                 £600K     
26.7.01   Ian Paul McShane           Grindavík                  £50K      
4.8.01    Ian McCaldon               Oxford                     £220K     
10.8.01   Stephen Pearson            Motherwell                 £1.2M     
13.8.01   Keith Lasley               Motherwell                 £1.2M     
22.9.01   Kevin Finlayson            Stranraer                  £75K      
20.11.01  David Craig                Elgin City                 £240K     
20.1.02   Andy Webster               Hearts                     £500K    
30.3.02   Barry Robson               Inverness C. Thistle       £325K     

Date      Player Out                 To                         Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
14.7.01   Kyle May                   Doncaster                  £18K      
16.7.01   John Hore                  Portsmouth                 £55K      
22.7.01   Adam Thwaites              Crystal Palace             £300K     
2.8.01    David Mathieson            W.B.A.                     £22K      
8.8.01    Geoffrey Patterson         Plymouth                   £18K      
9.8.01    David Milne                Kilmarnock                 £26K      
29.8.01   Bryan Caldwell             Dunfermline                £55K      
20.11.01  Micky Waller               Released                   Free      
20.11.01  Tommy Turner               Released                   Free      
20.11.01  Paul Heritage              Released                   Free

 

 

Edited by bestbrother
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Season 02/03

image.png.3bd906957bb91482a6322df8f435b074.png

Scottish Second Division

Pre-Season

Promotion almost assumed investment with the clubs foundation relying on a quick rise through the divisions, however it was more tempered with over £3,000,000 being raised via player sales to balance the books a little with Brooks Mileson wary following the spending spree to get here.

7 players who played various roles in last seasons success would all move on, notably £1,000,000 was raised via Iain Nicholson, whilst defensive pairing of Dods and Cleland also left to join SPL side Aberdeen with him.

However there would be signings and again the £1,000,000 mark was spent again on a player with Gary McSwegan signed to hopefully score the goals, alongside a gaggle of players with more experience in Scott Crabbe, Andy Goram and the midfield experience of Ross Tokeley.

Overall the squad felt more rounded as the pressure of back to back promotions would begin to sink in.

League Campaign

On the pitch things needed to start well, but they didnt with a loss to Hamilton on opening day, seeing us fail to win any of the opening 3 games of the season. Fortuntely Berwick Rangers were on hand as we dished out a 5-1 drubbing to our fellow Borderers to kickstart our campaign.

A loss to Cowdenbeath would prove to be a rare sight as we racked up the wins and the goals, besting Montrose 4-1 before scudding QoS 6-0 in Dumfries to rattle the locals who vehemently oppose the Gretna project.

Experienced Keeper Rob Douglas would sign in October to shore things up, with more money going on the exciting strike duo of McDonald and Mooney to give us an edge in the winter months.

Yet Montrose would clip our wings as they beat us at Links Park, joining us in looking at back to back promotions with both having double digit points advantages (over 3rd) going into the new year.

Stranraer and Stenhousemuir slowed us down as we failed to score in back to back defeats, however it proved to be a rare stumble as Alloa were rattled for 5, as another 5 game winning streak (culminating in another big win at QoS 4-2) would clinch promotion going into the final weeks of the season.

We were again locked in a title race with Montrose, confirmation of which was secured as win stuffed Cowdenbeath 3-0 at home, as the club could now look forward to joining the more professional ranks of the 1st Division after just 2 seasons in the Scottish game.

================================================================================================
 2002/3 Fixtures
================================================================================================

Date      Opposition                 Ven  Competition                     Res    Attend  Scorers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.8.02   Hamilton                    A   Second Division                 0:1    5488        
17.8.02   Queen of Sth.               H   Second Division                 2:2    2170    Gaughan, McSwegan
24.8.02   Forfar                      A   Second Division                 1:1    2625    Tokely
7.9.02    Berwick                     A   Second Division                 5:1    2028    Webster pen, Crabbe 2, Tokely, Lasley
14.9.02   Stranraer                   H   Second Division                 2:0    2126    Hartley, Tokely
21.9.02   Cowdenbeath                 A   Second Division                 1:2    2418    McSwegan
25.9.02   Montrose                    H   Second Division                 4:1    1988    Tokely 2, Webster pen, Crabbe
28.9.02   Alloa                       H   Second Division                 1:0    2097    Gaughan
19.10.02  Hamilton                    H   Second Division                 3:0    2191    Webster, Tokely, Grady
26.10.02  Queen of Sth.               A   Second Division                 6:0    2843    Duffy og, Hartley, Grady 2, McSwegan 2
30.10.02  Stenhousemuir               H   Second Division                 3:1    2000    McSwegan 3
2.11.02   Forfar                      H   Second Division                 3:2    2077    Grady, Lasley, Tokely
9.11.02   Montrose                    A   Second Division                 1:2    1990    Grady
16.11.02  Cowdenbeath                 H   Second Division                 2:2    2141    Crabbe, McSwegan
23.11.02  Alloa                       A   Second Division                 1:0    1759    Crabbe
30.11.02  Berwick                     H   Second Division                 2:1    2127    Tokely, McDonald
21.12.02  Queen of Sth.               H   Second Division                 2:2    2192    Hartley, Lasley
28.12.02  Forfar                      A   Second Division                 2:1    2622    R.McDonald, Webster pen
1.1.03    Stranraer                   A   Second Division                 0:3    2607    
6.1.03    Stenhousemuir               A   Second Division                 0:2    1363    
18.1.03   Hamilton                    A   Second Division                 3:1    5494    R.McDonald, Robson 2
25.1.03   Alloa                       H   Second Division                 5:2    2098    McDonald 2, Gaughan, Hartley, Tokely
8.2.03    Berwick                     A   Second Division                 3:0    1891    Tokely, Lasley, McSwegan
15.2.03   Montrose                    H   Second Division                 1:2    1999    McSwegan
26.2.03   Cowdenbeath                 A   Second Division                 3:1    2035    McSwegan 2, Webster pen
1.3.03    Stranraer                   H   Second Division                 2:1    2098    McDonald, McAllister
5.3.03    Stenhousemuir               H   Second Division                 2:1    2001    R.McDonald, Robson
8.3.03    Hamilton                    H   Second Division                 2:1    2193    R.McDonald, Webster pen
15.3.03   Queen of Sth.               A   Second Division                 4:2    2809    Tokely, McDonald, Lauchlan, Lasley
29.3.03   Montrose                    A   Second Division                 2:3    2047    Tokely, Lauchlan
2.4.03    Forfar                      H   Second Division                 3:1    2076    Lauchlan, Pearson, Tokely
5.4.03    Berwick                     H   Second Division                 1:1    2153    Tokely
12.4.03   Alloa                       A   Second Division                 2:1    1790    McSwegan 2
19.4.03   Cowdenbeath                 H   Second Division                 3:0    2133    McSwegan, McDonald 2
26.4.03   Stranraer                   A   Second Division                 1:3    2787    McDonald
3.5.03    Stenhousemuir               A   Second Division                 0:1    1799  

================================================================================================
 2002/3 Table
================================================================================================

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Gretna                          36   13   4    1    43   20   9    1    8    35   25   71   
2nd  P  Montrose                        36   12   3    3    39   22   9    2    7    31   29   68   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Alloa                           36   8    5    5    28   19   7    5    6    31   29   55   
4th     Berwick                         36   8    3    7    27   31   6    8    4    23   24   53   
5th     Cowdenbeath                     36   9    5    4    27   23   5    2    11   30   37   49   
6th     Stranraer                       36   6    7    5    27   21   5    4    9    19   23   44   
7th     Forfar                          36   6    4    8    27   26   4    7    7    23   28   41   
8th     Queen of Sth.                   36   7    4    7    38   45   3    7    8    29   40   41   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th  R  Stenhousemuir                   36   6    4    8    26   34   5    3    10   22   35   40   
10th R  Hamilton                        36   7    4    7    27   28   2    4    12   26   39   35 

image.jpeg.90daac50c2419553a8c0369fa3b3a358.jpeg

Tenants Scottish F.A. Cup

Another decent effort in this competiton, again sparked by a humping of Stirling in the early rounds. Comfortable wins over lower league opposition would set us up with a chance to make the Q/Finals against Falkirk. We would lead there, but fell short late on and missed out on a date at Parkhead.

7.12.02   Stirling                    H   Scottish Cup 1st Rnd            6:2    2196    Tokely, Webster, Lasley, McDonald 3
4.1.03    East Stirling               A   Scottish Cup 2nd Rnd            2:0    1584    Hartley, McSwegan
1.2.03    Annan                       A   Scottish Cup 3rd Rnd            3:0    1087    McDonald, Hartley, Young
22.2.03   Falkirk                     A   Scottish Cup 4th Rnd            1:2    4568    Young

image.jpeg.0b782aabce34604d345f72032b5a0633.jpeg

SKOL Cup

In and out here, we were not match fit and lost comfortably in our trip north to Ross.

3.8.02    Ross County                 A   League Cup 1st Rnd              1:2    1480    Robson

image.jpeg.0a7f721ce796825b3e90772f5882bfad.jpeg

Bells Challenge Cup

Hopes of going one step further were crushed early on as East Fife shocked us infront of 300 fans.

13.8.02   East Fife                   A   Challenge Cup 1st Rnd           0:2    318 

The Boys

================================================================================================
 2002/3 Senior Club Stats
================================================================================================

No  Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-   Boyce, Scott               0 (1)    0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.00   
-   Douglas, Robert            31       0      37     0        0      0      1      0      7.29   
-   Finlayson, Kevin           2 (1)    0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.67   
-   Fotheringham, Kevin        0 (2)    0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.50   
-   Goram, Andy                0 (1)    0      1      0        0      0      0      0      8.00   
-   Grady, James               10       5      0      0        1      0      0      2      7.40   
-   Hartley, Paul              42       6      0      0        29     2      0      8      7.86   
-   Irving, Craig              -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   Lasley, Keith              42       6      0      0        7      2      0      0      7.12   
-   Lauchlan, Martin           9 (1)    3      0      0        2      0      0      1      7.40   
-   Lovering, Paul             23       0      0      0        2      2      1      0      6.57   
-   McAllister, Jamie          42       1      0      0        3      5      0      0      6.76   
-   McCaldon, Ian              11       0      15     0        0      0      0      0      6.82   
-   McDonald, Raymond          22       16     0      0        3      2      0      4      8.00   
-   McGovern, Jon Paul         16       0      0      0        1      0      0      0      6.56   
-   McGuffie, Ryan             -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   McSwegan, Gary             33       16     0      0        5      1      0      5      7.73   
-   Mooney, Gerard             4        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.50   
-   Pearson, Stephen           1 (1)    1      0      0        0      0      1      0      7.00   
-   Robson, Barry              35 (1)   4      0      0        14     1      0      4      7.47   
-   Roulston, Darren           -        -      -      -        -      -      -      -      ----   
-   Simmons, Stephen           0 (1)    0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.00   
-   Tokely, Ross               40       15     0      0        6      2      0      5      7.40   
-   Webster, Andy              36       7      0      6 (5)    0      2      0      0      6.36   
-   Young, Scott               14       2      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.64 

 

Transfers

================================================================================================
 2002/3 Transfers
================================================================================================

Date      Player In                  From                       Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2.6.02    Kevin Fotheringham         Brechin                    £45K      
2.6.02    Scott Crabbe               Alloa                      £95K      
2.6.02    Scott Boyce                Queen's Park               £275K     
4.7.02    Gary McSwegan              Kilmarnock                 £1M       
6.7.02    Jamie McAllister           Aberdeen                   Free      
8.7.02    Kevin Gaughan              Stranraer                  £45K      
14.7.02   Andy Goram                 Queen of Sth.              £50K      
22.7.02   Ross Tokely                Inverness C. Thistle       £850K     
7.10.02   Robert Douglas             Free Transfer              Free      
19.10.02  Raymond McDonald           Queen of Sth.              £250K     
8.12.02   Gerard Mooney              Stranraer                  £500K     
27.1.03   Jon Paul McGovern          Celtic                     £500K     
29.1.03   Scott Young                Cardiff                    £250K     

Date      Player Out                 To                         Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
14.6.02   Darren Dods                Aberdeen                   £500K     
14.6.02   Alec Cleland               Aberdeen                   £250K     
17.6.02   David Preece               Nottm Forest               £250K     
22.6.02   Iain Nicolson              Aberdeen                   £1M       
23.6.02   Chris McGroarty            Dundee                     £750K     
25.7.02   Ian Paul McShane           Inverness C. Thistle       £350K     
5.8.02    Grant Murray               Ayr                        £400K     
13.2.03   Mark Campbell              Stranraer                  £85K      
2.3.03    Kevin Gaughan              Dunfermline                £100K     
14.3.03   Scott Crabbe               Falkirk                    £45K      
15.3.03   David Craig                Falkirk                    £220K  

 

Edited by bestbrother
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 Season 03/04

download.png.403aa4797144535fd9a539eec46274cf.png

Scottish First Division

Pre-Season

The challenge this year was to try and put together a tighter more experienced unit, given the relative ease of climbing out of the 'semi professional' divisions, this year we will face a tougher opponent.

Money was again spent but not as freely, though significant wages were handed out as the vastly experienced Martin Keown came in to become a part of the club on and off the field. Other moves saw experienced defenders Ritchie and Pressley sign as the spending mirrored what was coming in.

A raft of outgoings was headlined by Stephen Pearson joining Millwall for just shy of £2,000,000 as he alongside other young Scot' Stephen Simmons left the club following a lack of game time. Other notable earners left on a free transfer with McSwegan ending a 1 year spell at the club to go to Holland, whilst Montrose saw their chance to snag Lovering and Mooney on contract only deals as they bolstered their ranks.

League Campaign

Well if the previous 2 seasons were anything to go by, expectations were that the club would breeze into the SPL and achieve their goal outset when Mileson took over. Yet those soon dissipated as the defeats came in waves and a lack of goals saw the club scrambling for answers.

A 4-0 win over Inverness would settle the early season nerves, after back to back defeats. However it took nearly a month for another win to come along as the team failed to find any rhythm.  A solitary win over Clyde was the highlight of October, whilst a 2-1 win at Arbroath in the middle of November would the our last win until January as the rot set in.

A club record £4,1000,000 was spent on McDonald in order to try and bolster the clubs attacking options, but the club would only score in 5 of their next 15 games, as a run of 4 0-0 draws would keep us just above the drop zone heading into the new year.

Wins over Montrose and Raith (relegation rivals) helped our chances of survival, before a horrendous 5 game losing skid sunk us into the bottom 2, needing a miracle in the remaining 5 games of the season. Arbroath were beaten, before a loss at home to Clyde saw us slip 5pts adrift of safety with 3 to play.

Somehow we scrapped a win over Partick to keep the season alive, before a crucial 2-0 win at Raith sent us into the final day knowing a win would keep us up. St. Johnstone were already on holiday as we scored early to earn a 3-1 win and maintain our place in the 1st division. The romantics out there will be happy to note Montrose found safety on the final day as well!

================================================================================================
 2003/4 Fixtures
================================================================================================

Date      Opposition                 Ven  Competition                     Res    Attend  Scorers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.8.03    Dunfermline                 H   First Division                  0:1    2200    
16.8.03   Montrose                    A   First Division                  0:2    3196    
23.8.03   Inverness C. Thistle        H   First Division                  4:0    2160    Hartley, Lasley, Tokely, Robson
6.9.03    Partick Thistle             A   First Division                  0:1    5061   
13.9.03   Falkirk                     A   First Division                  1:1    7332    Roberts   
20.9.03   Arbroath                    H   First Division                  0:1    2193    
27.9.03   Raith Rovers                H   First Division                  2:0    2175    S.Nicol 2 
18.10.03  Inverness C. Thistle        A   First Division                  3:3    5030    Tokely 2, McDonald
22.10.03  Clyde                       A   First Division                  1:0    4867    Robson
25.10.03  St. Johnstone               A   First Division                  1:3    6961    McDonald
29.10.03  Montrose                    H   First Division                  0:0    2163    
1.11.03   Dunfermline                 A   First Division                  0:1    7035    
8.11.03   Falkirk                     H   First Division                  1:2    2195    MacDonald
15.11.03  Arbroath                    A   First Division                  2:1    4476    Lasley, MacDonald pen
22.11.03  Clyde                       H   First Division                  1:0    2189    McDonald
29.11.03  Partick Thistle             H   First Division                  0:1    2199    
6.12.03   Raith Rovers                A   First Division                  1:2    6068    McDonald
13.12.03  St. Johnstone               H   First Division                  0:0    2168    
20.12.03  Inverness C. Thistle        H   First Division                  0:0    2163    
27.12.03  Clyde                       A   First Division                  0:0    4891    
5.1.04    Dunfermline                 H   First Division                  0:0    2165    
10.1.04   Montrose                    A   First Division                  2:1    3174    R.McDonald, Roberts
17.1.04   Arbroath                    H   First Division                  0:1    2167    
24.1.04   Falkirk                     A   First Division                  0:2    7334       
7.2.04    Partick Thistle             A   First Division                  0:3    4787    
14.2.04   Raith Rovers                H   First Division                  1:0    2185    S.Nicol
28.2.04   Montrose                    H   First Division                  0:2    2187    
6.3.04    Inverness C. Thistle        A   First Division                  0:2    4335    
20.3.04   St. Johnstone               A   First Division                  0:1    7419    
31.3.04   Dunfermline                 A   First Division                  0:2    5339    
3.4.04    Falkirk                     H   First Division                  1:2    2184    MacDonald
10.4.04   Arbroath                    A   First Division                  1:0    3681    MacDonald
17.4.04   Clyde                       H   First Division                  0:1    2197    
24.4.04   Partick Thistle             H   First Division                  2:1    2193    Ritchie, Tokely
1.5.04    Raith Rovers                A   First Division                  2:0    4892    Lauchlan, MacDonald
8.5.04    St. Johnstone               H   First Division                  3:1    2190    McDonald, Lasley, MacDonald

================================================================================================
 2003/4 Table
================================================================================================

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Dunfermline                     36   14   3    1    30   11   6    7    5    18   17   70   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd     Falkirk                         36   7    8    3    24   15   8    5    5    30   25   58   
3rd     Arbroath                        36   8    2    8    22   20   9    3    6    22   19   56   
4th     Partick Thistle                 36   11   5    2    28   10   3    6    9    19   26   53   
5th     St. Johnstone                   36   9    5    4    33   26   5    5    8    29   31   52   
6th     Inverness C. Thistle            36   8    8    2    30   20   4    5    9    19   32   49   
7th     Gretna                          36   6    4    8    15   13   5    3    10   14   25   40   
8th     Montrose                        36   5    7    6    30   29   4    4    10   19   27   38   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th  R  Clyde                           36   5    7    6    19   24   4    4    10   16   25   38   
10th R  Raith Rovers                    36   8    0    10   28   37   2    7    9    19   32   37  

image.jpeg.90daac50c2419553a8c0369fa3b3a358.jpeg

Tenants Scottish F.A. Cup

The league to precedence for us here as our Cup exit came as no surprise given the poor form we were suffering.

31.1.04   St. Johnstone               A   Scottish Cup 3rd Rnd            0:2    4341 

image.jpeg.0b782aabce34604d345f72032b5a0633.jpeg

SKOL Cup

Forget East Fife, we finally got to pit our wits against the best, as Celtic are dominating Scottish football. Sadly we couldnt score and a weakened (but decent) Celtic side did enough en route to another Final for the Hoops.

19.8.03   East Fife                   H   League Cup 2nd Rnd              3:0    2050    Robson, Lasley, Tokely
1.10.03   Celtic                      H   League Cup 3rd Rnd              0:2    2162  

image.jpeg.0a7f721ce796825b3e90772f5882bfad.jpeg

Bells Challenge Cup

Qos, thanks for being our rivals but thats easy enough.

Stirling, another Cup tie, another thumping.

Arbroath, a decent win in the circumstances.

Stranraer, annoying and a waste of an opportunity to make our 2nd Challenge Cup Final in 3 years.

12.8.03   Queen of Sth.               H   Challenge Cup 1st Rnd           4:1    1846    Tokely 2, McDonald, Lasley
27.8.03   Stirling                    H   Challenge Cup 2nd Rnd           6:1    1831    Nicol 2, Lasley 2, Roberts 2
10.9.03   Arbroath                    A   Challenge Cup Qtr Final         1:0    3814    Robson
17.9.03   Stranraer                   A   Challenge Cup Semi Final        0:1    3067

The Boys

================================================================================================
 2003/4 Senior Club Stats
================================================================================================

No  Name                       Apps     Gls    Con    Pens     Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-   Boyce, Scott               5        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.80   
-   Douglas, Robert            43       0      44     0        0      0      0      0      6.98   
-   Finlayson, Kevin           3        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.33   
-   Fotheringham, Kevin        0 (3)    0      1      0        0      2      1      0      6.00   
-   Grady, James               0        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      ----   
-   Hartley, Paul              38       1      0      0        5      7      0      0      6.84   
-   Keown, Martin              42       0      0      0        0      4      0      3      7.05   
-   Lasley, Keith              39       7      0      0        3      3      0      2      6.79   
-   Lauchlan, Martin           7 (1)    1      0      0        1      0      0      1      7.38   
-   MacDonald, Peter           17       6      0      1 (1)    3      1      0      3      7.35   
-   McAllister, Jamie          14       0      0      0        0      1      0      0      6.79   
-   McDonald, Raymond          27       7      0      0        1      0      0      2      7.00   
-   McEwan, Craig              40       0      0      0        2      3      0      1      6.70   
-   McGovern, Jon Paul         1 (1)    0      0      0        0      0      0      0      7.50   
-   Meji                       29       0      0      0        1      3      0      3      6.93   
-   Nicol, Scott               18       5      0      0        3      3      0      3      7.22   
-   Pressley, Steven           25 (1)   0      0      0        0      2      0      0      6.85   
-   Ritchie, Paul              10       1      0      0        0      2      0      0      7.20   
-   Roberts, Christian         23       4      0      0        4      1      0      0      7.22   
-   Robson, Barry              38       4      0      0        4      1      0      2      6.95   
-   Tokely, Ross               38       7      0      0        5      5      0      0      6.76   
-   Webster, Andy              7        0      0      0        0      0      0      0      6.00

 

Transfers

================================================================================================
 2003/4 Transfers
================================================================================================

Date      Player In                  From                       Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6.6.03    Christian Roberts          Bristol C                  £250K     
12.7.03   Craig McEwan               Ayr                        £500K     
26.7.03   Martin Keown               Free Transfer              Free      
26.7.03   Steven Sidwell             Free Transfer              Free      
20.8.03   Scott Nicol                Morton                     £16K      
22.8.03   Paul Ritchie               Man City                   £825K     
22.8.03   Steven Pressley            Hearts                     £650K     
28.8.03   Meji                       Dundee                     £775K     
8.11.03   Peter MacDonald            St. Johnstone              £4.1M     

Date      Player Out                 To                         Fee
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
9.6.03    Paul Lovering              Montrose                   Free      
22.6.03   Ian McCaldon               Livingston                 £180K     
9.7.03    Gerard Mooney              Montrose                   Free      
29.7.03   Stephen Simmons            Hearts                     £525K     
12.8.03   Matthew Naylor             Released                   Free      
19.8.03   Andy Harris                Released                   Free      
20.8.03   Stephen Pearson            Millwall                   £1.9M     
22.8.03   Kevin Mackay               Released                   Free      
26.8.03   Scott Young                Southampton                £50K      
6.9.03    Gary McSwegan              Go Ahead                   Free      
10.3.04   Steven Sidwell             Peterborough               £45K 

 

Edited by bestbrother
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