Transfer News

Derek Wingate has rejoined Meadow from League rivals Pollok while Paul Hyslop has made the opposite move, rejoining his former club in a straight swap deal. Welcome back Dexy and good luck to Paul.

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Next Game: Brora Rangers v Irvine Meadow

Brora Rangers v Irvine Meadow

Active Nation Scottish Cup 1st Round

Dudgeon Park, Brora

26-09-09

Kick Off : 3pm

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Another chapter will be added to the proud history of Irvine Meadow next Saturday when the club takes part in the senior Scottish Cup for the first time ever. A round trip of 500 miles awaits as the team and supporters head to the Highlands for the first round match. Already plans have been made with the official supporters bus leaving The Turf at 7am on Saturday morning while some fans are travelling on the Friday to stop off overnight in Inverness. A few hardy fans have even decided to camp overnight in Brora. Hopefully a good support from Irvine will be rewarded with a victory and a chance of a 2nd round tie against league opposition a prospect.

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Dudgeon Park (above and below)


Brora_Rangers_website



Photos thanks to http://nonleaguescotland.co.uk/
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Beith 2 Meadow 1

Beith 2 Irvine Meadow 1

Stagecoach West Super Premier League

Bellsdale, Beith

19-09-09

Meadow suffered another defeat in their league campaign going down 2-1 to Beith at Bellsdale on Saturday. Meadow were dealt a crushing blow as early as the 6th minute as goalkeeper Michael Wardrope was sent off for a challenege on Beith's Jordam Murch as he chased a long, hopeful ball into the Meadow box. Beith striker Andy Reid then stepped up to fire the resultant penalty past substitute keeper Brain Hewitt. Meadow were then as expected pinned back for the majority of the half without really testing the Meadow keeper until the 40th minute when Beith's John Craig turned on the edge of the box and sent over a cross which evaded everyone and ended up in the Meadow net.

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Half-Time: 2-0

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As happened last week at Kilbirnie, Meadow came out for the 2nd half looking a different team and it was hard to work out which team was a man short. The visitors forced corner after corner as Beith struggled to get into the game and it was no surprise when Boyle pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute after constant pressure in the Beith box. Meadow went searching for an unlikely equaliser and threw everything at Beith but the home side held out for a good victory. This really was a Jekyll and Hyde performance from Meadow who need to sort out their discipline if they are to be chasing the honours at the season's end.

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Full Time: 2-1

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Meadow Team: Wardrope, Swift, Lowing, Wild, Robertson, Hamilton, Ryan ,Turner, Barr, Boyle, Dillon

Subs: Hewitt for Wild (6)

Haggarty for Turner (71)

Strain for Haggarty (74)

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Meadow MOTM: Swift

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Referee: Greg Aitken

Assistant 1: Calum Haswell

Assiatant 2: William Dyer

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Admission: £5

Programme: £1

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YouTube highlights thanks to Black and White Dynamite

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More Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beith_juniors/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/imxifc/photos/album/301777602/pic/list

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Next Game: Beith v Meadow

BEITH v IRVINE MEADOW

Stagecoach West Super Premier League

Bellsdale, Beith

19-09-09

Kick Off: 2pm

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Meadow visit the Garnock Valley for the 2nd Saturday in a row when they play Beith in a Super Premier League match at Bellsdale. This game was originally scheduled to take place on August 22nd but was postponed due to the Marymass Festival. The clubs have already met this season in the Ardagh Cup Semi Final at Meadow Park where Meadow ran out 5-0 winners. Beith however will be out to prove that they are better than that scoreline suggests particularly as they were the only club to do the League double over the eventual champions last season. Saturday's game has all the makings of a classic.

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Arsenal To Play In Junior Cup?

Hugh MacDonald, sports writer with Glasgow based newspaper The Herald wrote a tongue-in-cheek piece about Junior football in his Saturday column (12-09-09). While the article did pander to the stereotypical blood and guts image some people have of Junior football surely nobody would take offence. Well it seems some fans have done just that and have been in touch with The Herald to defend the Junior game's honour. Are they right in doing so or are they being just a bit over sensitive. Judge for yourself ...

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Hugh MacDonald on Saturday – will Arsenal play in the new Emirates Junior Cup?
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Published on 12 Sep 2009

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First, an exclusive.

Arsenal will not play in this year’s Scottish Junior Cup. There had been speculation that the London club would take part as the venerable trophy is now the Emirates Junior Cup. Club and cup thus share a sponsor.
But Arsenal have baulked at joining the tournament, citing fixture overload and primal fear. 
“I know we are called the Gunners,” said Arsene Winder, the club coach, “but we need to be called the 
Anti-Ballistic Missiles before we enter that theatre of conflict, 
I mean, competition.”
As his chairman, Julian Patton, slapped him on the face and told him to be a man, Mr Winder continued: “Would you like to go to Dunipace on a cold night in Tuesday?” Having been informed that no-one would like to go to Dunipace even on sunny days when the money fairy was handing out £20 notes, Mr Winder continued: 
“I came up on a reconnaissance, sorry, scouting mission and watched a Junior match. The teams were very attacking. In fact, I would say they were completely offensive, as were their fans.”
Mr Winder added: “I did not know the F word could be used as a noun, a verb, an adjective, a term of abuse, a term of endearment, as a greeting, as a farewell, and as a snack to be consumed at half-time.”
Mr Winder would not reveal the teams he watched. For legal reasons. But he admitted he has seen DVDs of Junior football. Or snuff movies as they are otherwise known. “Yes,” he said. “I have looked at Kirkintilloch Red Raw, Dundee Violent, Cambuslang Stranglers, Auchinleck Pallbearers, Irvine Madmen and Lochee Harpoonists.
“They have an unusual form of football. As if the ball only is witnessed in an existential sense, as if the game exists as an allegory to life, in that the struggle is all that matters and the result is preordained and unavoidable. That or they are just dirty sods.”
Mr Winder, warming to his theme, said: “In French we say that teams do a good game. These players give the game a good doing.”
Arsenal have been known for using lesser competitions to give youngsters an opportunity but the coach said: “Yes, we do like to blood youngsters, but not literally.”
The youth teams were forced to watch a series of Junior cup ties. One Brazilian youngster, Chic (believed to be named after Charnley of that ilk) was moved by what he saw. He left the room.
“Yes, it was, how you say, an experience for me. But I cannot say that it was a good one. In the favelas we played tough, but this was an affront to all that is good about football This was, how you say, a plook on the face on the beautiful game. If this was football on sand, it would have to be played on Omaha beach in 1944.”
He also revealed that Winder had called for volunteers to play in the tournament. “There was the silence,” he said, though he added it was interrupted by the odd sob. “But Mr Winder has a great integrity. He told the chairman that we were not cowards, just conscientious objectors. And, believe me, I am very conscientious about not playing with these madmen.”
A spokesman for the Junior clubs would not comment officially. But an insider, speaking from Barlinnie where he is serving a sentence for an over-zealous tackle, said: “It is a shame. We were looking for new blood. In fact, we were just looking for blood. But new blood would have been nicer.”
Winder, though, believed his opponents would have been looking for legs, ankles and “how you say, the very upper groin”.
A film buff (he watches movies nude) Mr Winder said: “If Junior football, she was a motion picture, it would be Brigadoon mixed with the Talbot Chainsaw Massacre. The script would be minimalist but the soundtrack would resonate to the hum of snapping tendons. But only such a prospect can exist in the diseased imagination, say that of an Ayrshire centre-half.”
Arsenal have been roughed up in recent seasons by the likes of Hull City and Stoke but Winder said: “This is another level entirely. This is like going from a playground scuffle to a cage match where the referee he is a ravenous lion.”
Fergie, meanwhile, has told Junior clubs to come and have a go if they think they are hard enough.

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You can email your comments to ... sportletters@heraldandtimes.co.uk

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Kilbirnie 1 Meadow 3

KILBIRNIE LADESIDE 1 IRVINE MEADOW 3

Stagecoach West of Scotland League Super Premier Division

12-09-09

Valefield, Kilbirnie

Meadow got back to winning ways after 3 defeats in a row but the Champions had to do it the hard way. Meadow were looking to avenge the recent Ardagh Cup defeat against Ladeside and certainly looked a bit more up for it this time. Both teams created chances in the first half without really troubling the goalkeepers but the home team did take the lead in the 38th minute with a cracking shot into the top left corner.

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Half Time: 1-0

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Meadow came out looking more determined in the 2nd half and got the equaliser in the 57th minute when a Richie Barr shot from just inside the box seemed to take a deflection and ended up in the back of the net. This should have settled Meadow but 4 minutes later they were on the end of a shocking refereeing decision. Stevie Docherty who had replaced Gareth Turner at half time challenged for a high ball in midfield. It looked like a solid but fair challenge however referee Barry Cook thought otherwise and stunned everyone in the ground by showing the Meadow midfielder a straight red card a decision that the Meadow management must surely appeal against. Meadow though to their credit used the sense of injustice to their advantage and just 3 minutes later took the lead through a well placed Zander Ryan effort. Again the referee was at the centre of attention when he ordered Meadow coach George Watt from the dugout after allegedly gesturing to a loudmouth in the crowd. Meadow wrapped up a much needed 3 points in the 74th minute when Frank Haggarty found himself in plenty of space to shoot calmly past Ladeside keeper Paul McCann.

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Meadow Team:

Wardrope, Swift, Lowing, Crilly, Robertson, Dillon, Ryan, Turner, Barr, McGinty, Haggarty

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Subs: Docherty for Turner, Wild for McGinty, Boyle for Swift

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Blog Man Of The Match: Haggarty

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Referee: Barry Cook

Assistant 1: John Baillie

Assistant 2: William Dyer

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Admission: £5

Programme: N/A

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More photos: here

Brora Rangers v Irvine Meadow

From IRVINE_TIMES

click image to enlarge

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