Bridies Leave A Nasty Taste...

14th Aug 2007: Forfar Athletic 3, East Fife 2 (Challenge Cup)

So that's what defeat feels like. No' very nice - and no' even the consolation of joining the other three hundred and twenty hardy souls who made their way to Station Park on a dreich Tuesday night. Once again, your correspondent (and well known armchair fan) failed to make the trip; an hour's drive tae the wilds of Tayside (and by that I do, of course, mean twelve miles ootside Dundee....) proving to be a step too far. You know, I can take the slaggin' about no' goin' tae games, its just that I'd like tae catch a few photos of the stadiums (yes, I know it's stadia) that ah've never been in...

Relying on the GOF (notwithstanding all his qualities in the pursuit of Canadian maidens and cooking mince...) is just rubbidge. His photos are like the ones yer gran took at Ayr beach when YOU were a wean and SHE had had one wee sherry too many. Go on, Michael, ah dare you tae get one in focus....

Ma pal, Jayney, comes fae Forfar (although she's grasped the English language quite well) and now lives in Kirkcaldy. She used tae play hockey for Forfar Ladies; an' hockey, like fuba, is a winter game. It was aye a pleasure joining her on miserable November Saturday mornings, heading north tae the land of the bridie. Yeah, yeah - I hear you all moaning about being able tae make the trip for hockey but no' for fitba...

Truthfully, I can't offer any reasonable excuse apart from saying that, despite the fair number of hefty burds who did (and, no doubt, continue to) play hockey, there were enough decent figures and nice tits tae make the journey worthwhile. Granted, I can only imagine but I'd bet that the only tits on show at Station Park tonight were wrapped up in light blue shirts and wurnae as attractive as the last pair I saw in this town...

Nae foties, nae fitba and nae knackers - evening off to a perfect start then.... And while the true fans were in Forfar watching the Fife bravely fight back, only to throw it all away, I made do with an excuse for a bridie oota Tesco (Jayney's dad would be burlin' in his grave - well, he wid if he wusnae still alive....), a warm bottle of pish beer (where's all the Abbots gone?) and then, just to put the icing on the cake, that wee cheesie bastard scores in the last minute fur the Huns.

Back online, Livescore's reporting that there was a bit of a thriller developing in Forfar (withoot the Zombies). The Fife had succumbed to our hosts' late 'lack of pressure' and we were heading for extra time - despite having no possession, no attacks worth talking about, no decent players and no victories under their current manager, from somewhere they fluked a late equaliser and we were in for another half an hour.

And, sadly for us, the Loons seemed to take succour (sucker???) from their late comeback. By all accounts (by which I mean this one) it was all pretty one sided. A combination of shitey finishing and courageous defending helped us to hold out until just before the break. But a sweet free kick, a decent jump and header, and a weary Fife defence conspired to ensure that the ball ended up in the net and not McCulloch's gloves.

But them's the breaks. The Candy Stripes did what the could to fight their way back but, despite all the sound and fury, it was to signify nothing in the end. Tired, cold, wet and thoroughly disappointed, they eventually trudged off the park - it would be a long journey home tae rural Fifeshire tonight.

It's a bitter pill to swallow but shouldn't be allowed to take too much of the shine off an otherwise decent start to the season. We've got another away-day on Saturday (which, of course, can mean only one thing for your's truly....) when the lads head to the far north to take on Elgin. Another three league points would be a perfect remedy for tonight's setback.

And, let's be honest, the Challenge Cup's a diddy trophy when you've got bigger fish tae fry..... And that sounds altogether tastier than a stale bridie!