Dundee Bells Cup

No one`s mentioned the Bell`s Cup yet. We are playing Dundee away on 30/7/05. That should be interesting. Will there be a bus?

[drummond]

Probably the toughest draw we could have got but it is an away trip to Dundee on a Saturday so happy about the draw.

If we can play like we did the last time we met Dundee at Dens Park I'll be even happier (Rusty collecting MOTM from Coca Cola and getting a roasting from the boss about his mistake with cost the goal).

Thinking of travelling already ?! No doubt something will be organised nearer the time. We did have a coach there last time we were there though think this was run but the club.

[Ramz]

You really are keen Stuart! After todays Scotland game there will be no senior football in this country untill mid July at the earliest (a couple of european qualifiers) and we are now entering deepest close season. As Drummond says we will sort out travel arrangements nearer the time - although you would have to be in the Supporters Club to benefit from this!

Ramz
I`ve got a membership form in the house. I will join before start of new season. We might not be playing Dundee if Livvie get the elbow.

Ramz I was so desperate to see a match I walked to Camelon on Saturday to see Linlithgow Rose v Newtongrange Star in the Kia Cup Final. Linlithgow won 1-0. Not a great game I think the Shire at their best could beat both teams. What I was impressed with was the ground and the pitch was immaculate. Why don`t we take the lights and move there. Had a couple of pints in The Roman bar which went down well.

[TAM]

According to my local evening newspaper 'Dundee evening telegraph' the cup tie has moved to the Sunday, despite Dundee still saying they will be in the SPL!!!!!

Here is what it says:

Dundee’s home Challenge Cup game against East Stirling has been put back a day to Sunday, July 31.

[westrat36]

Drummond told me that Shire have never won a game on a Sunday! Can this be true (he never lies).

[westrat36]

Are Dundee going to play?Is it definitely on Sunday? Surely somebody should tell the Shire! How are we getting there? Can I join the supporters club and get on the bus,if there is a bus? Are the lads going by train? Can I come? There are so many imponderables!

[Strumps]

Why so tense ?!

Dundee on Sunday (if it is) will take care of itself. If there is no bus then the train with get you there in under 1 hr so no probs.

I will look into the train times and post later this week if necessary.

[Strumps]

No bus so it's the trains. The options are very limited given it's a Sunday. If you can see better times please post.

Grahamston 11.06, arrive Stirling 11.25

Stirling 12.12, arrive Dundee 13.10

The earlier train from Stirling is 10.12 arriving 11.09. If you know a pub in Dundee opening that early on Sunday then happy to get this train.

Return.
16.43 then the next one is

Dundee 19.02, arrive Stirling 19.51 (the next one is 20.46, arriving 21.40)

Stirling 20.05, arrive Grahamston 20.22 (the one for the later Dundee train is 22.05 arriving 22.22)

I hate Sunday games !!!

[Ramz]

I hear that scientists have recently discovered a new `planet` 3 times further away than Pluto. Could this be a good omen for this game or season - or could it be a forewarning of doom. As always time will tell.

[Ramz]

Dundee 2, `Shire 0
Its fair to say this was a better than hoped for result and performance - its really good to get a pleasant surprise sometimes when you least expect it.

In the 1st half we matched Dundee but perhaps gave them a little too much respect and they got their 2 goals from our slackness - one a free header that looped over Jackson into the net, the other a good block which rolled agonisingly towards a Dundee forward who duly fired it into the net. `Shire made a few decent chances - one Iain Diack got himself in a good position and should have burst the net with, another one of our newer players (no7 I think) superbly dribbled past 2 players and shot from distance bouncing over the keepers outstretched arm only to hit the post and bounce out.

Derek Jackson in goal had a good day - 2 or 3 really good saves and one that was compared to a Gordon Banks save from Pele(!) - a slight exaggeration but it was a top drawer save. Ally Graham also had a good game and gave us something we have not seen for 3 or 4 years - a target man that can nod down and flick on for his team mates, he could be very useful to us on this showing. When I heard we had signed Iain Diack I did`nt think it was that good a move (on loan for us he played 1 good game in 4), but what I saw up front for us today linking up well with Graham and putting in a bit of a shift looked like a different guy - keep it up sir and you will do for us! Don`t know some of the very recent signings but no7 looked a decent player and no5 looks like we might have found a competent defender.

If this result had been 5, 6 or 7 against us I don`t think anyone would have been very surprised considering our reputation and that this was our 1st competitive game of the season. The fact that we kept things to a very respectable 2-0 and were not overrun by a team that has just dropped out of the Premier league gives us something unusual, a bit of early confidence for the players and optimism for the fans - well played `Shire!

[westrat36]

Ramz agreed. Big Ally looked surprisingly mobile at times and will cause a fair bit of damage in the league this year. I was impressed with the teams attitude they all worked really hard. I`m quietly optimistic.

[Dodger]

Thought we struggled badly in the first half and could easily have been 5 or 6 down by half time. Second half was a huge improvement though (don't know how much of that was down to Dundee taking the foot off the pedal) and we had 3 decent efforts at goal (Diack's chance, Andy Brand's shot and Paul Gaughan's near post header). Had one of them went in it would've made for an interesting end to the game. Promising signs though and hopefully something to build on.