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| There's no obvious reason for having a photo of Sid James accompanying this article... |
My wife had her suspicions when I told her the SPFL season was kicking off today. ‘What?’ she barked in her inimitable manner. ‘But it only just finished a couple of weeks ago!’
‘Ah, oh love of my life,’ I replied, ‘that was the European Championships. Today is the start of the real fitba’ season.’
Of course, we’ve already had the Premier Sports League Cup, but the league campaign is what every club is gauged on over a season. Clubs will be either hoping to build on last season's success or bounce back after the disappointment of last season and another long, hard season beckons.
The opening day of the league campaign always has a special feel to it. No matter who you follow, feelings of optimism abound. Early August is the time of the year one dreams of winning the league, a decent cup run and of glory come the end of the season in spring. Of course, the intervening months of colder weather, dark afternoons and shuffling to football grounds around the country wearing several layers of clothes to keep out the wind and rain, will alter one’s outlook considerably.
Being a fellow of the maroon persuasion as well as having a soft spot for Edinburgh City, my opening day challenge was to make it from Tynecastle where Hearts were entertaining Rangers at 12.30pm today to Meadowbank Stadium in time to see The Citizens kick off at 3.00pm. Hearts could and should have beaten Rangers so any idea of leaving Tynecastle early were banished after a fine performance from the Maroons.
The opening
day of the league season has often proved memorable for this ageing scribe.
Back in the black and white days of the 1970s, I was living in Aberdeen (for my
sins) The opening league game of season 1976/77 saw Aberdeen play Hearts at
Pittodrie. A pal of mine was a fellow Hearts supporter but he was late in
meeting me outside the ground and we entered the old Merkland Road end, where
the massed ranks of the Hearts supporters were congregated, a couple of minutes
after kick off. We assumed the cheer we heard a few moments earlier was the
Hearts supporters greeting their heroes on to the field of play. What we hadn’t
realised as we planked our backsides on the old wooden bench seats was that
Drew Busby had put Hearts in front after just 24 seconds. So, when Aberdeen scored,
we thought the Jambos were a goal behind.
To explain to young 'uns, we didn’t have the internet and mobile phones fifty years ago. So, when Ian Fleming scored for Aberdeen, we spent the rest of most of the game thinking Hearts were losing, a feeling compounded when Davie Robb added a second for the Dons with five minutes to go. I have to admit to thinking some of the Hearts support got a bit over excited when Donald Park scored two minutes later. As we headed for the exits at the end of the game, we overheard one of our fellow Hearts fans say ‘2-2 wasn’t a bad result to get at Pittodrie…’ Talking about feeling like a right Wally (a feeling that has remained with me all of my life...)
As a Jambo, I hesitate to refer to season 1985/86. This was the season Hearts had gone unbeaten from the beginning of October to the end of April and only needed a draw from their final league game at Dundee on the first Saturday of May to become champions of Scotland. But the roof fell in during the last eight minutes of the season…
To cut a long story very short I was hoping the number 44 bus wasn't delayed this afternoon and that I could reach Meadowbank Stadium in time to see Michael McIndoe’s boys start the new league season. Sadly, I couldn't beat the crowds and I missed the opening five minutes.
If only I had missed the final five minutes...
Mike Smith
Twitter
@Mike1874
Tee Hee Sid James and I are laughing at you not knowing the score! However, the first game is always as you describe, full of hope and dreams. I still have mine after this performance.
ReplyDeleteWhisper it, but I'm optimistic too...
ReplyDelete