The over 50s travel to Glasgow for the second competitive weekend in a row. This time to participate in the Over 50s trophy, the final event in the Glasgow Life Walking Football Glasgow Trophy. The team start the group stages with Alloa Athletic, Bellahouston Thistle, Giffnock SC Auld Timers, Prestwick and Rossvale Madrid. The top two in the group will progress to the Quarter finals.
Alloa Athletic: Currently sitting seventh in the WFS Central league with one win and two draws out of six games. Bellahouston Thistle: A late replacement for St James who have pulled out both of their teams this weekend. Giffnock SC Auld Timers: Currently sitting seventh in the WFS West league with three wins and two draws out of six games. We have played Giffnock previously in the Champions League losing a tight game 2-0 Prestwick: Currently sitting fifth in the WFS West league with four wins from six games. Rossvale Madrid: Another team from WFS West league sitting in sixth place between Prestwick and Giffnock with four wins from their six games.
This morning as the senior (?) team (the ones that get paid to play) headed to Airdrie for the cup final the over 50s squad headed to Dundee for round 2 of this year’s walking football league. A condensed squad this month due in part to the cup final and partly due to injuries.
Kevin Henderson, Martin Page, Scott Jackson, Charles Doherty, Haig Hutchinson, Willie Carroll, John Wylie.
We sat out the first round of games. Montrose 0-1 St Andrews & East Neuk Arbroath 2-0 Dunfermline Dynamos Fife Wanderers 0-5 St James Dundee Utd 3-0 Saints in the Community
Our first game this month was against St Andrews and East Neuk. Missing the first round of games the team came into this one cold. And if you’ve ever been in the RPC Dundee you’ll understand why. A nervy first six minutes with Raith creating, and missing, many chances we finally got the breakthrough goal in the seventh minute. A move started by Martin Page in the Raith goal with every outfield player passing the ball ends with a through ball from Kevin Henderson to Scott Jackson and Scott slotting past the keeper for our first goal of the day. Two minutes later Willie Carroll steps out of defence and fires a vicious shot goal wards that rocks the crossbar. Raith continue to pin St Andrews back but it’s not until the fifteenth minute that an interception from the St Andrews defence allows Scott Jackson the chance and he bags his second of the day.
Crieff Juniors 2-3 Dundee Utd Raith Rovers 2-0 St Andrews & East Neuk Carnoustie Panmure 1-1 Dunfermline Dynamos Montrose 1-4 St James
Another quick break for the team Arbroath 1-1 Fairfield Fife Wanderers 0-2 Tayport Saints in the Community 0-1 St Andrews & East Neuk Crieff Juniors 3-0 Dunfermline Dynamos
Next up we played St James. In the third minute a slick passing move between Haig Hutchinson, John Wylie and Kevin Henderson finishes with Kevin scoring his first of the campaign and Raith go one nil up. The next six minutes see Raith press St James hard stifling any chance of fluid play from last year’s champions. Then in the tenth minute a momentary lapse allows St James to get a man free on their left and he shoots past Pagey to bring the teams level. The game settles again into a tight battle with very few chances to either side until a carbon copy move has a St James player one on one with the keeper until Willie Carroll brings him down and the ref awards a penalty. The penalty is converted and despite pressing hard for the remaining minutes the match ends 2-1 to St James.
Raith Rovers 1-2 St James Carnoustie Panmure 0-0 Fairfield Montrose 0-1 Tayport Arbroath 4-1 Fife Wanderers
Our final game of the day was against Carnoustie Panmure and we really needed to get something from this game to stay in the hunt. In three minutes John Wylie plays a one two with Scott Jackson and slots the ball past the Carnoustie keeper for a great start to the game. However that lead lasts less than a minute as Carnoustie equalise almost straight from the kick off. The game ebbs and flows backwards and forwards with both teams squandering chances but Raith looking decidedly more tired. And then disater in the thirteenth minute as Carnoustie score and go 2-1 up. Raith attempt to press for the final minutes but were unable to convert the pressure to a goal.
Dundee Utd 1-1 Dunfermline Dynamos Carnoustie Panmure 2-1 Raith Rovers Creiff Juniors 5-3 Saints in the Community Fairfield 2-0 Tayport
And so we finish the first quarter of the league mid table and still in touch with the top of the table. The big lesson learned from today that this is a squad game and we need, if not the full ten man squad, at least a squad of eight to be competitive.
This Sunday the over 50s return to Dundee for round two of WFS East League 2022. This round we face teams from St. Andrews & East Neuk, St James and Carnoustie Panmure.
St Andrews & East Neuk. St Andrews & East Neuk haven’t had the best start to the league having lost all three of their games in the first round so will be looking to score some goals and grab some points this month. Last year we beat St Andrews 3-0 with goals from Harry Younger and John Wylie and the previous year we won one and drew one against them.
St James. League winners the previous two seasons and currently sitting joint top of the league they will once again be a tough nut to crack. They’ve not been as high scoring this season as they usually are and their defence has leaked a few goals so maybe this year they’re vulnerable?
Carnoustie Panmure. Currently sitting mid table with a win, a loss and a draw in round one. Carnoustie Panmure almost wrecked our second place last year with a 3-3 draw on the last day of the league so will no doubt prove to be stubborn opposition.
Continuing the group’s excellent charity work, John Wylie and Stephen MacCrimmon represented us this week in another visit to the children’s ward at Victoria hospital. The purpose of the visit was to deliver toys and gifts purchased courtesy of donations from the Sunday night group. Previous donations from the group have been made to the Cottage Family Centre, the Kingdom Kids Toy Appeal and the children’s ward.
Stephen said: “The players play every Sunday at Starks Park and all of the guys pay an extra 50p each session.
As a community group we realise the importance of giving back to the local community. We appreciate the work the staff at the Children’s Ward at Victoria Hospital do for the patients and families that come in from all over Fife.
We hope to continue to donate to the Children’s ward, and other worthy causes, in the coming years.”
What is your footballing history? (Sunday league, Junior….) Playing for the school team, 11s and 5s with pals
What was your introduction to walking football? After a bad leg break (playing 5s!) I joined Raith’s FFIT programme to try and get back kicking a ball and they promoted it. I asked Paul Gilfillan about walking football and he said to give it a try so I did.
What were your first impressions of walking football? It’s a lot harder than you think it will be! You need to be accurate with passes (a challenge for me) and position is really important. And I was knackered at the end of it!
What do you get (if anything) from walking football? It’s a great group of guys so there is always a good amount of banter (often in my direction) on the go. During COVID, the sessions at the park were a highlight of the week as it was good to actually interact with people face to face rather than staring at a screen.
Funniest thing you’ve seen (or experienced) in walking football? There is usually something funny every week – usually my uncanny ability to miss the target!
Outside of walking football, do you have interests in any other sport? I still play running 5s every week (Charles would say on a Sunday night as well!) and used to play hockey at school. I support Dundee United but despite that, I’m still welcomed by the Raith guys.
Who are your football/sporting heroes? I used to live across the road from Tannadice so was always going to be a Dundee United fan. Needless to say my sporting heroes all have a tangerine tinge to them! Jim McLean is a stand out – what he did with United in the 80’s will never be matched. He was years ahead of his time and I think its only now you realise how huge his achievements were. Kevin Gallacher for that cross/shot (I was in the shed behind the goal for that) and Craig Brewster for finally shaking off the Scottish Cup hoodoo.
What is your footballing history? (Sunday league, Junior….) Sunday amateur league
What was your introduction to walking football? Steve Fleming asked me if I fancied joining around 2 years ago but unfortunately lockdown put a stop to that. Then in April last year (2021) when it started up again he asked me again. I came along and have been coming along ever since.
What were your first impressions of walking football? Great bunch of guys, with some tremendous banter.
What do you get (if anything) from walking football? Gets me out on a Sunday night for exercise and getting to know all the guys that take part.
Funniest thing you’ve seen (or experienced) in walking football? Me, getting far enough up the pitch to get an attempt on goal. Attempt being the operative word as actually scoring proves to be a bit more difficult.
Outside of walking football, do you have interests in any other sport? Yes, I enjoy watching both cricket and rugby league. But with not having Sky Sports I don’t see a lot of either of them.
Who are your football/sporting heroes? Jimmy Nicholl for some of the greatest days I’ve had in my many years of watching football. Away from the Rovers? George Best and Clive Lloyd. Have seen both of them play and they’re the best I’ve ever seen.
The team set off this afternoon from Starks Park with high expectations of a good start to this year’s league campaign. We had three games today against Fife Wanderers, Montrose and Saints in the Community.
Back row: Kevin Henderson, Harry Younger, Scott Jackson, Steve Fleming, John Cunningham Front row: Charles Doherty, Martin Page, Johnston Scott, John Wylie
Game 1: Fife Wanderers A tight game as always between us and our near neighbours. No goals until the 12th minute when the ref pinged us for a third run. I had only counted one up until then but…. The penalty was duly taken and the ball ended up in the net until the ref pointed out that he hadn’t blown his whistle so had to be retaken with the same result. 1-0 to Fife Wanderers. In the last minute a 3rd running infringement for Fife give us a penalty which Scott Jackson slides past the keeper as the whistle blows and the game finishes as a draw.
Arbroath 1-0 Carnoustie Panmure Fife Wanderers 1-1 Raith Rovers Crieff Juniors 3-2 Tayport Fairfield 2-1 Saints in the Community
Game 2: Montrose The game starts well for Raith with a 2nd minute goal as Scott Jackson collects a kick in and lashes the ball past the Montrose keeper. In the fifth minute a through ball to Scott lets him in again to score his 3rd goal of the day and boosts his campaign for this year’s golden boot. Chances continue for Raith while Montrose fail to really get much purchase on the game. In the 12th minute Scott Jackson claims his hat trick with a thundering shot that beats the keeper. But a big deflection off John Cunningham takes the goal away from Scott and is awarded to John. A couple of late breakaways from Montrose come to nothing and the game ends 3-0 to Raith
Dundee United 0-1 St James Dunfermline Dynamos 3-2 St Andrews & East Neuk Montrose 0-3 Raith Rovers Arbroath 2-3 Crieff Juniors
Fife Wanderers 0-0 Saints in the Community Dundee United 0-2 Tayport Fairfield 3-0 St Andrews & East Neuk Dunfermline Dynamos 1-3 St James
Carnoustie Panmure 2-2 Crieff Juniors Montrose 1-1 Saints in the Community Arbroath 3-0 Dundee United Fife Wanderers 6-0 St Andrews & East Neuk
Game 3: Saints in the Community Our 3rd and final game of the day and it was a tight one. Plenty of shots fired in by Raith but precious few on target until the 6th minute when an intercepted throw out from the keeper is passed to Scott Jackson and he gives the keeper no chance finding the top right corner of the goal from the left corner of the box. The game continues in the same vein with Raith squandering chance after chance. Luckily the whistle goes and Raith hold out to win 1-0
Dunfermline Dynamos 0-5 Tayport Fairfield 2-2 St James Raith Rovers 1-0 Saints in the Community Carnoustie Panmure 2-0 Montrose
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
Fairfield
3
2
1
0
7
3
4
7
Raith Rovers
3
2
1
0
5
1
4
7
St James
3
2
1
0
6
3
3
7
Crieff Juniors
3
2
1
0
8
6
2
7
Tayport
3
2
0
1
9
3
6
6
Arbroath
3
2
0
1
6
3
3
6
Fife Wanderers
3
1
2
0
7
1
6
5
Carnoustie Panmure
3
1
1
1
4
3
1
4
Dunfermline Dynamos
3
1
0
2
4
10
-6
3
Saints in the Community
4
0
2
2
2
4
-2
2
Montrose
3
0
1
2
1
6
-5
1
Dundee United
3
0
0
3
0
6
-6
0
St Andrews & East Neuk
3
0
0
3
2
12
-10
0
League Table Week 1
At the end of week 1 the team is sitting nicely joint top of the league losing only one goal (from a penalty) and scoring five. With Scott Jackson staking an early claim for this year’s golden boot with all but one of our goals. Harry Younger scored nil today
The East League starts this Sunday (6th March) at the Regional Performance Centre in Dundee. This year there are thirteen teams taking part an increase of two from last year.
Arbroath: Third in the league last year, losing to Rovers in our penultimate game to confirm our second place. No doubt looking to do better this year. Carnoustie Panmure: Eighth in the league last year holding Rovers to a 3-3 draw on the final day of the league to set up our nail-biter with Arbroath. Crieff Juniors: Newcomers to the league this year. Dundee Utd: Mid table last year would have been disappointing to one of the more well established teams. Dunfermline Dynamos: First season in the league last year ended in a disappointing tenth place. Will be looking to do much better this year, especially against the Rovers. Fairfield: Another new team to the league from Dundee. Fife Wanderers: Mid table last year but with an impressive goalscoring record. Montrose: Former Scottish Cup winners back in league action after a year out. Saints in the Community: Will be looking to improve on their ninth place in last year’s league. St Andrews: A really disappointing performance last season saw St Andrews finish at the bottom of the league. St James: Last year’s league champions will be looking for a three-peat. Tayport: Fourth in the league last year with one of the best defensive records.
Our three games this month are against Fife Wanderers, Montrose and Saints in the Community.
Friday 25th February saw over 25 players, past and present, attend RRCF Walking Football’s annual awards night at Styx, Kirkcaldy for an evening of chat, games and recognition.
First up, the awards.
Player’s player of the year. Voted for by squad players for the East League 2021 players the award went to one of the team’s most consistent players. His performances in “the sticks” and vocal leadership from the back kept us in many games. The player’s player of the year award goes to Martin Page.
Martin receiving PPOtY trophy
Next up, the Golden Boot. Awarded to the highest goalscorer in the league during the season. This was a close call and, with all goals being double checked and scrutinised, the winner, by one goal was John Wylie.
John receiving the Golden Boot trophy
And so to the final award. Chosen by Stephen MacCrimmon for a player who has come through so much this last year and has inspired everyone by his persistence and commitment not only in his own play but in how he has helped others improve their game as well. The final award goes to Martin Page.
Martin receiving POtY trophy
With the formal part of the evening concluded it was on to some relaxed games of pool (with Jimmy Robertson and Martin Page hustling hardest), darts (where Ross Paterson and Scott Jackson tended to hit the board more often than the surrounds more than everyone else) and beer pong (where Barry ‘Deadeye’ Martin steered his team to victory) with many chats about last season, next season and the merits of Bavarian white sausage (it’s an acquired taste apparently).
A great night and thanks to Stephen MacCrimmon for organising what was, hopefully, the first of many great social events this year.
What is your footballing history? (Sunday league, Junior….) Growing up, I had little interest in football. Mainly because I wasn’t very good at it. I did however play religiously every Sunday in a local match at Cotlands Park, Kennoway in something that we dubbed “Aggie League”. This featured players from both sides of Kennoway, with a mixture of ages, we all playing together often for hours. There were few rules, and no one really kept score but we always had fun.
I played in five a side leagues with a group of friends, all of whom were decent players and were good enough to let me tag along. I had one thing going for me, I was quick and could run all day. Was only when the ball was at my feet that there was an issue.
I have taken part in charity matches and memorial matches over the years all helping me to love the beautiful game.
What was your introduction to walking football? On the back of the FITT Course, we came along to fife college to get a taste of walking football.
What were your first impressions of walking football? Harder than I expected it to be, in a sense that some of the strong parts of my limited ability were eliminated but not being able to run, I learned quickly that it’s more about thinking about the game, understanding the skill needed to play a pass and find space. Had I started this as a kid, I think I’d have a better touch and could have been a better player in the running game.
What do you get (if anything) from walking football? For me it started as a bit of exercise, but quickly became a social activity. Being part of a group of like minded men and women (at times) who still want to compete and take part as a team. It’s introduced me to people from walks of life, where in normal circumstances would never have crossed my path.
Funniest thing you’ve seen (or experienced) in walking football? There is not one thing that stands out, but hearing some of the bickering from a bunch of Old men does tickle me.
Outside of walking football, do you have interests in any other sport? I love to walk in all areas of Scotland, taking in the beautiful and picturesque backdrop that it offered. I was a keen squash player, and hope to get back in to this now were are finding normality back in our lives. I played rugby through school and am still a fan of Scotland, taking in matches where I can.
RRCF Walking Football 