The 2025 version of our Christmas Cup competition occurred on Sunday the 9th November. 12 teams took to the pitches after a slight delay and a unique setup on pitch 4.
Group 1 consisted of Stenhousemuir, Dunfermline Athletic, Alloa, Scone, Arbroath and Falkirk. Going into the last round of fixtures it was tight at the top of the table. Arbroath were sitting on top with 12 points having yet to concede a goal while Alloa and Falkirk were close on their heels on 9 points. With Arbroath and Falkirk still to play in the last round it could get even tighter. And so it proved. Alloa picked up 3 points in a tight win over Stenhousemuir and a thrilling 3-2 win for Falkirk left all three teams on 12 points. And so we went to goal difference where the stingy defences of Alloa (just 1 goal conceded) and Arbroath (Just 3 goals and all in the last game) was what helped them through to the semis.
Group 1 ScoresGroup 1 Table
In group 2 we had Linlithgow Rose, Dunfermline Dynamos, Forfar, Hibernian, Dundee East CSC and Raith Rovers. Again going into the last round of games it was tight at the top. Raith Rovers were leading the way on 10 points with Dundee East CSC holding second place with 9 points and Forfar sitting third on 7 points. With Raith and Dundee East still to play each other this was going down to the wire. With Forfar beating Linlithgow Rose 2-1 they moved up to second place behind Raith. However the top of the table changed dramatically when Dundee East beat Raith 2-1. This promoted Dundee East to the top of the table. With Raith and Forfar both now on 10 points and the exact same goal difference it came down to goals scored. Forfar 13, Raith 12. Forfar gained second place and the lack of precision in front of goal that has dogged Raith all season proved to be their undoing.
Group 2 ScoresGroup 2 Table
And so onto the semi finals. Group 1 winners Alloa would play Group 2 runners up Forfar while Group 2 winners Dundee East CSC would play Group 1 runners up Arbroath. Both games turned out to be tight affairs with the group runners up coming through to win their respective games. Forfar beating Alloa 2-1 while Dundee East and Arbroath fought out a 1-1 draw with Arbroath winning on penalties due to a superb double save from Arbroath goalie, Phil Gibson. Penalty save
The final then, was between the top two teams in this year’s over 50’s East Premiership Forfar and Arbroath. This was maybe one game too far for Arbroath though as Forfar ran out comfortable 4-1 winners to claim the trophy.
Cup Winners Forfar
On behalf of Raith Rovers Walking Football we would like to thank all players and officials for turning out on the day and playing in great spirit despite the weather conditions at times. A big thanks also to the referees who once again gave up their time and refereed fairly throughout. And finally a thank you to the guys who helped set up the pitches and keep close to 100 50+ year old’s on the right pitches at the right time.
Raith Rovers made the trip through to Glasgow on Saturday more in hope than expectation with a squad depleted through injury and unavailability. The designated “group of death” was always going to be a hard task to exit but this year would be even harder. Never the less the boys in the squad were determined to put on a good show, so they left Kirkcaldy in high spirits.
Back row: Willie Carroll (manager), Ritchie Malcolm, Graham Allan, Ally Grant, John Wylie Front Row: Willie O’Donnell, Charles Doherty, Kev Henderson, Keith Jenkin
Game 1 saw Castlemilk Community, late replacements for Fife Wanderers, take on group co-favourites Pollok United. Despite Castlemilk putting up a good fight Pollok’s superior experience saw them win 2-3.
We started our campaign in game 2 against competition newcomers Rangers FFiT. We started the game slowly, weighing up the opposition, until the fifth minute when John Wylie received the ball and turned and shot past the Ranger’s keeper for a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, a quick free kick finds John free again, and once more, he beats the keeper for 2-0. A minute later, John turns provider with a pass to Ally, who slots home for our third. The game is mostly Raith attacking and shooting high and wide until the 13th minute when Rangers commit their third running foul and we get a penalty. John sets up to claim his hat trick and a 4-0 lead. Mere seconds later, it’s a penalty to Rangers as a third running offence, off the ball, gives Rangers a penalty. Rangers score, and the game ends 4-1.
Game 3 has St Ants against West End Bar, Airdrie, Tartan Army. From here on in known as WEBATA. A tough game for the guys in green as they fight hard to grab a 2-2 draw. Game 4 is another close one as Rangers FFiT edge out Castlemilk Community 2-1. Game 5 sees the big two face off with St Ants taking a close 2-1 victory over rivals Pollok United.
We’re back on for game 6 against WEBATA. It’s a tight game with Keith in the Raith goal bringing off some good saves and some wayward shooting at the other end. Yet, on 7 minutes, an ambitious shot from just inside the halfway line by John beats the keeper for a 1-0 lead. We keep it tight, limiting WEBATA’s attempts on goal. But in 11 minutes, we’re penalised for a third running offence, and despite Keith getting a hand to the ball, WEBATA score and tie the game. We pushed for a winner to no avail and finished the game all square.
Next up St Ants continue their poor start with a 1-1 draw with Castlemilk Community. followed by WEBATA beating Rangers FFiT 4-0.
The last game before the break pitches us against Pollok United. The game starts badly as we lose a quick goal in the first minute. But the heads don’t go down, and we fight back with some intense pressure but without any end result. Until the 9th minute when Ally plays a one-two with John at the left corner of the box and beats the keeper with a great shot 1-1. The parity is short lived though as a fantastic shot from distance beats Keith to let Pollok retake the lead. We keep pressing, but some good game management by Pollok sees the game out for a 2-1 defeat.
With each team having two games left the league table is very tight. Pollok lead on 6 points with WEBATA and St Ants behind them on 5, ourselves on 4, Rangers FFiT on 3 and Castlemilk Community on 1.
The first game after the break sees WEBATA temporarily lead the group with a 1-0 win over Castlemilk Community.
In game 11 we face St Ants who beat us 7 weeks ago in the Glasgow Trophy. This time we don’t lose a quick goal and match them for the first 6 minutes. We then lose two goals in two minutes and three minutes later John Wylie receives our first recorded booking in any competition for a little talking back to the ref. To be fair to John, and the ref, it probably wasn’t warranted for this match more a build up over the earlier matches. St Ants, though, do what they do well and see the match out though Del in the St Ants net does pull off a great save from a shot to his top left hand corner.
Pollok overcome Rangers FFiT in the next game 4-2 but don’t have it all their own way with Rangers leading at one point and the game being tied until late on.
We’re next up for our last game against Castlemilk Community. We have, at this point, no chance of progressing and to make things worse, the skies open. It’s a typical end of group game where neither team can progress and a long day and injuries take their toll. Castlemilk go 1 up after 5 minutes, 2 up after 7 and 3 up after 9. We finally get a foothold in the game when the ref awards a penalty for 3 runs, which John dispatches. A minute later, John reduces the deficit to one with a well taken goal. Thirty seconds further on, and we’re now pinged for a third running offence. The Castlemilk player beats Keith, but he had made a move to dummy the kick, so the “goal” was ruled out. A minute later, however, Castlemilk score to win the game 4-2.
With 2 games still to be played in the group, 3 teams can still advance. Pollok hold the upper hand on 9 points, knowing a draw will see them through, and a win will see them through as group winners. A win for WEBATA sees them through while a draw would need Rangers FFiT needing to beat or draw with St. Ants. St. Ants, on the other hand, know that a win sees them through, and a draw will be good enough if Pollok beat WEBATA. Seemples!
As it turned out Pollok beat WEBATA 2-1 and St Ants beat Rangers FFiT 5-0 so Pollock won the group and St Ants went through as runners up.
And a big shout out to all of the East Region League teams who took part and all played well. Most prominently Forfar WF who topped their group and lost to St Ants in the quarters, Dundee East (topped their group) and Luncarty (second in their group) who played out their own quarter, with Dundee East falling to Pollok in the semi.
The final? You’ve guessed it St. Ants V Pollok with St. Ants winning again for the second time on the day. Congratulations.
On the 13th April the squad traveled to Glasgow. This was the first of three planned trips for the year. This trip was to compete for the Glasgow Life Trophy. Our group stage opponents were: perennial knockout stagers Pollok United, Collingham all the way from Lincolnshire, fellow East Region team Linlithgow Rose, South Lanarkshire’s Glenbuck and Douglas Valley and finally former Scottish Cup winners Gretna 2008.
Back Row: Ritchie Malcolm, Ally Grant, Harry Gilfillan, Davie Ramsay, Willie Carroll Front Row: Haig Hutchison, John Wylie, Tam Dunsire Beckwith, Kev Henderson, Charles Doherty
Our first game is the third on the schedule so we have a chance to watch the first two games and assess how the games are going to be reffed for our group stages. The first two games both end up as draws. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley and Gretna 2008 share a 1-1 draw. Collingham and Linlithgow Rose also end their match in a draw, with both teams failing to beat the other’s keeper. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 1-1 Gretna 2008 Collingham 0-0 Linlithgow Rose
And then our first game. Games against Pollok (either of their teams) are always tight and this one proved to be no different. We started well with a second minute goal from John Wylie. A pass to his feet and the defender allowed him time to turn and beat the keeper. Seconds after the goal Harry Gilfillan in the Raith net brings off a spectacular save to keep our lead. The game is hectic and goes back and forth. This continues until the 7th minute. Pollok get lucky when a deflected Tommy Sheridan shot beats Harry to tie the game. Within a minute Pollok are penalised for a third running offense and Raith are awarded a penalty. Yet the penalty is saved and the game remains tied. But not for long as an Ally Grant shot is deflected past the Pollok keeper to make it 2-1. The direction of the game changes again within a minute as Raith are now penalised for three running offenses. This attempt is unfortunately good and Pollok tie the game up. 2-2. In 12 minutes, Harry makes a brilliant save from a long-range shot in the Raith goal. Nonetheless, 2 minutes later, he is beaten from wide right, and Pollok take the lead. 2-3. With a minute left Raith press for an equaliser but Pollok hold on to collect a 2-3 win.
Another two game break sees Linlithgow Rose beat Glenbuck and Douglas Valley and Pollok beat Gretna, both by a single goal. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 1-2 Linlithgow Rose Pollok United 1-0 Gretna 2008
Our second game pairs us with Lincolnshire side Collingham. The game started brightly for Raith with a saved Ritchie shot from the left in the second minute. two minutes later there is contact in the Collingham penalty area and Raith are awarded a penalty. Ally Grant steps up. And misses! Collingham respond by going straight up the pitch and hitting the post with a great shot. Goalkeepers are on top for the next five minutes with both pulling off some great saves. In the 10th minute, John has a shot well saved. Within seconds, he beats the keeper with a great shot into the top left corner of the goal. Looking to increase their lead, Raith continue to press. They are unlucky not to score, hitting the bar twice in the closing minutes. Raith 1-0 Collingham
The next game saw Pollok continue unbeaten with a win over Glenbuck and Douglas Valley. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 0-2 Pollok
Our last game before the break was against Linlithgow Rose. The team that beat us on the last day of last year’s East League before getting themselves relegated. Raith have the ball in the net in 4 minutes. But, the ref makes a harsh call. He adjudges Kev to have run as he struck the ball. Three minutes later the ball rolls along the edge of the Raith box and a Linlithgow player slides it past Harry. It gets worse in three minutes when Raith are penalised for three running fouls and Linlithgow score to take a 2-0 lead. It’s looking very like a rerun of the last game of the season with only 6 minutes left. Both teams continue to press with harry keeping Raith in the game with some great work. The breakthrough comes in the 14th minute when Kev finally manages to beat the Linlithgow keeper. But with little time left Linlithgow run out winners. 2-1 Raith 1-2 Linlithgow Rose
Before the mid session break Gretna beat Collingham in a close game. Collingham 1-2 Gretna 2008
We come back after the break. We know that to have any chance of progressing to the quarter finals, we need to win both of our remaining games. The boys are fired up. They start well. John beats the keeper after some patient build up. It starts at the back with Harry. Continuous pressure pays off in the seventh minute. Ally receives the ball on the edge of the box and beats the keeper. A minute later, Ally passes to John, who is wide on the right. John’s shot beats the keeper to give us a three-goal lead. It’s all action again in this middle period as Glenbuck & Douglas Valley crash a shot off the bar. And with the Raith defence asleep net the rebound. Our three-goal lead is back in an instant. Another passing move from the back results in Kev beating the keeper. Glenbuck & Douglas Valley push in the later stages but Raith hold out. Until a defensive mix up in the 13th minute allows Glenbuck & Douglas Valley a second goal. But that’s all they get and Raith hold on to win.
Glenbuck & Douglas Valley 2-4 Raith
We’ve completed the first part of our task. We can now only sit and watch the results of the next three games. After that, we will try to win the second of our afternoon matches. Collingham 1-3 Pollok United Gretna 2008 2-1 Linlithgow Rose Glenbuck & Douglas Valley 0-0 Collingham
Going into our last game against Gretna 2008 we know we have to win to have a chance of progressing. Gretna and Linlithgow both sit on 7 points while we’re on 6. Both teams need to win, so it’s a tight game. Brilliant saves from Harry and poor shooting from the boys keep the score 0-0. But with time running out John Wylie gets off a shot through some players and beats the un-sighted keeper. 1-0. Finally, the Raith guys make a sensible decision. They play possession football for the remaining minute and run down the clock. Raith 1-0 Gretna 2008
We’ve done what we can. Now, we need Pollok to continue unbeaten. They must at least beat or draw with Linlithgow for us to go through. And Pollok come through for us and beat Linlithgow and we progress to the quarter finals.
And so to the quarter final where our opponents were Newcastle United. They had a tough start to their group. Adjusting to different rules was challenging. Still, they came through strong in the end to top it. Newcastle started strongly bringing out a great save from Harry in the first minute. Two minutes later Raith tested the Newcastle keeper when Davie laid off the ball for a Haig shot. In the 6th minute Harry was called into action again parrying a shot onto the post and away. A minute later and John was testing the Newcastle keeper again. In minute 9, Harry was again called into action. He made a brilliant save but it was pointless as the Newcastle player was running. From the free kick Raith pressed upfield and a foul on Tam gave another free kick. Some quick thinking from Tam found John with a pass and he beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Raith pushed to increase their lead with shots from John and Kev but had to be aware of Newcastle’s attack. Indeed though Raith were pressing Newcastle brought out a good few saves from Harry. However in the 13th minute a glorious team move started with Harry finding Davie. He sent a cross pitch pass to Tam who found Kev who beat the keeper to score 2-0. Raith tried to see the game out though Newcastle weren’t up for that and still managed to test Harry. But to no avail. Newcastle United 0-2 Raith
Our semi final opponents were St Anthony’s who we’ve played a few times in cup competitions. The game started with a bang with a shot from John in the first minute going wide. From the throw out, the keeper found St Ant’s striker. He scuffed his shot, but it somehow found its way under Harry. 0-1 Raith hit back from the kick off with a shot from Ally going for a corner. Raith continue to press with shots from Davie and John but, in 6 minutes St Ant’s score. A ball from their right wing finds a player in the middle, unmarked, and he beats Harry. 0-2 We are up against it now. Another long ball finds the St Ant’s striker. This time, he hits his shot well, and Harry saves. In the 12th minute we’re pinged for three running fouls and it’s a penalty to St Ant’s. Harry gets a hand to the ball but doesn’t stop it. 0-3 With a three nil lead St Ant’s run the game down keeping possession and frustrating the Raith boys. St Anthony’s 3-0 Raith
The final saw St Ant’s beat Pollok in the usual tight game to claim the trophy.
Conclusions: After our start in the group, we were pleased to get to the quarters. We were even more pleased to make it to the semi. It was a good day out and a great experience which we’ll learn from and come back stronger. Special mention goes to Harry Gilfillan in goals. He kept us in contention in most of the games with his saves, while also putting us in some great attacking positions with his distribution.
Sunday 1st December saw the fifth running of Raith Rovers Walking Football’s Christmas Cup. On a mild day, compared to the last two years, ten teams took to the pitches to contest this popular end of year tournament. The teams were split into two groups of five with each team playing the others once and the top two in the group going forward into the semi finals.
Group A Group A consisted of: Stenhousemuir, Tayport, Linlithgow Rose, Hibernian WF and Fairfield. Round one saw Linlithgow Rose beat Tayport 2-0 while Fairfield were beating Stenhousemuir by the same score. With Fairfield sitting out round two Linlithgow could take the initiative in the group. A 1-1 draw with Stenny saw them narrowly lead the group while Tayport added their name to the contenders with a 1-0 win over Hibs. A 3-2 win for Tayport over Stenny in round three saw them share the league lead with Fairfield with the later beating Hibs 2-1. The final round before the break saw Fairfield beat Tayport 1-0 and Rose beat Hibs 2-1 to book their places in the semi. After the break Fairfield beat Rose 2-0 to take the league while Hibs beat Stenny 2-1 to take fourth place.
Group B In Group B we had: Hearts, Arbroath, Raith Rovers, Crieff and Falkirk. Round one started with Raith beating Arbroath 1-0 and Falkirk beating Hearts 2-0. In round two Hearts beat Raith 3-2 while Arbroath beat Crieff 2-1 to leave four teams sitting on 3 points at the top of the group. Into round three and, with Raith sitting this one out, Hearts take the initiative to lead the group beating Arbroath 2-0 while Crieff and Falkirk fought out a 1-1 draw. In round four Raith beat Crieff 4-3 in the highest scoring game of the day while Arbroath made things interesting beating Falkirk 3-1. Into the last round of matches and four teams could make it into the top two positions depending on how the results worked out. However with both Hearts and Raith winning by 2-1 score lines against Crieff and Falkirk respectively they topped the group on nine points each. With both teams also having a goal difference of +2 Raith were declared group winners on account of having scored more goals.
And so to the Semi Finals. Fairfield V Hearts and Raith V Linlithgow. Both were tight games with Hearts edging Fairfield out 2-1 and Raith beating Linlithgow 2-0. Would the final see Raith retain the cup or Hearts put their name on the trophy for the first time? The game was as tight as the group game between the sides with only one goal scored in the 15 minutes and so a new name was added to the trophy and congratulations to Hearts!
Reflections: After a little bit of rain during the introductions the weather turned out perfect for football. All teams played in the right spirit we’ve come to expect in this tournament which was great to see once more. This year’s competition was the most competitive we’ve had with no team losing a game by more than 2 goals and the results in all games never being certain. For the above we have to thank all of the teams for their attitude. And also the referee crew, who once again did a great job, despite the often helpful(?) advice from players and officials. And finally thanks to Raith’s Callum Hannah for coming along and presenting the trophy.
Until next year enjoy the photos below courtesy of our on the day photographer, Leta.
Raith Rovers over 50s made their third trip of the year to Glasgow on 14th July to take part in Glasgow Life’s Glasgow Cup. There was a bit of a last minute change when we arrived. Expecting to play five 15 minute games we were informed that, due to Dundee East pulling out late on Friday, we would instead be playing in a five team group and therefore playing four 20 minute games.
Back Row: Willie Carroll, Ritchie Malcolm, Ally Grant, Keith Jenkin, Malcolm (Pie) Wilson, Graham Allan Front Row: Colin (Titch) Hardie, Charles Doherty, John Wylie
Due to the rearranged fixture set we were first up. A new opponent for us today in the shape of Ayr United. The game started well with Titch finding the side netting in the first minute. More pressing from Raith to no effect until the 6th minute when John Wylie has a shot saved. A minute later some good work down the right sees the play switched to Willie on his own to the left of the goal. With only the keeper to beat he blasts the ball over the bar. From the restart Ayr find a striker free in our half and he beats Keith low to his right. 0-1 Raith continue to press but fail to find the target. In the 13th minute a vicious slide tackle by an Ayr player brings down Ritchie in his own defensive area for which he is rightly booked. In 15 minutes a slick passing move down the left ends with the ball at John’s feet and he beats the keeper to tie the game 1-1. Raith go all out to win the game piling shots on the Ayr goal but to no avail. In the 20th minute with time running out Ayr get a free kick in their own defensive area. They make a mistake and in their confusion pass the ball to Raith and Titch slams the ball past the keeper to win the game 2-1. And so continues our slow opening at tournaments. Fortunately this time we won but it should have been by a bigger margin and not in the last seconds.
The next two games see Winstanley Walkers, from Wigan, beat Hearts 3-1 and St Anthony’s Whites beat Ayr 6-0.
For our second game of the day we play Winstanley Walkers. The game starts well with a John Wylie shot that goes for a corner in the 4th minute. However within the minute a Winstanley player turns Ritchie and shoots low past Keith 0-1. In the 8th minute a wild kick at Titch from a Winstanley defender wide on the right is penalised with a penalty. John Wylie steps up but puts the ball just wide of the post and the score remains the same. Two minutes later a shot from the left beats Keith low again 0-2. In the 13th minute the game is effectively over when a double tackle on Willie sees him end up on the ground. The ref gives nothing and Winstanley score 0-3. Straight from the kick-off we move the ball up the pitch and Titch scores from the corner of the box 1-3. From then on Winstanley play possession football and ration Raith to very few shots or even touches of the ball and walk out 1-3 winners.
We have two games until the mid session break which see Hearts beat St Anthony’s 3-1 and Winstanley beat Ayr 2-1.
After the break we’re up against St Anthony’s Whites. We get off to a quick start scoring within the first 20 seconds after a through ball to Titch 0-1. It’s short lived as St Ants get a free kick and score from it to tie things up 1-1. Two goals and not a minute played. The game swings both ways without any more scoring until the 9th minute when a pass straight through the Raith team finishes with a St Ants player scoring 1-2. The game flows back and forth with no goals until the 18th minute when St Ants get a third and run out 1-3 winners.
Our chances of qualifying are still there but they are slim. But they soon disappear as St Ants beat Winstanley 2-0 after Hearts beat Ayr 5-1. This leaves St Ants on 9 points with + 8 goals and Winstanley on 9 points with +3 goals. We’re on 3 points so can’t progress but Hearts are on 6 points with + 4 goals so a win will see them through and Winstanley out.
With Hearts needing only to win we’re expecting a hard game but we take the lead in 4 minutes when Titch scores off a pass from John. In 6 minutes Hearts equalise with a shot from just inside our half but John Wylie regains our lead with a shot from right in front of the Heart’s goal 2-1. In 8 minutes John’s in the action again. This time he gives away a penalty with a tackle in the penalty area. Hearts score to even up the game again 2-2. In 11 minutes it’s John on the scoreboard again when a passing move between Titch and Ally finds him with the goal at his mercy 3-2. The “Wylie” show continues with his hat trick in the 15th minute when he gets past two defenders and beats the keeper again 4-2. Hearts manage a late consolation in 18 minutes and the game ends with neither team going through. John tries to claim the match ball at the end of the game but he is denied as it would most likely end up down at Inverteil Bridge again the following day.
In reflection two wins and two defeats is not too bad. However if we had played the way we played in the last game in all three games it could have been a different story.
Congrats go to fellow group mates Winstanley Walkers who went on to win the competition. Hope they grateful that we beat Hearts and enabled them to go through and win.
Saturday the 22nd June saw Raith’s over 50s travel through to Glasgow Green for this year’s Walking Football Scotland’s Scottish Cup. This year they were joined by some of our younger players who were playing in the non-competitive Festival. An ideal baptism into tournament play and playing with real refs. Scores weren’t counted with the focus being on fun and playing in the right spirit and ethos of walking football.
Both squads
The main event saw the team in a reduced group of only five teams. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley, St Anthony’s, Dumbarton and Giffnock which, in turn, meant twenty minute games.
Back Row: Andy Allison, Willie Carroll, Davey Ramsay, Keith Jenkin, Ritchie Malcolm Front row: John Wylie, Charles Doherty, Ian McMillan (Chillo), Colin Hardie (Titch), Haig Hutchison
Our group kicked off with with Dumbarton playing Giffnock with Giffnock running out as quite easy 3-0 winners. And next up was Raith V Glenbuck And Douglas Valley.
The game started well enough for Raith with numerous shots, on and off target, in the opening 4 minutes but with no ultimate end product. In the fifth minute Glenbuck were penalised for a third running offense and John Wylie stepped up to take it. The keeper guessed right and saved and less than a minute later the tables were turned and Raith were penalised for the third time and it was a Glenbuck penalty which was expertly saved by Keith Jenkin. The next ten minutes followed the same pattern of Raith raining shots in the direction of the Glenbuck goal with many not hitting the (small) target or being saved by the keeper. However the breakthrough goal game in 15 minutes when John Wylie found Titch with an inch perfect pass and Titch, finally, found the net. The game continued in the same vein for the final five minutes with Raith attacking and shooting and failing to find the back of the net. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 0-1 Raith Rovers
We sat out the next two rounds which saw St Anthony’s beat Dumbarton 2-1 and Giffnock beating Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 4-0.
And to our second game, experienced and streetwise St Anthony’s. Ant’s take an early lead in the first minute with a free kick passed to one of their forwards who backs in to the defence lays the ball back while spinning the defender blindsiding our keeper. In any other game it’s a defensive free kick but the ref disagrees and it’s a goal. The teams trade penalties in the 8th and 9th minutes with neither converting and a final failed penalty in the 15th. Raith press hard in the final minutes but St Ant’s hold on to win 1-0. St Anthony’s 1-0 Raith
The final game before the mid session break sees Dumbarton beat Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 5-1. Then after the break St Ant’s and Giffnock play out a 1-1 draw which means we realistically need to win our remaining two games to progress to the next round.
And we’re on. A cagey start to the game sees Dumbarton take the lead in the 8th minute with a penalty for three running fouls. A second penalty is awarded four minutes later when the ref adjudges Ritchie to have been in the box despite the Dumbarton player leaning in to Ritchie and both player being side by side. It seemed like we weren’t getting any breaks. However we’re awarded a penalty for three running fouls a minute later which Haig takes and scores. We’re pushing Dumbarton hard and they’re penalised for another three running fouls three minutes later. Haig steps up and beats the keeper again. However our joy is short-lived as the ref decides that his standing foot had moved and disallows the penalty. Definitely not getting the breaks. Despite pressing and getting some shots off we fail to score and finish losing 2-1. Dumbarton 2-1 Raith
The penultimate game had St Ants running out 3-1 winners against Glenbuck and Douglas Valley which leaves only the final game of the group stage.
And so to our last game. Nothing to play for except pride for us but a win for Giffnock would win them the group on goal difference. In the sixth minute we’re awarded a penalty after a third Giffnock running offense. Chillo steps up, keeps his standing foot firmly planted and beats the keeper. 0-1 Some slick passing between Chillo and John in the 14th minute. 0-2 In the nineteenth minute with time running out Titch turns on the edge of the box and beats the keeper. 0-3 It’s looking like a second clean sheet for Keith when with the last kick of the ball Giffnock score to finish the game 1-3. Our last game of the day and we finally played like we could. Too late but good to know we can still beat one of Scotland’s best teams.
Meanwhile…..
Back row: Charles Doherty, Ally Grant, Ryan Ramsay, John Ross, Graham Allan Front row: George Lindsay, Ross Paterson, Ian Farmer, Grant Buchan
Over at the non-competitive festival our “youngsters” are enjoying their football and banter with the other teams. They were first up and opening the Festival against today’s sponsors CHSS followed by games against Universal Wanderers, Dumbarton FC, Celtic FC Foundation Parkinsons, Stenhousemuir 24′ and Fort William. The team had a great day out experiencing tournament play, playing with refs but without the pressure of having to win.
To finish off the day the Festival team were awarded the Peter Collins Fair Play trophy. Matt Ramsay from Walking football Scotland said:
Walking Football Scotland were delighted to present the Peter Collins Fair Play Award to Raith Rovers for their outstanding support to the ethos of the game and conveyed true values that the late Peter Collins would have been proud of himself.
Unfortunately most of the team had left for the journey across country when we heard this so only four of the team were available (and in civvies) for the presentation by Rose Reilly. They had come to play and have fun never thinking about winning anything.
Copyright. Walking Football Scotland
On returning to our Monday night session Willie Carroll, East Region Over 50s assistant manager, presented the rest of the team with their medals and the trophy.
Raith Rovers Walking Football regained their Christmas Cup with a comprehensive win in the final.
Raith Rovers beat Fairfield in the final of their annual Christmas Cup on Sunday (16/11/2023). Both teams had won their qualifying groups with Fairfield progressing to beat Hibernian and Raith beating Fife Wanderers in the semi finals to set up a repeat of last year’s final.
In Group 1, after an opening 2-2 draw Hibs and Raith, battled it out until the last round of games. With both teams on 7 points Hibs needed to match Raith’s result and not give up a 2 goal superior goal difference to take the group. However a 2-1 reverse to Dunfermline Dynamos and a Raith 2-0 win over Fife Wanderers saw Raith top the group and Hibs, in their first competitive tournament go through to the semis in second place.
In Group 2 Fairfield and the high scoring Fife Wanderers 2 progressed to the semis. Fairfield swept through the group unbeaten while Wanderers only lost to Fairfield and managed to score 4 goals in two of their games.
The semis saw Fairfield take on Hibs and Raith, Fife Wanderers 2. A tiring Hibs team fell to a vastly more experienced Fairfield team in a tight match which ended in a 2-1 victory to last year’s winners. In the other semi another tight scoreline saw Fife Wanderers 2 lose to Raith 3-2 to set up a repeat of last year’s final.
In the final Raith scored early and then built up a 4-0 lead before a late consolation for Fairfield resulted in a 4-1 win for the Rovers and the cup returning to Starks Park.
Scott Jackson, chairman of Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC, presents the trophy to Raith Captain Ian McMillan.
Finally a big thanks to all of the teams, players and officials who turned out and especially to the referees without whom we wouldn’t be able to have competitions like this.
The over 50s set off from Kirkcaldy this morning heading to Glasgow for this year’s Glasgow Cup with an unusually full squad. The group ahead of us included: Glenbuck &Douglas Valley, who we haven’t played before; Drumchapel United Reds, who we last played in last year’s Scottish Cup; Arbroath, from the East Premiership; Park Villa, who we played in this year’s Scottish cup and The Ants, a late addition from the St Anthony’s programme who were filling in for a late pull out.
Back row: Willie Carroll, Stephen MacCrimmon, Davey Ramsay, Ian (Chillo) McMillan, George Lindsay, Garry Cochrane Front row: Haig Hutchison, Kev Henderson, Charles Doherty, Ritchie Malcolm
We sit out the first two games which see Drumchapel Utd beat Arbroath 1-0 and The Ants beat Park Villa 6-1. And so to our first game against Glenbuck & Douglas Valley. We were desperate not to continue our competitive form with a slow start however we found ourselves struggling to score. Mainly due to the exploits of Glenbuck’s goalkeeper who was playing out of his skin. However a loose defensive ball was pounced on in the seventh minute by Kev and he shot past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Within a minute we were 2-0 up when the team pressed hard on the defense allowing Kev to again fire past the keeper. We were unable to stretch the lead however due to some great saves and finished the game winning 2-0.
The next group game saw Arbroath beat Park Villa 4-0. We were next up against Drumchapel Utd. The game was pretty unremarkable except for a penalty given to Drumchapel for a foul in the penalty zone. However the Drumchapel penalty taker fired his shot wide of Garry’s right hand post. Both teams pushed for a winning goal but accuracy was in short supply in this game and it ended 0-0.
Our next game is against Arbroath who currently play in the league above us. However before we played them The Ants beat Glenbuck 4-0. Our game against Arbroath went as our games against them normally go. Tight! Both teams cancelling each other out. So much so that when Haig played a corner in from the right for Kev to score in the eleventh minute Arbroath equalised within a minute with a cracking shot from midfield. However with time running out in the last minute Stevie sets off after a ball down the right wing and cuts it back to Davey standing almost on the penalty spot who puts the ball past the keeper for a 2-1 victory.
There are two more games before we have a break for the refs. Glenbuck & Douglas Valley beat Park Villa 1-0 and The Ants beat Drumchapel 2-1. This leaves St Ants, who on closer inspection are St Anthony’s first team not a “filling in” team, lead the group on 9 points with ourselves in second on 7 points and Drumchapel on 4.
After the break Arbroath beat Glenbuck 2-0 and then we were up against “The Ants”. Things start badly for us against the team we lost on penalties to in the Scottish Cup semi as an Ants player loses his marker in the first minute and finds the goal to lead 0-1. In six minutes “The Ants” double their lead and in the tenth minute it’s 0-3 as a deflected shot flies past Garry. Despite fighting back Raith were unable to beat an inspired Ants’ keeper and lost 0-3.
We were now in a precarious position in our group. Three points ahead of Drumchapel we had one game to play whereas they had two games. We both had a goal difference of zero so whatever goal difference they racked up in their two games we had to match or better in the final group game.
The next game is Drumchapel against Park Villa. Drumchapel run wild scoring six unanswered goals to run out 6-0 winners. Next up “The Ants” beat Arbroath 2-0 before Drumchapel face Glenbuck. At this point we’re hoping for a Glenbuck victory or at worse a small loss to give us a chance in the final group game. However Drumchapel score three without reply to win 3-0 meaning we have to beat Park Villa by nine clear goals to tie Drumchapel on points and goal difference!
The game starts well with a passing move on the right in the first minute ending with the ball at Kev’s feet and he coolly slots it past the keeper. A minute later it’s Kev again and our lead has doubled. Despite pressure and shots, some actually on target, there are no further goals and it looks like our progress out of the group will stall. However we got a glimmer of hope in six minutes when Kev gets his hat trick. In eight minutes a long ball out of defence from Ritchie finds Kev who passes inside for Willie to blast the ball past the keeper for 4-0. In eleven minutes it’s Kev again as a defensive blunder presents him with an opportunity which he takes. 5-0. Another two goals in the twelfth minute, yes from Kev, take us to 7-0 with three minutes to get three goals. In thirteen minutes Davey puts the ball in the net followed by another Kev goal (his seventh in this game!!!) leaves us needing just a goal to go through. In the last minute of the game Stevie finds himself in space with only the keeper to beat but instead of shooting he passes and the ball is deflected out for a corner. The resultant corner comes in and Ritchie is on hand to slot it past the keeper for our tenth and our exit to the quarter final.
The quarter final saw us play against Giffnock Reds. A tight first 4 minutes ends with us losing the ball in midfield and Giffnock scoring. In 10 minutes we draw level when a pass from Chillo finds Kev who beats the keeper. The parity doesn’t last long as a Giffnock player gets beyond the defense and fires past Garry in the Raith goals. However in 13 minutes Stevie MacCrimmon finds Chillo with an inch perfect pass and parity is restored and we head to penalties. We start the penalties with the first attempt and of course Kev scores. Garry saves the first Giffnock penalty and we have a 1-0 lead. Chillo steps up next and scores as does the Giffnock player 2-1. Next up Stevie’s shot is saved but Giffnock score 2-2. Ritchie’s shot is also saved but so is Giffnock’s 2-2. Willie steps up for our fifth penalty and scores. Garry saves Giffnock’s final penalty and we go through to our third semi final in three competitions this year.
The semi final against Hearts was a close affair. Both team’s defenses cancelling out the other’s attacks, both keepers pulling off saves and both team’s strikers failing to find the back of the net. Just as we’re heading for penalties the ref calls a third running infringement on Raith and awards a penalty to Hearts. Hearts score the penalty with almost the last kick of the ball and progress to the final.
Raith Rovers over 50s made the trip through to Toryglen on Sunday for this year’s Glasgow Life Trophy. Last year we were unable to exit the group stage so were hoping to improve on that this year. In our group this year we were playing Pollock Thistle, Dunfermline Dynamos, Gretna 2008, Townhead Strollers and Saints in the Community.
Charles Doherty, Ritchie Malcolm, Haig Hutchison, Colin (Titch) Hardie, Pete Munn, Scott McIntosh, Kevin Henderson, Dave Fawcett, Colin McIntosh
The first game in the group saw Pollock Thistle and Dunfermline Dynamos contest a tight game ending 2-2.
We were up next against former Scottish Cup winners Gretna 2008. The game started well for Raith. In the second minute Kev intercepted a pass out of defence and found Titch who calmly slotted the ball past the keeper. In the seventh minute Titch was on the scoreboard again after Scott intercepted a defensive pass and squared the ball to him. In ten minutes Gretna almost got on the scoreboard with a deflected shot but Pete got his hands to it and kept his first clean sheet of the day. Gretna 0-2 Raith Rovers
The next game in the league saw Townhead Strollers impressively defeat Saints in the Community 4-0 despite the heroics of Saints’ keeper, Gary.
We were up next against Pollock Thistle. Raith took an early lead in the fourth minute when Scott once again intercepted an opposition pass and found Titch who hit the ball high past the keeper. Despite further Raith pressure there is no further scoring until the tenth minute when Pollock score despite the Pollock forward backing forcefully into the Raith defender. Almost straight from the restart the ball finds itself at Ritchie’s feet and with the Pollock defenders backing away he unleashes a shot from not far inside the Pollock half which beats the keeper low to his left. Pollock Thistle 1-2 Raith Rovers.
We sit out the next three games which see Townhead Strollers beat Dunfermline Dynamos 2-1, Saints in the Community lose to Gretna 2008 0-1 and Pollock Thistle lose to Townhead Strollers 1-2.
Our next game was against Saints in the Community who we played only last month in the league winning 3-0 with hopes for a repeat. A tight game ensued until the eighth minute when a great passing move featuring all of the outfield players resulted in another goal from Titch. A further goal in the tenth minute this time from a break away which saw Titch strike the post with his shot but Kev netted the rebound. Raith had the ball in the net again in the eleventh minute but the referee ruled it out for either a running foul or an attacker in the box. We’re still not sure. However the third goal wasn’t far away when Kev broke through the Saints defence and slotted past the keeper. Saints in the Community 0-3 Raith Rovers.
Another three games were played before the much anticipated Fife derby with Dunfermline. Firstly Gretna 2008 beat Dunfermline Dynamos 1-0, then Pollock beat Saints in the Community 3-0 and Gretna 2008 and Townhead Strollers drawing 1-1.
And so to the Fife derby. Another great passing move in the third minute ended up with Titch adding to his haul for the day. From then on it all seemed to go a bit wrong for Raith with two many passes going astray and players being regularly out of position. Two great saves from Pete in the fourth and sixth minutes kept Raith in front. In thirteen minutes however the slick passing re-appeared and ended with a goal for Kev. A minute later, with Dunfermline heads down, a pass from Dave found Titch who could do no more than score. Dunfermline Dynamos 0-3 Raith Rovers.
There were two more games in the group before the final important game. Pollock Thistle beating Gretna 1-0 and Saints in the Community losing to Dunfermline Dynamos 1-2.
And so to the last group game of the day. Townhead Strollers versus Raith Rovers. Both teams had, at this point, qualified for the quarters with only who would finish where in the league to be decided. A win or draw for Raith would see then progress as league winners. The game was tight with Raith passing well and pressing Townhead when they had the ball. Townhead’s striker, who had bossed other teams in the group was successfully marshalled by Ritchie all game. In five minutes Raith almost went ahead when Scott’s shot came off the post. However it was Townhead who went ahead against the run of play in eight minutes with a break away goal. The lead didn’t last long though with Kev finding Scott a minute later and Scott scoring for 1-1. Continued pressure from Raith brought off some great saves from the Townhead keeper and the game seemed to be settling for a draw. However with the last kick of the game a long, speculative shot, suspiciously close to being in the Townhead half, sneaked past the un-sighted Pete and gave Townhead the win 2-1.
And so onto the quarter final where we found ourselves playing North East England team Grangetown who won group A. The game started badly for Raith with a foul in the penalty area leading to the award of a penalty to Grangetown. The penalty taker stepped up and dispatched the ball past Pete. However the ref adjudged that the player had taken more than the allowed one step and awarded a free kick to Raith. Despite containing Grangetown in their own half for most of the game Raith were unable to convert the pressure to goals and so the game ended 0-0 and we went to penalties. Before the penalty shoot out took place however both teams had a masterclass on how penalties were to be taken from the referee and tournament organiser Matt Ramsay. Grangetown won the toss and decided to shoot first. They scored their first and the keeper then saved Raith’s first to put the pressure on the Raith kickers. However on the third kick Grangetown missed and Raith scored so the teams were back even. With scores being equal after all outfield players had taken a penalty it was down to the keepers next. Both keepers scored and so sudden death went on through the outfield players again. Everyone scored until we came to the tenth kick. The Grangetown player slammed the ball past Pete in the Raith goal but the ref hadn’t blown his whistle and a retake was ordered. The player retook and the ball rolled past the post. Titch was up next and he coolly put the ball past the keeper for a 9-8 penalty win.
Our semi final was against Oriam who we last played, and beat, in the final of their own tournament in late 2019. Oriam opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a long shot from just inside our half which beat the keeper. A minute later a pass in from the side from Titch to Scott sees Scott smash the ball past the keeper to even things up. In nine minutes a pass from the side finds an Oriam player who shoots round the Raith defender un-sighting Pete in the Raith goal for 2-1. In eleven minutes a slide tackle by an Oriam player in the penalty area leads to the ref awarding a penalty which Ritchie takes to level the game once again. Two minutes Oriam take the lead again and despite Raith pressure they hold on to win 3-2.
And so we ended with a semi final loss but great pride from having reached the semi final playing an attractive passing game when we had the ball and an aggressive, non-contact, pressing game without it, while only committing four running fouls throughout the seven games. If we can continue this style and form into the league next month we should see a nice crop of points.
RRCF Walking Football 