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.
With an under strength team, due to the late fixture date change, we made our way to Dundee on Sunday more in hope than expectation. With games against the current top two in the league and games against the two teams directly above and below us, points were going to be hard to get. But we would give it our best.
The day’s team included Gavin Gowans, Ritchie Malcolm, Kev Henderson, John Wylie, Fraser Terris, Neil Galloway and Ally Grant.
First up was second placed Arbroath and the game started poorly with Raith conceding a goal in under a minute. Parity was achieved in the second minute when Arbroath were penalised for a third non walking offence as referee Sean stamped his mark on how the game was going to be officiated. Ally Grant stepped up and scored the penalty. In six minutes Raith took the lead with a Neil Galloway shot through a defender’s legs that unsighted the Arbroath keeper. Yet, the inevitable third running offence for Raith raised its ugly head a minute later and Arbroath scored from the spot. In fourteen minutes some good interplay from the Raith front line saw the ball ending at Fraser’s feet and he confidently beat the keeper to give Raith, what looked like, a late winner. With the time running down an Arbroath shot from close range caught Ritchie on the arm and the ref awarded a penalty. How he was supposed to avoid the ball is anyone’s guess but the ref’s decision is final so… Arbroath score the penalty and end the game 3-3.
Raith Rovers 3-3 Arbroath – Maroon Oriam 0-1 Dundee East Luncarty FC 1-0 Fairfield Hearts 0-5 ForfarWF
Game 2 only gets harder as we faced top of the league Forfar. Forfar got the ball in the net in the third minute but the referee, harshly, disallowed the goal for the player being in the keeper’s box. Unfortunately within the minute Forfar did go one up when an intercepted pass was fired past Gav in the Raith net. In six minutes Forfar’s Tam Gauld received the ball at the edge of the Raith box and beat Gav again for a 2-0 lead. A minute later Neil shot from a tight angle on the left and beat the keeper through his legs. The game was back on. Forfar’s ‘Gogs’ Smith nonetheless had other ideas. A long ball up the right allowed him just a little space and he smashed the ball high into the top corner of the net. The game continued back and forth for the final half of the game with neither keeper really being tested allowing Forfar to run out 3-1 winners.
Oriam 1-1 St James Luncarty FC 0-2 Arbroath – Maroon Hearts 2-5 Dundee East Forfar WF 3-1 Raith
And so we moved on to Game 3 and Luncarty. We had a tight game against Luncarty three weeks earlier where only a last minute penalty separated the sides. Yet, with both teams missing players from that game, maybe this game would have been different. The game went well for Raith in the fourth minute when a tackle in the penalty area gave us a penalty. Ally Grant stepped up once again to score his second penalty of the day. Three minutes later and it’s three Luncarty runs and another penalty to Raith. Once again Ally steps up but this time the penalty is saved. The rebound though comes straight out to Ally and he beat the keeper at the second attempt. A minute later Luncarty were back in the game beating Gav to make the score 2-1. Both teams continued to press looking for a winner or the equaliser. True to form though Raith commit a third running foul and the resultant penalty tied the game 2-2.
Luncarty FC 2-2 Raith Hearts 1-4 St James Forfar WF 1-1 Arbroath – Maroon Fairfield 1-3 Dundee East
Finally our last game of the day, Dundee East. We drew with Dundee East on the opening day of the season but their three earlier games on the day had seen them win convincingly scoring nine goals overall. In the second minute Neil Galloway scores his third for the day with a lovely shot from the left. Dundee were stung by this and pressed heavily against a stubborn but resolute Raith defence. Until the fifth minute when a controversial penalty was awarded. A Dundee player goes down feigning contact with Fraser and the ref awards a penalty. Facing his fourth penalty of the day Gav pulls off a great save to deny what would have been a great injustice. Dundee continued to push but couldn’t find many ways through the Raith team but when they did they came up against Gav having a great game which included a brilliant double save. It wasn’t all one way though with shots from Ritchie, Kev and Fraser failing to beat Scott in the Dundee goal giving Dundee hope of equalising. But Raith held for our first victory of the day and a five point haul for the day.
Hearts 0-2 Oriam Fairfield 2-5 St James Forfar WF 2-1 Luncarty Dundee East 0-1 Raith
Fairfield 2-3 Oriam Arbroath 3-3 St James
Reflections A hard day at the office but all things considered a reasonable outcome. Two draws, one of which should have been a win, and a win against a team playing well on the day until they met us is a job well done.
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.
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 over 50s went into the last round of fixtures in WFS’s East Region League on Sunday 27th October one point behind leaders, Dundee East, with each team having 4 games to play. Meanwhile a point behind Rovers lay Luncarty and lurking a further point back were Hearts. It was going to be a tight day.
Back row: Willie Carroll, Haig Hutchison, Harry Gilfillan, Davey Ramsey, Ritchie Malcolm, Charles Doherty Front row: Neil Galloway, Ian (Chillo) McMillan, Kevin Henderson, Scott McIntosh, John Wylie
First up was Arbroath. Last year’s champions were having a hard season and were currently sitting 6th in the league. Despite this Raith were expecting a tough game and that’s how it played out. For most of the game both teams cancelled each other out attacking and defending well while both keepers pulled off some big saves. However the deadlock was broken in the 13th minute when, super-sub, Neil Galloway, received a pass from Davey and shot low past the Arbroath keeper to open the scoring. With taking the lead late in the game and knowing all points were going to be crucial on the day Raith played the game out in a controlled manner to run out winners 1-0. Luncarty 1-3 Hearts Oriam 1-1 Dundee East Raith Rovers 1-0 Arbroath – Maroon St James 2-1 Tayport – Reds Raith Rovers 25pts Dundee East 24pts Hearts 23pts Luncarty 21pts
Game two saw St James as the opposition. Another team not having their expected season. Long time dominant force in the league they had started the day second bottom of the league but after one game had risen above Arbroath into sixth place. A tight start to the game turned Raith’s way in the 3rd minute when a pass from Davey found Chillo who turned and shot 1-0. Three minutes later St James tied the game up but that parity was short-lived when a St James player stepped into their keeper’s area and the ref awarded a penalty to Raith. Up stepped Kev Henderson, planted his standing foot firmly beside the ball and fired past the keeper. 2-1 There few more opportunities for both sides but Harry in the Raith goal again pulled off some great saves and Raith held on to record their second win of the day 2-1. Linlithgow Rose 1-4 Dundee East Luncarty 0-2 Arbroath – Maroon Oriam 1-0 Tayport – Reds Raith Rovers 2-1 St James Raith Rovers 28pts Dundee East 27pts Hearts 23pts Luncarty 21pts
Third game in and the team faced Oriam. Oriam started the day just below the top four in fifth place and were maintaining that position. Raith opened the scoring in the 4th minute when Scott took a free kick, passing to Kev who beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. The lead however was short-lived as a rising Oriam shot caught Scott high on his arm in the penalty area and the ref awarded Oriam a penalty. 1-1 With points winning prizes Raith pushed hard for a winner but had to remain vigilant to not lose a goal to a breakaway or a “three runs” penalty. However the pressure paid off in the 13th minute when some scrappy play at the edge of the Oriam box allowed Scott to score. 2-1 And that’s how it finished as Raith managed the game out. Oriam 1-2 Raith Rovers Linlithgow Rose 0-1 Tayport – Reds Luncarty 1-3 St James Hearts 2-0 Arbroath – Maroon Raith Rovers 31pts Dundee East 27pts Hearts 26pts Luncarty 21pts
So Raith went into their last game, against Linlithgow Rose, knowing that a win would secure the league title. Any other result and the league would be decided by the results of the last two games of the day which involved the other two teams in the hunt. The game started badly for Raith as they seemed to switch off and allowed Linlithgow to score in the second minute. However they regained their composure and for the next six minutes dominated the game with Harry, in the Raith net, foiling any Linlithgow break-a-ways. The game turned in the 10th minute when the ref awarded Linlithgow a, what some saw as controversial, penalty. The Linlithgow player, heading towards the corner, played the ball a metre or so in front of him. Ritchie came round him and played the ball, without any contact and started to advance. All seemed well until the Linlithgow player called for a foul which was then given. The penalty was scored and Raith were now up against it. From this point on it was all out attack from Raith to try and salvage the game. However desperation led to gaps at the back and Linlithgow punished Raith with goals in the 12th minute and another just before full time. 0-4 Dundee East 1-1 Tayport – Reds Hearts 3-1 St James Linlithgow Rose 4-0 Raith Rovers Luncarty 0-0 Oriam Raith Rovers 31pts Hearts 29pts Dundee East 28pts Luncarty 22pts
Going into the last two games, Arbroath – Maroon V Dundee East and Hearts V Linlithgow Rose, a draw in each game would see Raith win the league. A win for Hearts would see them win the league. A loss or draw for Hearts and a win for Dundee East would see Dundee East win the league on goal difference. It was all down to these two matches and Raith now had no say. For a while it was looking good for Raith with Hearts drawing 1-1 with Linlithgow and Dundee East drawing 2-2 with Arbroath. However two late goals for Dundee East, and no further scoring in the other match, gave Dundee the title.
Raith Rovers went into the third round of fixtures in the East region league on Sunday 11th August sitting second in the league. One point behind Hearts in first place, two ahead of Dundee East in second and four ahead of Luncarty in third. The day’s matches would see them play all three sides at the top, as well as Tayport – Reds.
Back row: Colin ‘Titch’ Hardie, Willie Carroll (Mgr.), Davey Ramsay, Harry Gilfillan, Ally Grant, Ritchie Malcolm Front row: Ian ‘Chillo’ McMillan, John Wylie, Neil Galloway, Scott McIntosh
First up was a change to the fixture order. Hearts were delayed so the second round of fixtures would be played first and then they would catch up.
So, in a change to our advertised programme, first up was Tayport -Reds.
Raith started well when, in the second minute, a pass from Ritchie found Titch, who despatched the ball past the Tayport keeper. The lead was short-lived, however, as Tayport hit back within 90 seconds with a shot from nothing on the right, which beat Harry in the goals. In eight minutes, the ref penalised Raith with a penalty for Ritchie being in the box. Considering he was forced into the box by a Tayport shoulder, this was a bit harsh. Tayport scored for the penalty to take a 2-1 lead. In twelve minutes, the game is effectively over as Harry, unsighted, fumbles a shot from the right, and Tayport increase their lead to 3-1. Despite a few more attempts at goal from both sides, the score remains the same. Tayport – Reds 3-1 Raith Rovers St James 1-2 Linlithgow Rose Dundee East 2-1 Luncarty Arbroath – Maroon 1-2 Oriam
The second game in the session was against Dundee East. The game looked to have gotten off to a poor start when Neil tackled a Dundee East player from behind in the penalty area and the ref awarded a penalty. However, up stepped Harry to save the penalty from a low shot down the middle of the goals. Within a minute Raith were one up when a pass from Titch to Scott was deflected up in the air by a Dundee defender. Standing just outside the box Scott rifled an unbeatable volley into the roof of the net for 1-0. In the 6th minute a Dundee player wandered into the box and and the ref blew for a penalty. Ally stepped up to take the penalty and beat the keeper low to his left. As the team turned to restart the ref ordered a retake as he hadn’t blown his whistle. Ally stepped up to retake and hit the ball in exactly the same place. However this time the keeper guessed right and saved. In the 9th minute a 50-50 tackle by Ally in the penalty area is penalised and Dundee are awarded their second penalty of the game. But it was Harry ‘s turn to save the day again with a superb save to keep Raith 1-0 up. Raith managed to take the lead in the 12th minute when Titch beat the keeper from in front of the goals. And that ended the scoring for a Raith win. Arbroath 1-3 St James Dundee East 0-2 Raith Hearts 2-1 Oriam Linlithgow Rose 1-3 Luncarty
Raith sat out round three: St James 3-4 Oriam Tayport Reds 0-1 Luncarty Arbroath – Maroon 1-1 Linlithgow Rose Dundee East 2-0 Hearts
The penultimate round of fixtures had Raith playing against Perthshire side, Luncarty. A tight start to the game saw the teams level until the 7th minute when Scott turned at the edge of the Luncarty box and shot past the keeper. Within a minute though Titch racked up a third team running foul so it was a penalty to Luncarty. Unfortunately, for Raith, Harry was unable to pull off his previous heroics again and Luncarty scored to tie the match. In eleven minutes the referee, harshly, adjudged contact in the area to be instigated by Ritchie who, at the time, had control of the ball and awarded another penalty to Luncarty which they scored from. The remainder of the game saw Luncarty play out by keeping possession and running the clock down. Tayport – Reds 3-1 Hearts Raith Rovers 1-2 Luncarty Oriam 2-1 Linlithgow Rose St James 1-3 Dundee East
The final game of the session saw Raith take on a Hearts team that they had beaten in a 4-3 goal fest in the Glasgow Cup four weeks ago. This game, however, turned out to be a lower scoring game. Indeed, the only goal and, to be honest, the only thing of note in the game was a third minute move that saw John find Titch free with only the keeper to beat, which he did. And that’s how the game ended. Raith 1-0 Hearts Tayport – Reds 2-2 Arbroath – Maroon
And so the day finished with Raith remaining in second, Dundee East jumping from third to first, Hearts falling from first to fourth and Luncarty jumping one place up to third. With only 3 points separating the top four and Raith being only one ahead of the other three in goal difference it’s going to be an exciting end to the season, and the fight for Champions League placings, in October.
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.
After last week’s disappointment in Glasgow we headed up to Dundee for Round 2 of this year’s league. Today we’re locking horns with Arbroath (last year’s champions), Oriam (last year’s runners up) Linlithgow Rose (last weekend’s Glasgow Trophy winners) and St James (perennial Premiership contenders).
Back row: Ritchie Malcolm, Ian (Chillo) McMillan, Harry Gilfillan, Willie Carroll, Davie Ramsay Front row: Kevin Henderson, John Wylie, Charles Doherty, Colin (Titch) Hardie, Haig Hutchison
Up first are Arbroath. We start well with a well worked goal with some slick passing between Kev and John allowing ‘Titch’ to get free on the right and fire the ball passed the keeper from a tight angle. 1-0. The lead is short-lived though as within two minutes we’re pinged for a third running foul and Arbroath are awarded a penalty which they score to tie things up. 1-1 However two minutes later it’s our turn as Arbroath turn sinners and we’re awarded a penalty. John Wylie steps up to slot it passed the keeper like he does so often but this time the keeper saves and the score remains the same. In the eleventh minute a goal-bound drive from Titch looks to have the keeper beat but he stretches out a hand and brings out a brilliant one handed save. A minute later though Titch manages to beat him again. Finding space on the right he shoots from a tight angle and beats the keeper. 2-1. From now on it’s game management, keeping the ball and starving Arbroath of any possession until the ref blows the final whistle.
Luncarty FC 1-1 Hearts Oriam 1-2 Dundee East CSC Raith Rovers 2-1 Arbroath – Maroon St James 3-0 Tayport – Reds
Next up we face St James. We start well again opening the scoring in the second minute. John Wylie has the ball in a crowded corner but manages to flick it out to Chillo at the corner of the box, who controls it with his chest and fires past the keeper. 1-0. It’s tight for the next four minutes until Ritchie Malcolm steps up and beats the keeper with his trademark side of the foot screamer. 2-0. Two minutes later St James get back into the game as we’re pinged for a third running offense and they score with their penalty. 2-1. There’s very few chances after this as we again try to play the game out again. Keeping possession and frustrating St James for the last five minutes.
Linlithgow Rose CFC 1-1 Dundee East CSC Luncarty 1-1 Arbroath – Maroon Oriam 2-0 Tayport – Reds Raith Rovers 2-1 St James
Our third game sees us playing Oriam, who we haven’t played since we met them in the final of their trophy in 2021. For the third time in a row, we start well. Titch gets the ball wide on the right in the second minute and, from distance, beats the keeper. 1-0. In four minutes, Oriam let us know they’re still in the game with a well taken shot that hits the post. A minute later, a mistake by Ritchie in midfield lets the Oriam striker through, but he fails to beat Harry in our goal, and the score remains the same. A minute later, however, Ritchie makes amends with a great shot. The keeper saves but only parries it out, and there is John Wylie standing at the front of the box to slap it home. The rest of the game Raith resort to playing keep ball passing about smoothly but unable to break down Oriam’s defence any further. One thing to note in this game. No running fouls for either side.
Oriam 0-2 Raith Rovers Linlithgow Rose CFC 0-0 Tayport – Reds Luncarty 1-1 St James Hearts 1-0 Arbroath
We don’t get off to a quick start in our final game. A lot of effort goes in to marshalling Linlithgow’s striker as he looks to get beyond our backline. The team defends well until the tenth minute when, trying to reach a ball in front of the Linlithgow goal, Titch is pinged for running. It’s a third offence so it’s a penalty to Rose. They score and for the first time today we go behind. 0-1. However we’re not behind for long as two minutes later the Rose keeper passes the ball directly to Davie Ramsay and, not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he skelps it past him to level. 1-1. There’s not much more direct action and the game finishes 1-1.
Dundee East CSC 3-1 Tayport – Reds Hearts 4-4St James Linlithgow Rose CFC 1-1 Raith Rovers Luncarty 3-3 Oriam
Final two games: Arbroath Maroon 1-2 Dundee East CSC Hearts 4-1 Linlithgow Rose CFC
And so we end the day unbeaten (over both rounds) and move up the table from fourth to second. All in all a good day out.
A new year and a new season sees Raith Rovers over 50s back where we believe we belong in the top tier of walking football in Scotland. Today we see ourselves playing the two teams that were promoted with us plus two teams from last year’s Premiership. We start with fellow promotees Dundee East (previously Dundee United) followed by Tayport, the also promoted team Luncarty before finishing against last year’s third placed team Hearts.
Back row: Neil Galloway, Davie Ramsay, Harry Gilfillan, Ritchie Malcolm, Willie Carroll (coach), John Wylie Front row: Haig Hutchison, Kev Henderson, Colin ‘Titch’ Hardie, Ian ‘Chillo’ McMillan
With new rules around contact and walking this year, teams and refs are going to take some time adapting and so this proved in the first game with a lot of offences(?) committed by both teams that would have gone unpunished last year. A very stop-start, non-flowing game with a lot of whistling started well for Raith with a penalty for three not walking offenses going against Dundee in the first three minutes. After a bit of discussion John Wylie stepped aside for ‘Chillo’ to take the ‘no-step’ kick and score. In five minutes Raith had the ball in the net again with ‘Titch’ taking a step past his defender and shooting high past the keeper. However the ref had a different idea and adjudged the two steps he had taken to be not walking and awarded a penalty to Dundee which was scored. A couple of further goal scoring opportunities for Titch came to nothing and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Arbroath 3-1 St James Dundee East 1-1 Raith Hearts 3-0 Oriam Linlithgow Rose 1-1 Luncarty
Our second game of the day turned out to be a very tight affair with Tayport. Despite raining shots on the Tayport goal from all of our forward and midfield players and even Ritchie getting in on the act we were unable to find any way past the Tayport defense or keeper. And with Tayport having no luck either this game ended 0-0. Tayport 0-0 Raith St James 0-3 Linlithgow Rose Dundee East 2-3 Luncarty Arbroath 2-0 Oriam
The third round of matched see us having a break and a chance to watch our next opponents before we play. St James 3-1 Oriam Tayport 0-1 Luncarty Arbroath 2-0 Linlithgow Rose Dundee East 0-2 Hearts
Next up we have fellow promoted side Luncarty. in our two games last season we came away with a one goal win and a draw so it promises to be a tight game. The game starts well for Raith with sustained pressure leading to quick corners in the second minute after shots from Kev and Neil. And in the fourth minute the pressure pays off with Kev passing from midfield to Davie. Davie turns and shoots and beats the keeper for a 1-0 lead. There’s more sustained pressure from Raith without any end product until the twelfth minute when a through ball finds a Luncarty player in midfield. He miss-controls the ball but manages to get a cracking shot off which beats Harry low to his right and the game is tied. A strange incident in the 14th minute sees the ref award a corner to Luncarty after the ball comes off the post and back into Harry’s hands. Puzzled looks all around from both teams but the ref is insistent. Sportingly Luncarty take the corner and put the ball out of play. And with that the scoring is finished. 1-1 Tayport 0-2 Hearts Raith 1-1 Luncarty Oriam 2-2 Linlithgow Rose St James 2-2 Dundee East
And so to our final game of the day against Hearts. We’ve played Hearts a couple of times before, most notably beating them in the Scottish Cup final in 2019, but this is our first league encounter. Hearts start lively forcing Harry to save low to his left in the first minute. In the second minute John Wylie finds Titch with a precision pass but the keeper does well to save. Raith continue to press and a pass from Davie finds Titch again but once more the keeper makes a save. In the fifth minute an intercepted pass in midfield is fed to Titch and this time he manages to finally beat the keeper and Raith go one up. There’s a lot of back and forth for the next five minutes with the Hearts frontman getting penalised more than once for backing in. In ten minutes Raith increase the lead with an intricate passing move from the right flank as Titch finds Davie who slides the ball to John who hits it past the keeper. There is no more scoring in the game and Raith finish the day unbeaten. Raith 2-0 Hearts Tayport 1-1 Arbroath
And so we end our first day back in the “big” league in the top half of the table and unbeaten. After the first game we adapted pretty well to the new interpretation and enforcement of the rules so it all bodes well for a good season.
RRCF Walking Football 