Moors and Dons both lose 2-1 yesterday as the build up to the big match continues

Yesterday the two first round FA Cup protagonists, MK Dons and Spennymoor Town, were both in action as the build up to the big match next Saturday continued. Both lost. The Moors surprisingly lost to Matlock in the FA Trophy and The Dons went down fighting against an in form Sheffield United team.

The Moors long unbeaten run came to an end yesterday when they were beaten 2-1 at their Brewery Field ground in front of just under 400 fans. No one could see this result coming as the in-form Spennymoor team got caught by a sucker punch. Matlock opened the scoring in the first half and shortly after the interval Anderson equalised for the Moors with a well taken goal. The visitors from Derbyshire scored the winner 5 minutes from time and perhaps this will be a valuable learning experience for Moors keeper Lowson who allowed a harmless looking cross squirm between his legs and into the net.

Dan Lowson: So often the hero for the Moors - yesterday the villan

I would need to check this but I suspect that The Moors may be the only club who are still in the FA Cup but knocked out of the FA Trophy. There are some excellent match highlights of yesterday’s game available from the Spennymoor Town twitter feed (@SpennymoorTown), but I would not advise Daniel Lowson to watch them.

Scot watch: That Moors Man Jamie McChandler, the man with the affinity with East Lothian, was in midfield action for Spennymoor yesterday. I am not sure that there is any truth in the rumour that he had a plate of haggis at half time rather than the traditional organge.

The manager-less MK Dons travelled north to Sheffield yesterday to take on The Blades in a League One fixture at Brammall Lane. More than 20000 fans were in attendance and apparently The Dons played well. My fellow Road-to-Wembley pal John Tissington, a Sheffield United season ticket holder, was there. John noted that MK Dons are a decent side, play plenty of good football and he can’t understand why they are struggling in the league. Maybe the decision to relieve Karl Robinson of his duties was a bit hasty and maybe a few good results are just around the corner. The match finished 2-1 for the home side with Darren Potter on target for the Dons

 Scot watch: The opening goal of the game was scored by a Scot. Unfortunately for MK Dons it was the Sheffield United youngster Stefan Scougall, ex of Livingston, who was the man on target. The Dons did not include young Scot Connor Furlong in their matchday 18 but on-loan Scot Jack Hendry played the full 90 minutes for the Milton Keynes side. I am guessing that Jack was fully engaged with the action as he ended up getting booked. It seems very likely that Jack will keep his place in the team for the big match next week and who knows Connor Furlong might make the bench.

I was delighted to see that the controversial Scot Steve Evans has drifted in the betting to become the next manager of MK Dons. The overwhelming favourite is now ex Dons player Paul Mitchell, currently part of the backroom team at Spurs. As I reported in an earlier post, anyone but Evans is OK by me!

Will the Dons have a new manager in place before next Saturday? Will Moors Keeper Lowson learn his lesson? Will Scottish MK Dons youngsters Jack Hendry and Connor Furlong be picked to play in the big match next weekend? It is going to be a fascinating next stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. Keep visiting this blog as the build up continues. Keep reading.

Pzazz ! The Moors are in seventh heaven again ahead of the big match.

The next match on the road to Wembley from Scotland is MK Dons v Spennymoor Town at Stadium MK on Saturday November the 5^th. The protagonists’ midweek activities have differed this week as the big match hoves into view.  MK Dons have had a week licking their wounds after the calamitous defeat last Saturday while The Moors have, once again been in midweek action. On Tuesday they travelled the short journey to Darlington to take on Darlington Railway Athletic FC in the County Durham Challenge Cup.

Of all The Moors’ objectives for this season, winning the Durham Challenge Cup is probably the lowest priority. With a visit to Milton Keynes just around the corner the manager Jason Ainsley chose to field a team of squad members and players from the Spennymoor U-18s team. The match afforded the youngsters a great chance to show their paces and they did not disappoint. Whatever line up the Moors name these days the chosen players are playing with great pzazz. Two weeks ago the Moors beat Skelmersdale United 7-0 in an Evostik League match, on Tuesday night they were in seventh heaven again. The home side were despatched 7-2 with Mark Anderson, Andrew Johnson and Nathan Fisher among the scorers for Spennymoor. The Moors now play Chester Le Street FC in the next round of the Durham Challenge Cup in January.

The young Moors players celebrating one of their 7 goals on Tuesday night

 The Moors have now gone 9 games undefeated in all competitions and are clearly in rude health ahead of their visit to Stadium MK. One first team regular who was rested on Tuesday was Moors talisman Jamie Chandler. Following his brace at the weekend I contacted Jamie to see if he has any links with Scotland – well, the name Jamie is Scots! Jamie wrote: “Unfortunately I haven't got any links with Scotland however my family have lodges in Dunbar and go every weekend I'm up there myself after the game on Saturday.” I like that! Quite clearly Jamie feels that he is ‘unfortunate’ not to be Scottish. They do say there are two types of person in this world: those who are Scots and those who want to be Scots. It looks like Jamie is in the latter category. However, an affinity with Bonnie Scotland counts as a link to Bella Caledonia as far as I am concerned and from now, for the duration of the cup run, young Jamie will be known on these pages as Jamie McChandler!

Picturesque Dunbar: Spiritual home of Jamie McChandler !

The weekend fixtures are now just around the corner and this will be the last weekend before the big match on the 5^th November. On Saturday the Dons travel to Sheffield with some trepidation as they are about to cross swords with the Blades (!). On the same day the indefatigable Moors are at home to Matlock in an FA Trophy tie as they seek to continue their long unbeaten run. Come back here on Sunday to find out how they both got on and keep reading!

Oh no not him! Controversial Scotsman Steve Evans in the running to become the next manager of MK Dons

Oh no not him! This is the one link with Bonnie Scotland that I don’t want to see on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Steve Evans is one of the favourites for the vacant MK Dons manager’s job.

Following the departure of Karl Robinson from the Dons hot seat on Sunday by ‘mutual agreement’ there has been an outpouring of love on the MK Dons facebook page for their former boss. Karl is certainly a special character and a very talented young manger. Following the initial response from the Milton Keynes faithful attention has now turned to who will replace him. Steve Cotterill is the bookies favourite at 2/1. He has been out of work since leaving Bristol City back in January and has a good reputation. I have noted from the MK Dons facebook page that he would be a popular choice with the fans. I wish him all the luck in the world and hope he is appointed.

Steve Cotterill: Bookies favourite for the manager's job at Stadium MK

 In second place in the betting at 3/1 is the controversial Scotsman Steve Evans. While I was living in Boston Lincs he dragged the good name of Boston United through the mud and was ultimately found guilty of fraud. His Wikipedia page notes: “Evans was suspended by Boston as manager on 4 July 2002 after a much-publicised Football Association (The FA) investigation into "contract irregularities". He later resigned as manager of the club in September 2002, after still being suspended by the club. He was found guilty by The FA in December 2002 of impeding an FA inquiry into contract irregularities. Evans was also suspended from the game for 20 months in January 2003 for involvement of the affairs of Boston,in which players' contracts lodged with the FA contained false salary details. Evans was further accused of impeding the inquiry and fined £8,000.Evans lodged an appeal against charges in May 2003, but The FA rejected his appeal later that month and the punishment stood.”

If you are an MK Dons fan who is reading this blog please take a look at these three pics and ask yourself ‘do you really want this man as the manager of your club?’

Evans is found guilty of impeding FA inquiry into contract irregularities

A typical Steve Evans touchline gesture

No caption needed!

Also in the betting are a number of other Scotsmen. Any of these would be a good choice if The Dons can’t get Cotterill to sign the dotted line. They include Alex Rae, John Hughes, Billy Davies, Steven Pressley and Dougie Freedman. Also quoted in Tony Mowbray who although not Scots has a long affinity with Scottish football having played for and managed Celtic and also managed Hibs. Big Mogga would also be a good choice. In fact anyone but Evans would be fine by me.

Tomorrow I will be turning my attention back to County Durham to report on how Spennymoor Town are preparing for the big cup tie against the Dons on November the 5^th. Keep reading!

MK Dons lose at home and Karl Robinson stands down: Moors draw in Derbyshire as countdown to the big match continues

Less than two weeks to go now until the ninth stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland when Milton Keynes Dons host Spennymoor Town on Saturday 5^th November. Yesterday both of the protagonists were in league action as the build up to the big FA Cup tie continues. The two teams had very differing fortunes with The Moors extending their long unbeaten record with a 2-2 draw at Buxton and The Dons slumping to a 0-3 home defeat versus Southend.

Spennymoor have had to so a lot of travelling over the last 8 days. They followed up their FA Cup win against Lincoln with a midweek trip back to Lincolnshire to draw 3-3 with Grantham Town in the Evostik League. Yesterday they travelled to Derbyshire to cross swords with Buxton. Another high scoring draw with the rivals sharing four goals. The Moors took the lead when Jamie Chandler scored from close range. The home side equalised shortly before half time and went ahead with only 15 minutes left on the clock. Spennymoor were not to be denied and that man Chandler who equalised shortly before full time. Jamie Chadler is one of a number of summer signings for The Moors and has been inspirational over recent weeks. He has a great pedigree having played over 100 Conference games for Gateshead  and he started his career as a reserve team player with Sunderland. One to look out for on the 5^th November although unfortunately the man from South Shields has no known Scottish connections. The Moors have now gone 8 games undefeated in all competitions and are in a rich vein of form

Jamie Chandler - in great form for The Moors and scorer of a brace yesterday

The MK Dons have not won a home league match all season and yesterday they were beaten three goals to nil by Southend United. Reports suggest they were lucky to get nil! This defeat has sent the Dons tumbling further down the league and they are now just one point above the relegation places. As I have been typing this post the news has just come through that the manager Karl Robinson has left the club by mutual consent. Quite clearly the recent poor run of results has cost him his job. Football supporters have never been more impatient than they are in the modern era and I did note on the MK Dons facebook page that some fans wanted him to leave even before the disastrous result yesterday. In season 2014-15 Robinson masterminded the Dons to promotion to the Championship and on a memorable night at Stadium MK in August 2014 his team defeated Man United 4-0 in the League Cup. After the game yesterday Robinson publicly criticised his team saying: “Certain players are too weak. Mentally and physically too weak”. Ouch. With the team in trouble he needed a rottweiler and his dogs of war turned out to be poodles. I wish him well. He has the reputation of being one of the best young managers in the game and I am sure that he won’t be out of football for long.

Karl Robinson: Pictured in happier times at Stadium MK

 So with the big match two weeks away it seems likely that MK Dons will have a new gaffer in the dug out for the FA Cup tie on November the 5^th. Will it be a Scots manager? There are a good few of them between jobs at the moment. That would make things interesting on the Road to Wembley from Scotland … but … please … don’t let it be Steve Evans.

So many links between MK Dons and Scotland they should be wearing tartan shirts! Also midweek roundup.

I am looking forward to MK Dons v Spennymoor Town in the FA Cup First Round on Saturday the 5^th November. On Tuesday night the two were both involved in league matches, in both cases their first dose of action since the FA Cup draw was made. The Moors travelled back to Lincolnshire this time to take on Grantham Town. The indefatigable Moors came back from 3-1 down with two late goals to claim a 3-3 draw. At the Stadium MK it also ended 3-3. The Dons were 3-1 up against Bristol Rovers going in to the final minute of the game but somehow contrived to concede two late goals and this match also finished 3-3. The Dons have yet to win at home in the league this season but thankfully their away form has been good and has secured them a place in mid table.

In my post on Tuesday I reported on a few Scots who have played for MK Dons and since the post I have received a plethora of additional links between MK Dons and Scotland from the contributors to the MK Dons facebook page. Thanks guys, MK Dons have such a strong connection with Bella Caledonia that they should be wearing tartan shirts! Here goes:

Connor Furlong: Earlier I reported that this young Scots midfielder is on the fringes of the MK Dons first team and he has already made two appearances for the first XI. Since the post Connor has been kind enough to provide me with a bit more detail concerning his Scots heritage (thanks Connor). 18 year old Connor was actually born in England but his family are all from Perth. He is a Rangers fan but I won’t hold that against him. Connor has represented Scotland at both under 15 and under 16 level and who knows if he continues to make good progress could play for the full Scotland team at some stage in the future. The national team could do with some creativity in the centre of the park. Connor is hoping to be involved in the big game against the Moors and that would be a great Scots link to the tie.

Young Scot Connor Furlong in action for MK Dons

Jack Hendry: I have discovered since Tuesday that there is another young Scotsman in the MK Dons squad. Take a bow Jack Hendry. Jack is a 21 year old Glaswegian defender who made his name with Partick Thistle. Good performances for the Firhill side earner Jack a move to Wigan Athletic. He is currently on loan at Stadium MK until the end of January and has thus far has had two first team outings for the Dons.

Jack Hendry from Glasgow: Wigan player currently on loan at Stadium MK

Gary MacKenzie: When I put out the request for Scots links to the MK Dons on the club’s facebook page, this guy was mentioned many many times in the replies. It would appear that ‘Gary Mac’ was something of a cult hero at Stadium MK. The big defender is still playing at the age of 31, currently plying his trade at St Mirren. The Dons signed him from Dundee in 2010 and over the next three seasons he made 63 appearances and scored 3 goals for the Milton Keynes team. He seems to be something of a ‘bad boy’ and after one red card for stamping his own manager Karl Robinson branded him a ‘disgrace’. One other dismissal during his time with the Dons was for head-butting, so he was certainly no angel. However, fans all over the world take to a loveable wrong-un. As far as I know no MK Dons player has been capped for Scotland while playing for the club. Colin Cameron and Alex Rae won their caps before joining the Dons. Gary MacKenzie came closest. He was in two Scotland squads during his time at Stadium MK but never managed to get on to the pitch and indeed never did win a full cap.

Scots tough guy Gary Mac in typical pose while playing for MK Dons

John Gorman: For two seasons from 2010-12 John Gorman was Assistant Manager to Karl Robinson at Stadium MK. John played for Carlisle United for many years, briefly for Spurs and finished his playing career in the USA. He is best known for his work as Assistant Manager to Glenn Hoddle. The pair first worked together at Swindon Town and later at Tottenham Hotspur. In between these gigs Gorman had a controversial stint as Assistant Manager of England between 1996 and 1999. I honestly believed that I would never see a Scotsman as part of the England management team in my lifetime … but it actually happened. In his last job in management this ‘always a bridesmaid’ character assisted the MK Dons to a place in the League One play offs.

Scot Gorman celebrates an England victory !

Peter Leven: Peter is another character who is popular with the MK Dons facebook gang. Leven, from Renfrew is now 33 years old but has hung up his boots to take up the role of Assistant Manager to Lee Clark at Kilmarnock. Peter actually cut his teeth at Killie playing for the Ayrshire men for three seasons between 2004 and 2007 before moving south firstly to Chesterfield and then to MK Dons in 2008. The attacking midfielder played three full seasons for the Dons, rarely missing a match and scoring 22 goals.

Popular Jock Peter Leven in action for the MK Dons

 John Paul McGovern: 36 year old Glaswegian midfielder McGovern started his career at Celtic but did not make the first team (funny that, a Celtic player having the same christian names as a Pope!). After a spell on loan at Sheffield United John Paul moved to Livingston to get regular first team football. Impressive performances for the West Lothian side paved the way for a move south to Sheffield Wednesday. After two seasons at Hillsborough John Paul signed for the MK Dons in 2006 and in his one season at Stadium MK appeared 47 times and scored 3 goals. McGovern has since played for Sindon, Carlisle United, Derry City, Ayr United and Stirling Albion. In his dotage he is still playing and these days pulls on the boots for Clyde in Scottish League Two.

A very young John Paul McGovern: Scottish Youth Cup winner with Celtic

Allan Smart: Perthshire born Allan was a man of many clubs. His most successful spell was at Watford between 1998 and 2001. His long of list of clubs included MK Dons. Allan had one season at Stadium MK, 2004-05. He appeared 18 times for the Dons and scored 4 goals. His major claim to fame in Scottish football folklore is that he played for Caledonian FC in the Highland League and then after the famous Invernesian merger he represented Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish League.

Scots Ex MK Dons player Allan Smart in action for Watford

 David McCracken: David is another Scotsman who had a single season at Stadium MK. The tall Glaswegian centre back made his name at Dundee United and arrived in Milton Keynes in 2009 via Wycombe Wanderers. In his time with the Dons David played 41 times and scored 1 goal. At the age of 35 David is still playing and is currently trying to help Falkirk gain promotion to the Scottish Premier League.

Ex MK Dons player David McCraken: Now wearing Falkirk colours

Simon Church: Simon Church is not Scottish he is Welsh. However, he deserves a mention here as he is part of a unique link between MK Dons and Bonnie Scotland. He represented both ‘Dons’ last season when he started the season with MK Dons and then later went on loan to the Aberdonian ‘Dons’. A half decent striker Simon signed for Dutch team Roda JC in the summer.

Welshman Church played for 'Dons' both north and south of the border

Nigel Quashie: Nigel possibly does not feature prominently in the memories of MK Dons fans. He arrived on loan from West Ham in 2009 and played 7 games and scored 2 goals. He can certainly claim to be Scottish because he won 14 caps for the national side between 2004 and 2006. Prior to his Scotland debut he had played for the England under 21 team on 4 occasions. On being called up for Scotland by Bertie Vogts the young Nigel made this lukewarm commitment: “I have never given up hope of playing for England but my grandfather is Scottish and I would be interested in playing for Scotland”. Not exactly the stuff to fill the Tartan Army with pride. However, goals and good performances change football fans minds – often instantly. Nigel scored his only goal for Scotland on the 30^th May 2004. I remember it well because I was there. I remember the date also very well as it was the date of the party to celebrate the Silver Wedding of my wife and Anne and I. With the preparations for the big party in full swing I absented myself (as you do) to nip off and watch the Scotland v Trinidad and Tobago friendly international. After Quashie scored in the 35^th minute the crowd struck up a rousing chorus of “Your not English any more” to the tune of Bread of Heaven.

'Your not English any more': Quashie brief spells with MK Dons and the Scotland team

There may be other Scots who have played for MK Dons and as I find them I will report them. Thanks again to all the MK Dons fans that have signposted me towards the players listed above. As the build up to the big match continues I will be keeping my eye out for other links between the two clubs an Bella Caledonia.

Both Spennymoor and MK Dons are in league action tomorrow as the build up to the big match on November the 5^th continues. MK Dons look for that elusive first home win against Southend and The Moors are away at Buxton. Return here on Sunday to see how they got on. 

MK Dons up next on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Dons links with Bonnie Scotland are starting to emerge

So, the die is cast. The next stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland is Milton Keynes. Match 9 on The Road will see the minnows from Spennymoor Town facing the big fish MK Dons on the 5^th November. I am expecting fireworks!

The impressive Stadium MK in Milton Keynes

At this point just after the draw has been made I usually write a piece entitled ‘What xxx means to me’ where xxx is my next place to visit on ‘The Road’. However, I am well and truly stuck here. No offence to the good people of Milton Keynes but your interesting town in Buckinghamshire means nothing at all to me. I have never been there and surprisingly I have never seen your team play. When I was living in Boston Lincs the MK Dons visited York Street to play Boston United on the 26^th August 2006 but by that time (even though I was still living in Lincs) I had a season ticket for Hearts and every other Saturday I was on ‘The Road to Tynecastle from Boston’. So I missed the match. I don’t think the Dons have played more than that one game at York Street. I am looking forward to visiting Milton Keynes in early November.

My next task of course is to flush out the links between the new team on this journey and Bonnie Scotland. I have had a bit more joy in this respect. I note from the MK Dons squad list that they have a young Scots lad who is on the fringes of the first team. Midfielder Connor Furlong is only 18 but he has already made his debut for the MK Dons and two years ago played for the Scotland U-16s. I hope to hear from Connor soon and provide a bit more detail.

Scotsman Connor Furlong of MK Dons: Natty hair cut!

Looking through the MK Dons record books two Scots, Alex Rae and Colin Cameron are highlighted. Alex Rae, had an illustrious playing career featuring spells with Rangers, Wolves, Milwall and Sunderland. His final destination as a player was the MK Stadium where he briefly ‘donned’ the white shirt. He is listed in their records as the oldest player ever to play for the club when, at the age of 40 years and 10 months, he lined up for them in 2009. Alex is currently between jobs as a manager having recently been sacked by St Mirren

Scotsman Alex Rae: The oldest player ever to play for MK Dons

Colin Cameron is well known to me. He represented Hearts with distinction and he made me very happy in May 1998 when he scored from the penalty spot as my beloved Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 in the Scottish Cup Final. ‘Mickey’ as he is popularly known due to his uncanny resemblance to Mickey Mouse, played for Hearts for five years before moving south to play in England. He had spells at Wolves, Millwall and Coventry before joining MK Dons for the 2007-08 season. It was during this spell that, at the age of 35, he scored a goal that has seen him acquire the accolade of the oldest player to score for MK Dons. Mickey obviously has the secret of eternal youth because he is still playing. On Saturdays these days he turns out for Lochore Welfare in Scottish non league football at the age of 43.

Spot the difference: Scot 'Mickey' the oldest player to score for MK Dons

As the build up to the big game on the 5^th November gathers pace I hope to discover and report more links between this fixture and Bella Caledonia. I am hoping to hear from some MK Dons fans soon.

Last night both the Moors and the Dons were in league action. Coincidentally both recorded 3-3 draws … more about this tomorrow.

In the words of The Flaming Lips song ‘All we have is now’. Now is a great time for The Moors. What will the future hold? They take on the considerable might of the aristocrats from Milton Keynes on the 5^th November. This is more than David v Goliath it is more akin to the Mosquito v the Rhino. Will the The Moors live to fight another day or will the MK Dons prevail? It is going to be mega! Keep visiting this blog for more build up including more links between the MK Dons and Scotland.

Moors win in Lincoln: It could be a money spinner for Spenny!

Saturday the 15^th October 2016

FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round 

Lincoln United 0 Spennymoor Town 3

When I decided to embark on this ‘Road to Wembley from Scotland’ project in the summer I declared that if fate decreed it then it would be great to visit Lincolnshire as part of the journey. The draw for the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup was kind and when Lincoln United were drawn at home to Spennymoor Town this gave me the opportunity to re-visit the county where I lived and worked for 17 years between 1991 and 2008. What was absolutely fantastic about this match is that a good number of my Boston College Sunday FC team from the late 1990s travelled the short distance from Boston to Lincoln to join me at the match. More about this later in this report.

This is how the day panned out.

Pre Match Communications: It proved slightly more difficult to contact Lincoln United than it has been for other teams I have met on ‘The Road’ but we got there in the end. The Lincoln United web site does not have an email address in the contacts section and I did try the phone number but got no reply. However, both their twitter feed and their facebook page were responsive and I was able to explore the links between Lincoln United and Scotland through these routes. Scots Lincoln United fan Stuart McCallum Minto has been very helpful in that respect and it was great to meet him yesterday. As for the previous round Spennymoor were very keen to promote their club through this blog and it was great to meet up with their Scots secretary David Leitch at the match yesterday, Facebook also put me in contact with Liam Malloy who is also doing the Road to Wembley and our routes have now collided. Good to meet Liam and his pal Mel Pickup at Ashby Avenue yesterday too. 7/10

Liam Malloy and Mel Pickup - also on the Road to Wembley

Pre Match Pint: The nearest pub to the Sun Hat Villas Stadium is actually the Lincoln United Social Club about 30 yards away. That was handy! High marks for the pre-match pint because of the banter. With so many old pals in the bar it was a fun hour before kick off … then a fun 15 minutes at half time … and good fun in the bar after the match too! As well as the 1990s Boston College footballers, my pal Howard ‘Howie Baby’ Nimmo from Hull attended and he struggled manfully to squeeze in to the famous Road to Wembley from Scotland T shirt.

The T shirt stretches to accentuate the undulating curves of the Nimmo torso

After the match it was great to have a wee bevy with some of the Spennymoor fans and @SpennyfanChris from twitter and his pal David Dobbie. David actually did the Road to Wembley in 1999 with his Dad and has given me some tips regarding tickets for later rounds

Spenny Fan Chris and David Dobbie celebrating after the match

The wonderful thing about these club bars in non league settings is how egalitarian and democratic it all is. After the match I was also able to have a quick chat with the victorious Spennymoor Town manager Jason Ainslie. I can't imagine that I will be hob-nobbing with Mourinho or Wenger in later rounds.

Moors Manager Jason Ainsley enjoys a well earned pint after the match

 The Guinness was good too. 9/10

Programme: The match day magazine was priced at £1.50 and was very good value. The 40 page publication has been lovingly put together and has interesting articles by the Manager, the Chairman and the Secretary. The coverage of the visiting Spennymoor team is particularly impressive. The Moors club history straddles 3 pages and has loads of fascinating anecdotes from the past. Good match reports too from recent ‘Whites’ matches. I can’t seem to see in the mag who the Programme Editor is but he/she should be very proud of themselves. A great effort 9/10

Ground: This was my second visit to Ashby Avenue, now known as the Sunhat Villas Stadium, and I was very impressed. The ground has been improved considerably since my last visit about 20 years ago.  The main stand is trim and fit for purpose and the ground also has a small seating area opposite the main stand.

The Main Stand at Ashby Avenue: Well filled yesterday

The 'mini stand' - an interesting paddock

A covered terrace is behind one goal and at the other end the tarmac pathway is adjacent to the changing rooms. All areas well maintained and as with all the grounds I have visited on ‘The Road’ there is a real sense of the local community looking after one of its prize assets. I hesitate to make any criticism of facilities that are lovingly cared for by committee members and volunteers but I feel I must comment that the playing surface was not the best. It was bare in patches and a wee bit bobbly. This may have contributed to the concession by The Whites of the second goal.

Yesterday the attendance was 578 and I suspect this may have been the biggest crowd at Ashby Avenue for a few seasons. 7/10

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was excellent. There was something like a 50 50 split between the Lincoln United fans and The Moors aficionados. There was not even a hint of any animosity between the fans. They were drinking in the same bar before and after and the craic was excellent. Some of the Boston College FC team from the 1990s who joined me yesterday now have kids, who they brought along with them yesterday. The young uns clearly enjoyed the experience in what was a family friendly ambience. One of our party, Steve Langford, took his son Ruben to his first ever football match and the young man had a whale of a time

Proud Dad: Steve Langford takes his son Ruben to his first football match

 The Moors fans sang more or less continuously throughout the game offering their side generous encouragement. The highlight was after they had scored the third goal and they must have twigged they were going to be in round one and potentially on the telly … so … they started singing the Match of the Day Theme Tune.

Moors fans in full voice: Thanks to Michael Kitching for this photo

Even the heckling was slightly more polite than I am used to. No four letter words or C words. The best one I heard was when the red headed Moors centre back James Curtis had been tangling on the deck with a Lincoln United sub and they both got up with the Spennymoor man laughing: “Keep smiling Ginger we know you are an ugly twat!” was the cry from the terracing. Quality.  8/10

Scottishness: It took a while for the links with Bella Caledonia to emerge but if you keep digging you can always find some Scots coal and black bun.  The main current link between Spennymoor Town and Bonnie Scotland is Scotsman David Leitch, the Moors Secretary. David was kind enough to pose for a snap while the game was going on yesterday.

David Leitch: Proud of his Scots heritage and proud of The Moors

 In advance of the game I discovered that Lincoln United have at least two Scots fans. Take a bow Stuart McCallum Minto and Ross Frisby. It was great to meet up with them both yesterday.

 

Two Scots Whites fans: Stuart McCallum Minto (left) and Ross Frisby (right)

Finally an unexpected link that I only discovered yesterday. The snack bar is staffed by a team of volunteers that includes Katrina from Kilmarnock.

Katrina and the Faves (i.e. pies and pasties!)

Katrina told me that she has been in Lincolnshire for about 15 years. She has clearly not lost any of her strong Ayrshire accent. The reason for the move south was connected with her husband’s employment. Her husband is English but she does not hold that against him!  7/10

Entertainment:

In truth this was not the best match I have seen so far on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. I think that there was perhaps just too much at stake, with the glittering prize of a place in the 1^st round draw shimmering in the distance, for the protagonists to show their best football. Having said that there were some excellent individual performances. My man of the match was the aforementioned Moors centre back James Curtis. Curtis is a huge guy and uses his height and strength to great advantage to head everything that comes into the penalty area clear. He is also good on the ground and tackles well. Alongside him at the back is captain Joe Tait who is also rock solid and great in the air. The big skipper also strode forward to convert the penalty that opened the scoring. For Lincoln United wide men Matt Cotton and Kallum Smith both looked inventive and dangerous in the first half and prolific goal scorer ‘Jock’ McGovern was a threat all afternoon.

The Moors defend a corner kick

The match was fairly even in the first period. However football is all about goals and The Whites gifted The Moors a two goal lead. After 11 minutes the United keeper had a clearance blocked by the alert Shane Henry and the ball ballooned up into the air in a very odd trajectory. There was spin on this ball too. As the ball came down it spun and seemed to be presenting Henry with a gilt edged opportunity – so the keeper impeded him. A penalty was awarded and it could be argued that the keeper was lucky to escape with a booking. Joe Tait coolly tucked away the spot kick. Moors number 9 David Dowson scored after 26 minutes to make it 2-0. He was making a perfunctory run to close down the keeper when chasing a Whites back pass to their keeper Ziccardi who had all the time in the world to kick the ball upfield. Ziccardi then demonstrated a classic fresh air shot and he watched in horror as the ball skipped past him with Dowson running on to tap the ball into an empty net. Was the barren pitch responsible for this mishap? Not a match to remember for the unfortunate Whites custodian. Despite the fact that at the other end of the pitch Lincoln United had been playing some good passing football, they found themselves 2-0 down at the interval.

The Whites apply the pressure bu The moors stand firm

If the first half was close in terms of possession and chances, the second half was dominated by the visitors from County Durham. In 62 minutes Dowson passed up the chance to grab a brace when he had a golden opportunity but shot straight at the keeper. The Moors did increase their advantage on 76 minutes. Graeme Armstrong powered home a header from a Spennymoor corner. Full time Lincoln United 0 Spennymoor Town 3. 7/10

Match Day Catering: As reported previously the Dunston catering will not be beaten on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. This contest is now closed as Dunston UTS pies are simply perfection. However the fare on offer at the Sunhat Villas Stadium was more than acceptable. As well as pies and pasties there were also hot dogs and burgers on offer. I started with a pre match pie and mushy peas (excellent) and then progressed to a Cornish pasty early in the second half. The Boston entourage were all waxing lyrical about the quality of the catering and my mate Howard Nimmo managed two pies and a pasty –so that speaks for itself!  9/10

Value for Money: The admission price of £9 was fair for an important FA Cup tie. It was great to see that all juniors were admitted for £1 each.  8/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: The unique feature of this stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland is that I was joined at the match by 11 old friends from Lincolnshire – plus their kids. Some of these guys I had not seen for many years and I must admit the years have been kind – to them!

Stalwarts from the 1990s Boston College Sunday FC team join me for a pre match pint and a catch up

In the picture above we have from left to right: Rachel Frisby, Ross Frisby (ex midfield dynamo for Boston College Sunday FC), Gail Blanchard Rivett, Jiminio Morrison (ex goal-poacher for Boston College Staff FC and emergency sub for Boston College Sunday), Mark Locking (ex central defender for Boston College Sunday FC), Boz (ex utility player for Boston College Sunday FC), Phil Moses, Howard ‘Howie Baby’ Nimmo, Simon Moses (ex midfield general for Boston College Sunday FC), Steve Langford (ex central defender for Boston College Sunday FC), and Koran Darrigan (ex utility defender / midfielder and all round good guy for Boston College Sunday FC). In the foreground are the young Frisbys, Darrigans and Langford. At some of the matches on ‘The Road’ I have been on my tod. I feel privileged to have been joined by this entourage for this match. We had a good bevvy before the match and a good craic after the match. A very special day … and Jim Morrison’s partner the lovely Gail won the raffle!

Gail wins the raffle: Wine and chocolates for the lady!

It may well be that this will be the only stop on The Road in Lincolnshire … but you never know maybe we will do it all again in three weeks time if the draw comes up trumps. Thanks guys - yesterday was great. 10/10

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Rating 81/100 (equal highest so far)

At this point I have to say goodbye to new friends who I have met from the vanquished team. My stay with Lincoln United was all too brief and I thank their Secretary Mark Cowling for the information about his team supplied via the facebook dialogue. I offer special and sincere thanks to Lincoln United fan Stuart McCallum Minto for all of his help in advance of this tie. It was great to meet Stuart yesterday. I wish the very friendly Lincoln United the very best of luck for the rest of the season.

So, I stick with The Moors for at least one more round and I must admit I am enjoying being a very small part of their successful FA Cup campaign. The Universe is quite clearly with Spennymoor and I wonder is it written in the stars that they will be paired with a big club and a money spinning tie in round one when the draw is made on BBC2 tomorrow evening? Visit this blog on Tuesday morning to find out.

Miles on the clock for this match 550

Total Miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 2480

Enjoying their moment in the sun! Both Lincoln United and Spennymoor win in midweek

As they completed their build up to their ‘clash of the titans’ on Saturday Lincoln United and Spenymoor Town were both involved in midweek matches and both were successful. Both teams are enjoying their moment in the sun.

Spennymoor had a league match on Tuesday night against my old friends from an earlier stop on the ‘Road’ Skelmersdale United. Spennymoor won by the incredible scoreline of 7-0.  I have not heard directly from any of my new pals at The Moors since but I have heard from my old sparring partner at Skem. The programme editor Kev Panther. Kev wrote: “I didn’t go to the game myself, and neither did some of the players! Sometimes in midweek games you get one maybe two who can’t get out of work and Tuesday night was one of those nights where 5 players couldnt make it and they were the experienced players. It was so late that we didn’t have time to call on anyone else, not even the youth team. I think we named two subs but neither would have played and we down to the bare bones. Saturday we were superb, Tuesdayt night best forgotten, it was our worst defeat for over 20 years!” A tale of woe from Skem, but this does not detract from the amazing emphatic performance by the home team. Well done the Moors and no doubt they are thinking roll on Saturday.

The board is up: Who could have predicted a 7-0 scoreline?

 The Moors have some injury doubts as a result of their win on Tuesday. Their web site reports: “Top scorer Glen Taylor, fellow striker Graeme Armstrong and full-back Kallum Griffiths all picked up knocks of varying severity. Taylor was forced off with a lower leg injury, Griffiths injured his abdomen and Armstrong has a dead leg. As a precaution, Taylor underwent an x-ray on Tuesday night, which thankfully showed no fracture, but swelling is still heavy and he will be reassessed once it has subsided. Armstrong will be assessed on Thursday night ahead of Saturday's game, where a decision will be made on his ability to take part. Griffiths, however, is expected to be passed fit for the trip to Lincoln after an improvement.”  Here’s hoping that for the sake of a good contest on Saturday that the stricken Moors players recover in time. Specifically they will hope that their prolific striker Taylor is fit for the visit to Lincolnshire.

Glen Taylor on Tuesday: Struggling with a leg injury

The Whites from Ashby Avenue in Lincoln had some unfinished business in the FA Trophy to deal with on Tuesday evening. They traveled to Leicestershire to take on Romulus FC in a replay. It looked as if they were going to be knocked out of the Trophy when they were trailing 1-0 with the game heading into stoppage time. However a late equaliser took the game into extra time and two more goals from the Whites ensured that they too had a good win in midweek. The Lincoln United facebook feed was glowing in their praise for their lads: “After the last few matches, in particular our last two vs Romulus I feel that this needs saying. The skill and man management shown by Sam Wilkinson and Chris Hall to keep the lads motivated, especially after conceding such a late goal on Saturday, to then go into the replay and produce the goods, is second to none. Fitness undoubtedly plays it's part in all of this also, and first team coaches Stuart Reddington and Martin Burnett deserve enormous praise, along with Luke Treadwell our Physio for keeping them all off the treatment table. Let's not forget, this bunch of players who pull on the White of Lincoln United week in and week out are part time players, who all have full time jobs, so to go out there and knock out 120 minutes after a full on 90 minutes not three days prior is remarkably impressive. I'm sure that you will all agree that we have a special bunch of lads at our club, and are extremely fortunate to have a calm, focussed, mature management duo at the helm, leading the way. Saturday marks one of our biggest matches in recent times, and we are going into the match - some might say as underdogs - but more importantly without fear. Ashby Avenue is the place to be on Saturday in The FA Cup, make sure that you don't miss out. Up The Whites and Keep The Faith!” Stirring words indeed.

The Wonderful Whites: All set to go on Saturday.

This week is a very special week for the heroes from Lincoln United and Spennymoor Town. A big prize awaits the winner on Saturday. It is clear that as they build up to this massive match that both teams are enjoying their moment in the sun. Unless the match is drawn, on Saturday at 5.00 pm one of these teams will still be enjoying some warm rays. For the loser it will be back to league business with great memories of a superb cup run to warm them through the winter. Who will emerge victorious? One thing for sure this is going to be a real clash of the titans on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. 

Scots links at Ashby Avenue: Lincoln United have a Caledonian Fan Club!

More links between Lincoln United and Bonnie Scotland are starting to emerge. I have now been advised that The Whites have Scottish fans! Both Stuart McCallum Minto and Ross Frisby are Scots Lincoln United fans who now live in the Lincoln area.

Stuart’s family are originally from Moffat. He grew up supporting Queen of the South and has stayed a fan ever since. Regrettably he doesn’t get up to see them that often but he still follows them every week and tries to see them when he is up in Scotland. He also still has some shares as they did a fan share option some time ago to raise some cash and he purchased a few, so as well as being a fan he likes to think that he owns a little bit of the team and Palmerston. He tells me that he considers it has also been quite good to follow the Scottish Championship and I know from personal experience following my beloved Hearts that for the last couple of seasons it has been the most competitive league in Scotland. Stuart is hopeful that Queens will have a good chance of promotion this season. As a Hearts fan I hope that they do go up – at the expense of Hibs.

 

Whites fan Stuart McCallum Minto in full highland regalia

 Ross Frisby has been a fan of the Whites ever since his friend and ex-colleague Stuart Reddington got involved with the Ashby Avenue outfit. Stuart is a former player for Lincoln United and these days is the first team coach.

Stuart Reddington: Good football coach - crap golfer

Stuart started his playing career with Lincoln United but moved on to sign for Chelsea. A bit of a step down that one. Gianlucca Vialli signed two English players for Chelsea. One was Chris Sutton for £10 million – the other was Stuart. Stuart and Ross worked together at Lincoln College after Ross had left Boston College where I was Ross' boss! Stuart may be a good footballer but he is a crap golfer. I beat him several times in the annual Boston College v Lincoln College golf match. This gives an indication of how bad he is at golf. I am looking forward to meeting Stuart again on Saturday to remind him just how inadequate his golfing skills are. Ross first went to see Lincoln United when Stuart was still playing. Ross has been to Ashby Avenue more than 20 times since and considers himself to be a fan of The Whites. He enjoys his visits to the stadium as it reminds him of the times when he followed Clydebank. The ‘silky football’ essayed by The Whites is apparently akin to the 1990s Bankies. Also, as did Clydebank, they have a bar attached to the ground and this is an important consideration for any Scotsman.

 

Ross Frisby: Lincoln United fan and proud Scotsman

Lincoln United v Spennymoor Town will be my eighth stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. With Lincoln United having Scots fans in their ranks and The Moors having a Scots Secretary the fixture has all the makings of a soccer Cheilidh. Hoots Mon – bring it on.