" ... AND SMITH MUST SCORE!" How a Scotsman almost won the FA Cup for the Seagulls plus other Brighton - Scotland connections

Brighton and Hove Albion’s history will be indelibly linked with a Scotsman who scored 22 goals for them in the 1980s. Unfortunately for Ayrshire born Gordon Smith he will be forever remembered for the goal he did not score. The commentary from the 1983 FA Cup Final “ .. and Smith must score” is an iconic quote for Seagulls supporters. Many other Scotsman have also played for Brighton over the last few decades and they have also been guided by Scots managers in recent times.

Brighton and Hove Albion have never won a major trophy. In 1983 they came within the width of a ciagarette paper to getting their hands on the FA Cup. In the dying minutes of extra time in the final against Manchester United with the score tied at 2-2 Gordon Smith missed a sitter. The Seagulls centre forward Robinson had raced clear of the United defence and found himself with only keeper Bailey to beat. Robinson, showing generosity of spirit, decided not to shoot but to lay the winning goal on a plate for his team mate Smith. In fact, he did not just lay it on a plate he gave him a knife and fork and a napkin. Somehow Smith dallied, allowed Bailey to get into a position to possibly make a stop, and then he meekly trundled the ball towards goal and Bailey saved. As this was all happening the BBC radio commentator Peter Jones excitedly spluttered the now famous words “ … and Smith must score!”

 

Bailey saves Smith's weak effort in the 1983 FA Cup Final at Wembley

Manchester United won the replay 4-0 and to this day there are rumours that Lord Lucan is alive and hiding in the Brighton and Hove Albion trophy cabinet. The Seagulls have still never won a major trophy. In ironic acknowledgement of how close their favourites had come to lifting the cup, a popular Seagulls fanzine was named ‘And Smith must score’. Gordon Smith left Brighton shortly after the final and joined Manchester City. After he hung up his boots he became firstly a football agent and then later, between 2007 and 2011, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association. He is credited with working with other British FAs to introduce the rule that allows players born outwith the UK to play for the country where they were schooled. It is a rule that enables Jamaican Raheem Stirling to play for England and Englishman Jordan Rhodes to play for Scotland. Twenty two years after his famous miss Smith published his autobiography in 2005 entitled “and Smith did score” where he reminds readers on the front cover that he scored one of Brighton’s two goals in the 1983 FA Cup Final.

Other Scots who have played for Brighton in recent years include Scottish internationals Gordon Greer, Craig Mackail-Smith and Liam Bridcutt. The latter two ‘Scots’ were actually born in England.

Glaswegian Gordon Greer is 36 years old and is currently playing for Blackburn Rovers having joined them in the summer. Prior to the move north centre back Gordon had played for six seasons for the Seagulls, making 209 appearances and scoring 5 goals.

 

 Glaswegian Gordon Greer - served the Seagulls with distinction

He has played 11 times for Scotland, all appearances made while he was a Brighton player. Very unusually he was well into his thirties before winning his first cap. Soon after Gordon Strachan had become Scotland manager he appointed his old Aberdeen team mate Mark McGhee as his assistant and detailed McGhee to find him some players. McGhee was living in Brighton at the time and there was speculation up here that it was lazy scouting that caused Greer to be included in the Scotland squad. When his name was first announced in a squad there was amazement as not many of us devoted Scotland fans had even heard of him. However, he has proven to be a reliable player and has been worth his international selections.

Watford born Craig Mackail-Smith played 122 times for the Seagulls between 2011 and 2015 and scored 24 goals. He qualified to play for Scotland through his Edinburgh born grandmother Margaret.

 

English born Scot Mackail-Smith in action at The Amex

 Craig played for Scotland 7 times and scored a single goal in a Euro qualifier against Lichtenstein. Now 32 years old, Craig’s best years are behind him and he is currently seeing out his playing days at Luton Town.

Defensive midfielder Liam Bridcutt was born in Reading and played for the Seagulls 132 times between 2010 and 2014 scoring 7 goals. He qualifies to play for Scotland thanks to an Edinburgh born grandfather. Bridcutt has won 2 caps for Scotland, making his debut in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia.

Liam Bridcutt pictured making his Scotland debut against Serbia

 Like Greer, Bridcutt’s selection also raised a few eyebrows north of the border. Another surprise pick, playing his football close to Mark McGhee’s home, who not many people had heard of. Still only 27 the versatile Bridcutt is now playing for Leeds United – and playing well by all accounts.

The Seagulls were managed by Scotsman Archie Macaulay in the sixties. In more recent times their fortunes have been guided by the aforementioned Mark McGhee who hails from Cumbernauld. McGhee was the Brighton boss from 2003-2006 and, has been described above, settled in the area.

Lantern Jawed Mark McGhee pictured while manager of Brighton

 McGhee was a fine player and helped Aberdeen to win the Cup Winners Cup in the Alex Ferguson era and also represented Scotland with distinction. As a manager he has had a curate’s egg of a career – good in parts. In his first season of his three year tenure on the south coast he guided the Seagulls to promotion to the Championship. Unfortunately two years later they were relegated under his stewardship and it was time for the lantern jawed McGhee to move on.Stints in the hot seat at Motherwell, Aberdeen and Bristol Rovers have followed and in 2013 he was appointed as Scotland Assistant manager. He currently continues assist with the national team and combines this role with his ‘day job’ as manager of Motherwell in a second spell with the Fir Park team.

The current Scots connection at the Amex is Jamie Murphy. Winger Murphy, now 27, began his career at Motherwell where he made his name as a goal-scoring wide man. His good form for the Lanarkshire side earned him a move south and he joined Sheffield United in 2013. In two seasons at Bramall Lane Murphy played 94 times scoring 17 goals. In 2015 he joined the Seagulls and is now considered to be a valuable member of their squad.

 

A youthful Jamie Murphy pictured a few years ago when representing Scotland U-21s

 Murphy has not yet been capped for Scotland at full international level but if Mark McGhee still has a house in Brighton then you never know! He was capped 14 times for Scotland at under 21 level scoring 4 goals. At present he is out of the Brighton side but, who knows, he may be back in the starting line up in time for the FA Cup tie against MK Dons at the Amex on the 7^th January.

I am very grateful to Grant Ross, Robert Holmes and Carl Jukes on the Brighton and Hove Albion Fans facebook page for signposting me in the direction of the Scots listed above who have strutted their funky stuff on the south coast. They also noted many other Scots not included in this post who have represented the Seagulls – going back many years. It is clear that Brighton and Hove Albion have an affinity with Bella Caledonia.

The next stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland in Brighton is now just over two weeks away. The Seagulls v The Dons from Milton Keynes could be a classic and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation. On Boxing Day the Dons play host to Charlton Athletic in a League One fixture and on Tuesday the 27^th Brighton will host QPR. Come back here next Wednesday to find out how they are shaping up for the big match on January the 7^th.

As they used to say in The Beano at this time of the year – A Merry Xmas to all our readers!

Seagulls flying high but Dons taught a lesson as the countdown to Brighton in January begins

After the excitement of the FA cup round 2 replay in Milton Keynes last Tuesday night attention now switches to Brighton which will be the next stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. The match between Brighton and Hove Albion and MK Dons on Saturday January 7^th will be match number 12 on this journey towards the famous stadium in north London. Yesterday the Seagulls from Brighton were flying high in Birmingham and the Dons were learning a hard lesson in Gillingham.

Brighton are having a great campaign in the Championship and seem to be heading for promotion to the Premier Division next season. Yesterday they maintained their excellent recent form thanks to a stoppage time winner from Glenn Murray.

 

Glenn Murray heads the winning goal for the Seagulls in Birmingham

 Birmingham City had taken the lead only for the Seagulls to equalise courtesy of Knockaert. With the match locked at 1-1 Murray powered in a fine header to take all 3 points back to the south coast. This blog is always looking for the Scottish angle and Brighton have one Scotsman on their roster. Glaswegian Jamie Murray, ex of Motherwell and Sheffield United has been plying his trade at the Amex Stadium for the last 18 months. Unfortunately he was not involved in the match yesterday. Maybe manager Chris Hughton is saving him for the big gig in early January.

Meanwhile in Kent the MK Dons lost a close game away against Gillingham by a single goal. The Dons had the chance to take the lead in the first half when they were awarded a penalty. The previous Saturday Dons striker Den Bowditch had converted from the spot against AFC Wimbeldon when he sent the keeper the wrong way. When I met Dean last Tuesday I put it to him that his penalty kick against AFC was almost identical to Robbie Neilson’s legendary penalty in the Scottish Cup Final shoot out in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final. I asked him if he had ever seen it. He confessed that he had never seen that penalty and noted that ‘Robbie Neilson penalty versus Gretna Scottish Cup Final 2006” was a bit of a long search string for a Youtube search. Perhaps Dean should have done that search and seen how his gaffer got the job done because yesterday his kick was saved!

 

The Dean Bowditch penalty: A good strike but well saved

 In truth it was not a bad penalty and Bowditch once again sent the keeper the wrong way. Unfortunately this week his attempt was slightly narrower and the keeper was able to kick out a leg and divert the ball to safety. In the second half the Gills scored the only goal of the game from a header from about 10 yards with the MK Dons defenders marked absent. MK Dons Scottish manager Robbie Neilson hence had to endure the sour taste of defeat in a league match for the first time in his short tenure as boss at Stadium MK. On the pitch the only Scot involved was Jack Hendry who was required to come on after 53 minutes when right back Baldock had to leave the pitch injured. According to reports the young centre back looked a bit uncomfortable in the unfamiliar right back role.

Jack Hendry looking a bit lost - seen here tackling the referee !

Indeed, according to what I have read on the MK Dons facebook forums the whole of the defence looked uncomfortable. Not a great game I am told but the Robbie Revolution will take time and after 2 steps forward over the last week this was one step back but overall progress is being made.

So the countdown has begun. Only 20 days to go until the Road to Wembley from Scotland arrives in Brighton. Later this week I will be exploring Brighton and Hove Albion’s links with Bella Caledonia. Keep reading. 

Extra time and extra special hospitality - a great night out in Milton Keynes

FA Cup 2nd Round Replay

Tuesday 13th December 2016

Milton Keynes Dons 3 Charlton Athletic 1 (after extra time)

If there is a more friendly club than MK Dons in the Skybet EFL I would be amazed. The hospitality I was shown last night was astonishing. I was fed, met the players in the dressing room before the match, had my pic taken with the match officials on the pitch, chatted with the first team coach Scot Neil MacFarlane, met the Head Groundsman and the Chief Exec, given a free ticket and given a photo opportunity with Dons boss Robbie Neilson.

Giving Robbie some advice before the match

Actually I am not sure that the photo op with Robbie was supposed to be part of the deal but like the prolific MK Dons striker Dean Bowditch I took my chance when it came along. A football match also took place. This is how the evening panned out.

Pre match communications

I am now an established contributor on the two main MK Dons face book pages and it is through this medium that my project was brought to the attention of the club. Tim Lèe from marketing made contact and I was afforded the incredible hospitality that I will describe later. I also joined the Charlton supporters fb group and received a lot of info on their current plight from Twitter 9/10

Enjoying the Stadium Tour with Tim Lee before the match

Pre match pint

My pre match pint was in the luxurious surroundings of Club Gold in the Stadium. A decent pint of Tetleys 7/10

Programme

MK Dons produce a very good programme and the quality of the photography is particularly noteworthy. It is really impressive that they managed to include so much coverage from Saturday's game with such a short turnaround before last nights match. A great interview with the weekend's match winner Dean Bowditch. Also a brief mini feature on my Road to Wembley from Scotland .. Thanks guys 9/10

Ground

Stadium MK is a hugely impressive football stadium. At present it is not a great fit with the stage of development that the Dons are at, but that is another story. The ground holds 30000, is all seated and every seat is padded and affords a great view of the action. The pitch has been attractively sunken in to the landscape and is 9 metres below road level, giving the impression of a Roman amphitheater. The hospitality and catering areas are all integral to the design rather than being an afterthought as they are at many grounds 10 / 10

Atmosphere

In the words of my new pal Dons fanatic Colin Butler the first half had the feel of a pre season friendly. There is a problem generating a vibrant atmosphere when there are less than 4000 fans in a ground that holds 30000. The Cow Shed end did their best with some good vocal encouragement and an enthusiastic drummer thumping away but it was hard work. The Charlton fans did not turn up in big numbers either and I noted there were more Spennymoor fans in the away end when the Moors were in Milton Keynes a month ago. 5/10

Scottishness

All of a sudden Millton Keynes seems to be a suburb of Glasgow. The entire management team at Stadium MK are now Scots. New boss Robbie Neilson has been joined in Milton Keynes by fellow countrymen new assistant manager Stevie Crawford and very recently appointed first team coach Neil MacFarlane. It was great to catch a few words with Neil last night.

The self effacing Neil MacFarlane 

I told Neil I was a Hearts fan and remembered him playing for the Hearts. "playing badly for Hearts" he replied . .... "no, I remember you having some good games" ... "you must have a good memory" he responded. Good luck to all 3 in this new adventure for them.

In addition to the recent arrivals there are two Scots players who are on the staff at Stadium MK. Connor Furlong is a Scottish youth international making his way through the ranks with the Dons and I was able to catch up with him last night.

Connor Furlong: A young Scot with a big future ahead of him

Jack Hendry played for Partick Thistle in the Scottish Premier League before signing for Wigan Athletic. He is still only 20 and is currently on loan at Stadium MK. He was named as a substitute last night.

Jack be nimble Jack be quick: Scot Hendry pacy and skillful

After 60 minutes Jack came on to play at centre back. With extra time needed he was required to play for an hour and the premature reincarnation of Alan Hansen never put a foot wrong.

Plenty of scottishness with the Dons at the moment but no Jocks in the Charlton line up at present 9/10

Entertainment

The match itself was a bit of a slow burner. The first hour or so was pretty dire, despite the two early goals. The standard of football got better as the evening wore on. The Dons first goal was well taken by Powell after good work by Potter. The Charlton equaliser was a smart strike from the edge of the box by ex Dons full back Chicksen after he cut in from the left. Half time 1 1

Neilson used all of his 3 subs within the first 65 minutes but this infusion of new energy tipped the game in the Dons favour. He introduced defender Hendry and attackers Reeves and Agard to the fray and all 3 made important contributions. Reeves in particular was running the show and a vicious, bending dipping shot from his right boot almost gave the Dons the lead after 70 minutes. For Charlton Lookman started to Look  like the The Man and was at the heart of all of the best play from the visitors. He was ably supported by the sub Ajose who blotted his copybook by missing a great chance to steal the tie just before the end of the 90 minutes. Full time 1 1

Second half action as seen from the Cowshed

Extra time was only two minutes old when Reeves struck with a goal fit to grace any football match. Agard made ground on the right flank and played the ball infield. Reeves collected the ball smartly, worked a wee trick on his marker and then sent the ball like a tracer bullet into the top corner of the net from just outside the box. Two minutes later the tie was all over. The free scoring Bowditch was sent clear by Potter and calmly slid the ball wide of the keeper and into the onion bag.

Bowditch is the name - scoring goals is the game !

There was no way back for The Addicks and their cup campaign is over. Final score Dons 3 Addicks 1 6/10

Match day catering

Inevitably, despite the more salubrious surroundings, I had a pre match pie. The steak and ale concoction was mighty fine and being in the corporate hospitality area I had a wee dod of tuna salad on the side! Surprisingly not a prawn sandwich in sight. 8 /10

Value for money

For me personally the rating would be calculated as infinity because as a result of the generosity of the MK Dons my evening's entertainment was completely free. However, the average punter also got good value for money as the Dons reduced the admission price to a tenner. Ten quid to see two good passing teams go head to head in an FA Cup replay was good value 8 /10

The je ne sais quoi factor

Top marks in this category because this was an incredible experience that I doubt can ever be repeated and will live long in my memory. Firstly huge thanks to my new pal Colin Butler for setting the whole thing up. The MK Dons are a much misunderstood club and he has sold his club to me and I am now officially 'The Hearts Don!'

Your blogger and Colin Butler on the pitch before kick off

Thanks also to his mate Nick Hedges who is great company on the terracing. A special vote of thanks also to Tim Lee the Corporate Sales Executive for making it all happen. Colin and Tim had so many surprises in store for me that I thought at one point I was going to be handed a pair of size 9 boots and a Dons strip and told to play on the right side of midfield. Meeting the head groundsman Joe was an honour too and it was fascinating to hear of the new demands made by Robbie Neilson with regard to use of the pitch for training.

Head Groundsman Joe proudly showing off his beautiful pitch

I met so many Dons fans both in the hospitality area and in the 'Cow Shed' and without exception they were committed fans keen to talk passionately about THEIR club. The formation  of the club may be shrouded in controversy but there is no doubt that this new club are proud of who they are, the town that they represent and proud of their growing number of fans. The fans in turn are a great advert for the club. I look forward to joining up with them again in Brighton in early January. 10/10

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

At this point I have to say goodbye to Charlton Athletic. I have enjoyed my brief sojourn with the Addicks. I especially enjoyed visiting the Valley - a great football stadium. I wish all Charlton supporters good luck in their campaign to bring about a change of ownership at The Valley.

It is onwards  and upwards with the MK Dons now. It is a tall order for them to knock Championship high flyers Brighton out of the FA Cup but under the stewardship of my pal Robbie anything is possible .... keep reading.

Miles on the clock for this match 720
Total miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 4865

Robbie and Robbo both going well as the MK Dons and the Addicks gear up for the big match

Match number 11 on The Road to Wembley from Scotland takes place in two days time when I will be in Milton Keynes for the FA Cup round 2 replay between MK Dons and Charlton Athletic. Yesterday the Dons and the Addicks completed their preparations for the big match on Tuesday by playing in two very different League One fixtures.

The Dons hosted what promised to be one of the most memorable matches of the season when AFC Wimbeldon visited Milton Keynes for a league fixture for the very first time. The match was also new manager Robbie Neilson’s first game in the Stadium MK dugout. All eyes were on the young Scotsman as he seeks to launch his career in English football by improving the fortunes of the MK Dons.

It's my ball: Robbie Neilson makes his mark at Stadium MK

Robbie could not have chosen a more difficult fixture for his ‘home debut’. The AFC Wimbledon story is well documented, albeit often inaccurately, and they get very favourable treatment from a media that considers their tale to be romantic. They are portrayed as a club that has risen from the ashes of the old Wimbledon FC after the club was ‘stolen’ and taken away to Milton Keynes by that nasty man Pete Winkleman. I have learned over the last eight weeks that there are two sides to this story and it is certainly not quite as simple as that. There is no doubt that the fans of AFC harbour lingering resentment against MK Dons and in return the MK Dons fans have had a bellyful of the vitriol aimed against them and do not have many AFC fans on their Christmas card list. The match was always going to be tense and the atmosphere was always going to be hostile. Over 11000 turned up at MK yesterday to see the gladiatorial contest. Despite the fact that MK Dons have not won a league match at their home ground since March, Robbie Neilson was able to work the oracle as he masterminded a victory in his very first league game in charge. One subtle change that Neilson made was to move veteran captain Dean Lewington from the left back berth to centre back. This tactical move has been lauded by the MK Dons fans on facebook. In addition to having a fine match in defence Lewington also managed to forage upfield and he won a penalty when he was impeded in the opposition box in the 63^rd minute. Dean Bowditch converted and the MK Dons ran out 1-0 winners. Football has a habit of providing amazing coincidences. Dean Lewington is the last playing connection between the now defunct Wimbledon FC and the MK Dons. When Wimbledon moved to Milton Keynes in 2003 Lewington was on the staff and indeed played 29 times for Wimbledon as a youngster. He has now played well over 500 games for the MK Dons and how ironic his contribution was so central to the outcome yesterday.

Dean Lewington commiserates with an AFC Wimbeldon player after the final whistle

Meanwhile the Addicks travelled north to play Bradford City and played out a goalless draw in front of a big crowd at Valley Parade. Ex MK Dons boss Karl Robinson, now in charge of Charlton Athletic, hence continued his good start in the hot seat. The Addicks have now gone six games without defeat in all competitions.

While things have been a bit manic at Stadium MK over the last week or so things have been a lot calmer at The Valley as the team have quietly gone about their business. Off the pitch the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet (CARD) are doing their very best to keep their campaign in the spotlight. They recently re-tweeted the picture below.

Time to go Roland? CARD keep their campaign in the spotlight on twitter this week

From a personal point of view I do hope that they can bring about a change of ownership and have their fans flocking back to their impressive Valley stadium soon.

So, on Tuesday night in Milton Keynes The Dons and The Addicks go head to head with a place in the third round of the FA Cup on offer to the winners. Thanks to the generosity of The MK Dons I will be there in the ‘Club Red’ hospitality area to watch the match in comfort after being given a stadium tour. There has to be winner on Tuesday and extra time and penalties may be needed to decide the outcome. Will I be following The Dons or The Addicks to Brighton in early January? Come back here on Wednesday to find out. It promises to be a fascinating stop on the Road to Wembley from Scotland. 

It will be right-on in Brighton next month and Robbie now Rules at MK but under the radar another Scotsman flew into Milton Keynes last week

The draw for the third round of the FA Cup was made last night and after the replay in Milton Keynes next week I will be heading to Brighton in early January. The Seagulls of Brighton have been drawn at home to the winners of the replay at Stadium MK next Tuesday between MK Dons and Charlton Athletic. It seems that the footballing gods have decided to send me further and further south with each round. My last five games have been Dunston in Gateshead then Spennymoor in County Durham then Lincoln then Milton Keynes then Charlton in South London and then on the 7^th January further south still to Brighton.

Brighton v Charlton at the Amex in 2014: Pic courtesy of Andy Phillips

After the draw was made I was left wondering are Guernsey still in the Cup? No offence Guernsey FC but I am sort of glad you were knocked out as I could end up in France at this rate. I am however looking forward to visiting the Amex Stadium next month.

The footballing world rolls on for the Dons and the Addicks. The Dons have a tricky away tie in the much maligned Checkatrade Trophy competition at Yeovil tonight. The Scots link with the Dons is now obvious with the appointment of ex Hearts Head Coach Robbie Neilson as boss last week. Tonight Robbie will take charge of team affairs for the first time and I wish him well. Under the radar another Scotsman has flown into Milton Keynes over the last week. Robbie has taken his trusted wingman Stevie Crawford with him as assistant manager. They first worked together at Falkirk FC in season 2012-13 when Steve was assistant to the veteran manager Alex Smith and Robbie was a player coach, soon to hang his boots up to concentrate on coaching.

The good the bad .. and Robbie: The Management team at Falkirk in 2013

Robbie left Falkirk via a brief stint at East Fife to join Hearts again – initially as youth team coach. Steve stayed on at Falkirk but in 2014 was invited by Robbie to be his assistant at Hearts and they have been together ever since. It has proven to be a very successful partnership and the fans of MK Dons will be hoping that the pairing works as well at Stadium MK as it did at Tynecastle.

Steve was an accomplished striker before moving into coaching. He was a man of many clubs and scored goals wherever he went. The teams he played for in Scotland included Raith Rovers, Hibs (but I won’t hold that against him) Dundee United and Aberdeen. He also had two spells with his home town team Dunfermline where he made over 200 appearances and scored well over 50 goals. He is regarded as a Pars legend.

Well above Par! Stevie Crawford playing for his home town team Dunfermline Athletic

Interestingly Steve also had a couple of spells in English football playing for both Millwall and Plymouth Argyle so the English scene will not be new to him.

Meanwhile at The Valley the Addicks have a quieter week ahead as they do not have a midweek fixture. Their facebook forums are discussing the draw for the third round of the Cup and the consensus seems to be that if they survive the replay then the draw could have been better and many of their fans would have preferred facing one of the big boys. The other interesting snippet on CAFC Social Media feeds is the celebration by some fans of the 24^th Anniversary of the return to The Valley after years in exile

James Redden on the Charlton FC fans group fb page proudly displays his 'Return to the Valley' badge

The return to The Valley was made possible by relentless energetic efforts and generosity from their enormous fan base. It was such a shame to see The Valley so empty on Saturday and I am guessing that many of the same fans who worked so hard a quarter of a century ago so that their team could return ‘home’ are now staying away to register their unhappiness with the current Roland Ducahelet regime. It probably won’t be sorted out before I say goodbye to Charlton on The Road to Wembley from Scotland but I do hope that they will have a new owner in place in the not too distant future and that the Valley will be well filled again.

Earlier today I was offered a stadium tour and corporate hospitality in ‘Club Red’ for the replay between the Dons and the Addicks by MK Dons FC. Many thanks to Colin Butler, Nick Hedges and Tim Lee for organising that and I certainly intend accepting this kind offer. They also have some other interesting blog related activities lined up for me. Intrigued ? (so am I by the way) then come back here later in the week for more detail and also more on the build up to the replay – a game that will be match 11 on The Road to Wembley from Scotland.

Planes, trains and pints: A grand day out with Robbie Neilson's MK Army

Saturday the 3^rd December 2016

FA Cup Round Two

Charlton Athletic 0 Milton Keynes Dons 0

It was trains, planes and automobiles yesterday on the Road to Wembley from Scotland  as I made the longest journey so far. Another 925 miles racked up on the 'Road'. A relatively uneventful match but an absolute pleasure to spend the day out with Robbie Nielson’s MK Army.

This is how the day panned out.

Pre Match Communications: After 7 weeks with the Dons from Milton Keynes I am now beginning to feel very much at home on their facebook forums. I have had a lot of fascinating stuff from the contributors to both the MK Dons FC and MK Dons Worldwide platforms. Over the last week when Robbie Neilson moved from my beloved Hearts to the Dons I would like to think I have reciprocated in terms of interesting stuff going in the other direction. It was great to meet the administrators of  both of these sites yesterday at The Valley. More about that later in this report.

Colin Butler and Nick Hedges yesterday: Administrators of the MK Dons FC facebook page

Charlton Athletic fans too have been very generous in helping me understand more about their club and their current plight. The Charlton Athletic FC (Unofficial and Uncensored) fb page has provided me with a lot of the background as to why the current campaign against the owner Roland Duchatelet is necessary. The contributors to the page have also provided me with some fascinating detail about their past links with Scotland (see my post dated the 17^th November). I must also name-check my twitter friend Andy Phillips (@APCAFC) who has signposted me to the background of the Duchatelet regime at The Valley.   8/10

Pre Match Pint: I was informed by Andy Phillips that the nearest  pub to the Valley is the Anitigallican opposite the station. So that is where I headed for my pre match pint.

The Antigallican: A good old fashioned boozer

As I was not driving on this day out the pre match pint turned into pre match 4 pints. Well, you are only middle-aged once! The first two were consumed in the Antigallican. This is where I bumped in to Steven Manning and John Farnan of the MK Dons Worldwided facebook page.

John Farnan and Steven Manning (Administrator of the MK Dons Worldwide fb page)

It was fascinating chatting with John about the short history of the club. He was keen to point out that AFC Wimbeldon were actually formed before the Wimbeldon FC ‘franchise’ move to MK and this was often mis-reported. John reckons that the angst shown by some AFC Wimbeldon supporters towards the MK Dons is almost a guilt thing in that they had allowed their club to reach a stage where they were effectively bankrupt and the only way they could survive (according to their own Chairman at the time Charles Koppel) was to relocate to Milton Keynes. John considers that the arrival of the MK Dons in Milton Keynes has been a very positive thing for the town and for football in general. John himself was an Arsenal supporter who has changed allegiances. As a traditionalist I did a double take here and he must have guessed my thoughts as I gave him the quizzical look and he said “who can criticise someone for supporting their local team?” Who indeed? Later I met MK Dons fans Dave and Will Garret while I was having my fourth pint inside the ground and they revealed they were ex-Leicester fans who were now avid supporters of their local team.

Father and son Dave and Will Garrett and Chris Donkin lookalike John Fitzgerald

The third pint was consumed after I left The Antigallican and before I went in to the ground. I popped in to the Charlton Liberal Club where a large sign outside the door said “No Away fans”. I reckoned this would be a good place to see what the Charlton Athletic fans made of all the turmoil that was going on at their club. As I tried to breeze past a couple of bouncers they asked ‘are you an away fan?’ and I assured them I was a Hearts fan so I was allowed in. For the last couple of weeks I have been struggling with one comment that my Addicks twitter pal Andy Phillips had made. He reckoned that currently all Charlton supporters who are disillusioned with the current regime were either protesters or boycotters. After reading a lot on social media I sensed that there might be a third camp. Those who may not be entirely pro the current regime but just wanted to go to the matches, support their team and mostly ignore the politics surrounding the club. I felt that inside the Liberal Club I could maybe meet some fans who were possibly in the third camp. At the bar I got chatting with a guy who was going to the match and has not protested. I asked him what he thought of Roland: “the sooner he fucks off mate – the better”. Based on this statistically insignificant polling sample I conclude that it would seem that even those who still go to the games and don’t protest have no time for Roland. Let’s hope that Taxi for Roland is filling up with petrol as I write.

Inside the Charlton Liberal Club before the match yesterday

This section has previously been reporting the quality of the beer consumed. In truth none of my four pints was any good but the bar-room conversations were fascinating and memorable so … 8/10

Programme: The match day magazine was priced at £2.00. It was a fairly standard and relatively unimaginative publication for a club of Charlton’s size and history. After getting the early morning train to London I flew back from Gatwick after the match. I thought great, something to read on the hour long plane flight. After 30 minutes I was finished. Oh dear. Not that much reading in it. The usual stuff was in but I was surprised there was nothing about the ‘magic of the Cup’ or indeed Charlton’s rich FA Cup history. After all, they did win it once when a Scotsman scored the only goal of the game in the 1947 final at Wembley.

There was a long interview with new boss, ex MK Dons manager Karl Robinson. This was interesting but there was no mention of the ‘elephant in the room’ - the current disgruntlement among the Charlton Athletic support and how he might deal with that. As a consequence the interview was a bit superficial. 4/10

Ground: The Valley is a fabulous all seater football stadium. Good facilities inside the ground and modern enough to luck fresh but old enough to let you sense the tradition and history. With over 27000 seats it is pretty big too. 8/10

Atmosphere: The atmosphere in the away end was fantastic. The 639 hardy souls who had made their way from MK to South London sung their hearts out. The atmosphere in the other parts of the ground must have been a bit surreal. A vast cavernous ground with less than 5000 fans in attendance.

Is there a match on? The cavernous Valley was not very well filled yesterday

I am tempted to make the old joke about there being more atmosphere on the moon. Oops I just did. 6/10

Scottishness: Both MK Dons and Charlton Athletic have ex-players who are Scots who have served their clubs with distinction (see earlier posts). However the only Scot who was named yesterday was young Scots loanee centre back Jack Hendry who was listed a as an MK Dons sub and did not take part in any of the action. It could have been that the Scots connection to this match would be tenuous but of course the Dons appointed Paisley born Robbie Neilson as their new boss on Friday.

Robbie and his assistant Stevie Crawford look on at The Valley

Robbie has been tempted away from my beloved Hearts and I wish him every success at Stadium MK. Yesterday he took a ‘watching brief’ from the main stand at The Valley as caretaker manager Richie Barker took control of team affairs for the last time. Robbie was given a warm reception by the travelling MK Dons fans who feel that they are lucky to have landed him. By my watch it took only six minutes before I heard the first chorus of “Robbie Neilson’s MK Army” … now that might well catch on! 8/10

Entertainment:

For a 0-0 draw this was a decent match played in a good spirit. Both teams looked comfortable on the ball and both sides looked to play an attractive passing game. My abiding memory of the match on the train back into central London was that it was all nice tippy-tappy football with neither team showing much cutting edge. I was hence surprised when I watched the brief BBC highlights on the i-player this morning to find that there were so many clear cut chances: note to self – miss out the 4^th pint next time.

MK Dons defending a corner during the first half yesterday

McGennis and Lookman both went close with good efforts for Charlton. Reeves, Baldock and Bowditch all tested the Charlton custodian’s goalkeeping skills with attempts on target. Maybe not so tippy tappy after all but I do feel sure that Robbie Neilson will make sure that the MK Dons create good chances more regularly in future games.

The MK Dons were definitely the better side and probably deserved to win. They had more possession, more shots off target, more shots on target and more corners. They nearly did win when in the 70^th minute they had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled offside. By heck it was close! Following a cross from the left Dons frontman Kieran Agard put the ball in the net with a fine glancing header, from what looked like an onside position to the naked eye. However the flag went up immediately.

Sian Massey-Ellis one of the best assistant referees in English football raises the flag yesterday

The lino who ruled it out was Sian Massey-Ellis the female assistant referee who was central to Sky Sports Richard Keys and Andy Gray controversy that ended with the two dinosaur broadcasters losing their jobs at Sky. In January 2011 Sky were covering a match between Liverpool and Wolves and the linesperson, then only 26 years old, Sian-Massey-Ellis made a tight offside call that was subsequently proven to be correct. Keys and Gray were not having it. Off air but in a dialogue that found its way into the public domain the politically incorrect Keys spluttered: “somebody better get down there and explain the offside rule to her”. Gray responded: “Can you believe that? A female linseperson. Women don’t know the offside rule”. Fast-forward nearly six years to The Valley yesterday.

Agard is offside: By about 3 or 4 inches !

In the above picture Kieran Agard is the central of the three most forward MK Dons players. The pic is taken at the exact moment the pass is struck. It is so tight and me and my son Brian have looked at this for ages and concluded that Agard is just offside – by a whisker! Sian Ellis-Massey certainly does know the offside rule and has also got keen eyesight and the bottle to make big calls. Shame for the Dons though that it was chalked off, but every cloud has a silver lining and I now have a replay at Stadium MK to look forward to.

Full time: Addicks 0 Dons 0  7/10

Match Day Catering: The pies on offer inside The Valley were chicken, vegetarian and steak pies. My steak pie was great but £4 for a pie is just ridiculous. 6/10

Value for Money: The admission price of £10 was very reasonable for an important FA Cup tie in good surroundings. I note from the programme that league match prices start at £17 so well played to Charlton Athletic for making the match more accessible. Just a shame that so few turned up. 7/10

The je ne sais quoi factor: Two things were notable about this match. The friendliness of the MK Dons fans and the over-the-top policing of the fixture.

Over the last seven weeks I have been in dialogue with a whole load of MK Dons fans on social media. Through the ether I have found them to be helpful, friendly and disarmingly self-effacing. These are not personality traits that are often attributed to a group of fans from a relatively big club. They have learned to live with the bad publicity that goes with them being labelled as the ‘franchise club’. In the immediate aftermath of Robbie Neilson being appointed manager someone posted on their fb site a pic of William Wallace looking uncannily like Robbie with the caption ‘they can take our lives but they cant take away our franchise’. Brilliant. They are a new club and what they lose in tradition they have more than made up with in warmth and a family atmosphere in the supporter base. Lots of women and children among the travelling support yesterday.

Robbie's MK Army: Lots of women and children among the foot soldiers

They have this business with AFC Wimbledon to cope with but other than that they seem to have a very positive view of the wider footballing community. I noted on facebook earlier today that in sympathy with Charlton supporters plight it was noted that ‘.. its a shame to see yet another great old club apparently going down the gurgler’. I wish the MK Dons well and with Robbie Neilson now at the helm I will continue to take interest in their progress long after they are knocked out of the FA Cup

The other notable aspect from yesterday was the over-the-top police presence. As noted above the MK Dons fans are just about the most friendly fans in football. Also the ‘crowd’ yesterday was a measly 4902. So it is hard to understand why the Metropolitan Police thought that they needed such a prominent presence inside the ground, outside the ground and at the railway station.

Is this really necessary: Five police horses head towards the ground to maintain order

Let me end on a toast to the good people of Milton Keynes and award the highest possible rating for the ‘je ne sais quoi factor. 10/10

Overall Road to Wembley from Scotland Rating 72/100

At this point I usually have to say goodbye to new friends who I have met from the vanquished team. However, because the match was drawn I am simply saying au revoir to my pals from Milton Keynes and Charlton. Au revoir is so much better than goodbye and I look forward with great anticipation to the replay at Stadium MK on Tuesday the 13^th December.

Miles on the clock for this match by road, rail and car 925

Total Miles on the Road to Wembley from Scotland so far 4145

A tale of two Robbies: Neilson heads for MK in time for the cup tie v Charlton as Muirhead KO's Rangers

The unique feature of the Road to Wembley from Scotland is that for each match along the ‘Road’ I look for a connection between the match and Bonny Scotland. The next match is only two days away when Charlton Athletic host MK Dons in round 2 of the FA Cup. Both teams have a rich Scots heritage and many of their former players hail from Bella Caledonia. However, with the exception of loanee centre back Jack Hendry at MK Dons, it was looking as if this upcoming fixture would be light on current Scottish involvement and influence. Then on Monday afternoon – BOOM ! Manager-less MK Dons made an approach for the Head Coach of my beloved Hearts Robbie Neilson and as I write the appointment is all but a done-deal. The bookmakers have suspended betting on who will be the next manager and ‘Sky Sports sources’ have reported that Robbie will assume full control at Stadium MK later today. Hence I have my link with Scotland but not a link I was hoping for.

Social media on both sides of the border has been in meltdown. So many questions: (i) is he a good coach? (ii) why does he want to leave Hearts? (iii) why do some Hearts fans not like him (iv) will he be a good fit for MK Dons and (v) what sort of a legacy does he leave at Tynecastle? OK, let’s take them one by one.

Yes! Robbie Neilson is a very good Head Coach. Everybody keeps saying that football is a results driven business so let us have a look at his record. Hearts is his first job as a Head Coach and in his first season he won the Championship division by a country mile. Hearts were crowned Champions with 7 games to go leaving a re-emerging Rangers and a fairly strong Hibs team in their wake. That season was truly magical for me. So many goals and so many big victories, so much good football to watch and so many truly memorable experiences. Robbie put his stamp on proceedings and his watermark was pass pass pass then score! He inherited a talented group of young players but so many of them he improved and they became better players under his tutelage. In Hearts first season back in the Premier Division Hearts finished 3^rd and qualified for Europe. Not many promoted teams finish so high after coming up and this too was a truly remarkable achievement. This is his third season in the job and what a way to end his time in Gorgie. Last night Hearts beat Rangers 2-0 in front of a sell out crowd at Tynecastle. The scoreline does not do Hearts justice and Hearts should have scored more goals – Rangers were lucky to get nil! Defeating either of the ‘Ugly Sisters’ is always sweet but to hammer them with an energy, skill level and relentless determination was beautiful to watch. In the results driven environment Robbie ticks every box.

My view on why Robbie wants to leave Hearts is connected to the fact that there is a perception up here in chilly Jocko land that all the footballing streets in England are paved with gold. I was in the Merchiston Hearts Supporters Club last night (aka The Merky) and standing in the queue for the bar idly glancing at the pre match coverage on the big screen TV. Robbie Neilson’s coupon appeared on the screen. The sound was off but you could see him smiling as he answered questions – this is very unusual for the normally dour Neilson. “Aye yer smiling now because yer thinking of yer first pay packet from Milton Keynes ya cunt” commented the guy in front of me at the bar.

Robbie Neilson last night: He smiles once a year but needs an anesthetic first

Despite the fact that MK Dons are in the third tier of English football and Hearts sit proudly in second position in Scottish Premier Division it seems very likely that his wage at MK Dons will be significantly higher than his salary at Tynecastle. I don’t think this is the full story though. I think the ambitious Robbie wants to test himself in another environment. Call it self actualisation if you like. MK Dons have a magnificent 30000 all seater stadium and the town has a population of 230000. The potential is there. I have only been to Stadium MK once but it is an environment that would not look out of place in the Premier League. Robbie must be thinking ‘now if I could get this club going..’

As you will have guessed by now I am a big fan of Robbie Neilson. A great young coach and a decent man and when he was younger he gave great service to my beloved Hearts as a player, notably scoring the pivotal penalty in the shoot-out in the 206 Scottish Cup Final (see my blog post dated July 3^rd). However I have to concede that he is not universally popular with all of the Hearts fans. The guy at the bar at The Merky was not completely off message with the whole of the Hearts fan base. A couple of things don’t work in Robbie’s favour. One is his dour demeanour and secondly his role as ‘Head Coach’ rather than ‘Manager’ encourages some of the Hearts fans to think of him as ‘Leveins puppet’ (or poodle as some of the more cruel fans will have it). I don’t have a problem with ‘dour’. I would rather my team boss was serious and business like than animated and flippant. The relationship with Levein is interesting . Unusually for Scottish football Hearts have a ‘Director of Football’ and ‘Head Coach’ arrangement rather than the God Almighty figure-head ‘the buck stops with me’ Manager set up. Ex Scotland manager Levein is The Director of Football and does have influence but Robbie takes the training and Robbie picks the team. The relationship between the two in my opinion is often misunderstood. I firmly believe that the current success of the Hearts team on the pitch is attributable to Neilson. Also, some fans are very difficult to please and have very short memories. Prior to the back-to-back wins at Tynecastle over the last four days Hearts had been on a short win-less run that included a loss to Kilmarnock and a draw at Hamilton. Hardly the end of the world in my opinion but enough to have some of the mad dogs within the Hearts support foaming at the mouth (and yes, I do mean you Roy Robertson!). So, on balance there are a few vocal and social media-savvy dissenters but the majority of the Hearts fans were behind Robbie and it was great to hear the chorus of “there’s only one Robbie Neilson” ringing out at Tynecastle during the last five minutes of the match last night.

I think Robbie will be a great fit for MK Dons. The one occasion I saw them in action I got the impression that this was a team that wanted to pass pass pass. They seemed to have a team full of players who looked comfortable on the ball and Robbie will build on that. He has a commitment to develop young players and I imagine this too will go down well at Stadium MK. In Chairman Pete Winkelman the Dons have a figure head who has a reputation for giving young managers time and space to progress the club. This could be a match made in heaven. It is reported that Robbie will take his trusty assistant Steve Crawford with him and I am confident that it won’t be long before the two of them are celebrating success at Stadium MK

Neilson and Crawford last night: Not long before they will be celebrating at Stadium MK

Robbie leaves Tynecastle with the Hearts beating strong. Last night was just such a great night to be at Tynecastle. Seeing one half of the bigot brothers getting humped by a commanding young well coached Hearts side was a joy. In the current Hearts squad Scottish International Calum Paterson, Jamie Walker and Sam Nicholson have all progressed from the Academy to become first team regulars under the watchful eye of the fastidious Neilson. Hearts have also gone into the transfer market and picked up young players from elsewhere in Scotland and then turned them into better players. Ex Dundee United fringe players John Souttar (20) and Robbie Muirhead (20) both starred last night. Robbie’s legacy is that he leaves behind a young side full of flair and aggression that should claim a place in Europe at the end of this season and are poised to challenge for domestic honours.

It is a quirky coincidence that on the night Robbie Neilson said goodbye to Tynecastle another Robbie (young Muirhead) announced himself as a Hearts star of the future. Signed in the summer he has been gently introduced to the first team action and has started very few games appearing mostly as a late substitute. Last night he was given the left side midfield berth and scored two great opportunist goals. His first two goals for the Jambos.

Robbie Muirhead celebrates scoring his first ever goal for Hearts

... and then kneels before the Hearts fans ... oh what a feeling !

That other Robbie puts Hearts 2-0 up against the team formerly known as Rangers

Robbie Muirhead seemed to enjoy scoring for Hearts and I certainly enjoyed seeing him do it.

Last night I watched as Robbie Nielson directed operations from the dug out in Tynecastle. On Saturday I will sit with the MK Dons fans at The Valley and watch as Robbie Neilson directs operations for the MK Dons side. Funny how things work out.

Who will win? Will I be following Robbie from Charlton to Milton Keynes in round 3. Will The Addicks turn it on and knock the Dons out of the Cup. Will the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet stage a protest at the game on Saturday. It is going to be fascinating stop on The Road to Wembley from Scotland. Keep reading to see how it all pans out.