S.J.F.A. East Region

Midlands League

Friday 2nd August 2024

Kick Off 18.45 On Time!

Kirriemuir Thistle 2 Brechin Victoria 0, attendance 162

63’ 1-0

74’ 2-0

@ Westview Park

Westmuir Road (A926)

Kirriemuir

DD8 5AZ

£6 Admission

No Programme.

With one of the Midlands League’s Referees getting married tomorrow, as well as a number of other Referees attending the wedding, the league asked if clubs would switch their games to Friday evening, to help ease the possibility of games being postponed due to a lack of available officials and luckily for me, of the three clubs that did agree to change, Kirriemuir Thistle were one of them (the other two were Blairgowrie and Forfar United, where I’d already been) and it was only forty minutes drive north east from our hotel in Scone, so fell perfectly.

It was the opening league game of the season tonight. It was 6th versus 16th (out of 20) as far as last season’s final placings go and saw a decent turnout for this Angus derby, with the two clubs some 17 miles apart. Westview Park is on the south west edge of town, on the left hand side of the A926 heading towards Westmuir. There is car parking available inside the ground, as well as in a car park on the other side of the road, which was the chosen option. Entering in the corner, the clubhouse, changing rooms and tea bar run along the left hand touchline, whilst on the opposite side is a raised seated stand, with a pair of dugouts in front. The pitch, which was in absolutely superb condition, is fully railed, with plenty of advert boards and there are also floodlights, although I’m not too sure if they were more for training under, rather than for match use. They certainly weren’t needed tonight anyway, despite drizzle falling during the first half and light rain in the second, as the game was done and dusted by half past eight and still light on arrival back at our hotel at 21.15.

As for the game, it was full blooded throughout and although there were chances at each end, Kirriemuir always looked the more dangerous in the attacking areas. The hosts had the best chance of the first half, but a point blank header was pushed wide by the ‘keeper. The opening goal came just after the hour mark, when a cross from the right was headed in from 10 yards by a midfielder arriving late into the box. They saw a free kick, heading for the top corner, brilliantly tipped over the crossbar, before finally making it 2-0 with sixteen minutes left, when a ball into the box was flicked past the ‘keeper into the bottom corner from six yards.