South of Scotland League

Wednesday 6th May 2026

Kick Off 19.00 On Time!

Lochmaben 1 Abbey Vale 1, attendance 92

16’ 0-1 (pen)

45’ 1-1

@ Whitehills Park

Whitehills Avenue

Lochmaben

DG11 1QP

£4 Admission

No Programme.

The trip to Scotland was rounded off by taking in this game at Lochmaben, which was en route home anyway and even better, it completed the South of Scotland League for me.

Lochmaben play at Whitehills Park, in the east of the town, which is just to the west of the A74(M). There’s a small car park as you enter from a narrow lane off Whitehills Avenue, with the pitch running lengthways in front of you. The changing room building is on the right hand touchline and has a small overhang on the front and also houses a tea bar. The pitch is fenced along each side, with the far side, where the dugouts are, having advert boards acting as infills. Grass banking runs along this side and extends behind the goals at both ends, whilst scenic views and farmland act as a backdrop.

This match brought down the curtain for this league’s fixtures, with 7th hosting 6th in the table and apart from the visitors being able to finish one place higher than they started the day if they were to win, there wasn’t much riding on it. It didn’t stop both teams putting on a decent display though and the game was in the balance right up to the final whistle. Abbey Vale went ahead after sixteen minutes, converting a penalty that was awarded for a push in the back. Lochmaben equalised right on halftime, when a long ball forward was finished first time into the bottom corner from just inside the box. There was a clash of heads involving two home players midway through the second half, resulting in nine minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game. Three minutes into this, Abbey Vale saw a header tipped around the post and from the resulting corner a header that went narrowly over the crossbar. In the dying seconds Lochmaben had a shot tipped onto the crossbar and the final whistle blew as the ball was hacked clear by a defender.

Having stayed overnight nearby, it was a drive back south the following morning, which took exactly six hours, including a couple of stops.

West of Scotland League

Premier Division

Tuesday 5th May 2026

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.32

Rutherglen Glencairn 0 Auchinleck Talbot 1, attendance 235

38’ 0-1 (pen)

@ Hamish B Allan Stadium (New Southcroft Park)

69 Toryglen Road

Rutherglen

G73 1HZ

£10 Admission

No Programme.

I’d seen Rutherglen Glencairn play at home back in October 2006, in what was their penultimate game at their former home ground Southcroft Park, where they beat Irvine Victoria 3-1 in a West of Scotland Cup 1st Round match. That ground was lost to the M74 extension, with the club getting a new ground just south of the former site, to the south of the motorway and the railway line that runs behind the north goal end. The car park and changing rooms are behind the south goal end, as is the tea bar that sells the normal fayre you’d expect at a Scottish non-league ground. They did a roaring trade, helped by the bloke in front of me in the queue whose bill came to £39 (yes thirty nine), as he was buying for a few of his mates too. On the left touchline there’s a covered piece of terrace behind the dugouts, flanked by three steps that run to the corners. Opposite are another three steps that run the full length of the pitch, with a small bit of cover at the halfway line. There’s spectator access on all four sides as well as four floodlight pylons down each touchline.

As with my game in this league on Saturday, it involved two clubs who’ve won the Scottish Junior Cup. Rutherglen have four wins, as well as three runners up achievements, whilst visitors Auchinleck have the best record of any club, appearing in seventeen finals and they’ve won fourteen of them, with no other club managing more than five! Rutherglen came into this sitting second bottom in the league table, but have no relegation fears due to the Lowland League restructuring at the end of this season. Auchinleck, on the other hand, are going for the title, despite coming into this in third place in the table. They’d lost the League Cup Final to leaders Troon on Sunday, going down 0-1 to a late goal at Broadwood Stadium, having been down to ten men late in the first half, but are still on for a double, as they’ve also got the Scottish Junior Cup Final versus Largs Thistle to come at the end of the month.

Rutherglen certainly made the visitors work hard for this, although not so much from threatening to score, but being very hard to break down and defending resolutely from the off. The visitors did create a few chances, but just couldn’t get a final touch when it mattered. In the end it was a penalty that separated the two teams and came seven minutes before halftime, when a striker cut inside from the right before being scythed down just inside the box and Ewan Turner gave the ‘keeper no chance from the spot. The goal was well received by the large away following, who made up around half the crowd.

After tonight’s games the top of the table now sees Troon on 61 points (2 to play), Cumnock Juniors on 60 points (3 to play) and Auchinleck on 57 points (5 to play). Next game in this division is on Thursday evening….when Auchinleck host Cumnock!

Above : Auchinleck net the winner from the penalty spot.

Caledonian League

Premier Division

Monday 4th May 2026

Kick Off 19.00 Actual 19.01

Drumchapel Amateurs 4 Strathclyde University 1, attendance 47

13’ 0-1

27’ 1-1

42’ 2-1

71’ 3-1

83’ 4-1

@ Glenhead Park

Farm Road

Duntocher

G81 6HF

No Admission or Programme.

Having been in Campbeltown yesterday and planning on doing a game near Glasgow tomorrow night, this re-visit, after a gap of nearly nineteen years, slotted in well with the schedule. The last time I was here, was for the ground sharers at the time Clydebank, who lost on penalties to Petershill in a S.J.F.A. West Region Cup Winner’s Cup Preliminary Round tie, after a 1-1 draw in ninety minutes. Tonight was a game involving the normal home club, Drumchapel Amateurs, who were top of the league coming into this game, boasting a 100% winning record from their ten games played, whilst Strathclyde University were propping up the table, managing just one win and one draw from their games.

The ground was much as I remembered, with just the one side accessible to spectators, although the steps under the cover looked rather new, so maybe they’ve been relaid since my last visit. The near goal end acts as a car park, with the two storey clubhouse/changing room building in the corner. The far side has grass banking, which runs round behind the far goal and there’s a dugout on each touch line.

Strathclyde University got off to a great start, hitting an unstoppable shot past the ‘keeper from the edge of the D after thirteen minutes. Drumchapel levelled just before the half hour mark, when a quick break and cross from the right was tapped in at the far post. Three minutes before halftime the hosts went in front, when a long throw in was headed in from six yards. The second half saw Drumchapel have an early shot deflected onto the crossbar and have a goal disallowed for offside, before making it 3-1 with nineteen minutes left, juggling the ball up before sending a shot high into the roof of the net. Strathclyde had a chance to get straight back into it, but saw a penalty well saved by the home ‘keeper, before Drumchapel made the game safe with seven minutes left, when a corner was cleared to the edge of the box, but returned with a volley that gave the ‘keeper no chance. A couple of minutes later the visitors hit the crossbar with a header, but the hosts deservedly took the three points as they march on towards the title.

West of Scotland League

Division 4

Sunday 3rd May 2026

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Campbeltown Pupils 1 Eglinton 5, attendance 88

5’ 0-1

10’ 0-2 (pen)

29’ 0-3

52’ 0-4

67’ 1-4

81’ 1-5

@ Kintyre Park

Limecraig Road

Campbeltown

PA28 6LP

£5 Admission

No Programme.

The 150 mile drive down to Campbeltown last night, via A82 and A83, took around 3 hours 20 minutes from Blantyre. It would have been done by the much shorter Ardrossan-Campbeltown ferry in the past, but that route no longer runs. Despite being further, the scenery en route more than makes up for it, taking you via Loch Lomond, Loch Fyne and the town of Tarbert, before heading south along the Sound of Gigha and cutting back across Kintyre just before Campbeltown Airport, heading southeast into Campbeltown itself.

The walk from the harbour to the ground took around ten minutes. There’s plenty of parking, with the entrance to the ground being behind the goal at that end. There’s a table set up for refreshments, with the changing rooms building and toilets just beyond. The pitch is fenced off and has a pair of wooden dugouts on the left touchline. The far side has grass banking and a number of park benches dotted along the top. There’s no cover here, but thankfully it remained dry and the afternoon improved as it went on.

Campbeltown are finding life difficult at this level, having lost all bar one of their league matches played so far, a 1-1 draw at home to Giffnock in early March being their only point picked up. Both teams had played yesterday, Campbeltown going down 6-0 at Carluke Rovers and seventh in the table Eglinton losing 2-4 at home to league leaders East Kilbride Y.M.

Pupils got off to the worst possible start, conceding the opening goal after just five minutes, when a cross from the left saw an easy tap in at the far post. Five minutes later they conceded a penalty, before a far post finish, following a free kick, saw them go 0-3 down just before the half hour mark. Any hopes of a comeback disappeared four minutes later, when Pupils had a man sent off for picking up a second yellow card. It could have been worse, but their ‘keeper saved a penalty just before halftime to keep the deficit at three goals going into the break. The ten men conceded a fourth goal early in the second half, but did manage to pull a goal back midway through the half, when a long clearance saw their striker win the race to the ball with a defender and poke the ball past the ‘keeper from just inside the box. The visitors rounded off the scoring with nine minutes left, turning on the edge of the D and firing a shot into the bottom corner.

West of Scotland League

Division 2

Saturday 2nd May 2026

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

Blantyre Victoria 2 Ashfield 1, attendance 115

7’ 1-0

48’ 2-0

82’ 2-1

@ KG Stadium

Castle Park

Forrest Street

Blantyre

G72 0DL

£8 Admission

No Programme.

After heading north yesterday, with an overnight stop in Longtown, it was a little over an hours drive further on to Blantyre, just southeast of Glasgow, for the start of a few days north of the border. My chosen match was between two teams who’ve certainly had an illustrious past, with Blantyre Victoria having won the Scottish Junior Cup three times and been runners up once, with Ashfield having won it four times and twice been runners up. Their glory days are long gone, but the ground here at KG Stadium (Castle Park pre sponsor days) still hints of those former glories. There’s two seated stands behind one goal, with a couple of sections of open seating in front of the changing room building. Opposite, behind the dugouts, are two sections of covered standing and a bit of crumbling terracing too. There’s a tea bar too, selling the normal fayre you’d expect at a game in Scotland.

The match was 3rd versus 13th in the league table, with Blantyre unable to improve on that position and Ashfield having no relegation fears due to league restructuring at the end of the season with the expansion of the Lowland League that will cause shortages from infilling the clubs who make the step up. Unlike in England, there was no fear of teams not bothering to fulfil their fixtures, or indeed not treating the game seriously and this was a cracking game, with both teams giving it 100% from start to finish. Blantyre took a seventh minute lead, when a through ball was deflected and fell perfectly for a low shot into the far corner. Two minutes into the second half they saw a point blank save from the Ashfield ‘keeper prevent a second goal, but within a minute they did indeed double their lead, when a free kick just wide of the D beat the ‘keeper into the near bottom corner. Eight minutes from the end Ashfield pulled a goal back, when a cross from the right was touched in at the near post, making for a nervy finish for the hosts, but they were unable to force an equaliser.