Messages

16

Lowland League Team / A Convincing victory

« on: June 13, 2021, 05:49:56 PM »

5-0 against Blantyre Victoria. The longer the game went on, the more Colts took control. It was a great team performance and it provides reasons to be optimistic considering that most of the players are new to the team. The team was well-organised and showed determination in their constant pressing and winning back the ball. There were some excellent passing moves and plenty of creativity. The second goal was a beautiful long distance shot. Overall, a very enjoyable Saturday afternoon. The only thing that puzzled me was the division of the stand into sections which resulted in almost all of the fans finding themselves in the same section. Seemed strange to herd the fans into a smaller area than normal during the time of Covid restrictions. I suspect there was a reason for this but I have to admit that, as yet, I can’t figure it out. ??

17

Lowland League Team / Great to be back

« on: June 05, 2021, 05:59:04 PM »

So good to be back at Broadwood and to see some familiar faces. The limiting of the space on the main stand made for a better atmosphere. A lot of new players in the squad, most of them listed as trialists but good to see some of the longer serving players such as Stephen O’Neill and Craig Murray, as well as the return of Richard Kirwan. It was an entertaining game and Colts scored two excellent goals which looked enough to finish comfortably with a 2-0 victory but Musselburgh came back with two very late goals to secure a draw. No doubt there is a lesson to be learned about complete concentration until the final whistle and no better place to learn such lessons than in friendlies rather than league or cup games. Anyway, it was great to be back watching football in a stadium rather than on television. Looking forward to our next friendly at Broadwood in a week’s time.

18

Lowland League Team / Gratitude to Craig McKinlay

« on: May 25, 2021, 05:27:54 PM »

I have just watched Craig’s farewell interview on twitter. My son and I have been following the Colts from season one and we have always felt that Craig and James have done a fantastic job managing Colts. Fourth in season one and then later the League Cup victory but more importantly they put together a team that played football in an entertaining way. I am sure that James will continue that tradition but we just wanted to express our gratitude for what Craig has brought to the club. Although we are fans and don’t witness what goes on behind the scenes it was always obvious to us that Craig was supportive of the players and they in return showed him both respect and a fondness. It will be sad to see him missing from the technical area but our best wishes to him for the future.

19

Lowland League Team / Summer Football. Hooray.

« on: May 25, 2021, 10:04:55 AM »

I am very much looking forward to the Euros starting next month but Summer has just become even better knowing that Colts home friendlies will be streamed live although I also remain hopeful that we will be able to return to Broadwood for the new season. Looking forward to seeing Colts in action again. With the promotion of Kelty Hearts and the previous promotion of Edinburgh City I think it has become obvious that the Lowland League is a very competitive league displaying a high standard of football considering it is Scotland’s fifth tier. Anyway, Forza Colts!!

20

Lowland League Team / Just Say No

« on: April 20, 2021, 05:24:14 PM »

As a loyal fan of Cumbernauld Colts I urge our board not to join the European Super League. Reject the billions and uphold the principles of fairness and sportsmanship in football.
(Have we been approached yet?)

Forza Colts!

21

Lowland League Team / An unlikely 14th

« on: April 05, 2021, 06:11:21 PM »

Sad to see the Lowland League season coming to an abrupt and incomplete end. The decision to use a points per game calculation to determine league positions has not pleased every fan or club but it is unlikely that any decision would have received total support. Colts ended up in 14th position which would be their lowest ever position in the six seasons that they have competed in the Lowland League. I certainly think that in our club records and in the Lowland League records a very large asterisk should accompany such information because it is highly unlikely that the points per game positions would match the actual final positions if all of the scheduled games had been played. As nobody knows what the final positions would be, I will allow my imagination to create the scenario where the Colts began an unbeaten run and ended up in first position, certainly not 14th.

22

Lowland League Team / The Highs and Lows

« on: December 19, 2020, 11:30:32 PM »

An eventful last seven days for the Colts: our victory in the Scottish Cup against Tynecastle; the exciting early Sunday morning draw for the next round of the cup; the midweek disappointment of not getting all three points against the Strollers and then today’s defeat to Berwick Rangers. The highs and lows, the ups and downs of being a football fan.
On a more positive note: Good to see the online football programme to accompany today’s game and good luck to those at the club taking part in the sleep out at Broadwood in order to raise money for a worthwhile cause.
Forza Colts!

23

Lowland League Team / Both entertaining and disappointing.

« on: December 06, 2020, 02:45:16 PM »

Eight goals, controversy and incident. It certainly made for an entertaining game although the final outcome wasn’t to our liking. I haven’t yet seen the replay of the penalty controversy but it was certainly a significant turning point in the game because it did look as if Colts could have made a comeback if the score had gone to 4-3. Spartans are usually one of the top teams in the league but this season there seem to be several other clubs in contention for the top spot. If I was a betting man my money would be on Kelty but it is still early days and hopefully Colts can put together a few good results and start to climb the table.

It’s good to see the reports of Colts games on the website as well as the excellent streaming service now in place. Armchair supporter is no longer a negative term. That’s all we can be until things change.

24

Lowland League Team / Uphill Struggle

« on: December 01, 2020, 12:22:03 AM »

Going down to 10 men, losing our captain and one of our most creative players is not something you want to see at any point in the game but so early in the game made all the difference. The team played well despite the early sending off but as the game went on the Braves began to create chances and after they scored their goal you could see a confidence begin to emerge after such a poor run of form for the Braves. For us, this was an opportunity to gain some points but sadly the best laid plans of mice and men......

Despite the disappointing result the live stream coverage was excellent once again. The camera work and the commentary were of such a quality that I think I could get used to sitting in the warm dry comfort of my own home rather than the cold dreich afternoons at Broadwood. It was a pleasure to listen to the commentators keeping us entertained with their knowledge and banter. Looking forward to our next home game.

Forza Colts!

25

Lowland League Team / Great coverage

« on: November 25, 2020, 11:05:37 PM »

Despite the 2-0 defeat to Kelty, it was an enjoyable evening for several reasons. First of all it was great to see the Colts in action again at Broadwood rather than follow the score on twitter. The streaming was first-class and the commentary team were informative and entertaining. They had certainly done their homework and they produced a professional commentary that wouldn’t have been out of place on any of the major TV networks. I am looking forward to Saturday’s coverage.

It was our second defeat to Kelty within a few days but considering the disparity in resources between the two clubs we produced a well-organised and determined performance that not only limited Kelty to two goals but we also created several chances that came close to getting us back in the game. I don’t normally enjoy being a witness to any Colts defeat but somehow tonight’s game was an exception because of the performance and the coverage.
Forza Colts!

26

Lowland League Team / Onwards and Upwards

« on: November 18, 2020, 05:10:29 PM »

A great 4-0 victory over Vale of Leithen which takes us up to 10th position with a game in hand over the two teams above us. This is one very competitive league. I suspect that many of the teams in the Lowland League are capable of competing with many of the teams in Division 2. It is significant that no team that has been promoted from the Highland or Lowland league has been relegated from Division 2. I suspect that this trend will continue. Hopefully, Colts will eventually reach the top but in the meantime as every manager is fond of saying ‘One game at a time’.

27

Lowland League Team / A great comeback

« on: November 12, 2020, 06:00:31 PM »

I didn’t see our glorious comeback against the Shire but  I read the details on the twitter feed. To go 2-0 down at the beginning of the second half and then to stage a three goal comeback is an achievement that the team should be proud of. Victories against the Shire or Berwick Rangers are, for me, very special because these are both teams that have graced the Scottish league for many years. They might not be as good as past teams but they are still teams with a lengthy and admirable tradition. We are newcomers to Scottish football creating our own traditions and history. One major trophy already in our cabinet: the Lowland League Cup. (Hmm.....do we have a trophy cabinet or am I only speaking metaphorically?)

28

Lowland League Team / An honourable draw

« on: October 31, 2020, 05:59:02 PM »

I followed today’s game on twitter and getting a draw away from home against a very good side such as Bonnyrigg is a welcome result after our disappointing defeat to BSC. Having said that when we went a goal up and then Bonnyrigg were reduced to 10 men things were looking good but it wasn’t to be. However, I think an honourable draw was appropriate today because of the sad passing of Bonnyrigg’s most famous former player, Sean Connery.

29

Lowland League Team / The perfect victory Scotland style

« on: October 24, 2020, 09:27:09 PM »

Colts 3 Uni of Edinburgh 0
Great to see the Colts notching up their first league victory of the season. Many posts ago I mentioned that an Italian journalist once claimed that the perfect victory was 1-0. I think that claim summed up the Italian style of football many years ago when the best sides found one moment of weakness and pounced. After that they defended their 1-0 lead. It occurred to me that here in Scotland the perfect score is 3-0. It marks a convincing victory without humiliating the opposition, provides plenty of goals and brings satisfaction to the goalkeeper and defence in keeping a clean sheet. Let’s hope we can have a few more perfect victories this season, although I would be prepared to settle for any victory.
Forza Colts! Come on the Colts!

30

Lowland League Team / Reassuring highlights

« on: October 15, 2020, 05:37:20 PM »

Good to see the highlights of the game against Stirling Uni. It was reassuring for two reasons: firstly Colts had some really good spells of football and from what I could see they played better than in their opening game; secondly, the penalty that gave the Uni team the lead was the result of the misguided changes to the handball rule. It seems obvious to me and no doubt to many other lovers of the beautiful game that the handball rule needs to be returned to how it was previously. Only deliberate handball deserves to be penalised and we can trust our referees to make that judgement even with the knowledge that they will sometimes be mistaken.