NEWTONGRANGE STAR F.C

NEWS

 Newtongrange Star Supporters Club

Bus to Ballingry for game on 28th January ,Cancelled due to weather

Next show for Supporters Club members and guests is the brilliant MILESTONE, who play at the Star Club on SATURDAY 1st OCTOBER at 8pm. Tickets (£5) are on sale now.

The Supporters Club sponsored walk has now been re-arranged for SUNDAY 18th SEPTEMBER, leaving from the Star Club at noon. Anyone who would like to join the walk, or sponsor someone please speak to any of the Committee, or email us at NittenStar@hotmail.co.uk

Unfortunately due to our publisher being on holiday, we have been unable to produce a newsletter this month. The next issue will however be out early next month.

The Star Newsletter Issue 1 now online....see menu
Membership for 2011-12 only costs £2 (£1 for concessions). Anyone wishing to join can email us at NittenStar@hotmail.co.uk or ask any of the Committee.

Good afternoon folks,
Just a reminder to everyone that our sponsored walk around the village and surrounding area is 2 weeks today - SUNDAY 4th SEPTEMBER, leaving from the Star Club at 10am.
We're hoping to have as many walkers as possible - bring your family and friends along too to make it a real success. If you haven't got your sheet yet, I'll have them at the games on Wednesday and Saturday - even if you only get a few sponsors, every contribution will help towards boosting our funds to help subsidise away travel and pay for shows at the club. We will also be making a donation to Newtongrange Gala Day from the proceeds. If you can't make the walk yourself, please sponsor someone, or pass the word around to anyone you think might want to participate.
Cheers,
Gordon 

MESSAGEBOARD IS BACK, ANY OBSCENE MESSAGES WILL RESULT IN THE MESSAGEBOARD BECOMING MEMBERS ONLY,
PLEASE DON'T SPOIL IT FOR OTHERS.

The Committee of Nitten Star Supporters Club meet again on
Monday 20th June 2011 (7.30pm) in the Star Club.

Any supporters club members wishing to attend the meeting are welcome to do so. If any member would like to see the minutes or Treasurer's reports from these meetings, or would like to be kept informed personally of any events or news, please contact us at NittenStar@hotmail.co.uk.

Nitten Star Supporters Club will be represented for the first time at this years Newtongrange Gala Day (Saturday 11th June).

Look out for our decorated taxi in the parade (alongside players showing off the East of Scotland Cup), and supporters will be handing out leaflets and stickers along the way.

There will be a stall in the public park (alongside the official Newtongrange Star stall), and keepy-uppy contests for different age groups with trophies to the winners.

You can guess the teddy's birthday and the number of sweets in a jar to win prizes, and Nitten Star badges will be on sale (50p each)

Supporters Club memberships will also be available for anyone still to buy one.
Annual membership is £2 for Adults or £1 for concessions. Life memberships are also available for £20 or £10.

Whilst the Supporters Club Committee will be covering the various duties, any member willing to lend a hand on the day is most welcome to do so, and to attend a meeting at the Star Club on Thursday 9th June at 7.30pm to finalise plans"

SUPPORTERS CLUB BUS TO CUP FINAL

Nitten Star Supporters Club will be running a bus to the East of Scotland Cup Final against Dundee North End at Kelty next Saturday (4th June), kick off 2.30pm
  The bus will leave from the Star Club at 12.45pm, and will return directly after the game.
  The fare will be £6 for adults and £3 for children/OAP's
A notice will go up in the Star Club over the weekend to take names, but anyone definitely wishing to travel please contact us by any of the methods listed below.
PLEASE NOTE THIS BUS IS FOR MEMBERS OF THE SUPPORTERS CLUB ONLY
- anyone wishing to travel with us who is not already a member can join by contacting the club at NittenStar@hotmail.co.uk, phone us on 07964840890 or contact any of the following; (membership is £2 for adults or £1 for concessions)
 
Office bearers;
Scott Dorans (Chairman)
  Gordon Stanners (Secretary)
  Joe Wilson (Treasurer)
Committee ; George Ormiston, Isobel Gunn, David McKeon, Stevie Tait, Maureen Wilson, John Dempster, Steve Halley, Garry Blues, Stan Adams.

   SUPPORTERS CLUB COMMITTEE MEETING
The first monthly Committee Meeting of the Supporters Club takes place in the Star Club on TUESDAY 31st MAY at 7.30pm.
  Any member of the Supporters Club who wishes to come along and attend the meeting is welcome to do so.

Thursday night saw the launch of the new "Nitten Star Supporters Club", set up to bring supporters together, help to raise awareness of the club in the ever-expanding village and beyond, raise funds by various means to help subsidize travel to away matches and hold functions in the club for members, and try to assist the football club in attracting local sponsorship.
The meeting was very well attended, and within 48 hours almost 50 members have joined up already.
Office bearers and a committee were appointed, a constitution was adopted and numerous positive suggestions were put forward by supporters on the night.
The first Supporters Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday 31st May at 7.30pm in the clubrooms.
All members will receive a monthly newsletter (from June onwards) giving details of matches and forthcoming events, with contributions from supporters, players and management. Annual membership fees have been kept deliberately low at £2 for adults and £1 for concessions. Life memberships are also available for £20 (adults) or £10 (OAP's).
A recruitment drive and publicity campaign for the Supporters Club will take place at Newtongrange Gala Day on Saturday 11th June, being represented in the parade and selling memberships in the public park on the day. Anyone interested in joining us please contact the club by e-mail at NittenStar@hotmail.co.uk, or any of the following members;
Office bearers; Scott Dorans (Chairman)
  Gordon Stanners (Secretary)
  Joe Wilson (Treasurer)
Committee ; George Ormiston, Isobel Gunn, David McKeon, Stevie Tait, Maureen Wilson, John Dempster, Steve Halley, Garry Blues, Stan Adams.

The first meeting of the Supporters Club will take place in the club on Thursday 12th May at 7.30pm. Office bearers will be confirmed, a constitution and structure will be discussed, fundraising plans will be outlined and there will be the opportunity for us all to discuss future plans and how we can build up our membership. All supporters are very welcome.
-GORDON STANNERS
(yaweemonkey@hotmail.com)

"Scott Dorans,, Jos Wilson and myself (Gordon Stanners) have decided to take the bull by the horns and start an official Supporters Club from next season onwards. We will have a meeting soon to set up a constitution, and give as many other interested supporters as possible a chance to involve themselves. We have a number of ideas on ways to raise funds for the Supporters Club, which will hopefully go towards subsidising transport to away matches, help to pay for disco's or bands for nights in the club and to fund supporters prize draws or sponsor match balls etc.
The annual membership fee will be kept deliberately low to attract as many members as possible, and supporters of all ages are most welcome to join. All members will receive a monthly newsletter, which will involve contributions from players, management, Committee and supporters. By bringing supporters together in this way, hopefully we can all do our bit to help the club and the team through trying to help the Committee in attracting sponsorship, bring some money into the club by holding regular functions and just make us all feel more involved with the club. I have spoken to club officials about this, and they are keen to give us their full support.
I will speak to supporters at our remaining games this season to spread the word, gauge interest and get as many contact details as possible to keep supporters informed of any meetings and subsequent fund-raising activities during the summer".
-GORDON STANNERS
(yaweemonkey@hotmail.com)

"As most of the Newtongrange supporters will now know I have resigned my position as manager. This is not a decision based on any recent results nor is it because I am moving on to another job. Life as a football manager can be very rewarding but it can also have a detrimental effect on other aspects of life. As a football club we have certainly had our ups and downs during my reign but for me the positives far outweigh the negatives. The most rewarding thing for me by far has been the development of the young players we were lucky enough to pick up during my time as manager. Most of them have gone on to be regulars in our team and play a big part in bringing the club up to where they are today. Not only have they achieved these results but I believe they have given you, the paying public some excellent entertainment along the way. A successful club needs people behind the scenes and also supporters who care about the club and I have been luckier than most on this front. Firstly I have had Alan Prentice and Colin Affleck supporting me on the playing side and Bernie Morocco making sure the injuries are dealt with. Secondly, the club would not function as it does without the tireless work done by Rob Clark who has supported me on all aspects of the club since day one. Thirdly, a special mention for the loyal supporters who watched us home and away, always giving the players great encouragement even in defeat.
  Last night was very emotional for me as I spoke to the players about my resignation and I do admit to having a tear in my eye. The emotion comes from having formed a bond with Newtongrange Star as a club, and all that’s left is for me is to thank everybody for their friendship and support in the last six years".
-Graeme-

"Last Saturdays defeat to Bathgate was a big disappointment to all concerned at Newtongrange. In truth it was almost a mirror image of the earlier league game we lost at Bathgate, again we had most of the ball, made most of the chances but came away with 0-2 defeat. Although we played reasonably well in the first half, there seemed to be a lack of urgency in the game and from our point of view there wasn’t enough quality in the final third where it really matters. It was as if our players just expected to score but were not doing enough to make it happen. As is so often the case in low scoring games, it takes a mistake to break the deadlock and it is fair to say that both goals we lost on Saturday were the result of glaring errors which thankfully is not the norm for our team. After Bathgate’s first goal we did manage to raise the tempo a bit and created a number of chances to equalize but alas it was not to be. A timely wee reminder to us that every victory has to be hard earned between now and the end of the season. This week we visit Glenrothes in the East of Scotland Cup. Our hosts have just had a great run in the Scottish Cup and were only beaten narrowly last week by Rob Roy. They will be looking to bounce back and a difficult game is in prospect".
- Graeme

"It is a huge disappointment to me personally that all the talk after the game is centred around an incident which does reflect the manner in which we play our football. For the first hour of this game there was no sign whatsoever of any indiscipline which makes what happened even more bizarre. The mayhem started with a challenge from behind on Scott McCulloch which we all felt was a clear foul although not given. This challenge left both the centre half and Scott in a heap on the ground. I will not comment on what happened next but suffice to say that Scott did not throw any punch, which is deemed violent conduct and now results in a three game ban. I would be first to criticise any player should they leave the team shorthanded but on this occasion I feel he has been extremely hard done to.
Back to the football, this was another important three points in our fight to escape the drop at the end of the season. Our first pleasant surprise was on arrival, to find the pitch in first class condition and certainly conducive to good football. Most of the good football in the early stages was played by a fast moving home side who took a deserved lead and could easily have doubled that advantage soon after. Around the twenty minute mark it was as if somebody flicked a switch and changed the flow of the match, because for the remainder of the half and right up to the aforementioned incident we played some of our best football for some time. During that period we scored four goals to put ourselves in what we thought was an unassailable lead. How wrong we were, as Forfar scored almost immediately after the ordering off and somehow we knew that the finishing line was a long way off. It took a great save from our goalkeeper near the end to ensure that we held on for a valuable victory which I felt we richly deserved. This week we take a break from league football when we entertain Bathgate in the Fife and Lothians Cup. For the first time in a while we will be forced into changes, but I am sure the players who have been on the bench recently will be itching to get out there and do their bit for the team".- Graeme

"If somebody had told me midway through the first half on Saturday that we were about to lose six goals in the game I would have told them to go and have a check up at the hospital. Football can be a cruel game at times but we certainly contributed in a huge fashion to our own downfall. It had all started so brightly with almost total domination in that first quarter of the game with the only downside being that we were only one goal in front. What followed, I have not seen from a Newtongrange team for a long time. Errors are part and parcel of the game but on Saturday we committed football suicide and in a very short space of time we left ourselves with a mountain to climb after losing three goals, all of them avoidable from our point of view. A late penalty miss in that first half probably killed our last chance of getting back in to the tie and the mistakes continued in to the second half giving us a heavy four goal defeat. Like all good teams Beith were able to take full advantage of our slack play and there is no doubt in my mind that they will prove hard to beat in this seasons Scottish Cup. We wish them well in that quest. For Newtongrange it is now a season of trying to avoid relegation and it goes without saying that points will be hard to come back if we defend as we did on Saturday. Kelty are our next opponents and they are a team we seem have struggled against recently. Our players will need a big collective effort in this very important fixture".- Graeme

"With the weather finally relenting, we were all delighted that competitive football was back on the agenda. During the previous nine weeks all we had managed was one friendly against Brechin City, and as always in these circumstances it is difficult to predict how the players will cope with the tempo of a Scottish Junior cup tie. Beith are currently among the top junior sides in Scotland and it was always going to be a tough encounter in which to return. At the end of a very tough match I was both pleased and disappointed with the outcome. I felt that Beith were the better side in the first half and Newtongrange had the better of it in the second. In that first half we were too often second to the ball meaning that we couldn’t get enough good possession in our opponents half. The consolation we had was that we defended very well, restricting Beith to only a few efforts at goal. Nevertheless I was relieved to go in at the interval on level terms. The second half saw a distinct improvement in our play resulting in more play around the opposing box. Midway through that second half the opening goal arrived and with us looking pretty solid defensively, I had high hopes that we might go on and win the tie. It was not to be however with Beith equalizing late in the game to ensure a replay this Saturday. All in all I was reasonably happy with the performance but obviously very disappointed to lose the lead at such a late stage". - Graeme.

"The victory on Saturday was just reward for the efforts our players have put in over the last month or so. The position we find ourselves in is a great disappointment to all concerned at the club, but we are all united in our determination to improve over the rest of the season. There are no easy games in this league and despite the scoreline, this was no exception. I always believe that we play at our best when the tempo of the game is high and on Saturday we were able to do that for most of the game. The first goal in any game is important and we were delighted to open the scoring in only ten minutes although it required an excellent save from our goalkeeper to keep us in front soon after. Had they equalised at that time who knows how the game would have turned out, but when we scored our second midway through the half our opponents then had a mountain to climb. The third goal soon after the interval gave us a cushion which could have been vital had Hill O’Beath converted their penalty. That miss and our fourth goal gave us a slightly flattering finishing score although I felt it was a thoroughly deserved victory in a hard fought game. We now have to maintain the drive, energy and determination we showed in all our games from here on in. As I speak we still don’t know if Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against Beith is on or off. If the referees strike results in Beith’s replay against Airdrie being off then our game would go ahead. We will prepare for the game as normal until we have a definite answer. We could not have picked more difficult opponents as Beith are arguably the top junior side around at the moment, but on the positive side it gives our players a great game to play in. I watched the results come in on sky news after last Saturday’s game and deep in to added time, Beith were still leading only for a last gasp equalizer to deprive them of what by all accounts was a well deserved victory. We look forward to their visit whenever it takes place." - Graeme.

"There is no respite for us just now as we suffered another defeat at Bathgate on Saturday. We certainly had enough of the ball to have achieved a better result but ultimately our lack of killer instinct around the box cost us the three points. As has been the case recently. I felt the players attitude and effort was first class but we are now desperately in need of a result to restore some badly needed confidence. This week we welcome Fraserburgh to Newtongrange in the Scottish Cup. Our visitors have had similar problems to ourselves in the North Super League and will also see it as a chance to gain some confidence. Despite recent results our supporters have given us tremendous encouragement and we will need you all behind us again on Saturday in our efforts to reach the third round". -Graeme.

"If you were a neutral at Saturday’s game against Linlithgow I am sure you would have gone home thinking that you got value for money after a pulsating 90 minutes. The problem is, we are not neutral and the final result deepens our problems at the foot of the league. The attacking nature of both teams led to a game where chances galore were created at both ends, and in all truth the score could quite easily have been even higher. From our point of view, having been ahead three times it was heartbreaking to end up with nothing, especially conceding the winner deep in to added time. Our team problems were well documented and we ended up playing a couple of players who were not quite 100%.This didn’t really affect us in the first half but as the game approached the last quarter it was obvious we were running out of steam a bit and with the quality Linlithgow possess we ended up hanging on a bit. It’s fairly obvious that if we are to have any chance of surviving then we mus!
 t start winning games soon and on Saturday at Bathgate we face another very difficult fixture. The same spirit and skill level would give us a fighting chance of picking up that elusive first win". - Graeme

"Another disappointing result on Saturday has given us a mountain to climb if we are to survive in the Super League this season. Although things didn’t exactly go our way in our latest defeat there is no doubt we have contributed to our own downfall on too many occasions this season. Again on Saturday you could say that we were very unlucky to leave with nothing as for the most part we were the better team, but if truth be told we are not taking enough of our chances at one end and are conceding far too many soft goals at the other end. I think it’s fair to say that the first half hour last Saturday was pretty one sided with Newtongrange doing nearly all the attacking, and a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping was all that kept the teams even. As has been the case recently we were punished for not being in front when we conceded the opener in one of Tayport’s rare attacks. On this occasion it was a poorly constructed wall which presented our hosts with the opener. I knew that lifting the players at half time was going to be difficult as they wondered how we had managed to come in at the interval one goal behind. Adding to the problem was the knowledge that Tayport are a very difficult team to break down once they get their noses in front, and so it proved in the second half. We did build up a bit pressure in a spell where their goalkeeper brought off a number of great stops but it was to be Tayport who increased their lead from a really well taken free kick. There was a lot of frustration among our players, management and supporters on Saturday at some of the refereeing decisions which seemed to go against us on Saturday. We at Newtongrange are rightly proud of our discipline record over a long period of time and it was disappointing to see us ending with only nine men and a large number of bookings. I would be the first person to crack down on any player who I feel is letting himself or the club down but I do sympathise with the players on this occasion as I felt the inexperience of the
 referee was a contributing factor. I am allowed to ask the referee for a discussion after a cool down period and on Saturday I did feel it would be a good thing but unfortunately he declined that opportunity (as he is allowed to do). I found this disappointing at a time when we are all looking for better relationships between referees and managers. It doesn’t get any easier for us on Saturday when Linlithgow visit us on league business. I have been trying all week to secure a couple of loan deals to boost our injury ravaged squad but the two players have turned down the move, leaving us with real problems. Whatever happens we have to keep battling and hoping that we can turn the corner soon".- Graeme

"This season’s league campaign is proving very difficult for us with another defeat against Forfar on Saturday. Losing games has become a habit for us at the moment and despite our best efforts we still managed to end up with no points. All five games league games lost have been by the odd goal but that is no consolation and indeed highlights the mental problems we have in trying to get back to winning ways. There were some encouraging signs during the game however and I am sure that given our share of the breaks we can turn this around. The game itself was a very tight affair and when we went in front it looked like we could go on and win the game, however a couple of errors very late in the game turned the game in Forfar’s favour and our visitors left with all three points. You had to feel for our players, who had put so much in to the game only to lose out so near to the end. There is no room for despondency in football, and we now turn our attention to this week’s game at Tayport. We have twice been up there on Scottish Cup duty in recent years without success so we know how difficult it will be against a team who were promoted last season and have adapted well to the Super League". - Graeme

"Our league form this season is a major concern for us all even after only three games. Saturday’s game against Musselburgh continued the trend of giving cheap goals away, and this seems to be sapping the energy and confidence from the team. Only hard work and determination from everyone will help turn this around and the players are very well aware that results are not what they should be. On Saturday we lost the opener when, not for the first time this season, we failed to defend a routine set piece. It took us a long time to create anything in that first half but from our first real opportunity we got back on level terms before the interval. Just when it looked like we were starting to control the match we shot ourselves in the foot by conceding yet another soft goal when a simple long punt up the park eluded our defence for what turned out to be the winning goal. We did up our game a bit after this and created a few chances to get back on level terms but you always felt we were chasing the game.
This week we have a break from league football when Steelend are our visitors. It sometimes sounds like a long playing record but we will be looking for a vastly improved performance from recent weeks". - Graeme

"The end result on Saturday was a lot more acceptable than the performance on the park. The pitch at Camelon is very narrow and time on the ball is always short which means that awareness and sharpness are always going to be important. For large parts of the game our hosts were ahead of us in these departments, making it a very difficult game for us. We started really well again and took the lead with a well worked goal in the first few minutes. From then till half time however our defending as a team was what can only be described as abysmal, and it was no great surprise that Camelon went in to the interval with a one goal advantage. After the break we managed to tighten up a bit and compete on a more even basis, although if truth be told we did not have the quality in our play to create many goal scoring chances. Our equalising goal in the fourth minute of added time was of course a great relief to us all giving us our first league point of the new season. The players can take some credit for battling right to the end but we as a club know that we must do better if we are to compete in the weeks ahead". - Graeme

"Despite winning our final game on Wednesday, we failed to qualify for the League Cup semi finals as Linlithgow Rose won their final section game at home to Armadale. Our 3-1 defeat earlier on at Linlithgow turned out to be the decisive result in the section as we lost out by one point. The game on Wednesday proved just as difficult as we expected with Spartans looking for the win that could have taken them through to the semi final. In a fairly even first half, real goal scoring chances were few and far between as both teams battled for supremacy. We did strike the bar just before half time and this led to a second half where we gained the upper hand. We started to pass the ball with a bit more purpose, and with that came more efforts at goal, so it came as no great surprise when we opened the scoring on the hour mark. The game opened up a bit after this and we were able to get behind their defence and create more openings but it took us till the dying minutes to get the goal that finally killed the game. It was a good test for us against a team I feel will be one of the favourites for promotion from the South League.
The Super League starts on Saturday when we have Lochee as visitors. Both games last season ended in draws and another close contest seems likely against a very experienced and capable team". - Graeme

"Games come thick and fast at this time of the year with the League Cup section coming to a conclusion on Wednesday. Linlithgow and Spartans are heading the section but there is still a chance for us to go through if we can beat Spartans and Linlithgow drop any points against Armadale. Our game last Wednesday at Pumpherston was won comfortably enough although the final margin could and should have been a bit more. Some of our play in the final third was very sloppy and needs to be a lot sharper for the start of the Super League. On Saturday West Calder were our visitors and in the first half, you would never have guessed there were two leagues between the teams. West Calder were hungrier, more committed and thoroughly deserving of their half time lead. The second half saw a much improved display that saw us eventually win the game by the odd goal, but the players know that starting matches in that fashion will lead to problems in the league games ahead. Spartans have had a great start to the campaign and having drawn with Linlithgow and won the rest of their games, they will be full of confidence that they can go on and win the section. For our part I want to see an improvement on recent games and hopefully a victory to go with it".- Graeme

"As expected Linlithgow proved very difficult opponents at a very warm Prestonfield on Saturday and in the end we had to admit defeat. It was not all doom and gloom though as I felt that given a fair share of breaks we could have left with a better result. Linlithgow’s strength however is that they take better advantage of the breaks that do go their way. We got off to a poor start when indecision in our defence led to a soft opening goal. Despite equalising almost immediately from the penalty spot we again found ourselves behind when our hosts scored direct from a free kick. Before the free kick was taken I was unhappy with our set up and we will be discussing this at training tomorrow. Winning at Linlithgow is difficult enough, but to concede two softish goals makes it an extremely tall order. That said, for the remainder of the half and the first half hour of the second half we played some really good football and really should have equalised given our domination. As so often happens when you don’t score, the opposition do and in Linlithgow’s first real effort of the second half they scored the goal that finished the game as a contest. That goal knocked the stuffing out of us, and as tiredness set in we in fairness could have lost a few more near the end. As I said before the game, Linlithgow remain the benchmark for other teams to match and hopefully our players can see that we are getting closer even if it is a big disappointment to lose". - Graeme.

"The new season kicked off with a home League Cup Tie against Armadale. Any worries we might have had about our relatively short pre season seemed to be put to bed as we started the game with a bang. To be three nil ahead midway through the first half was more than we could have expected and with better finishing it could have been more. Armadale, as we would expect did not lie down and reduced the deficit before half time. The second half was more of the same but without the goals. Both teams found the net once and we ran out 4-2 winners. Overall I was reasonably happy with the performance although we need to defend a lot better. There has been quite a significant change of personnel at the club this close season and we will be working hard over the next few weeks to ensure that they understand the way the team plays. Settling in is never that easy at a new club, but as long as we are patient with them I am sure they will go and contribute a lot to the team’s progress. On Saturday we visit Linlithgow for a match we should all be looking forward to. They are the benchmark for all East Junior teams and it looks to me as if they have strengthened their team again for this campaign. We have to go there with a positive attitude, but also have to defend a lot better than we did midweek. Lastly I would like to thank all the departed players for their contribution to Newtongrange Star. David White, Ross McKenzie, Andy Fairbairn, David Murie, Ubong Umotong, Ross Fairbairn and Mark Lunn have all moved on in the close season and we wish them well at their new clubs. Damien Gielty will also be unavailable this season as he heads over to a new teaching career in Luxembourg. Damien has been a tremendous servant to the club and was deservedly capped by Scotland last season. He will be missed greatly and of course will be welcomed back on his return to Scotland" - Graeme.

Pre-season friendlies

Saturday 24th July - Civil Service Strollers v Newtongrange Star (ko 1:00pm)
Civil Service Sports Association ground, Muirhouse
 
Spartans FC - Website
Our pre-season tourney has also been confirmed. It is on 31st July/1st August this year to give the grass pitch a full eight week rest so this has ruled out SFL opposition. Newtongrange Star and Musselburgh Athletic from the East Junior Super league provide the opposition for our Senior and Junior teams. The Saturday fixtures pitch our Juniors against Musselburgh at 1pm and then our Seniors against Newtongrange Star with a 3.30pm ko. The Sunday will see a 3rd/4th place play off before the final. Admission will be £5/£3 on both days.

"Our season came to an end last Saturday with a 2-2 draw against Lochee. With our visitors still needing a few points for safety it was arguably a bigger game for them, although for our part we wanted to finish the season on a high. On one of the hottest May days I can remember, both teams can be congratulated for putting on a decent show in such conditions. The first half was fairly even although Lochee will feel they probably should have scored with one of the few chances created. After the interval I felt that we started to control the game more and eventually opened the scoring with an excellent long range effort. After this goal it looked like Lochee had run out of legs a bit after their exertions earlier in the week and at that stage it looked like we would go on and win the game. To their credit Lochee dug deep and not only levelled but then went in front with a cracking strike from the edge of the box. It took a last gasp header from a corner to level the game and give both teams a share of the points. Our final league position will not be decided till around June 12th but I remain hopeful we will be in the top half. We now look forward to a well earned rest before pre-season training starts again in July. Enjoy the break".
Graeme.

"Although the result was a huge disappointment, there were signs on Saturday of a return to form for many of our players. Playing against a very experienced team who are on a high just now with the Scottish Cup Final round the corner, we knew we would have to play well to compete with them. Having lost the toss, we kicked off in to the stiff breeze and early signs were that the players seemed to have recovered their zest. Although real goal scoring chances were scarce the general feeling I had was that we were winning the midfield battle and causing Linlithgow a fair few problems. The incident just on half time just about summed up the way things are going for us just now when the ref failed to consult with his lineman on a critical decision, ultimately costing us what was a legitimate opening goal. Who knows what might have been had we started the second half in front with the stiff breeze behind us. As it happens we ended up playing a large part of the second half with ten men which disappointed me as our discipline is normally really good. Although our ten men tried manfully to get the equalizer, it was not to be and Linlithgow finished proceedings with a late second goal. Although feeling a bit aggrieved at the outcome I do believe that breaks even themselves out over a season, and will try to make sure that the players don’t dwell on this when we meet Camelon tonight. Another difficult game is in prospect as Camelon’s recent form has been as good as anyone’s including winning the league cup against Linlithgow". - Graeme.

"As teams catch up with us on number of games played it is clear that the points required to stay in the Super League might be a bit higher than first thought. With this in mind it was important to get our season up and running again after a barren spell of late. Although the overall performance was again sub standard, we gained three valuable points with a late winner. On a very difficult and bumpy pitch the first half was evenly contested with Hill O’Beath dominating the early stages and Newtongrange showing up well in the spell before half time. Our visitors opened the scoring on the counter attack after we lost possession in their half. It was no more than they deserved at this stage and we knew we had a fight on our hands to get something from the game. Our players did respond and we at last started to play with more desire. After missing a gilt edge chance to equalize we were awarded a penalty which was duly converted to get us level at half time. Before I had arrived back in the dugout Hill O’Beath were down to ten men after an incident close to the half way line. From that moment onwards we found it difficult to create much against a hard working team who were still dangerous on the break. As time went by it was looking increasingly likely that the game would end in a draw until with a few minutes left we grabbed the winning goal. To say that the quality of the goal had little in common with the rest of the game is an understatement but we were grateful for it anyway. Football can be a strange game, as we played far better against Hill O’Beath earlier in the seasoury ravaged squad but the two pl now travel to play Linlithgow who have done the East Region proud by qualifying for this seasons Scottish Cup final. Hopefully last weeks result will give our players a bit more confidence to go on and play something close to their best".-Graeme.

"Two games in consecutive weeks against a very strong and in-form Kelty side has resulted in back to back 2-0 defeats. However while the results were the same the performances were very different. In the Fife & Lothians game at Nitten, we simply didn't turn up and had 9 of the 11 players at well below their normal standards. In saying that it took 2 spectacular goals to beat us, but to be fair we were well beaten and the most dissapointing aspect being we didn't create one single chance. This week we travelled to Fife and I was looking forward to a serious improvement in the performance. The set up is excellent at Kelty and playing surface good considering the overnight rain. Our game plan was to keep things tight early on but that strategy went out the window after 1 minute when they scored. After that the first half was very even, but we changed formation at half time to try and get even. I felt our 2nd half performance was as good as we've played since before Xmas and cannot believe how their goal stayed in tact. Some fantastic goalkeeping and a slice of luck and we just couldn't get that all important equaliser. Their 2nd goal was a real blow but even after that we kept going and I was dissapointed to say the least that Damo's corner goal was chopped off as I don't think many people saw anything wrong with it. Every team goes through sticky spells and we just have to keep believing and work even harder and it won't be long before we're back on winning ways. This week we have a free Saturday, so the players will have time to forget about football and hopefully come back next week all refreshed and revved up for our final 6 league games. A final note to say thanks again to our travelling supporters, who were willing us on in the 2nd half and that really lifted the players, unfortunately we couldn't deliver a goal, but it wasn't for the lack of trying". Cheers, Alan Prentice

"After a 5 goal thriller last week, nobody would have predicted a 6 goal one this week – but that’s exactly what we got. These last 2 games have certainly been an emotional rollercoaster for all at the club. We quite easily could have had 6 points from 6, instead of only the 1 – but that’s what makes football so unpredictable and why it’s the game we all love. However at 2.30 on Saturday – with 2 further calls offs due to illness, just before kick off and therefore only 11 fit players to select – I’d have taken a point there and then. Even more so 25 mins in to 2nd half when Bo’ness had us pinned back with a succession of corners and us hanging on at 1-1. However goals change football games and after our resolute defending we broke and scored - what in any league would be a worthy ‘goal of the season’. All of a sudden the game swung our way and when we got our 3rd and Bo’ness lost their centre back in to the bargain – all looked great for 3 vital points. Unfortunately, as with the Bonnyrigg game, we made some minor errors that snowballed and cost us dearly and before we knew it, were walking off the pitch with only 1 point. However, all in all, considering the injury/illness problems we had before the game and the quality of the opposition – I can only praise the players for a magnificent effort. This week, we welcome Kelty Hearts to New Victoria Park for a Fife & Lothian’s Cup match. They have been on a fantastic run of form recently, so we must regroup and prepare for another really tough match. After all the excitement and goals of the last 2 games – I’d take a 1-0 Star victory with both hands. See you Saturday, Alan Prentice.

"A local derby at any level of football is always a special occasion and Saturday’s match at Bonnyrigg certainly lived up to it’s pre-match expectations. Whilst maybe not good for the coaching staff, the first half must have been great for the fans - end to end action and four goals to enjoy. For us, after a poor start we got right back in to the game and after going 2-1 up put ourselves in a position to win the match. The next goal was therefore going to be crucial as if we’d gone 3-1 up, I felt the Rose would have struggled to come back. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t capitalise and the pendulum swung back in their favour with the equaliser. The 2nd half was again played at a great pace however unlike the first, I felt we were more in control but couldn’t turn the good possession and chances in to goals. That was until the fateful ‘goal’ that never was and like the Scottish tie at Tayport, we have been unfortunate in a crucial decision that has turned the game. If we’d gone 3-2 up at that stage, we felt the game was ours, but all credit to Bonnyrigg for capitalising and getting the winner in spectacular fashion. I hope this allows them to kick on and stabilise their league position for next season – as local derby’s like this are great for Midlothian football. Without much time to catch breath, we welcome the league leaders on Saturday in what now is a huge game for us if we’ve any chance to bridge the gap. We’ll be doing everything possible to get the players ready and look forward to the usual fantastic Star support to cheer us on. It looks like the weather and playing conditions will be perfect, so let’s hope the match is as good as last week’s – but with a Star victory to savour this time". See you behind the goals!! – Alan Prentice  

"The game after a Scottish Cup exit can be difficult for any team, and I was especially worried given that our recent performances have not been up to standard. I reminded the players before the game that during a spell when confidence is low there is only one way out, and that is hard work. I deliberately changed both the team and formation on Saturday just try to try and freshen things up a bit and although we didn’t play particularly well in the first half, we at least competed and fought hard for each other. With Glenrothes having a man ordered off just on the interval we reverted back to our more familiar formation and immediately started to look more dangerous. Once we opened the scoring you could almost see the confidence returning and scoring five goals was an added bonus. Make no mistake though this would have been a much tougher second half had our opponents kept eleven men on the park. We now hope that our players can use that second half performance to fire themselves up for our remaining league games, starting with Whitburn on Saturday We fought out a 2-2 draw at Whitburn earlier this season and I am sure this week’s game will prove just as difficult". -Graeme.

"The disappointment felt by everyone at Newtongrange Star on Saturday is difficult to put in to words as for the first time in a long while I felt we under achieved in a big game. If we are being honest however, the signs have been there that all was not well with the team. Since the enforced weather break we have not been anywhere near our best and struggled through our two previous matches. On Saturday we arrived at Tayport knowing full well that our hosts were going to prove difficult opponents to break down and the first goal was vital. Tayport started the hungrier team and only after the first fifteen minutes did we assert any authority on the game. Although we did hit the bar we found it difficult to create too much on the bumpy pitch. The second half started in much the same manner where the football on show can only be described as scrappy. It was Tayport who drew first blood with around half an hour to play when they scored from the penalty spot and from then on we found it hard to break down or opponents who defended deep and in numbers. Although there were a few close things along the way you just had that feeling that things were not going to go our way. All in all a very disappointing display after all the hard work to get to that stage. Our job now is to pick the players up and try to finish as high up the Super League as possible. On Saturday we have a home match with Glenrothes who last Saturday had a tremendous 3-0 win over Kelty." - Graeme.

"The result was better than the performance on Saturday when we left Olive Bank with all three points. All games are difficult in this league and Saturday proved no different with all the Musselburgh players right up for it from the kick off. The game started with Musselburgh, in an unusual 4-5-1 formation having the best of it and posing us some problems around our box. After this initial burst I felt we took control of the game for a while forcing Musselburgh back in to their more familiar 4-4-2 formation. They regained control at this point and deservedly went ahead before the interval when a well delivered free kick was headed home from short range. The second half started in a similar fashion with the hosts appearing the hungrier team and no great signs of a comeback. However, with only one goal in it you know there is still a chance given our goal scoring record and that belief was strengthened when the home left back was red carded for a late challenge with still a half hour to play. This incident seemed to fire our players up and shortly after we were level with a well worked move down the left finished off with a great header. We had the bit between our teeth now and another well worked goal soon after put us in front, a position we fought hard to maintain till the final whistle. While we never quite managed to get in to our normal rhythm, credit to Musselburgh for that, it was nonetheless a gritty performance and three hard earned points. We now face a visit to Tayport in the Scottish cup where the winners will gain a place in the last eight of our national trophy. Tayport have a proud recent history having won this trophy no less than three times. We know how difficult it is up there having lost on our previous visit a few years ago, and we will have to raise our game a fair bit from Saturday to give ourselves a chance". Graeme.

"It was tough for all teams coming out of a long period without games and adding to the problem, we had a tough looking tie away to Larkhall in the Scottish Cup. The game proved just as difficult as we expected with our hosts putting on a spirited show. The small compact pitch meant there was very little time on the ball and good football was at a premium. We adapted reasonably well in first half and could possibly have gone in to the interval with more than the one goal advantage, although Larkhall did strike the crossbar with a long range effort. In the second half we were second best in terms of possession and found ourselves on the back foot for much of the half. We had to rely on a strong defensive display which restricted Larkhall to very few sights of goal, to get that all important one goal victory. We should be proud as a club to have reached the last sixteen of The Scottish Cup for the third year running and we look forward to Friday’s draw at Hampden. Back to league business on Saturday with a visit to Musselburgh, meeting the team who pipped us for the title last season. Musselburgh have continued their progress of the last few years and have proved to be a handful for all opponents in the Super League. We will need to raise our game a fat bit from last week to have a chance of winning this one". - Graeme

"On my first visit to Lochee it was a pleasant surprise to find that the pitch was in good condition, and with very little wind the stage was set for what turned out to be a very entertaining game. The start was disastrous for us as we fell two goals behind in double quick time. The pitch at Lochee is only just over 100 yards long with the ball transferring very quickly from one end to another and in the early stages our defence were unable to cope. Both goals were avoidable to say the least and we had a mountain to climb if we were to get back in to the game. Near half time we lost two of our players through injury which made our dressing room a busy place at half time. To the players credit we turned the game around in double quick time and then midway through the second half actually went in front. Unfortunately we again contributed to our own downfall when some poor defending led to a penalty for the home team, which they converted to finish the scoring. It was a game that both teams will feel they could have won but a draw was probably a fair outcome. We have a good number of young players in our squad and these are the games they will learn most from. The experienced gained will be invaluable in making them better players for the future and although their mistakes cost us goals, they also contributed hugely to our second half comeback.
This week we are back to cup football with a Fife and Lothians tie against Kelty. We have already had a very close league match against them this season and can expect the cup tie to be no different".
-Graeme.

"It maybe wasn’t the flowing football we all like to watch but it was still great to have the local derby with Bonnyrigg back as a league fixture. The players from both sides put a lot into the game on a heavy pitch and gave the crowd plenty to talk about. For the first quarter of the match we played really well and dominated possession, but significantly we failed to score during this spell and as sometimes happens in football we were punished when Bonnyrigg in their first dangerous attack split our defence wide apart to open the scoring. Goals change games, and for the remainder of the half we failed to create much against a good Bonnyrigg defence. Despite a slow start to the second half we worked our way back in to the game and were rewarded with the equalizer from the penalty spot. Normally we would have hoped to kick on from there and win the game but we were dealt a severe blow soon after when we reduced to ten men with the ordering off. Those who know me are aware that I demand good discipline from our players at all times and we pride ourselves on our record over the last few years. If Damien had gone over the ball I would not have been happy with him but it was my opinion that his foot never left the ground and he can consider himself very unfortunate to have been red carded. Down to ten men it was always going to be difficult and so it proved, with Bonnyrigg putting us under severe pressure in the late stages. We defended with plenty spirit though and held on for the point. A draw was probably just about the right result and keeps our unbeaten home league record. On Saturday we reach the halfway point in our league campaign with a very difficult trip to Lochee. After being promoted many pundits expected us to struggle in the top league and after our first game hammering from Boness it seemed they might be correct. All the players therefore deserve great credit for the way they have applied themselves and gained the number of points we have. Lochee will provide another stern test on Saturday and anything we take from the game will be hard earned".- Graeme.

"We were delighted to be back playing football again on Saturday after the enforced break. Thankfully there wasn’t too much rustiness in our play and we progressed quite comfortably to the next round of the Scottish Cup. Lewis came South on a decent run of form so a good start was important for us to discourage our North Super league opponents. With only five minutes on the clock we got the breakthrough we wanted and two further goals before half time virtually ended the game as a contest. The early second half goal ended any doubt there might have been and if truth be told the second half was a bit of an anti climax. We are now in the last thirty two and await next weeks draw with interest. We are back to league business on Saturday with a home local derby against Bonnyrigg Rose. The teams need no introduction to each other and I am sure the players and supporters of both sides will be looking forward to our first league clash for some time". - Graeme.

"A lackluster first half was more than compensated for by a blistering second half which saw us score four goals without reply in Saturdays league match. It seemed all very low key at the start with a flat atmosphere in the ground, so it was up to the players to lift their game and give the fans something to shout about. In a first half best forgotten, there were precious few goalmouth incidents at either end with Bathgate just about shading possession. The half time orange juice must have worked wonders as it was a different Newtongrange who turned up for the second half. A superb early goal seemed to take all the pressure away and we went on score another three excellent goals while keeping a clean sheet at our end. If Bathgate had a difficult task at 2-0 down, their task became impossible when they had two men sent off in the incident leading up to our third goal. We now have a free weekend ahead which may not be a bad thing as it gives our long term injured players, as well as those playing with niggling injuries a chance to recover. Our next game is a visit to face Lochee in another league game. They started the season with a bang, although recent results have not gone to plan. Lochee were rightly one of the favourites for the league this year after their exploits in the Scottish Senior Cup last season and will be keen to get their season back on track". - Graeme.

"Our recent run of good results continued on Saturday with a hard fought victory over Pollok in the Scottish Junior Cup. A close game was expected by most and that’s exactly how it turned out. Pollok started better than us and for the first twenty five minutes or so I thought they were the sharper team. The encouragement for us during that spell was that we restricted Pollok to very few efforts on goal, with the only real scare being a well worked free kick from distance that nearly deceived our goalkeeper. In the last period of the first half we got a foothold in the game and missed a couple of excellent chances to take a half time lead. You always wonder if misses are going to come back and haunt you, especially against a top side like Pollok, but thankfully for us on this occasion they didn’t. The close nature of the game continued in the second half with a few chances being created at either end, but as is so often the case, it took a set piece to decide the game. A corner from our left was headed home from close range to give us the lead midway through the half. We knew Pollok would throw the kitchen sink at us in the remaining minutes but we held our nerve well and saw out the game to give us a place in the third round draw. My job now is get our feet back on the ground and make sure the players realize that the recent run of results were made possible by hard work and application added to the talent they have. We are back on league business this Saturday in a home game against Bathgate. It is never easy beating a team twice in a few weeks and the victory we had there recently will have no bearing on this game. Bathgate will be even more determined to reverse the score this time round and we must make sure we are up for this challenge". - Graeme.

"Creamery Park Bathgate seems to be a place where we enjoy playing at the moment. We followed up our cup final victory last season with a well earned league victory on Saturday. The surface at Bathgate is conducive to good passing football and in the first half in particular I thought our movement and general play was excellent. Facing the stiff breeze in that first half we had to defend well from the many corners and free kicks that Bathgate had, and that we did. For our part we created a number of good chances but were still delighted to go in at the interval with a one goal advantage after a really well worked goal. A one goal lead is always precarious and there was a ten minute spell in the second half when Bathgate put us under severe pressure. During this spell we made our one and only defensive mistake and we had to thank our goalkeeper for keeping us in front from the resulting one on one. Shortly after we scored our second and it was only then that our players relaxed a bit and played more like they did in the first half. Given Bathgate’s recent form this was an excellent result for us and one that sets us up nicely for our Scottish Cup encounter with Pollock on Saturday. Anyone who knows their junior football will be aware that Pollock have been one of the most successful sides in recent times and they will quite rightly start the game as favourites. From our point of view it is another chance to show people the progress that has been made and make sure we give ourselves the best possible chance to progress. The atmosphere at this game should be a bit special and let’s hope both sets of players and fans enjoy the occasion and do junior football proud". - Graeme.

"It’s swings and roundabouts I suppose but I felt we played better the previous week than in Saturdays narrow victory over Camelon. The two games were similar though in that our best work in both was done in the first half. On Saturday we came out the traps fast, scored an early goal and generally had the game under control up to half time. You are always aware that a one goal lead is never enough in football and in the second half we nearly paid for not securing a bigger lead in that first half. As the second half progressed Camelon began to push more men forward and certainly had more possession than us. When a team commits a lot of players forward against us I always feel we are capable of hitting them on the break and on Saturday we had a couple of great opportunities to do just that. We didn’t capitalize on these chances though and after a number of close calls around our goal area, Camelon got the equalizer their play in the second half deserved. The game was now in the balance with the next goal almost certainly the winner. Unlike last week it was to end in victory when we scored with a tremendous finish near the end. A very welcome three points were won which keeps us up near the right end of the table. We have another tough away fixture at Bathgate on Saturday, against a team who have found a bit of form recently. Last weekend they thumped Ballingry on their own ground and we know from experience how difficult that is. In Jim Lister they have one of the top strikers in junior football as well as some other excellent players and it will be a big challenge for us. These are all great games to be involved in and we must go there, be positive and give it our best shot".
- Graeme.

"Nobody is ever happy to lose in football but to lose in time added on last Saturday was particularly hard to take. It was a disconsolate away dressing room at the end of another entertaining league game. Keir’s Park is a small tidy little ground with an excellent playing surface which should encourage players who want to play passing football. In the first half on Saturday I felt we did just that with some of our best play of the season so far. It was therefore a bit disappointing to go into the interval on level terms, and if there is any criticism we can give it is that we failed to capitalize during that first half. As it was we had to come from behind to stay level at the break. At this level you cannot dominate all the time and Hill O’Beath upped their work rate in the second half and certainly had there moments, but I think it is fair to say we deserved at least a draw from this game. We now play Camelon at home, having crossed swords with them in the league cup in the last two seasons. They are a fine side who are well established in the Super League, so as always a good performance will be required". - Graeme.

"A much improved performance on Saturday gained us three vital points in our league campaign. The contrast with last week could not have been greater with all fourteen players used, contributing something to our cause. With teams in this league so closely matched in ability, it is vitally important to get all other aspects of thegame correct. On Saturday we did, and were rewarded for our commitment, work rate, preparation and will to win. We had barely taken our places in the dugout when we were awarded a penalty which was duly dispatched to give us a welcome early lead. A second goal followed shortly after and although there were further chances at both ends I think our two goal interval lead was well deserved. We knew Linlithgow would come out in the second half determined to get back in to the game so we were all delighted when we scored a third from our first corner of the second half. It was
now a case of trying to keep a clean sheet and not allowing our opponents any opportunity or encouragement to mount a fightback. This we did, despite tiring a bit in the final quarter where Linlithgow dominated possession for the first time. During the latter part of the game we were forced to use a centre half as a makeshift forward as injuries and a wrangle about our new signing’s eligibility deprived us of cover in that area. We hope these issues are cleared up for next week’s game. We now make the short journey over the Forth Bridge to visit Hill O’Beath who themselves had a terrific Scottish Cup win at Kinnoull last Saturday. All our homework suggests that they have some very talented players who will provide formidable opposition. From our point of view we need to get our preparations
correct and make sure we give ourselves the best chance of getting a result, with every point a prisoner. For me this is a first ever visit to Hill O’Beath so it’s one I look forward to, hoping to get a result as a bonus. - Graeme.

"Saturday’s game was yet another reminder that there is more to winning football matches than just turning up. We can have no excuses about going out the cup as we were a shadow of the team that I know we can be. To win matches you normally need the majority of your players playing well and the others at least putting in a good shift. This season we have had only a few players playing to their capabilities in each game making it really difficult to get results. Make no mistake if we continue to perform at the level we are at just now, then we are in for a very tough season. We as a club can react in two different ways. We can accept things as they are and take the consequences or we can roll up our sleeves, work harder and strive to achieve better performances. Only those with the latter attitude will remain long term with the club. I don’t really have anything positive to take from the game itself. In a game where we had plenty possession, we rarely threatened and it took till the last few minutes to show the urgency required to score goals. With a strong wind blowing it was not surprisingly set pieces that provided the main threat and after coming close early in the first half Broughty eventually scored the opener from another of their many corners. Although enjoying plenty of the ball I cannot remember us troubling their goalkeeper much in that first half so we could have little complaint at being behind at the break. With the slope and elements behind us in the second half I hoped that we could turn things around but it was not to be. A lack of quality and will to win against a team who sat in and made things difficult for us meant an early exit from the cup. It was in fact Broughty who broke out and scored their second goal and despite us scoring near the end it was too little too late from our point of view. We are back on league duty this Saturday with a visit from Linlithgow who have already beaten us here in the league cup section. As everyone knows, Linlithgow are one of Scotland’s best junior clubs and will provide us with a stern test, but one we should all be looking forward to". -Graeme.

"An entertaining game on Saturday ended with honours even in a 2-2 draw. A slow start allowed Whitburn to dictate early play and it was no surprise when they opened the scoring early in the half, although we contributed to this setback with poor defending. The remainder of the half was probably our best spell of the season and we deservedly went in at the interval with a 2-1 lead which may been more with a wee bit luck. After the interval it was Whitburn who again dominated, wiping out the deficit after only five minutes. The home team continued to have more possession but we always looked dangerous on the break creating a few chances along the way. There was no further scoring and for the second week running we earned an away point. I don’t think there is any doubt that on this occasion, two major refereeing decisions didn’t go our way. Although disappointed and even a bit angry at the time we must remember that officials are human and make honest mistakes sometimes, the same as players do, and over the piece I am sure the breaks will even themselves out. Best concentrating on the football side and in that respect I have been pleased with the reaction since that heavy opening defeat at Bo’ness. We are moving in the right direction, and although there is plenty room for improvement, we can look forward with a bit more confidence. On Saturday we have a break from league football with a visit to Broughty in the East of Scotland Cup. They are an ambitious club who narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season and if early results are a guide then promotion was merely delayed. A cracking cup tie is in prospect and a repeat of Saturday’s support would be a great help". - Graeme.

"I said last week that it was important for us to be able to pick up points on our travels if we are to compete in this league and on Saturday we fought out a hard earned draw at Glenrothes. Although we could have won the game late on I am sure Glenrothes will feel they could also have won had they taken their own chances. Both halves of the match followed similar patterns with the home team dominating the early parts and Newtongrange playing better in the latter part of each half. After surviving an early onslaught we actually went in front on the half hour mark only to lose that lead within a few minutes. We changed formation a bit in the second half but we couldn’t stop the home team dominating the early stages and we have to thank our goalkeeper and some good luck for surviving that rocky spell. By far our best period of the game was the last quarter when we dominated for the first time and created some decent chances, including a disputed penalty. Unfortunately they were all missed and we had to settle for the draw, which on reflection was probably a fair result. Although this was a decent result, I still feel we have more to offer as our players come to terms with the higher level of football. Without quite realizing it, we ended up with ten inexperienced outfield players on the park on Saturday and it was to their credit that they finished the game so strongly. Hopefully they are learning fast and can continue to improve. This Saturday we travel to Whitburn where another severe test awaits. They are a team packed with good experienced players and we will need a top performance to compete with them." - Graeme.

"I like everybody else at Newtongrange was saddened to hear that Isobel Greig had passed away last week. Isobel was one of a rare breed who genuinely supported her club through thick and thin. It didn’t matter whether it was a win, draw or defeat, Isobel always greeted you the same way and she will be badly missed by all at Newtongrange. Some things are just meant to happen and I think after the minutes silence for Isobel it was appropriate that we secured our first ever Super League win. Kelty as expected, were strong opposition and with our players a bit short of confidence it was our visitors who dominated the first half hour of play. There was a bit more determination about our play compared to recently though and we weathered the storm before opening the scoring around the half hour mark. Our play improved a bit after the interval and despite Kelty’s best efforts we were able to restrict them to few clear chances. Our second goal from the penalty spot came just before the end and made the score look more comfortable than it was. Hopefully the win will give our players some confidence for the weeks ahead and it’s pleasing that we should soon be back to full strength. We now have to prove that we can get results away from home in this league starting with the trip to Glenrothes, where an old friend of mine, Stevie Kirk is the new manager". - Graeme.

"The four nil defeat by Bo’ness on Saturday proves how much of a step up the Super League is compared to last season. Although holding our own for an hour, once the first goal went in there was only going to be one winner. The loss of four goals in a twenty five minute spell was extremely worrying and something we have to address. The game was only a few minutes old when we lost a softish penalty which our goalkeeper managed to save and from then till half time we probably just shaded the game without creating too many chances. It was always going to be difficult in the second half against such a strong wind with no lead to defend, and say, against a team who have foun a great chance to take the lead just before the opening goal but unfortunately it was missed leaving us to wonder if the game might have had a different outcome had we scored at that stage. It was the lack of backbone in our team after the first goal that worries me most because, make no mistake we collapsed big style in a manner that is difficult to accept. There is no alternative but to roll up our sleeves now and make sure we don’t repeat that performance in the weeks to come. There is no respite in this league and on Saturday Kelty are our visitors. Having seen them last season I know we would need to improve considerably to get something from the game. Let’s see if we can do that and give the supporters something to cheer". - Graeme

"What a difference a week can make. Before the West Calder game we were reasonably happy with preparations for the super league, but a week and three defeats later things look quite different. This club has deservedly earned a lot of plaudits over the past few years for the results achieved and also the entertaining way we have tried to play. If you accept the plaudits, you must then be prepared to take the criticism that comes with performances and results which have been unacceptable. We the management team and the players must remember how success was achieved, good players, well organized, togetherness and of course hard work. A return to these values is essential if we are to compete this season. The West Calder game last Monday was disappointing to say the least. We were out fought in too many areas of the park and showed little appetite until it was too late. West Calder took a deserved lead in the first half and although we eventually took control in the last quarter, the home team held on for the win. The Linlithgow game on Wednesday was always going to be difficult coming only 2 days after the West Calder defeat. Our visitors were much sharper to the ball in the first half and took a deserved lead albeit through a quite horrendous goal from our point of view. Against the run of play we managed an equalizer shortly after and went in at half time on level terms. Our form improved a bit after the interval and it was no great surprise that we took the lead from the penalty spot with the Linlithgow defender getting a second yellow card, reducing them to ten men. Shortly after we missed a glaring opportunity to increase that lead, a miss that was to prove costly. Two further misplaced passes handed opportunities to our visitors that they didn’t miss, going on to win the game by three goals to two. Our defeat by Linlithgow meant our last section game at Armadale was now a dead game from our point of view although our hosts would be hoping Linlithgow might slip up in their last game. We took the opportunity to give players returning from holiday and illness a run out, taking in to account that most of our players had already played on the Monday and Wednesday. A fairly even first half very talented players who will lead just before the whistle. The events of the second half were unacceptable to all concerned at the club. No matter who is on the park we should be able to put on a better display than the fans were subjected to in that forty five minutes. As well as the five goals lost in that period we also had Andy Fairbairn sent off for a crude challenge, indiscipline which we try our hardest to avoid. I know it was a mixture of frustration and tiredness but he now misses two games and leaves us short of centre backs for the next two weeks. After all the doom and gloom we must now focus on the league campaign ahead with a stern opening test at Bo’ness to start. We have worked so hard to get here and now we must try and be competitive as this higher level. A large number of promoted teams spend only one season in the league as they find playing the better teams on a regular basis just too much. Our opponents on Saturday looked for a long time last season as if they would also make the drop until a late rally saw them escape. Since then they have been very active in the transfer market signing a whole host of quality players, many from the senior ranks. Despite the last week, we have to be positive about our prospects. With the holiday season over, and the outbreak of swine flu hopefully at an end we should be able to field a near full strength team. We also need the usual Newtongrange support in our first super league game". - Graeme.

"The new season is already up and running and we have two wins under our belts in the defence of the League Cup. After a low key pre season there was always a risk that we wouldn’t be up to speed in our first few games but I have no real complaints about our performances so far. We have made five new signings since last season and I hope they will all add something to our squad for the exciting season ahead. Most of last years squad are still with us but as always some players have moved on. Jamie Macnamara and David Buchan have both given long and distinguished service to the club and I personally would like to thank them for their efforts both on and off the park. Jamie has retired from junior football and Buchs cannot commit the time required to press for a regular place, although he has yet to decide if he wants to stay in some capacity. Michael Burgess has joined Bonnyrigg Rose as a coach and again we wish him well in his new role, Budgie’s attitude was top drawer and he will be missed around the club. Our first game against Spartans ended up closer than it should have. We knew that being their first ever junior game they were not going to go down without a fight and so it proved. Although dominating most of the first half I felt there was a lack of urgency in the final third and we didn’t create nearly enough clear cut chances. We paid for that near half time when Spartans equalized with their first shot on target. The second half was different and we quickly went in to a two goal lead followed by a series of goalmouth scrambles and missed chances to increase the lead. To Spartans credit they never gave up and after scoring again they made sure we couldn’t relax till the final whistle. Definitely room for improvement. Second up was the visit of a young Pumpherston team. We asked the players for an improvement in this game and I think there was clear evidence that we will again pose a real goal threat this season. With a virtually new defence in place we still lack the understanding required but we will be working hard in this area at training to get things right. Against Pumpherston it took a while to get that elusive first goal but after this we scored at regular intervals to score an emphatic win. Our opponents will be disappointed with the result but with a young team learning the game there will be better results ahead for sure. Next up we face West Calder at their new home in the third of or League Cup section games. We need to apply ourselves well and keep the winning habit".

Deckmont Forklift League Cup

August Fixtures

Saturday 8th - 3 v 2 Spartans (New Victoria Park) - (Thomson 18, Anderson 46, McCulloch 59)
Tuesday 11th  7 v 1 Pumpherston (New Victoria Park) -
(McCulloch 32 &45,Anderson 58 &86,Umbong 54,Hutchison 48,Thomson 89)
Saturday 15th  v West Calder United (Hermand Park, West Calder ) - 2.30pm ko
Wednesday 19th  v Linlithgow Rose (New Victoria Park) - 6.45pm ko
Saturday 22nd v Armadale Thistle (Volunteer Park, Armadale) - 2.30pm ko

"It was very much mixed emotions on Saturday as the season ended with a 3-0 win against Arniston at Gorebridge. Normally you would be on a high after a result like that but with Musselburgh winning emphatically at home to Dundee, there was a feeling of what might have been in the dressing room at the end. We got off to a great start with a really well worked goal early on and when the second went in quite soon after, we started to believe that we might just do it. After this however Arniston dug in well and were always competitive, restricting us to one more goal early in the second half. A late missed penalty made no difference as word had already filtered through that Musselburgh had won the league. Although there was disappointment, there was also a feeling of pride, knowing that after the defeat at Oakley early in the year we had won twelve and drawn won of our last thirteen league games in securing promotion to the Super League. That we got so close to Musselburgh was a tribute to the determination and skill of our players during a period where we were also heavily involved in the Scottish Cup. Finally a big congratulations to Musselburgh on winning the league. Last season they under achieved due to a lack of discipline but this season had no such problems and ended a fine season as winners. The players now have a well earned break before preparing for life in the Super League. For Alan and I, the task is to make sure we are competitive next season as we move up a level. Many of our players have moved up with us from the South League and are still improving so with a few additions along the way we should be ready for the task ahead.
Enjoy the break.
Graeme.

"The league title is still up for grabs after our win against Arniston on Wednesday. Musselburgh remain favourites but at least we have given ourselves a chance on the final day, when we have to win by one more goal than them to have a chance. We were delighted with our latest performance which means we have gone through the league campaign with an unbeaten home record, conceding only five goals in the process. Arniston, as you would expect, fought hard and gave us a few uncomfortable moments but I think we deserved the victory overall. A special mention must go to our young centre backs who performed so well given that they were thrown together as a partnership at late notice and also Alan Brown who scored his first(of many I am sure) goal for the club. The stage is now set for May 23rd when we play Arniston again in our final game. Our approach will not change and the priority is to win the game, forgetting about the goal difference. Any over confidence or underestimating Arniston would be punished by a club who were in the promotion race themselves until recently. Enjoy the game and celebrate the season whatever the outcome on the day". - Graeme.

"We are asking a lot from our small squad of players available just now as games are coming thick and fast with little or no time to recover from any knocks. The response from our players has been superb and again on Saturday they came up with a very professional performance away to Dundee North End. Although heavy rain was falling, conditions were ideal for football with only light winds. The opening period was very competitive with Dundee fighting hard as you would expect from a team who were trying to stave off relegation. It took a well struck free kick to settle us down as we began to dominate proceedings, and a further two goals before half time was just reward for some excellent football. Dundee came out in the second and made it difficult for us by sitting in and defending a bit deeper. This restricted our chances in the second half and in the end I was pleased that we managed a further two goals to give us a comprehensive win. We had a very tired but happy group of players in the dressing room, with the bad injury for Sean the only down side to the day. We now have two games left, strangely both against our neighbours Arniston. Although the league title is still a long shot we will not give up the race without a fight, and obviously a win on Wednesday is a must. We probably couldn’t have picked a more difficult game, with our visitors having only lost six league goals on their travels all season. As always in a local derby it will be a competitive game and one that we will have to that bit extra to win".- Graeme.

"This season has provided us with many highlights and Wednesday’s win at Musselburgh was up there with the best of them. Musselburgh had an unbeaten home league record this season and we knew a top performance was required to change that. The players responded well and particularly in the first half played some great football. Looking back it was probably the superbly worked goal just on the half time whistle that gave us the cushion required to go on and win the game. As you would expect Musselburgh came back at us in the second half and we had to dig deep near the end, particularly after the needless ordering off. Good discipline is always important in any team and Sean knows he could have let his team mates down. He is still young and will hopefully learn from this. The win ensured promotion for the second time in three years and means we will be playing in the super league next season. We have come a long way in a short space of time and the preparations now begin to make sure we are competitive at the top level. Before that however we have given ourselves an outside chance of actually winning the league, a situation that looked impossible a few months back. All we can do now is approach our last three games as cup finals and try to win all three. First up is a trip to Dundee on Saturday where nothing less than a win will do".- Graeme.

"Let’s get the bad news out of the road first. Saturday’s performance was very poor and not what we have come to expect from our players. Fauldhouse did not have their strongest team out and to make matters worse for them, they conceded an early penalty as well as losing their defender who was red carded for the challenge. At this stage we should have rolled the sleeves up and played with even more determination to score more goals. Instead, there seemed a general apathy on the park with the players assuming that the job was done and more goals would automatically follow. It was Fauldhouse who showed the greater commitment and kept the final margin to two. The good news is we are that bit closer to winning promotion for the second time in three years. We need one more point from our last four fixtures to be sure of playing in the super league next season. I hope Saturday’s performance was a one off because on Wednesday night we visit Musselburgh who are already promoted and will provide an extremely stern test for our players. I watched them recently against Penicuik and without doubt they are a top junior side with some very talented players. As a player you have to relish these challenges and the stage is set for a cracking game". - Graeme.

"Friday night turned into a special night for all concerned with Newtongrange Star. Despite all the bad publicity surrounding the playing surface, we arrived to find that the pitch was in excellent condition having been well rolled and watered. Having been in the final last season, we hoped the experience gained would help us a year later and despite a very nervous, shaky first few minutes it was soon obvious that our players were in a hungry and determined mood. The first half was hard fought and although goal scoring chances were hard to come by, I was encouraged that we were the team looking the more likely. As the second half started the tempo of the game was raised again and with around half an hour to play we took a deserved lead. As with all good teams there was no way Camelon were going to lie down and quite soon after our goalkeeper saved with his feet when they created their only real chance in the game. As Camelon pushed more men forward in search of the equalizer it gave us more chances at the other end and in truth we should have had the game won before Camelon were awarded the last minute penalty which squared the game at the end of 90 min. We then had our goalkeeper to thank in the penalty shoot out, saving no less than three penalties. I was a very proud manager of a set of players, who are a pleasure to work with and deserve any success that comes their way. A word also for our loyal supporters who as always gave the team such vociferous support and willed the team on to victory. We now have to focus all our attention on the league in our attempts to gain promotion. It would be easy for our young players to switch off after the final and think the hard work was all done, and it is Alan and myself who will have to work hard ensuring that we are even more determined in the remaining league games. Unfortunately we lost Tom Britton through injury in Friday’s final and it is too early to know when he will play again. Fauldhouse are our next league opponents on Saturday at Newtongrange in yet another vital game. Before that however we have a local cup tie aginst Whitburn on Wednesday".- Graeme.

"It was important after the Kinnoull game, to bounce back in a positive
fashion against Ballingry. We got the result our play deserved and wiped out the memory of the result and performance against them earlier in the season. Ballingry have some talented players and it was important to get off on the right foot. A fine first half performance set the scene for a victory which keeps us in the hunt for promotion to the super league. Much work still needs to done however with fifteen points still to be played for. The powers that be have managed to start a cup in April and we were drawn to play Dunbar in the first round. Always a delight to visit with good facilities and a fine pitch, our players enjoyed another fruitful day at the seaside running out comfortable winners by four goals to one. We now move on to the long delayed League Cup Final against Camelon to be played at Bathgate on Friday night. The opposition will be of the highest quality, with their recent run in the league giving them a good chance of being champions. From our point of view it is another chance to show what we can do at a higher level. It is only by playing these matches on a regular basis that you can judge the progress of your club. We will approach the game in a positive manner and hope that on the day we are good enough to win the silverware. Enjoy the occasion".- Graeme.

"Saturday was the fourth draw in succession against Kinnoull and proved yet again how difficult it is to get out of this league.We have shown tremendous consistency recently in the league and have got ourselves in to a promising position in the promotion race but there is still a lot of work to be done.I always find it amazing how some people assume that you have a divine right to win football matches. Quite often a break at the right time can set you on the road to victory and sometimes a break the other way can lead to disappointment. On Saturday Kinnoull started much the better and could easily have had a penalty which would have put us under even more pressure. After their initial burst I felt we dominated much of the game but couldn't quite find the killer touch in front of goal and had to settle for a point. Games are coming thick and fast now with Ballingry visiting us on Wednesday. They gave us our worst defeat of the season and obviously we are keen to do a bit better this time. It won't be easy but with the supporters backing hopefully we can pick up the three points." - Graeme.

"We are approaching the time of the season where every game seems like a cup final and every point is a prisoner. On Saturday we had Dundonald as visitors and managed to claim another three important points. In the initial stages the game was well contested and we were delighted to go in front around the ten minute mark. At this stage we had our goalkeeper to thank for keeping us in front as their striker had a clear chance to equalize. Our second goal settled us down and in truth we never really looked in a lot of bother after that. I thought it was a very professional performance against a side with plenty of ability who have had some terrific results on their travels. Looking ahead, there are some really good games to look forward to as all the teams in contention have really tough run ins. This Saturday we have Kinnoull as visitors, a team we have drawn all three encounters against since joining the premier league. Like Dundonald they are capable of some excellent football and can beat any team on their day. We need to prepare ourselves for a tough game as we hope to keep the pressure on all the teams around us". - Graeme.

"Well it wasn’t very pretty, but the result was just what we needed. Conditions were not easy with a dry bumpy pitch and a stiff breeze blowing down the park. As is often the case, playing with the elements in your favour can be just as difficult as playing into them. On Saturday we had the wind at our backs in the first half and failed to utilize it to our advantage. Despite a couple of good chances we failed to test their goalkeeper much and went in at half time level knowing that a better second half performance was needed to secure the win. Playing against a very determined home team we responded well and scored with half an hour to play, with what was the first real bit of quality play of the afternoon. Thereafter we never really looked like conceding, although it took till around ten minutes from the end to score the clinching goal. The game on Saturday illustrates just how difficult the run in is going to be. With two teams promoted and three being relegated it means everyone still has something to play for and I will be very surprised if there are not a fair few points lost by all promotion contenders over the next couple of months. We have to forget about other teams and concentrate wholly on our own games, making sure we get as many points as possible. This Saturday we entertain Dundonald who are nearer the bottom of the league than they would want. Unusually, they are struggling to win at home but have had some impressive results on their travels with wins at Arniston and more recently Penicuik among them. We have been warned and anything less than our best will not be enough". - Graeme

"The reaction to losing in the Scottish Cup was always going to be important in our push for one of the promotion spots. Thankfully we showed no hangover and earned a very important victory up at Carnoustie. I rate them as one of the best footballing sides in our league and was both relieved and proud to come away with a hard earned win. Conditions were excellent with little wind and a good size flat playing surface. We started the game really well and could have gone ahead earlier than we did. Our goal eventually came from a set piece and that was to be the only goal of the first half although there were further chances to score at both ends. The second half was more of the same with both teams looking dangerous going forward. The all important second goal arrived midway through the second half and it certainly was worth waiting for in terms of quality. Although two goals up we never felt safe as Carnoustie always looked dangerous, indeed our third and deciding goal came soon after the home centre forward had missed a good chance to narrow the gap to one goal. The third goal made us relatively safe and although the home team scored near the end there was little time left to make a difference. Each week now there are going to be promotion chasing teams dropping points and we have to make sure that we treat every game as a cup final. Carnoustie for instance have lost three in a row but I would not totally rule them out as they are capable of going on a winning run to the end of the season. This week we head North again to visit Blairgowrie who have fallen behind in number of games played. They will be keen to get some points on the board in their attempts to stay in the league. Another big effort will be required to get the three points" - Graeme.

"Saturday was a huge disappointment to all concerned with Newtongrange Star. We all had high hopes that we could go all the way this year but it wasn’t to be. Ultimately it was our inability to defend set pieces which was our undoing. Rob Roy came out the traps faster than us but even they must have been surprised at the soft nature of their opening goal. A free kick forty yards from goal in a central position is not normally a dangerous position as there is no angle for a cross but on this occasion we managed to lose that all important first goal. To the players credit they responded very well and played some excellent football for the remainder of the half, creating several good chances but unfortunately not scoring that elusive equalizing goal. Rob Roy tightened up defensively at the start of the second half and chances were harder to come by in the early stages. The game was to take a significant turn around fifteen minutes after the restart when in quick succession a visiting defender headed of his line at one end, closely followed by Sean Woodburn’s ordering off at the other. Playing with ten men is sometimes ok if you are level or winning the game, but when you are chasing the game against a good side it is very difficult and it proved an uphill task. Rob Roy finished the game near the end with a second goal from another set piece and left our dream in tatters for another year. It only leaves me to wish Rob Roy all the best in the semi finals. They seemed to me a well run, well disciplined club and played the game in a very sporting manner given the importance of the game. In football there are always more failures than success’s as there can only be one winner. I took defeat quite badly and could not get the disappointment out of my system over the weekend and I am sure our players were the same. However it is how you react to adversity which determines how successful a team can be. We now have to make sure that we show steel and determination over the next few games and make sure we stay in the promotion race. Musselburgh now look the likely winners but there will be a few teams chasing that second spot. We probably couldn’t have picked a much harder game than Carnoustie away to start with but it represents a good challenge that I hope we are all up for". - Graeme.

"One of the advantages of waiting till midweek to write about the previous Saturday’s
game is that everyone has calmed down which was not the case straight after the final whistle. Tempers were running high as a possible draw turned in to a three one victory for us. The game itself started quietly enough and without hitting any great heights I felt reasonably happy with the first half display. We opened the scoring after around twenty minutes only to be pegged back shortly after. We went into the lead again after a well worked goal and went in at half time with a just about deserved narrow advantage. With Penicuik in such a good league position we knew that they were not going to go down without a fight and the second half was a fiercely fought encounter with no shortage of excitement at both ends. Penicuik will look at a combination of good goalkeeping and the woodwork preventing them from scoring an equalizer they fought so hard for. I lost count of the number of long throws and corners which were hurled in to our box and with the height and strength of the Penicuik players it was always going to be difficult to prevent them scoring. By committing so many men forward however they left themselves a bit bare at the back giving us ample opportunity to hit on the break. We missed a number of clear chances which would have killed the game a bit earlier and prevented the torturous finale that we endured. Naturally we were all delighted to win the game and at least make the second half of the season a bit more exciting than it could have been. We can now forget about the league briefly and concentrate on our upcoming Scottish Cup quarter final against Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. As far as I am aware the two clubs have never before met in the Scottish Cup adding to the attraction of the tie. Rob Roy (what a great name!) compete in the West Super League and have strangely been drawn against East teams in every round of the cup so far. Their recent form is first class with wins against Pollock, Glenrothes, Kilbirnie and Petershill in the last month. Rob Roy will be favourites to win and we are all well aware that we will have to be at our best to progress. Let’s hope the weather is kind and both sets of supporters enjoy an entertaining game".- Graeme.

"Last Saturday we continued our recent good form with a good win against Dundee. Dundee arrived with a new manager, a number of new players and an obvious determination to pull themselves away from the relegation area. Fortunately for us, we got off to a flying start and were two goals to the good after only ten minutes. This seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Dundee players and we were able to go and record a relatively comfortable victory. Once their new players settle in I am sure Dundee will have better days ahead. This Saturday we entertain our local rivals Penicuik Athletic. They are enjoying an excellent league campaign and as of now are clear favourites to gain one of the two promotion spots available. From our point of view we have gained twenty points from the first half of the season and realistically we need a few more than that from the second half. As always with local derbies this game will be keenly contested in front of a larger than usual crowd". - Graeme.

"The Scottish Junior Cup is a special competition and on Saturday we travelled down to
Lanark hoping that we could reach the last eight, but knowing that it was going to take a huge effort to get the better of a Lanark team who rarely lose at their own ground. After starting reasonably well we found ourselves a goal down after twelve minutes when some slack defending allowed a Lanark forward to come along the bye line before cutting it back for his colleague to score. It was not the start we wanted and playing against the breeze I wondered if we had the bottle to fight our way back in to the game. That question was answered in no uncertain terms as by half time we had not only equalized but also gone in front. That half hour period before half time was our best spell of the game and with a wee bit luck we might have sneaked another goal. Lanark were not going to lie down though and in the second period they had a lot more possession than ourselves. We defended extremely well against a team with some talented players and restricted them to few clear cut chances whilst always looking dangerous on the break. Failing to get the killer third goal meant that we endured a torrid last ten minutes as Lanark threw everything at us to try and save the game. By this time we were tiring and our supporters deserve great credit for cheering every tackle made and keeping the players going till the final whistle. Their were some tired players in the dressing room at the end but I think some of our younger players grew up on Saturday and now realize how hard you have to work to win games. We now have to take that collective spirit and will to win into every game for the rest of the season. On Saturday we are back to league business with a visit from Dundee North End. We have a bit of catching up to do in the league and we must try and win our home games. Sometimes things are a bit flat after a Scottish Cup tie but we can’t allow that to happen on Saturday".- Graeme

"Winning at Fauldhouse is never easy and Saturday was no exception. The blustery conditions meant that good football was always going to be difficult with the ball more often out the park than in. We faced the gale in the first half but actually started well without having the cutting edge around the box. We paid for not pressing home that advantage when Fauldhouse scored midway through the half with a back post header from a corner. Despite a lot of possession we never really looked like scoring before half time. With the gale at our backs in the second half we were looking to get a fast start to the second half but despite creating a few chances we couldn’t quite find the telling pass or shot. It took a bit of indiscipline by their centre back to change the course of the game when he was sent off midway through the half. We scored soon after to level the scores but it took a penalty in the closing minutes to clinch the points. We were all relieved to come away from a difficult fixture with three points. Saturday brings another difficult fixture when we play Arniston at Olive Bank". -Graeme.

"Despite last week's result at Oakley I was encouraged by signs that more of our players were showing a return to form. This was born out on Saturday when we deservedly earned our place in the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup. Right from the kick off we showed a hunger and determination to get a result. Although we started well it still took till midway through the first half to break the deadlock and get our noses in front. When the second goal arrived soon after, some may have thought the game was dead and buried. Larkhall had other ideas though and pulled a goal back just before half time. We continued to make chances in the second half but good goalkeeping kept the score at 2-1 till the 78th minute when we sealed the game with a third goal. Overall I was pleased with the performance given our relatively poor recent results. We can now look forward to the draw next Sunday where some big guns await. On Saturday we return to league action against Dundee who make the return journey after the original encounter was abandoned due to a bad injury. It is imperative we show the same commitment in this very important league match".- Graeme.

"I have been quite critical recently about the application of our players, but on Saturday I could have no complaints. The result was a massive disappointment to all concerned, but these things happen in football and we will dust ourselves down and prepare for another big game on Saturday. We had the elements in our favour in a first half that could have seen us out of sight with a wee bit luck and better finishing. Looking back, being level at half time was not a good result. During half time the weather worsened somewhat with driving rain and high winds in our face. We then lost a quick goal only to equalize almost immediately. The goal which eventually won the game for Oakley was a wonder strike after an initial free kick had come back of our wall. Despite fighting hard to the end we were unable to get another goal and lost three valuable points. We have signed another talented youngster in Ross Fairbairn from Easthouses under 21's. We wish him well with the Star. Saturday sees the visit of the oldest junior team in Scotland, Larkhall Thistle to Newtongrange. At this stage of the Scottish Cup all games are difficult and Larkhall will be determined to progress after knocking out higher league teams in previous rounds. Get behind the team and try and help us through to the last sixteen".- Graeme.

"The game against Tranent last week confirmed what we already knew. We are not as good a team as we were last season. Tranent came to Newtongrange with a young hungry team and a tremendous team spirit to go with it. That was enough to put us out the cup in a 1-0 defeat. Tranent opened the stronger and deservedly went ahead after errors in our defence. We did create a good few clear chances in that first half but missed them all and Tranent could have made us pay with a good chance near half time. Even playing with ten men after the ordering off, Tranent continued to defend well and although riding their luck on occasions managed to hold on to win the game. We are at a bit of a crossroads just now at Newtongrange with the progress of the last few years coming to a halt. A couple of years ago we were lucky enough to put together a team who made rapid strides forward. That team consisted of a fair few youngsters who along with the right type of experienced players provided the correct mix for the type of team we wanted. Progress was quick and I for one enjoyed watching this team progress and entertain the fans along the way. The question now is, why has the team stopped progressing and how do we get back on track. Certainly the hunger to succeed in the team is not as strong as it was and I have to find the solution quick. If that means new faces then so be it. I have been very patient with a lot of under performing players this season but that patience is running thin. We the management team will be making every effort to get back on track as soon as possible." - Graeme.

It's not all doom and gloom as we are still in the promotion race, still in the Scottish and have a cup final to look forward to. On Saturday we have the first of a league double header against Fauldhouse. They were promoted last season and have had some impressive results to date. An improvement on recent form will be needed in this one.

"After a three week lay off we returned to action last Saturday with a Scottish Cup tie against Benburb. Our opponents were without a number of players through suspension and we were a bit shorthanded with our three regular centre half's unavailable and a couple of others with virus problems. We started the game well and could have been goals ahead very early in the game. A combination of good goalkeeping and slack finishing meant we had to take a bit longer before taking the lead. We scored again soon after and at that stage a resounding win seemed on the cards. We continued to dominate till half time but couldn't quite manage to get a third goal. The second half from our point of view was less acceptable with a slackness about our play that was very disappointing. Despite dominating most of the play we were much less decisive and failed to make their goalkeeper work too hard. Benburb to their credit never gave up and in the last quarter of the game forced two tremendous saves from our goalkeeper, saves which prevented us from having a nervy end to the game. I continually stress to our players that if they want to progress as players they have to apply themselves both in training and during games.The application in that second half was not acceptable and if the club's progress is to continue we need everybody working together. On Saturday we have Tranent as visitors, a club who are working hard at getting back to where they were in junior football. They have recently signed some experienced juniors along with a number of promising youngsters, and they are sure to make it a tough game." - Graeme.

"Whilst it was a big disappointment to go out of the cup on Saturday I cannot be too critical of our players. Although the surface was playable, it did make life difficult for the players. The 0-0 scoreline tells it's own story with players of both teams having difficulty in crossing and shooting. The covering of snow started to freeze a bit in the second half and it looked like a goal would have to come from a defensive error. That didn't happen and the game was decided by a penalty shoot out with Montrose coming out on top. We wish them well in the next round. We now move on to the Scottish Cup when we welcome Benburb to Newtongrange. Benburb have a great history in the Scottish having won the cup twice and been runners up three times. We have been fortunate to have been drawn at home and it would be great to get through at the first time of asking. To achieve this we will need the players to be at their best and the home crowd to get right behind them. Enjoy the game".- Graeme.

"With a strong wind blowing down the slope it was a difficult decision whether to take the elements in the first
 half or play in to them in the first and hope that the wind is still there come the second half. We decided to take the wind in the first half(we won the toss) but it was only in the latter stages of the half that we got our noses in front. Playing with the wind can often be difficult, with overhit passes being the norm, and in the first half hour we struggled to create many clear cut chances. The two late goals gave us a cushion to defend when we turned round to face the wind. When our advantage was cut in half after only ten minutes of the second period it looked like a difficult task to come away with a win. Dundonald were now pushing more men forward in search of an equaliser and in doing so were leaving themselves exposed at the back. The game became an end to end affair and we had so many opportunities breaking against a short handed defence, that it was a big disappointment to us that we didn't create enough clear chances in that second half. With this slender advantage we were always aware that any slight slip up would mean a share of the points. Thankfully we held on for a hard fought win which was vital given the other results in our league.We now have a respite from the pressures of the league and look forward to two cup ties. On Saturday we visit Montrose who were relegated from our league last season. They have picked themselves up well and are now in pole position to make a quick return. An entertaining game is in prospect".- Graeme.

"Saturday was your typical November day with a heavy pitch and strong wind. It was
maybe not too much of a surprise that the game suffered as a result of these conditions. Blairgowrie made things very difficult for us in the first half with the only real danger at either end being a header that struck the post from one of our corners. It looked like we would be going in at half time all square until right on the whistle when we scored direct from a free kick. We asked the players for a fast start in the second half and within minutes we increased our lead with a well worked goal. Despite being two goals down, Blairgowrie continued to battle hard and were never out the game. Unfortunately, near the end a few of their players lost their discipline and three of them were ordered off. In between the orderings off we scored again to finish the scoring and win three vital points. This Saturday we visit Dundonald in what should be an entertaining match. Last season they started with a bang only to lose three players to the senior ranks. No team can lose three of their best players without results suffering and points were harder to come by in the second half of the season. We had them watched recently and know we need a good performance to get the three points". - Graeme.

"With 128 teams in the second round draw it was a long shot that we would draw our closest rivals.
The Scottish Cup normally gives you the opportunity to play against teams from other parts of the country and
this adds to the appeal of our national trophy. Brian McNaughton and I had a chat after the draw and agreed that it was disappointing that one of us had to go out at this stage. One advantage of the draw was that a much larger than usual crowd turned up to see who would progress. The game itself could hardly be labeled a classic, not unexpectedly with the stakes so high. Arniston had the better of the first half, playing with great determination and making it very difficult for us to get in to any rhythm. They could easily have gone ahead during an almighty scramble in our box after a corner. Neither goalkeeper had much to do however and half time arrived with no goals. We changed formation a bit at the interval and started the second half much brighter and more like ourselves. Our break came when the Arniston centre back was adjudged to have stopped a goal scoring opportunity when fouling on the edge of the box. He was sent off and from the resulting free kick the ball fell kindly for us and we opened the scoring. It was an uphill task for Arniston after that and although we never quite managed to get that elusive second goal, we did enough to make the third round draw. Saturday sees us returning to league business with Blairgowrie paying us a visit. As always in the Premier League it will be highly competitive and a good performance will be needed if we are to get the three points." - Graeme.

"Following on from the great result against Musselburgh was always going to be hard, but getting
 something from Kinnoul trip was a must. In the end, a point was a fair result as the game could have gone either way. As the famous cliché goes, it certainly was a game of two halves, with the wind a telling factor. After an even 20 mins, I felt we dominated last 25 of first half and after going one up, just needed a second goal before half time. Obviously the penalty was the perfect opportunity and alas it was missed, but that happens in all levels of football, so we can’t focus too much on that. Kinnoul with wind behind dominated second half, but we defended admirably with all they threw at us, other than the goal of course, which was a magnificent strike. At that stage Kinnoul were on top, but we rallied well and could have clinched it in dying seconds. In summary, I don’t think many teams will leave Kinnoul with 3 points this season, so I was happy with one, providing we follow that up with a home win this week. However Blairgowrie are off the back of a great result in Scottish Cup, scoring 5 goals at Crossgates, so Saturday’s game will be really tough. We must be at our best to grab those vital 3 points and continue our push up the table. Look forward to seeing you there" - Alan
"Saturday's win against Oakley gave us a much needed three points in our league campaign. Despite being two goals to the good at half time I felt that our first half performance was poor with our players looking short on confidence. The first half hour of the second half was much better and in that period we scored a splendid third goal to kill off the match. We then lost a very slack goal and made life much more difficult than it should have been in the final minutes. We now move on to play Musselburgh on Saturday. They have had a good start to the league and were by all accounts, extremely unfortunate to lose out in the Scottish Cup against Bo'ness on Saturday. We will certainly have to up our game if we want to take anything from this difficult fixture".- Graeme.

"Saturdays result brought an end to the recent run of bad results. Without really scaling the heights, we did play a wee bit better and thoroughly deserved our victory. We have not been able to get a settled team nor formation this season as injuries have deprived us of many players at different times. Against Crossgates we again had to change the formation but on this occasion we came up with the goods. Although pleased with the result, I feel there is much more to come in terms of performance and hopefully this result will kick start our season again after the disappointments of the last few weeks. On Saturday we welcome Oakley to Newtongrange. They have come down from the Super League and will be determined to get back up as soon as possible." - Graeme.

"Saturdays result continued our recent run of poor results which leaves us at the
bottom end of the league. This was not the start we had hoped for and it goes without saying that we will all have to work really hard to arrest the slump in form. I knew that Saturday was going to be difficult with Penicuik riding high at the top of the league and playing with the confidence that brings. By half time though I was confident we could go on and win the game. Penicuik started well and put us under a fair bit of pressure before going ahead midway through the half. Our response was immediate and we soon back on level terms. From then till half time we had our best spell of the game and that led me to believe we could go on and win. I couldn't have been more wrong as our performance in the second half was poor, with few players playing anywhere near their best. Few chances were created by either team in that second half but when one fell to Penicuik they duly scored and if truth be told they never looked like losing that lead. At the moment our players are playing as if they just have to turn up to win and that is just plain wrong. Anything you earn in football you have to work damn hard for and we are no different. Spirit, determination and focus are required by us all if we are to get back on the rails". - Graeme.

" For people involved in football, Saturday is the day that determines your mood for the rest of the week. I am no different in that respect and it's safe to say that Saturdays display is still bothering me right now. I have been around long enough to realise that sometimes things don't go for you or you don't get the rub of the green but on Saturday neither was true. We have no excuse whatsoever as we were beaten by a team who were more determined and more importantly played for each other as if their lives depended on the result. As always as a manager you tend to learn more in defeat and Saturday was no different. We looked like a team in a comfort zone with little desire for the battle. Having talent and skill is one thing but unless you have the correct attitude in every game then these qualities are wasted. As per usual we had a good number of supporters who paid a lot of money to travel and support us and we as a club let them down badly. I think most supporters can accept defeat but not lack of application. We have now given all other clubs a head start in the league and we must get our heads down and work hard to climb the table as soon as possible". - Graeme.

" At half time on Saturday, if someone had offered me a draw I would have taken it there and then. We were 1-0 down and finding life very difficult against a strong Carnoustie side who had more energy and drive than we were able to muster. There was no lack of effort but we just couldn't get going. We made a couple of changes at half time, changed the formation a bit and asked the players for a big effort in the second half. The response was a tribute to the determination and will power of the players. In the first half hour of the second half we played some great stuff and not only equalised but hit the bar and post as well. Carnoustie then finished the stronger and a draw was a fair result. I was proud of all the players for their efforts after a hectic week. We now have all our players back in training and will hopefully have a full squad available soon. Our next league game is against promoted Ballingry, a team I have seen a number of times over the last year. They are a fine side with sharp forwards and we can expect a tough encounter".- Graeme.

" The semi final against Whitburn gave us an early chance to test ourselves against a
top super league team. We passed that test with flying colours to give ourselves a chance of winning the first trophy on offer in the new season. The game was probably won in that first few minutes when we gained a two goal lead which gave us a vital cushion which we never relinquished. Make no mistake, Whitburn are a very good side and I am proud of our players that we gave such a determined and skilful performance. We now have our second successive League Cup final and this time we will face Camelon who defeated Linlithgow in the other semi final. We must now put that to the back of our minds and concentrate on league business. Tomorrow Carnoustie pay us a visit in our opening fixture and we can expect a tough match. They were in the super league last season and have quality throughout their team. We are hoping to have a few players back from injury so that we can freshen up the team after a tough week". - Graeme.

I will have to chose my words carefully here as I could end up in trouble with the junior football association.After our draw
with Arniston last week Brian(McNaughton) and I discussed the remaining section games and we both assumed that given
the uncertainty of who was going to qualify and the fact that Arniston's last section game was this Wednesday, that the semi
final could not be scheduled until the section games were finished. As a club we try and prepare ahead and for this week we
asked players to be available for the Monday game at Haddington and training on Thursday. Shortly after the end of last night's game we received a phone call telling us that Wednesday's semi final would go ahead. It seems to me that the teams who win the sections are being punished for achieving success by being asked to play so many games in a short time.A semi final should be an occasion for fans and players alike, not a hurriedly arranged fixture crammed in the already crowded week of fixtures.The final of this trophy was not played till October last season so a one or two week delay would have allowed the clubs sufficient time to prepare for a game of such importance and also generate a bit publicity. In my opinion the cup is being devalued. These opinions are personal and are not necessarily those of Newtongrange Star. Rant over and back to football. A very lack lustre first have gave us a mountain to climb in the second half in last night's game at Haddington. A wonderful strike had put Haddington ahead and although we equalised, slack defending cost us dearly and we went in 2-1 down.If truth be told our application in that first half was abysmal and the players have to realise that this is not acceptable for Newtongrange Star. An improved performance in the second half saw us to victory which was enough to see us qualify for the semi final. Resources will now be stretched to the limit for both Wednesday and Saturday's game with Carnoustie. Wilson, Brown, Forbes, Roseburgh, Woodburn and Hardie are all injured with Cook Macnamara and Buchan all unavailable for one or the other of the two games. We will give it our best shot and your support will be needed more than ever" - Graeme.

" Football really is a funny old game. At 3-0 on Wednesday with twenty minutes to go
nobody would have given Arniston much chance of saving the match. It is to their great credit that they found the energy and resolve to haul themselves back to get a draw. From our point of view, although it was disappointing to lose the lead we can be pleased with the progress we are making. I felt that this was our best performance this season and bodes well for the campaign ahead. We created many chances and really should have been out of sight before Arniston's late rally. Even after conceding we continued to create chances but couldn't finish them off. Our defending as a team was first class for 70 minutes but our concentration in that last quarter let us down. Arniston are now clear favourites to win the section and should they win their last three games there is nothing we can do. Our last game in the section is at Haddington on Monday night before the league fixtures start the following Saturday. On the injury front we hope to have everybody fit within the next couple of weeks which will give us a few more options in the weeks ahead". - Graeme.

"A very low key game ended in a 2-0 victory over a young Dunbar side on Saturday. Suffice to say we will need to raise our game a bit if we are to get the result we need against Arniston on Wednesday. The winner of this game will become clear favourite to make the semi finals. Looking at the other sections, both Linlithgow and Whitburn seem certain qualifiers with Boness, Bathgate and Camelon still in contention for the other place. So with three big guns certain to be in the semi's there is a great incentive for both Arniston and ourselves to join them. Unfortunately we continue to be without a few players with Wilson, Brown, Roseburgh and Forbes all likely to be missing". - Graeme.

"As a kid growing up in Port Seton I regularly made the bus journey to Easter Road where my aunt was in
charge of washing the Hibs strips. In the first Hibs team that I supported was Neil Martin, a striker who very
soon after was sold for big money to England. The reason I took notice of Neil was that apart from being a really good player, he was also a local guy from Tranent. Last night I had the good fortune to be introduced to Neil as the new president of Tranent Juniors.After a few minutes in his company I soon realised that he has lost none of his passion for football and will do his utmost to help Tranent back to former glories. Tranent arrived last night with a new committee, new management and nearly a whole new team. It was obvious from the start that they have a new found enthusiasm and the three points would be hard earned. After an even start the first real chance fell to Tranent and we can thank our goalkeeper for keeping us level. I felt after this that we played some good football and were rewarded with a one goal interval lead. The second half started with us having three good chances to increase our lead and failing to take any of them. Shortly after, we found ourselves down to ten men with only a one goal lead. Despite having a fair bit of possession at this stage, Tranent found it difficult to create many real chances and after they also went down to ten men we scored our second to kill off the game. All in all I was pleased with the three points which keep us in with a shout of getting to the semi finals. On Saturday we host Dunbar United, another team that has undergone significant change during the summer. Another hard fought encounter is expected." - Graeme.

"Although the final scoreline on Saturday was 6-2 in our favour there were still elements in our
game that were disappointing. It may be the number of games we are playing but for some reason the energy levels seem a bit low at the moment and the second half on Saturday was played at a very slow pace.The first half was more competitive and although we went in with a half time lead, our passing and closing down of opponents were not good enough. Due to injuries we are short of wide players at the moment meaning that we are playing a different formation to our normal, and the fluency in our play is not quite there yet. We will keep working at this over the coming weeks and hopefully see an improvement in our play. It's not all gloom and doom however and we now have a chance of qualifying for the league cup semi finals. I think all teams will drop a few points along the way before the winner is decided. On the injury front we have Alan Brown and Alan Wilson with ligament problems and both will be out for another three weeks. Ross Elliot should be fit for Wednesday and we hope that the injury Stewart Roseburgh got on Saturday won't be too bad. We visit Tranent on Wednesday in what will be a tough fixture against a club with a new manager and a lot of new players".-GRAEME.

" Games are coming thick and fast just now and resources are being stretched to the limit. We join most other junior teams at this time of the year in having players unavailable with holidays, injuries, work commitments and illness all taking their toll. We still managed to field a strong team last night against Musselburgh in our opening League Cup Tie. A surprise appearance by Tom Britton helped us out and we have to thank Tom for appearing at such short notice and with no training.The game itself was played in torrential rain with conditions worsening towards the end. I was reasonably satisfied with the performance against a Musselburgh team who will one of the favourites for promotion. A draw was a fair outcome although our hosts will be disappointed to have lost a goal in added time.We now play Penicuik on Saturday where hopefully I will have a few more options regarding selection. Where possible I will be making a few changes, making sure that players are kept fresh for the league campaign ahead but still trying to qualify out of a difficult section." - Graeme.

"Another season is nearly upon us with the pre season nearly over. There is divided opinion on the Andy Kelly trophy and whether
it is the best way to prepare for the real games ahead. Personally I quite like it as the games are a bit more competitive than
friendlies and you tend to learn more about your players.We had an inconsistent tournament this year finally losing to Arniston in
Tuesdays final. We were well beaten on the night by a much improved Arniston team who were hungrier and more determined. I
tried hard not to get too disappointed after a poor display just as I was not getting carried away by our big win against Bonnyrigg.You learn more about your players in defeat than you do in winning. One down side with the cup is that we ended up playing 4 games in eight days which took it's toll on some of the players who were asked to play in all the games. We have one more friendly against Spartans on Saturday before the League Cup starts next Wednesday. Since I was last on here another two players have left the club. Ryan Curran and Craig Manson have decided to move on. Ryan is a young lad who we both felt should be playing more games at his age and with opportunities limited he felt he needed a fresh start. Ryan's attitude was first class and we all wish him well for the future.Craig and I had a chat last season and he told me that he didn't know if he could commit the time for training as much as he would like especially as he was not starting so many games. He has now joined his local team, Preston Athletic where I am sure he will continue to bang in the goals. I personally would like to thank Craig for his valuable contribution to Newtongrange over the last two seasons. He will go down as one of our best signings ever. For this season we have added a mixture of youth and experience to our squad. As always new players take time to adapt to different surroundings and we should not expect too much too soon especially the younger ones who are stepping up from juvenile football. That said we still have the nucleus of last years team and we should be looking to have another good season.The main aim as always will be to try and get into the Super League, which will not be easy as it looks like the league may be even stronger than last years. We look forward to giving it our best shot and hopefully playing some entertaining football along the way. Enjoy the season". - Graeme

 GAMES UP TO 20th SEPTEMBER IN FIXTURE/RESULTS PAGE 1
Player Update
 Re-signed:
Michael Burgess, Scott Swanney, Paul Forbes, David Buchan, Jamie MacNamara, Steven Hardie, Steven Thomson, Damien Gielty, Stuart Roseburgh, Gareth Hutchison, Alan Wilson, Grant Meaney, Colin Affleck.
New signings:
 Martin Cook (Bonnyrigg U21's), Ian McManus (Wivenhoe Town), Ross Elliot (Edinburgh United), Scott McCulloch (Liberton U21's), Alan Brown (Liberton U21's)
Players moving on:
Joe Dunbar ( Raith Rovers), Tom Britton (Returning to America), Keith McNicoll (Travelling round Europe), Ryan Carnie (Going East of Scotland), Disco Pants Manson (Preston Athletic) & Ryan Curran (Easthouses Lily).
A big Nitten welcome to all the new guys, remember to comb your hair for next season, you'll be on camera. Best wishes to all the guys moving on.

ON THE DUNDEE GAME
" Last Saturday brought an end to the season with a home league game against Dundee North End.Only pride was at stake as we were already assured of third place in the table.We asked the players for one last effort to finish the season on a high and they responded well.The game was finished as a contest after only twenty minutes by which time we were four goals up.These goals meant that we had broken the all time record for goals scored in a season by Newtongrange Star.We went on to score nine goals with only one in reply in what was a terrific display of attacking football. In the end we missed out on promotion by one point which was disappointing but something we can't dwell on.Next season will soon be upon us with no less than five different teams in our league.The challenge for promotion spots will be no less of a challenge and we must be ready for a better start than last season.We only lost three league games and two of them were our first two. With only twenty two league games played that proved too big a handicap.Preparations are already well in hand and we should be able to announce our squad by the end of this month. Three of the players definitely leaving are Joe Dunbar, Tom Britton and Keith McNicol. Joe has signed a full time contract with Raith Rovers and leaves us with some great memories of his speed, trickery and spectacular goals.We all wish him well in his new career.Tom and Keith have also been important players for Nitten over the last couple of years and will also be missed. Tom is returning home to USA and Keith intends to travel Europe. Again we wish them both well. See you all next season". -Graeme

" We travelled to Boness on Saturday knowing that a win was a must if we were to retain any hope of promotion to the Super league.The players responded well to record a well deserved win over champions Bo'ness. We started in fine fashion and virtually ended the game as a contest midway through the first half by which time we were three goals up. It was not all one way traffic however and we had to thank our goalkeeper who made some crucial saves at vital times. Having said that our half time lead could have been even bigger had we taken a few more of our chances. Boness came out for the second half looking to get back in the game and we were not nearly so dominant as we had been. Thankfully we kept a clean sheet and this reverse was the only home league defeat inflicted on Boness this season. We now await the result on Tuesday night from the Forfar v Dundee match which will decide our fate. Should Forfar win they will be promoted along with Boness. Any other result means we still have a chance in our final home match on Saturday week". - Graeme

 ON THE ARMADALE GAME:
" Armadale away is always a tough game and Saturday proved no different. Although dominating possession for long periods it took
until well into the second half to achieve the all important opening goal. I felt we played really well in the first half with the only thing missing was finishing.In the end it was a deserved victory, a result which sets us up for a nervous last two league fixtures which will decide which league we play in next season. As I have said already, Forfar are in prime position but we will not give up hope. Before the league games we have a Fife and Lothians cup tie at Linlithgow on Tuesday night. This will be another stern test but a game everybody should be looking forward to".
  ON THE LINLITHGOW GAME
" My feelings after the match on Tuesday were a mixture of frustration and pride.The frustration was result of the abysmal start we made to the game as not for the first time this season we were found wanting in the first fifteen minutes. Despite talking about this in the dressing room before the game Linlithgow started much better and more determined than us and deservedly went into a two goal lead very quickly. After this initial shock it is to our great credit that not only did we fight our way back into the game but went on to dominate in a way that few teams do when visiting a top junior side.Given our share of the breaks it is a game that we could have won quite handily. In the end we fell short but I for one felt sorry for the players that we got nothing out of the game after such a determined performance.Despite the defeat I was proud of every one of our players and the aim now is to maintain the progress we are making as a club. The season is not quite finished yet and on Saturday we face another huge task when we visit champions Boness in a vital league match. We will have to be at our best to win this one and we will certainly have to start better than we did on Tuesday. Finally a word of praise for the large numbers of Newtongrange supporters who travelled through to Linlithgow and encouraged the team so much". 

" With only three league games remaining the second promotion spot is still up for grabs. That said, Forfar are still clear favourites and if they win their remaining two fixtures there is nothing we can do about it. All we can do is try and win our last three games and hope that Forfar slip up. Last Saturday at Rosyth we eventually found the goal trail again, but not before a frustrating first half where we failed to find the net and found ourselves a goal behind at the break. We drew level early in the second half and went on to score another five goals without reply. We were all pleased to hear that Jamie Macnamara is fit and well after a pretty bad head collision that left him needing around twelve stitches. Jamie was back at training last night and should be available on Saturday week. This week we travel to Armadale who are always a handful to beat. They will be very disappointed to have been relegated and I am sure they will bounce back next season. I watched them run Bonnyrigg close in a cup tie on Tuesday and we will have to be up for it on Saturday. After Saturday we travel to either Linlithgow or Crossgates on Tuesday in the Fife and Lothians Cup" - Graeme. 

" Montrose arrived at Newtongrange last Saturday well up for the game after beating Forfar 2-0 in midweek. When they opened the scoring very early I feared the worst especially given that we have been finding goals difficult to come by. On this occasion however we responded well and were back in the lead by half time. We never really felt comfortable until the third goal went in and even after that we were reduced to ten men making things a bit more difficult for ourselves. A fourth goal near the end finished the scoring in a deserved victory against a battling Montrose team. As you are all aware I am always keen to have a well disciplined team and over the past couple of seasons we have a better record than most. Recently however we have let things slip a bit and that can ultimately cost us points. We will be stressing that point in the dressing room. On Saturday we visit Rosyth for another vital league game. Your support has been tremendous this season particularly in away games and the presence of so many Nitten fans definately helps the players". - Graeme.

"It is not very often that a manager is satisfied with his teams performance when they don't win. Saturday was one of these days. I could not have asked much more of our team on a day when we really required a win. Straight from the kick off we were in the acendancy and it stayed that way for most of the game. Unfortunately our goals have dried up a bit in recent weeks and scoring seems that bit more difficult. We could and should have been ahead in the first half before a well worked goal by Dundee gave them a half time lead.The second half was more of the same but it took us till added time before we were able to get an equalizer. We were all a bit frustrated that we didn't get the win we needed but equally determined that we will get as many points as possible in the remaining league game.Although we are on a long unbeaten run in the league, our poor start is coming back to haunt us. In a league campaign of only twenty two games you can't afford to start slowly. On Saturday Montrose make the long journey to Newtongrange and will be looking for the points to drag themselves out of the relegation spots". - Graeme

"We travelled to Forfar last Saturday full of hope that we could close the points gap with our opponents. The early part of the game went to plan with a fast start and the added bonus of an early lead. At this stage we looked capable of adding to our lead and going on to win the game. Unfortunately for us we could not maintain this bright start and for the remainder of the half were on the back foot against a lively home side. Their equaliser before half time was deserved on the balance of play. We did see an improvement in the second half but we did not seem to have the hunger or belief required to go on and win. As it happened we fell behind to a disputed penalty and required a late own goal to secure a hard fought draw. We now have to win our remaining matches and hope that the leaders drop a few points during the run in. We have another long journey this week when we visit Dundee North End, a team we have yet to face this season". - Graeme

" Saturday's draw with Kinnoull may not be the final nail in our promotion aspirations but it was a big blow nonetheless.We did not have enough of our players playing near their best on the day and suffered the consequences. When we opened the scoring in the second half I felt we would go on and win the game, but a couple of fine saves by the Kinnoull goalkeeper and some slack finishing kept the score at 1-0. We lost that advantage near the end when after clearing a corner we did not push out the box quickly enough and conceded a soft equaliser. Although everyone at the club was disappointed with the result we must not dwell on it. We now visit Forfar West End who along with Boness are clear favourites to go up. The pressure is on us to go there and win to keep our hopes alive. Forfar are having a very consistent season with an excellent defensive record and we will need a huge effort to get the win we require". - Graeme.

" Saturday turned out to be good day for us with a really good victory away to our local rivals. Arniston and ourselves had fought out a tough league draw at Newtongrange earlier in the season and with this in mind I was prepared for a tough battle on Saturday.The first serious effort on goal came when, after excellent play by the Arniston strikers our goalkeeper had to look sharp in turning the ball round the post. After this scare we gradually took control of the play and were rewarded with the opener midway through the half. A second from the penalty spot just before half time extended our lead. Arniston started the second half well and enjoyed most of the possession without really troubling our goal. Our third goal killed the game as a contest and the fourth followed shortly after. Overall I was delighted with the level of skill and application our players showed on a difficult surface. Saturday brings another vital league match against Musselburgh. They enjoyed a long run in the Scottish Cup and were by all accounts unlucky to be beaten by the odd goal in the fifth round.They have some extremely talented
players and also have had some terrific away wins this season so we are in for a stern test on Saturday". - Graeme 

" We have a minimum of twelve games left this season and will need all of our players at some stage during the run in. It was with this in mind that I decided to give some of our players who needed match practice a start on Saturday. Other changes were forced on us with illness and injury. On a cold windy day and a heavy pitch it was Edinburgh who started with more determination and deserved their half time lead. Some of our defending this season has not been good enough and Saturday was another example. Both goals were avoidable and we must improve in this area if we are to get further up the league. Another problem I didn't forsee was the Grant Meaney ordering off. We are rightly proud of our discipline record over the last few years and Grant knows himself that he let himself, his team mates and the club down. Playing with ten men we had by far the greater amount of possesion but it's goals that win games, and we didn't really create too many chances against a determined defence. As often happens the opposition broke upfield and scored a second to finish the game as a contest.We now have two very important league games against Arniston and Musselburgh which could go a long way in deciding our final league position.We will need to raise our game a great deal from Saturday to achieve the results we need ". - Graeme 

" I was delighted on Saturday to get another three points under our belts. In this league all teams are capable of beating each other and we knew that Armadale, despite their lowly league position, would not be easy opponents. Although the pitch had dried out a little from the previous week, conditions were still difficult with a heavy pitch and swirling wind. Although we got in behind their defence on numerous occasions in the first half I felt we didn't have our usual hunger for goals in and around the box. Fortunately we kept patient into the second half and got our reward on the hour mark with the opener. From that point on we dominated the game, scoring a hotly disputed second and creating a fair number of other chances. Overall we were deserved winners against a team who are a good deal better than their league position suggests.
On Saturday we have another cup tie against Edinburgh Utd. We have had a number of players suffering from illness recently with Meaney, Forbes and Roseburgh all missing. We are hoping that they will all return to action on Saturday in their quest to regain fitness. We will have to rest Gareth Hutchison this week as he has played the last couple of games with a very sore achilles." - Graeme

" Our participation in this seasons Scottish Cup came to an end on Saturday when we were beaten 2-0 by Cumnock. Football is not life or death but I do admit to feeling very low since the game. Everyone at the club believed we could progress to the last eight and I am sure the players and you fans are every bit as disappointed as myself and the rest of the staff. With a swirling wind and a gluepot of a pitch it was never going to be a great spectacle and in these conditions it is normally the team who apply themselves best that wins. Cumnock to their credit started the game fast and gained a two goal lead before we had started. Although we had chances to get back into the game it has to be said that Cumnock also created more chances to extend their lead. Over the piece we could have no complaints about the result and all we can do is wish Cumnock all the best in the quarter finals. They were a strong, well disciplined side who played with a great attitude and no little skill.
From our point of view it is imperative that we have no Cup hangover come Saturday when we entertain Armadale in the league. You can't help notice that Musselburgh and Linlithgow struggled with their next fixtures after elimination from the cup. We still have a lot to play for this season so let's hope we get the right reaction to Saturdays reverse." - Graeme

" Saturdays cup tie with Penicuik was our fifth meeting this season. I was a bit worried that having won the previous four games the fifth might have been a game to far. It speaks volumes for the determination and attitude of our players that they again came out on top at a very difficult place to win. The game was evenly contested in the first quarter with chances few and far between. Our first goal settled our players down and from then until half time we enjoyed our best spell and perhaps could have added more goals than we did. In the second half our players seemed happy enough to sit on the lead and with Penicuik unable to put us under any real pressure the game became a little stale. We were however delighted to progress to the quarter finals where we will travel to meet either Crossgates or Linlithgow. We can now concentrate on our Scottish Cup tie with Cumnock who last Saturday enjoyed a tremendous 3 v 1 victory over holder's Linlithgow. Hopefully this will be a cracking match against our Ayrshire opponents. What's certain is that we will have to play very well to win this one against a team who play in a league above our level. Enjoy the game. " - Graeme.

" After a month of inactivity it was great relief to hear that the Scottish Cup tie with Lochore was going ahead on
Saturday. You always worry that after a long lay off, the players may be a bit rusty. On a very difficult pitch it was fairly obvious that we would have to change our normal way of playing to get a result. It is to the players credit that they adapted so well in winning the game 4 v 0. The first half was fairly even with both teams missing chances and a 0 v 0 half time score a true reflection of play. A fine move early in the second half led to our opening goal from which we never looked back. After this goal Lochore lost their discipline and found themselves down to nine men. It is hard enough playing eleven against eleven but with two men short Lochore were always going to have a mountain to climb. We managed to score another three goals and we were delighted to come through this potentially tricky game. We are now rewarded with a home tie against either Linlithgow or Cumnock in round 5. No matter who wins that match we are in for a difficult tie, but one we should all look forward to. As a player you should always enjoy playing against the best opposition and our players are no different. Before that we have another difficult cup tie against local rivals Penicuik. Nothing less than our best will be good enough against a team packed with experience. Contary to newspaper reports it is highly unlikely that any of our players will be leaving the club before the end of this season. " - Graeme.

" We returned to league business on Saturday with a difficult looking fixture against Dundonald who had beaten us in the first league game of the season. Dundonald have lost three of their best players to Cowdenbeath and Motherwell since we last played but going by the start they made on Saturday they have signed very able replacements. They dominated the first fifteen minutes with some slick football and at that stage you could not have imagined the final scoreline. We managed to absorb their early pressure and after creating a few chances of our own. We opened the scoring midway through the half. This seemed to settle us down a bit and we increased our lead before half time. The second half was again evenly contested and it wasn't till we scored an excellent third goal that we were able to relax a bit regarding the three points. At this stage however, Dundonald had another dominant spell and if truth be told, deserved to score. We broke away to score a fourth just to rub salt into the wounds and finish the scoring. We were naturally delighted with both the performance and the result against good opposition. One worrying aspect of our performance was our fitness levels were not as good as I expected, mostly due to the disruption of training over the holiday period. Now that we can gat back to normal training these fitness levels should improve again over the next few weeks. On Saturday we can look forward to a derby league match at Arniston. They are a much improved team from the start of the season and we must be at our best to get a result ". - Graeme

" A lack lustre first half against Edinburgh cost us this cup tie on Saturday. On a difficult pitch our opponents were more often first to the ball and deserved their first half lead. I could not have no complaints about our efforts in the second half as we dominated for long spells but despite an early goal we found it difficult to create too many clear cut chances. Our playing style means we rely heavily on our full backs and wide players to get crosses into the box. On Saturday we failed to this with any quality and paid the price. As a manager I always find the holiday period quite difficult as training and games are often disrupted. This coming Saturday we must overcome this as well as our opponents Dundonald, if we are to progress in the league. Dundonald beat us in our first league game of the season and will be difficult opponents." - Graeme.

" Our good cup form continued on Saturday with a well deserved win over Harthill in the East of Scotland cup. Our
opponents came to Newtongrange on a good run of form including a Scottish Cup win at Arniston. We knew that we
were in for a tough game so naturally I was delighted with a 5 v 1 victory to earn our place in the next round. We started the game well and despite some spirited resistance we played some terrific football to go two goals in front. Harthill to their credit didn't let their heads go down and clawed their way back into the game with a goal just before half time. We started the second half even faster than the first and within ten minutes had missed three golden chances to increase our lead. Once that elusive third goal went in there was only going to be one winner and so it proved with us adding another two goals to finish convincing winners. Unfortunately Harthill lost a bit of discipline at the end of the game, and received two red cards which will hinder them in the coming weeks. I feel they will be promotion contenders from the South Division as they have a number of excellent players with good fitness and desire. JOHN DUNN is leaving the club to join the police. JOHN was one of many players we signed at the start of last season and he has played a big part in the progress of the team since. JOHN'S attitude has been first class, hardly ever missing training and generally a joy to work with. He will be sadly missed around the club and we all wish him well for the future. CHEERS JOHN. With John's departure I felt that our player pool was becoming a bit small and with that in mind we have signed ALAN WILSON from Craigroyston. ALAN is a versatile young player who will add strength, pace and ability to our squad and I hope you all join me in giving him a good 'NITTEN' welcome to the club ". - Graeme

" So far this season our league form has not quite matched our cup form. On Saturday I asked our lads for a bit extra to improve our league position, and the reponse from our players was very impressive with a professional display for the full 90mins. The first half in particular was as good as we have played since the Camelon game. A strong defence, creative midfield and excellent forward play meant we were firing on all cylinders from the kick off and fully deserving of our four goal advantage at half time. The second half was never going to be quite as good, and because the game was over as a contest, the standard dropped a little. It was particulary pleasing result as Penicuik had been playing well recently and have a vastly experienced team. A word of warning to finish though, players must never forget how hard they have to work to achieve results like Saturday's. We need to remain focused on the tough upcoming games and maintain the standards we set on Saturday " - Graeme.

" The Scottish Cup is a very special trophy for followers of junior football, so to win last Saturday and reach the 4th round was a job well done. On a heavy and difficult pitch, good football was always going to be at a premium and so it proved. I felt we dominated the match for long spells but it took us till near the final whistle to see off our visitors. Despite all our possession in the first half, it was East Kilbride who went ahead from a well delivered free kick which eneded up as an own goal. After the interval we raised our game and deservedly equalised midway through the half. It looked East Kilbride were going to hold on for a replay until that all important winner with only two minutes left. Despite that late winner I don't think anyone could dispute that we earned our victory in a hard fought encounter ". - Graeme.

" The game against Stoneyburn was over as a contest very early on Saturday. Sometimes in these games it is easy to take the foot off the pedal and lower the standard of play. It is credit to our players that they kept good habits for the duration of the game and were rewarded with some fine goals. We now turn our attention to the Scottish Cup tie with East Kilbride. They are managed by an old aquaintance of mine in John Brogan, who was one of Scotland's most prolific goalscorers in his senior career. Alan and I managed to get through and see East Kilbride in action and from what we saw it is clear that a difficult tie is in prospect. They have some excellent players matched with a good work ethic which will test our players to the full. These games are the reason we all love our football and come Saturday let's hope our players rise to the occasion and give us the result we want. Enjoy the game. " - Graeme

" Last Saturday was a make or break game for us. With a league season of 22 games it was important to be in contention at the half way point. It was therefore a major disappointment to us all that we were beaten for the third time in the league this season. We started the game well and missed a few chances early to go in front but it was Bo'ness who scored first from a free kick on the edge of our box. Bo'ness then had their best spell and scored again to put us 2 v 0 down. From that point on I felt we played really well and were ultimately a bit unfortunate not to take something from the game. We scored before half time to reduce the deficit and despite hitting the bar twice and having numerous attempts at goal it was Bo'ness who broke away to score a third and kill the game off. As a manger I always feel that breaks will even themselves out over a season. I felt on Saturday that we didn't get the rub of the green and we will play a lot worse this season and win. Fair play to Bo'ness who defended their box well and took their chances when they came along. We now find ourselves nearer the wrong end of the table and face a fight on our hands to improve our postion. I said a few weeks ago that our defending was below par this season and this is the area that we have to improve on. This is not only a back four problem as we have to learn to defend from the front. If we can stop losing so many goals then our results will improve. On Saturday we face Rosyth who last Saturday beat Kinnoull away from home. There are no easy games in this league and Saturday will be no exception ". - Graeme

" It was obvious from an early stage on Saturday that there was a huge gulf in the ability of the two teams. That said, we had to make sure there was no suprise result at our expense. Our players responded admirably and scored some excellent goals which would grace any game. We looked a bit more like ourselves straight from the kick off and we hope that this form continues into the tougher games which lie ahead. Bishopmill to their credit never gave up and also showed excellent discipline, despite the scoreline. We wish them well for the rest of the season."
- Graeme

SCOTTISH CUP 3RD ROUND DRAW - v EAST KILBRIDE (NEW VICTORIA PARK) -1st DECEMBER
Full draw on ' Nitten Talk '
 

" Last Saturday's local derby against Arniston was played in very difficult conditions with a gusty wind
blowing over a firm surface. It is easy to say we didn't play well but that be unfair on Arniston. They came to Newtongrange with a positive attitude and a much improved team from our previous encounter. Our visitors dominated early on and we could have no complaints about being two behind after half an hour. A well taken free kick just before half time gave us a lifeline and our performance improved a bit in the second half. Our equiliser arrived midway through the second half and at that stage we thought we may go on and win the game. Arniston kept their discipline well and the remainder of the game was evenly balanced with a few chances at either end. A draw was probably a fair result with the wind eventually the only winner. From our point of view it was pleasing that we could again recover from a two goal deficit but again highlighted the poor starts we have made in many games this season. Saturday brings the next round of the Scottish Cup when we welcome Bishopmill from Elgin to Newtongrange. Enjoy the game ". - Graeme

" A spirited start by our opponents had us on the back foot for the opening fifteen minutes on Saturday.
A gradual improvement in our play culminated in us taking the lead after an excellent move and finish. Despite controlling much of the remainder of the half we were fortunate to go in at half time with a lead as St Andrews hit the bar with the final move of the half. The opening exchanges of the second half were hard fought with chances at both ends. It was only in the last quarter that we gained control and added a further two goals to book our place in the next round. I felt the result flattered us a wee bit on Saturday and although we always looked like we could score our defending as a team was less impressive. More work in this area will have to be done on the training ground. Finishing games strongly is a big part of our game at the moment. Good fitness levels are a must in order to do this but equally important is the strength in depth of our squad giving us the oppotunity to replace players with others of equal ability. Finally I would like to wish RICHIE McCAUL well in his new career with Preston Athletic. It was a pleasure to have him here and I only wish every player had the same attitude as RICHIE. He expressed a wish to move on as he was not assured of a regular game and given the service he has given the club there was no chance of us standing in his way ". - Graeme.

" After the glamour of a League Cup Final at Linlithgow, an away trip to Montrose 3 days later was the
recipe for danger. Firstly the 2+ hours in a bus, but also the potential fatigue from Wednesday's game. You
often see teams having played midweek failing to achieve their best against lesser opposition on the weekend. I was therefore delighted with today's performance when I thought we totally dominated and should have won by considerably more. Albeit the opposition wasn't of Linlithgow's standard the attacking football we played was a delight to watch. I feel after the hiccup of losing our first 2 league games, we are getting back to our best and building momentum to push ourselves up the league. Football management is hard at any level and you experience many highs and lows. The highs of winning and texting Graeme the result so he could relax and enjoy his holiday, were today coupled with the lows of leaving players on the bench or not even in 16. The strength of our entire squad is critical to our success this year, as it proved last season and we will need everyone of them over the winter months. I now believe we have 19 players who not only just love playing football but love playing for Newtongrange Star and this can only breed sucess. Final word is a big thanks to our travelling support who again made themselves heard and shouted the boys to victory ". - Alan

" Driving home last night I couldn't stop thinking....what might have been. Everyone associated with the
club should be very proud of how our young side gave the best junior team in Scotland a real fright tonight, especially in the 1st half. The game plan was to keep it tight for the first 15 mins, then start to play our style and I felt we played some terrific football for large parts of the game. It was a devastating blow to lose the goal just before half time. I was disappointed to be going in level, but 2 v 1 down was a real travesty. However against the quality of Linlithgow you cannot gift them 2 goals from throw in's and expect to recover easily. Our 2nd half was a bit flatter, but if we'd been level at half time I feel it would have been a different story. It was a good benchmark for our team against the best and with a bit more experienced under our belt, we will not be far away. We must regroup tonight and be ready for Saturday's vital league game at Montrose. Hopefully the superb Nitten army will be with us again like the Kinnoull game, as the boys really appreciate the vocal support. My final thoughts are with RITCHIE McCAUL, a true Nitten legend. I really hoped to get Ritchie on tonight for his last appearance but the way things panned out we needed forwards on to try and recover. Ritchie was a mainstay for us last season and his consistency and leadership a key factor in us winning the title. On behalf of the management, sincere thanks Ritchie and all the best for the future" - Alan Prentice 

" After last years early exit to Tayport it was important to get past the first round in this season's
Scottish Cup. Although dominating for most of the game we really only felt safe when the second goal
went in. Missed chances in the first half led to a degree of frustration setting in and it took till the 44mins for us to score the opener. To Forres credit they came out fighting in the second half and gave us a few anxious moments before we finished the game in style to enter the draw for the next round. Big games are coming thick and fast for us and we have a cup final to look forward to on Wednesday at Linlithgow. They have proved themselves to be the best junior team in Scotland over the past year and will prove extremely tough opponents. From our point of view these are the games we all want to be involved in, testing ourselves against the best. I feel that our performance against Camelon in the semi final was our best of the season and a repeat of that form will be needed in the final. I am sure the Nitten support will be out in force. Enjoy the game." - Graeme.

" After five minutes on Saturday I don't think anybody could have predicted what was about to happen. It was my first visit to
Kinnoull and I was impressed both with the way they try to play football and also the discipline their players showed during the game.
 We also like to think we play the game in a professional manner and also show good discipline. It was therefore a great surprise and disappointment to find ourselves down to ten men so early in the game. I spoke to the ref at half time and he deemed that Scott had kicked his opponent and was sent off for 'violent conduct'. We can only take his word for that as I certainly did not see anything resembling violence. I was more annoyed with Scott for pushing his opponent away. After starting the game really well and going ahead early on things started to go horribly wrong. It was evident at this stage that our normally sound defence was struggling to cope with the movement and pace of the Kinnoull front line. Although we regained the lead after conceding a soft goal from a free kick, it was clear all was not well. The sending off didn't help but what happened from then to half time was not pretty from a Newtongrange perspective, and we found ourselves 4 v 2 down in double quick time. Being down to ten men meant that a few chances had to be taken and we went out with a positive attitude and formation for the second half. The players (and supporters) never say die attitude was rewarded with a second half performance we can be proud of. We got one goal back early in the second half which raised our hopes but they were dashed when Kinnoull scored from a free kick. At that point I thought we had a mountain to climb but full marks to the players for their responce. We dominated from then on in, scoring two more goals and fully deserving our share of the points. A very exciting game for the spectators but sheer hell for the mangers. On a seperate note you will be aware that I was officially sent off on Saturday for 'dissent by word'. As a manager who demands good discipline from his players, I apologise for any embarassment this has caused the club. I did get a bit carried away by a few decisions I felt had not gone our way and let my emotions get the better of me. I am very passionate about football and Newtongrange Star and on this occasion maybe over reacted to what I thought were injusticies against us. I will try my best not to let this happen again ". - Graeme.
" I would not have liked to have paid money to watch Saturdays game at Musselburgh. Apart from the opening fifteen minutes
when we looked like a team on form, there was not a lot to be happy about. I don't know if it was the tight pitch, the dry bumpy
surface, the gusty wind or lack of confidence but both teams found great difficulty in playing much quality football. After a bright opening by Newtongrange it was Musselburgh who went ahead with their first real attack of the game. From then until half time we created little in the way of chances against a determined Musselburgh defence. In the second half with the wind behind us we dominated without really looking like scoring until the game finally came to life in the final ten minutes. Musselburgh handed us a lifeline by conceding a soft penalty which was duly converted and at that stage we were relieved to be level after being behind for so long. At 1 v 1 Musselburgh were unlucky to hit the post before some sustained pressure led to an injury time goal to put us ahead. A frantic finish ended with a Musselburgh equiliser from a free kick in the fifth minute of added time. Perhaps a draw was a fair result and our performances will have to improve if we want to get up the league in the coming weeks" - Graeme

" After our opening two defeats it was a great relief to us all to pick up our first points on Saturday. Although not firing on all
cylinders I felt we did enough to merit the three points. It is always difficult going back to a ground where we had already won a few
games this season and so it proved on Saturday. We opened very brightly and went ahead midway through the half only to be pegged back just before half time. Up to then we had played really well and were maybe a shade unlucky not to be in front. We also started the second half well and got our just rewards early on. For a short while after the goal we threatened to increase our lead but nothing came of it. Penicuik then went down to ten men which should have made our task that bit easier. As so often is the case the opposite happened and Penicuik's best spell was the last fifteen minutes when they could have equilised. A few of our young lads tired in that last period and we allowed too many crosses into our box for comfort. Our midfield which had been so dominant for the first hour lost their way and allowed the excellent Brian Ryrie to dominate that area too easily. In the end we were glad to hear the final whistle. We now have another two difficult away games at Musselburgh and Kinnoull where points will be hard to come by" - Graeme

"Played two, lost two is not the start we wanted in our league campaign, but that's where we stand. The loss to Dundonald was
understandable given the schedule we had, but Saturday was unacceptable. Over ninety minutes I felt we only had one, maybe two
players who played anywhere near their best and it is always going to be difficult to win games in these circumstances . As a club we
must always remember we have no god given right to win any game and we have to work much harder as a team and as individuals to gain success. Saturday was the first time in a long while that the will to win and togetherness as a team just wasn't there. We accept loss of form but we cannot accept lack of application. It is now the job of the management and players to lift ourselves out of this rut and get back to winning ways as soon as possible. Lastly one of the reasons we won the league last year was the strength in depth we had, particularly at the end of the season. The down side of this is that only eleven players can start each game and there are some disappointed players each Saturday. While I do understand the frustration of not playing, we can't have it both ways. Going with a small squad is not a great option and we hope that competition for places will benefit us over the season". - Graeme

" You would think after a long run of winning games, a defeat might be easier to accept. Unfortunately that's not the
case and I spent the rest of the weekend on a downer. I am sure our players were equally disappointed with the
outcome on Saturday. We must now pick ourselves up and get back to winning ways as soon as possible. Saturday was our twelfth competitive game this season and to have lost only one game is not too bad. We will all be glad of the break this week to allow us a normal training week in preparation for the visit of Forfar on Saturday. The game itself on Saturday was played in very windy conditions but with the pitch in good nick. With the wind at our backs in the first half we created numerous chances but failed to take any of them and found ourselves a goal down at half time. We gradually took control of the match and when we equilised I thought we would go on to win the match. However a late winner by Dundonald ended our winning run and sent us home pointless". - Graeme

" If the Camelon game was to be a guide to our progress as a club then I think it proved that we are on the right lines.
As expected, Camelon proved to be an excellent team and from my point of view i thought the first half in particular
was a great advert for Junior football. The passing and movement of both teams was of a high standard and that
added to the normal passion of junior football players made for an exciting tussle. Camelon started the better and dominated the first fifteen minutes only for us to score in our first serious attack. I felt we then had the edge for the rest of the half and could have been further ahead at half time than we were. The second half was a much tighter affair with not too many chances on offer at either end. I was particularly pleased with our disciplined defending, whilst continuning to look dangerous going forward. Our late penalty was the icing on the cake and we can now look forward to a cup final against Linlithgow Rose. On Saturday we visit Cardenden to play Dundonald after a hectic schedule to say the least. A difficult game is in prospect against a side who also won their regional league last season ". - Graeme

" A good first half performance against Tranent ensured that we won all our section matches in the league cup. The
much changed team didn't seem to affect us too much and some of our attacking play was excellent. we now move
on to the semi final against Super league team Camelon on Wednesday night. They will prove formidable opponents as they too have won all their section games. these are the games the players and hopefully the Nitten faithful look forward to. Let's hope for a big crowd and an entertaining match". - Graeme

"A trip to Dunbar is now one of the pleasures in junior football. The facilities are superb with a pitch that is the envy of
most. This set up surely a role model of were part time professional clubs should be. The game itself was hard
fought in the first quarter with Dunbar maybe a bit unlucky not to score in that period. After a defensive mistake we
took the lead and thereafter never looked under pressure. This result confirms our semi final spot and we can look forward to
a game against Camelon, a team from the Super league. These are the games that we all look forward to, providing us with a change to gauge our progress as a club. Before that we have a game on Monday against Tranent which we can now use to
improve the match fitness of some players who have not figured regularly to date." - Graeme

GRAEME'S VIEW ON THE ARNISTON GAME:

" An away cup tie against our local rivals Arniston was always going to be a tough test for us, particularly after their
two good results against Penicuik and Musselburgh. That said, we should really have had been out of sight at half time,
squandering a hatful of chances to increase our lead. As always a slender one goal advantage never seems enough and true to form Arniston scored with their first chance. After that goal, we had a sticky ten minutes before regaining initiative scoring the winner with around ten minutes left. We now need one more point to be sure of our place in the semi finals with games against Dunbar and Tranent to come. The whole playing squad along with Bernie, Colin and Alan have worked real hard to attain current fitness levels and hopefully this will continue to help us as the season unfolds"

"Yesterdays win at Penicuik gave me a lot of satisfaction for a number of reasons. First and most important the result
gives us a great chance to go on and clinch a semi final spot by winning the section. Secondly it is always difficult to
win away against an experienced Penicuik team packed with good players. Thirdly it is encouraging to achieve this kind of result an also to have so many good players waiting in the wings. We now have a sqaud of players who are are all capable of playing at this level and this can only help in the quest for further success. The game itself was played in heavy rain but with the pitch in good condition. Penicuik started the stronger but as the first half progressed we gradually got the upper hand. An early goal in the second half settled us down and from then on we never really looked like loosing our lead".

"Overall we must be happy with the way we have started the season but as always there is room for improvement.
Last night against Haddington we ended up with a comfortable looking 4 v 1 result but that doesn't tell the true story.
We started the game positively and deserved our early advantage. Although we continued to dominate possession
we only rarely threatened to add to that lead. Haddington gradually began to get better of midfield and their equaliser
was no more than they deserved. Our players once again proved their hunger and fitness in the last quarter of the game and
after missing a number of clear chances we went on to score three late goals. We are in the middle of a busy period of games
and now that we have a full squad to pick from, I will be changing the team around a bit. We have a tough fixture at Penicuik on Saturday, a team who have had an inconsistent start to the season. They are a team full of good players and we will need to be at our best to get a result. " - Graeme.

" Last night's match against Musselburgh was no doubt exciting for the paying public but for the managers it was a
 bit of torture. People in football say you learn more in defeat than when winning and last night was no exception. I
learned more about our team and players during that first half than in any of the victories we have achieved recently.
Team selection was difficult with some of our players missing, but I must put my hand up and say that I got the shape
 of our team all wrong last night. That added to some unusually poor performances gave us a mountain to climb in the second half. Going down to ten men made it even more difficult and it was a credit to the players fitness, application and sheer desire that we were able to come back and win the game. Looking ahead to the other League cup fixtures, I will be trying to make sure all our players are fit and raring to go for the start of our League campaign whilst also trying our best to qualify for the semi finals. Steven Thomson has a broken toe but is now making progress and should be playing soon but unfortunately John Stanton's long term injury continues to give cause for concern and he will again have to visit the medics to try and get to the root of the problem. " - Graeme