Memories

The result at Threave last week was obviously a catastrophe, but enough has already been said about that, and I doubt I'd be able to add anything new to the debate. The very notion of a match at Castle Douglas, though, reminded me of our last trip there, when another catastrophe befell us. Not a footballing catastrophe, clearly, since back in December 1999, we were capable of beating Threave 7-1 without breaking sweat. No, the catastrophe was in the field of catering. On what was perhaps the coldest day in world history, the pie shop ran out of tea. In this context, two things were sustaining the 13-year old Rob. The first was, of course, the football, with Stenny looking extremely comfortable, and Martin Mooney playing especially well. Not only that, though, but I had also resolved that, at full time, I would approach Alan Lawrence to ask for his autograph. Notwithstanding the serious lack of tea, therefore, the exciting prospect of meeting the then Stenny captain was just about sufficient to prevent me from succumbing to hypothermia. At full time, the plan was swiftly put into action, with one small hitch. It had not occurred to the 13-year old Rob that the Stenny skipper, as he ran off the park, would probably not be carrying a pen. Were it not for the timely intervention of Sandy Reid, himself equipped with a pen, yours truly would not, perhaps, have created the most favourable impression on his idol. Why, you might ask, am I telling you all this? The reason is simply that talking about the football, just now, tends to lead to negativity. And there has been too much negativity around this club lately. For all our current troubles, I am not about to add a further dose of pessimism. As I write this, I'm keeping up to date with the closing stages of the Albion game via Sky Sports, and whatever happens in the closing minutes this afternoon, I will continue to look forward with optimism. Now that John Coughlin is in charge, every Warriors fan should do the same. He will, of course, need time, but his past record tells us all we need to know. Things, as they say, can only get better...