Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Elgin City

Sunday, 27 March 2011

Elgin City - Borough Briggs

30^th September 2000

Elgin City 3-0 Dumbarton

Taking advantage of some or other newspaper rail ticket offer, I obtained a return ticket to Elgin for some ridiculously small sum and used it to tick Borough Briggs off the list. I had been to the ground before, when Elgin City was still a Highland League club, and I was collecting camcorder footage for the Caledonia Dreaming video series.

This was two years earlier when Borough Briggs still boasted probably the most wonderfully quirky feature ever to be found at a Scottish football ground: The Pill Box. Quite why it was felt a reinforced concrete shelter sited at a Scottish football ground would help to hold back the might of Hitler’s Third Reich (had they reached the north of Scotland), I am unsure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvlPGhzrgpY

Borough Briggs, Elgin in 2000

Same view in 2020

An eclectic jumble of buildings in one corner of the ground (2000).

Same view in 2020

The Borough Briggs stand in 2000...

...and in 2020. Little has changed, other than Tesco have built just behind the stand.

Panorama of Borough Briggs, from roughly where the pill-box stood.

Same view in 2020

This match was only Elgin City’s eighth since joining the Scottish League, and the side was very much still struggling to find it’s feet, having yet to record a win. But a creditable draw with bottom club Montrose the previous week had prevented the two sides trading places. Dumbarton were just one a point and one place above Elgin, so the Highlanders’ must have harboured ambitions of chiselling out their maiden league win.

No score at half-time, and Chris Gentile looked to have opened the scoring for the visitors’ on the hour but had a seemingly good goal disallowed, presumably for offside. City took heart at this piece of good fortune and seven minutes later Connor CAMPBELL headed them in front. Another header, this time from Steve CLINTON in the 74th minute wrapped things up nicely, and I was rewarded for my long train trip by being present as a little piece of history was made: Elgin City winning their first ever Scottish League match.

Dumbarton's No 9 Paddy Flannery almost leaves the ground attempting a header.

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Elgin City 0-1 Edinburgh City

4th January 2020

Edinburgh City have come a long way since I witnessed them comprehensively dismantled by Cove Rangers on the opening day of the season. To the extent this win – their fifth on the trot – not only maintained their healthy 12 point lead over third placed Cowdenbeath. But, rather more importantly, kept the capital club on the tails of league leaders Cove, as the pair race off for the sole automatic promotion spot.

Not that Edinburgh had to be any great shakes this afternoon, to see off a pretty woeful Elgin side. The homesters did boast a pair of accomplished looking midfielders in Brian Cameron and (most notably) Rory MacEwan, but up front was where their problems clearly lay. For no matter how the ball was played forward, either by building through the midfield or (more commonly) by being punted long, it never stuck. I would guess it has been a long time since Conrad Balatoni enjoyed such a stress free ninety minutes as the former Partick defender did this afternoon, in the heart of the visitors' defence.

But perhaps the real difference between the sides was, whilst Elgin were pretty much a blunt instrument up front, Edinburgh had Scott Shepherd. Hardly the most substantial looking of individuals, he nevertheless never ceased making a nuisance of himself to the home defence, and generally represented a willing outlet for his team-mates.

SHEPHERD scored the only goal of the match after 27 minutes, and he would have taken my trophy for Man of the Match (if such a thing existed), but for his annoying propensity for tumbling over under minimal contact. He was booked for one such shenanigan in the second half and, in my opinion, was more than a little fortunate not to be red-carded for a similar display late in the match.

Robbed of the ball when Elgin were kitchen-sinking it, he went down with a squeal, only to be ignored by referee Grant Irvine. Shepherd then grudgingly got to his feet and did that practised limping thing players in such cases do.....before suddenly breaking into a sprint when the ball looked as if it may break towards him.

The little scamp.

Approaching Borough Briggs along (aptly) Boroughbriggs Road.

The Borough Briggs enclosure.

The 5th Duke of Gordon, peers down over the town of Elgin from his column atop Lady Hill.
Perhaps tellingly, his gaze is averted away from any goings on at Borough Briggs.