Hawick RA 4-0 Burntisland Shipyard
As I was driving down through the borders yesterday, a quick bout of mental arithmetic brought up the slightly scary fact that it is over 17 years since I last visited Albert Park, Hawick. This was in my Caledonia Dreaming camcorder incarnation, and footage of that visit may be found here,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPhQ-bbos6U&feature=youtube_gdata
should you be the sort of chap who finds such stuff of interest.
Upon arrival, I noted there had been a few changes in the intervening years, mostly down to the fact the venue is no longer used for greyhound racing. I am not quite sure when the dogs stopped running, but I would guess it was probably not long after the track manager was convicted, along with a local trainer, of tying live rabbits to the mechanical lure during a dog training session!
The traps and the inner track fencing have now gone, with the track itself now grassed over. An impressively large collection of portacabins which used to reside adjacent to the stand is also no more, which makes me think these structures were in some way associated with the racing admin side of things. And the natty blue/white stand seats have been repainted all blue, reflecting perhaps the club’s present choice of playing strip.
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| Albert Park, Hawick. |
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| The stand at Albert Park, Hawick. |
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| The Albert Park stand when viewed from one end looks quite respectable.......... |
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| .............but is showing its age from t'other. |
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| Heart of The Borders. |
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| Inside the Albert Park stand. |
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| Albert Park, Hawick. |
What has not changed however is the fact the football club is still toiling dreadfully in its attempts to charm the locals out of their houses and down to Albert Park. There looked to be no more than 30 or so souls sitting in the stand, with perhaps further half-dozen bodies dotted around the ground.
I am aware that the Scotland rugby side playing would have had most of the sport-minded inhabitants of this egg-chasing heartland either glued to their TV or enjoying a trip to the fleshpots of Cardiff, but I could not help think that this was probably as many as Albert ever see these days,
For the record those stayaways missed the home side record only their fourth league win of the season; an impressive 4-0 one at that, and one which hoiked them off the foot of the table.
Upwards and Onwards, chaps!
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| Hawick Royal Albert v Burntisland Shipyard - March 2014 |
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| Hawick Royal Albert v Burntisland Shipyard - March 2014 |
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| Hawick Royal Albert v Burntisland Shipyard - March 2014 |
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| Hawick No 8 prepares to that nose-clearing thing we all know and love. |
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| Panorama of Albert Park, Hawick. |
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