stadiumMK

I’ve actually been to stadiumMK many times before, mostly in the executive suites. However, this is because the Exec Suites double up as Hotel Rooms for The Doubletree hotel which makes up one stand of stadiumMK, and as I live in MK through work, I had stayed in this hotel on a number of occasions.

It was through work that we got tickets, as there was a deal on for 4 tickets at a combined price of £20! What a deal, although I was concerned that I might be having to face a 0-0 for the second time in three days!

Stadium MK wide view

And to be fair my fears only increased after an entertaining and high quality first half, which whilst the build-up play, energy and excitement was there, twice the woodwork came to the rescue when the two good goalkeepers hadn’t already made great saves. Peterborough looked particularly dangerous in the first half with newly crowned player of League 1 Craig Mackail-Smith and George Boyd, very energetic and skilful up front, Boyd hit the post for Peterborough. At the other end, Peter Levens (Cult Hero amongst the group I was with – for his resemblance to a fat Charlie Adam), was pulling the strings in midfield, and he hit the post having earlier stung the hands of England U-21 ‘keeper Joe Lewis.

The Home End

 After the break it was the MK Dons who took the initiative though with Luke Chadwick and local lad Sam Bostock playing a much more influential role. Eventually, a mistake from a cross by Joe Lewis allowed MK’s centre half to score and give the MK Dons a one-goal lead. Despite a flurry of activity at both ends, this is how the game ended, how MK Dons didn’t make it more, I will never know. The BBC Match Report is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_2/9429084.stm.

The guys having fun at HT

On the whole, stadiumMK was great, with the new Arsenal style large and padded seats which made for a comfortable seat. Lines were not too long for anything and the stadium still had a new feeling despite being opened for 4 seasons. Somewhere to go back to again I think.

Cappielow, Greenock Morton

So a visit to Scotland to visit the parents would not be complete without a football ground visit and so it was that my Old Man took me to Cappielow Park in Morton to see the home side Morton take on Raith Rovers who were flying high in the First Division at Kick-Off.

A quick drive up from Weymss Bay saw us arrive in plenty of time for kick-off and a programme and tea were bought before kick-off.

The Cow Shed opposite the Main Stand

We sat in the home part of the Main Stand, with the Cowshed immediately in front of us, a strange structure with seating at the bottom and a standing area at the top. This was pretty much full in the middle during the game. The stand to the right was a small terraced number with a small clock on some advertising hoardings, nothing really to write home about, but quite a few locals sat there. At the other end, the West end was a large stand that was previously terracing, now with benches locked onto them. Irn-Bru hoards only added to the occasion.

The Home 'End'

The game itself, was nothing really to write home about, long balls dominated and quality was low. Morton probably shaded it, and should have won, with a very good chance falling to their substitute in the second half. I think Raith will be happy with a point, but doubt it will be enough to help them win promotion, Dunfermline look a much better bet for that.

However, a lovely day out, for £25 all in!

The old Away end with Famous Crane in the background

Celtic Park

Pre-Match Warm Up

Saints Warm Up

The Sides enter the field

Half-time under floodlights

Hampden Park

Ahh, the national Stadium on Glasgow’s Southside has seen many famous sites in it’s history, notable games include:

1. Real Madrid hammering Eintract Frankfurt 7-3 in the 1960 European Cup Final
2. 149, 415 watching Scotland entertain England in the 1937 Home Nations Championships
3. Zinedine Zidane’s wonder volley against Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final as Real won once again.

For more see here.

Sadly the main achievements list for the National Team is fairly bare, but wins against France in recent years and great performances against Italy twice have seen Hampden host some good games, so it was with a (very small) spring in my step that I joined my brother-in-law at Waverly station in Edinburgh to make our way to Mount Florida for this Euro 2012 qualifying tie.

Walking to the ground

As usual it was a pre-match bevy we were after, but this proved difficult having waited in the pub centrally for a pal Col to arrive, but we eventually made a pint close to the ground before joining the other guys in the stadium before kick-off.

The teams walk out

National Anthem Time

What happened over the next 90 minutes was unbelievable, as Spain showed all the quality they have…and more, eventually building a two-goal lead. Then, unbelievable scenes as first Steven Naismith notched with a header, then Gerard Pique was forced to turn a cross into his own net for the equaliser. Cue deleirum in the stadium…scratch that, pandeomonium! Scotland had pulled two goals back against the World Champions!

Just prior to Kick-off

Sadly, being Scotland they decided to settle for glorious defeat, with McManus mis-judging his header and substitute Fernando Llorente side-footing home. This was the final nail in the coffin, and Steven Whittaker’s Red Card late in the day doing nothing but adding a bit of insult to injury.

In Game shot

As BBC Reported Craig Moffat put it very well: ‘’It's a familiar tale of glorious failure for Scotland as the crowd rise to their feet in applause. They gave it everything. Del Bosque, who hardly cracked a smile when Spain won the World Cup actually looked worried for a while."

As for Hampden, it’s not been a great rebuilding job they have done since it re-opened in 1999, but it does a job and it’s always great to hear the Hampden Roar on International Match Days.