Friday 14th March 2025 ko 19:45

Lowland League

CUMBERNAULD COLTS 2 (Duncan 10og Ross 40)

BROXBURN ATHLETIC 0

Att 375 at Broadwood Stadium

Entry £6

Programme £2

It is always a brutal journey to the Scottish Hop but for me it’s great joy has been watching it’s evolution. From a conversation at Camelon Juniors in 2014, Jamie McQueen’s stirling work while at Whitehill Welfare, Chris Berezai’s marathon driving stints to meet the Lowland League, through to that first game at East Kilbride this event has never come with the huge history of the organised hop south of the border.

For me two great changes have helped out since that first hop in 2015. Clearly the East of Scotland League getting involved gave us more than just the one division to work with, and then the move of Junior clubs into the Senior game gave us another dimension entirely!

Its even got to the point where the nay-sayers seem to criticise only the where rather than the why. The point has always been and always will be to produce an event the finds a compromise between the needs of the clubs, fans, league and the groundhoppers. If we do something you find bewildering, then consider the needs of the other interested parties; chances are you’ll find your answer.

Now for me Cumbernauld means I immediately think of “Gregory’s Girl.” Bill Forsyth’s 1981 coming-of-age comedy film was set here, and let’s face it as a 11 year old boy Dee Hepburn and Clare Grogan were always likely to make an impression!

I know we raised a few eyebrows by opening the hop at Broadwood Stadium and I’m sure we could hear the cry of “But this was Clyde’s ground?” Indeed it was, I saw Annan Athletic’s first game as an SPFL club here back in 2008! But the ground is owned by North Lanarkshire Council and Clyde were never more than tenants. Their 28 year stay finished in 2023 with the council opting not to extend the lease in no small part to the Goodwillie affair. Clyde currently groundshare at Hamilton Academical.

Here’s photos from back then, before the leisure centre filled the open end and the pitch turned plastic! That artificial surface has allowed the council to rent the stadium out regularly. Rangers Women use here and no end of local cup finals too!

That left Cumbernauld Colts as the sole tenant here, the hop has never visited here, so why not? And the other factor that few seemed to pick up on was the lack of floodlights in the grounds we have left to visit. Since this hop we’ve sorted out a longer term solution, but in the more immediate term there was a really good reason why our two evening games were at grounds that had staged Scottish League football!

And while the stadium is clearly far too big for Colts’ needs and in the wrong colours, I rather liked the place, and as an Oxford United fan I’m well used to grounds with only 3 stands! And when you’ve been sat on a coach since 9am you just want the host club to look after you, which Colts did beautifully.

Special mention must go to the Scotch broth, that with the usual Bovril and pie combination made for the perfect antidote to a day sat on a coach. As one of the organisers I was privileged to be able to spend half time in hospitality with the officials from two incredibly warm friendly clubs; who could forget the good people of Broxburn Athletic?

Sadly for Broxburn they’re having an awkward end of the season, and this performance and result was symptomatic of that malaise. Cumbernauld won the game well, to cap an excellent evening for them both on and off the pitch. And if you’ve ever read my material before, you’ll know what I look for is for a host club to enhance their reputation. I grabbed a late beer back at the hotel, knowing that Cumbernauld Colts had managed that… and some.

Dedicated to the memory of David “DJ” Johnston, groundhopper and Leatherhead FC fan. Rest in peace DJ, I will miss you immensely.