VENUE #53 FALKIRK The Falkirk Stadium

SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP

Falkirk... 1
Queen of the South... 1

Saturday 13th September
              2014

@ The Falkirk Stadium
            Falkirk

     I've been greatly looking forward to this game, not just because it's my first trip to Scotland in the new season but I've recently acquired a Galaxy Tab 3 and have been wanting to try it out on a long train journey just to see what I can do with the contraption.  Yes, as my Son would say, "The technophobe has just joined the 21st century", and is willing to try out new gadgets to maybe make short time of all the computer work that builds up when I return home from one of these trips, if I could get it all done on the train home it would leave time for other things.
     First thing to do is upgrade my ticket to first class for it is only £15 each way on Virgin trains at the weekend and the wi-fi is free.  I did manage to play tracks on Spotify after a hour, couldn't stream any live football though or watch X-Factor on the way home for the wi-fi on Virgin trains is pretty poor at the moment but they are trying to improve things for the future.  As for making short work of all the computer stuff which you don't need the internet for but you do need Microsoft office which isn't installed on my Tab and so I'll have to upgrade and maybe I could do so in the future.
   
   

View from in front of the open end

 Another warm day as it has been all week, fairly cloudy but the sun has been able to break through here in Fife to make it a pleasant afternoon and here's hoping that the football can add to it.  Peter Houston the Falkirk boss made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Stranraer at Stair Park in the Petrofac Training cup last weekend, new signings Owain Tudur-Jones and David Smith come into the main eleven forcing Blair Alston and Alex Cooper onto the bench and Botti Bia Bi replaces Ryan Blair.
     With the departure of manager Jim McIntyre this week Queen of the South name James Fowler as caretaker player coach for this game and he makes two changes to the side that lost 4-2 at Ibrox two weeks ago bringing himself and Ian McShane into the team at the expense of Kevin Dzierzawski and Lewis Kidd.
     Not much happened in the first half apart from a chance that came about because of a poor decision by the linesman who was running the line by where I was watching the game, the ball was played over the top of the Falkirk defence to Iain Russell who was five yards offside but his shot was blocked by Jamie MacDonald the Falkirk keeper and came to Ian McShane who collided with Falkirk's Joe Shaughnessy to which the referee gave a controversial free kick but the striker took it himself and blazed the ball over the bar.  The crowd got on the linesman's back over the incident to which he seemed to put his flag up for everything in response, well, up until half time anyway when I think the ref must have gave him a talking to for he got his composure back in the second half.

Getting ready to kick off

     It was 0-0 at the break and it looked as though it was going to stay that way until the Bairns got into the game a bit more half way through the second spell but seemed to hit a brick wall with some physical challenges from the Doonhamers defence.
     A bad clearance from MacDonald, who had a poor game considering he won the August player of the Month award, fell to the feet of Derek Lyle who's 30 yard shot went just wide of the post.  The keeper atoned himself with a good save from a rasping drive from Daniel Carmichael in the 69th minute then seconds later Queens were one up when Carmichael squared the ball across the Falkirk six yard box for Gavin Reilly to smash the ball into the top right hand corner of the net.
     Falkirk equalised in the 83rd minute, Queens defender Mark Durnan handled the ball 25 yards from goal and a powerful Craig Sibbald free kick struck Chris Higgins and spun high and wide of Zander Clark the Queens keeper and into the net.

   

Falkirk mascot Fergus Fox

 Falkirk Stadium is a lovely ground even though it's only got three sides, three big stands and a fence stretching along one touchline opposite the main stand.  Opened in July 2004 after their old ground Brockville was demolished and replaced with a Morrisons superstore, (Sounds familiar).  It has a 9,200 all seated capacity comprising of the three stands as mentioned .  The Main stand is two tiered and fully covered it's got lots of leg room in between seats and is one of the best places I've watched a game from yet and the toilets look brand new, clean and immaculate.
     The two end stands are the North and the South stands, both are identical, single tiered and fully covered with the South stand for away support use.
     The club shop is outside the ground and in front of the main (West) stand and it's also where you get your match tickets from but they don't sell match programmes, you have to get them from little one man stalls dotted about in front of the main stand.

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