Welcome to Issue 31
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The uniformity of uniforms
By Daniel Gray

The Fitbatweets Diaries

The Nutmeg Interview: Alex Smith
Alex Smith won two Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup, and came within one match of pipping Rangers to the title. But trophies don’t tell the story of his deep love of the game.
By Teddy Jamieson

Ian Murray’s joy division
Having faced pariah status two years ago, Raith Rovers are now emerging as the fastest-growing club in the country, propelled by the success of ‘Murrayball’ and a raft of late victories. Could this signal the dawn of a new golden age in Kirkcaldy?
By Scott Fleming

Mountain to climb for late starters
Elite youth football is based on fallacies about talent and takes no account of how children mature. Would Archibald, Collins or McClair have made it today?
By Graeme McDowall

Inside the topsy-turvy world of Old Firm AGMs
At the Glasgow duo’s latest shareholder meetings, Rangers got an easy ride for poor performance and Celtic were lambasted despite success, on and off the field. What can other clubs learn? By Maurice Smith

Open Goal Broomhill’s brush with big time
A media company’s plan to give the Lowland League ‘mass exposure’ via YouTube did not quite go as planned for the nomadic club.
By Andy Ross

Behind The Lens: Inside Scottish football’s quiet TV revolution
The production company behind most Premiership coverage proved its mettle during the Covid season and hasn’t looked back.
By Alex Marr

From Mopeds to Messi
In 2013, footballers Steven Robb and Mark Corcoran traded their boots for a new venture. Today, their clothing brand stands among the world’s most popular. Here Robb recounts the label’s humble beginnings, and the famous faces who helped make its name.
By Kenny Millar

Photo essay: The Nutmeg Match Report
This season, Alan McCredie and Daniel Gray are documenting the Scottish Cup in its 150th year. Their journey continues amidst the briny air of Balmoor Stadium, where Peterhead host Ayr United.

The Girvan Lighthouse wore a flat cap
In 1968, Ayresome Park hosted England’s Football League XI v Scottish League XI. Legends from both sides of the border graced that hallowed North-East turf, yet it was Peter McCloy who left an indelible mark on my young mind.
By Harry Pearson

Love at first byte
Ever since I put the ‘Kick Off 2’ disc into the drive at the age of nine, I’ve been in thrall to the sights and sounds of computerised match action, lost classics and all.
By Mark Holmes

Fitba, my father-in-law and me
We bonded over a shared love of the Doonhamers. After about a quarter of a century of attending games together, I am still not used to his absence from the matchday rituals.
By Giancarlo Rinaldi

Midnight train from Georgia
Catching the Tartan Army’s Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi was an enthralling experience, inside and outside the brutalist behemoth of an old Soviet stadium. And I’m not even Scottish.
By Ffion Thomas

Good people, good things
Too often we hear how football has lost its soul. But Scottish clubs, big and small, are doing a huge amount for their communities.
By Hugh MacDonald

Senior moments to savour
Playing for Scotland at the over-50s Masters in Thailand, alongside former pros and Junior internationals, was an experience to treasure. We even beat England on our way to the final
By Colin Leslie

Double Don makes his mark far from the Granite City
Graham Hunter fell in love with the game at Pittodrie. Then, a trip to World Cup ‘82 – under the guidance of one Alex Ferguson – saw him fall for Spain. It was an adoration he would later spread via the revolutionary TV show Revista De La Liga.
By Liam Grimshaw

Peerless chronicler
Hughie Taylor did not only produce the legendary football annual, he was a witty, astute and kind observer of Scottish football across more than five decades in journalism.
By David Allan

Another night in Turin
In 1990, a Turin councillor lobbied to have ‘Flower of Scotland’ played before Scotland’s World Cup game in the Italian city. Despite losing to Brazil, that small victory over FIFA provided a rare moment of brightness.
By John Irving

…First as tragedy, second as farce
In Seville in 2022 I experienced a triumph in defeat, glimpsed immortality, and bore witness to the heartbreaking unfinished chapter in Rangers’ pursuit of history.
By Ross Hutton

Holy trinity of one-club Scots who worked their magic down south
Billy Liddell at Liverpool, Bob McKinlay at Nottingham Forest and Eddie Gray at Leeds United were in a league of their own when it comes to longevity and loyalty in England.
By Ronnie McCluskey

The quiet man of Ibrox
Rangers’ great Willie Mathieson has inspired a fan-led campaign to honour him and his team-mate
Willie Johnston. Both are small-town heroes of Cardenden who left an indelible mark on their club.
By Craig Millar

Chance was a fine thing on epic Greek adventure
When Alan Strachan went to Athens to visit his aunt 30 years ago, he had no idea he’d end up training with Panathinaikos for six weeks.
By James Morgan

Hibs hero who lined up with the world’s best
A Scotland cap may have eluded Hibernian’s Alan Gordon, but 50 years ago he appeared in a star-studded match in Hamburg alongside some of the world’s greatest players.
By Craig Stephen

McAllister’s golden Liverpool sunset
When the midfield maestro joined the Reds at the age of 35, few backed him to make much impression. Five trophies later, he was a club legend.
By Sean Cole

Thistle Tea lady who blesses her cup of fortune
Fiona McConachie joined Thistle as a teenage volunteer and has loved every minute of her varied role. Now her seven-year-old daughter is getting in on the act.
By Brian Welsh

Heart and soul of Montrose
Eilidh Reid not only founded the women’s club but has played for, coached and driven – in every sense – the Angus outfit to the top tier of the game. She is still intent on giving opportunities to more girls.
By Chris Marshall

Tynecastle hath a pleasant seat
With the support of Hearts, Two Halves Productions are revolutionising storytelling in football with a unique series of plays which both challenge convention and enrich the club’s cultural narratives.
By Richard Purden

Heady fuel of my Airdrie love affair
When Texaco Cup fever gripped Airdrie in 1971/72, one boy’s love of football was ignited by the sounds, and reflection of floodlights, through his bedroom window.
By Andy Bollen

Grand Tour
Almost 40 years ago, my father, brother and I journeyed north from our native Lincolnshire to visit every Scottish league ground. Many of these venues no longer exist, which makes our pilgrimage even more special.
By Dominic Picksley

On a bing and a prayer
For a brief spell 100 years ago, West Lothian could boast not one but four professional clubs. Where did it all go wrong?
By Callum McCormack

International class
In the first of a new series we look at memorable Scotland kits through the years: from wing collars and V-necks to temperature-triggered colour changes.
By John Devlin
186
From the Chairman to the Tea Lady…
Helmsman’s Netherdale nirvana

Dramatic last days: Scottish First Division 1988/89
When Killie’s goal glut had Bully Wee worried

Record appearances
‘Hamish – The Goalie’ (1983) by Michael Marra
By David Pollock

Poetry
Waiting for Daddy by Heather Meldrum
Goat Goal by Mark Coverdale
Goals by Celia Donovan
Restricted View by David Forrest