It looks as if Saturday's County cup tie should be a very good game. Aspatria have a cracking record so far, winning every game apart from a draw with ****ermouth.
It will be interesting to see how the top County League standard compares with that in the Alliance.
I watched the friendly between Aspatria and ourselves earlier in the season and it was a very close game. Despite both teams making numerous substitutions it was clear to see that Aspatria have some very good players and were unlucky to loose.
I notice some people are saying that there might be a shock on the cards i.e. Aspatria winning, but don't forget that Aspatria knocked out Gillford on their own patch last year and could more than hold their own (as could Netherhall) in the Northern Alliance.
I think it is fair to say that City will not underestimate Aspatria in any way and I look forward to the game on Saturday (weather permitting)
Obviously, the weather did intervene, although some observers maintained the pitch was playable. It is a bit odd to see junior games all going ahead but the referee deciding it's not fit for senior football.
We will keep you posted this week with the new venue for the game, as the Sheepmount prepares for the bonfire next Saturday.
Dougie Ivison inspected the pitch with the referee Ken Stevenson and was adament the game should have been played. The ground staff at the sheepmount, who know the pitches better than anyone, were also in agreement that the game should have been played. Some of the players, management and committee at City inspected the pitch and the feeling was the game should have been played. We even asked a second referee who had just finished a junior game to look at it and he said he would have played the game.
It seems the only person who did not want to play it was Ken Stevenson.
I had a phone call yesterday from one of the City players to tell me that Ken Stevenson is a Sunderland fan and he has it on good authority that he wanted the game off so he could go and watch the Newcastle v Sunderland game.
If that is the case, he should not referee another game this season (IMO). How you could prove that though I don't know.
Well done to the Aspatria team yesterday, the game could have went either way (IMO) but I thought you wanted it more than City. Good Luck against Wetheriggs, you may need a gag for their keeper if Willsy plays.
Three or four in the City team need to have a good hard look at themselves and ask if they could have given more than they did, the answer so far as I am concerned is a definite yes.
I thought City had a good spell midway through the first half which could have been more decisive than it proved to be.
Aspatria started the second half well and just kept going. City's second goal is one of the strangest I have ever seen- the Aspatria centre-half mis-heard what the ref shouted about the pass-back.
I'm not sure refs should shout any instructions- just leave it to the keepers to decide.
