Today I went to Galabank in Annan to see Annan Athletic take on Elgin City in the Scottish Third Division. It is a two-hour train journey from Glasgow Central to the town near the Scottish-English border. The Galabankies only entered the Scottish Football League last season. They were admitted to the league to fill up the vacant spot that was left by the demise of Gretna FC, a club that also hailed from the region of Dumfries and Galloway.Galabank has recently been upgraded to make it fully compliant with all SFL requirements. The Social Club is a welcoming place for a pre-match pint. Regular admission is only £9, making it the cheapest SFL club I have been to. There is only one stand, the rest are standing areas. There was no segregation in place today, in fact I did not see any Elgin fans.
The weather today was horrendous once again and I was expecting many games in Scotland to be cancelled today. It had been raining all night but I was adamant that I was going to visit a new ground today. I wanted to go to Annan but in case of a postponement I would be going to either Alloa or Dunfermline. Before getting my train tickets I had phoned the club and I was told the game was on. However it was only 11:30 and it was still raining. When I was walking from Annan station to Galabank I was sure the match was going to be cancelled but I was pleasantly surprised when I was informed it was definitely on. Miraculously the rain stopped minutes before kick-off and it stayed dry throughout the match. It turned out only one game was postponed in Scotland today (Livingston v Albion Rovers).The game was quite entertaining with chances on both ends but no goals before half-time. The BBC website mentions David Niven as the scorer of the first goal only three minutes after the interval. Annan seemed a bit toothless, even more so after Peter Watson was dismissed for picking up a second booking 15 minutes before the end. Kyle MacAulay ensured a valuable away win for Elgin with a deflected shot in the 88th minute.
The new turnstiles seen from inside the ground with the clubhouse on the left.
The main stand before kick-off.
The very low parameter wall meant many balls ended up outside the ground. Take care driving past Galabank on match days!
The Annan dugout.
The rain stopped and we were even treated to a few rays of sunshine. It looked warmer than it actually was however.
The main stand after the game.Saturday 14th November 2009
Scottish Football League Third Division
Annan Athletic 0 Elgin City 2
Goals: Nive 48, MacAulay 88.
Att: 416
