Camelon Juniors FC
Carmuirs Park
Fairlie Drive
Camelon
Ground Number: 843
Saturday 30th March 2019
Camelon Juniors 5-1 Edinburgh United
East Of Scotland League - Conference C
CAMELON JUNIORS - A BRIEF HISTORY
Camelon Juniors were established in 1920, although there were previous clubs in the town. Another side to make the step up from the Junior game at the start of this season, they had previously seen success in the Lothian District and East Region Junior Leagues. They lifted the Scottish Junior Cup in 1995, beating Whitburn 2-0 in a game played at Fir Park, Motherwell. Local cup honours include the Fife & Lothians Cup (three times), the East Of Scotland Junior Cup (1994), Brown Cup (1977 and St Michaels Cup (2005). They've provided Scotland with many internationals over the years and famous Scottish international Alan Hansen's Dad, John Hansen played for them. Camelon itself is a district of Falkirk with a population of 4,500.
MY VISIT
I’d first discovered Groundhop UK’s organised groundhops in 2013 when I’d wanted to go to the Bridlington Town v Scarborough Athletic. Previously, I’d mainly stuck to the top 4 levels of non-league, but it opened my eyes to some of the great places that I could visit, my favourite being Pickering Town. I’d been on many of their hops since in Wales, Scotland, the Western League, the North West Counties League and more. The tickets had programmes included in a pack, so were both cost-effective and convenient. The coaches, for the most part, were good value too. The only drawback was that the accommodation was usually quite pricey, not the fault of the organisers, but due to the logistical problem of having to park the coach and accommodate so many people at once. More often than not, I’d organise something myself, but circumstances meant that it was gonna be tricky this time. I did at least bring the costs down by sharing with Braintree supporting pal Dan.
The day of the game started with a lousy night's sleep. I'd had a great night's sleep the previous night and always pay when that happens by having a rubbish night's sleep the night after. I'd been wide awake the previous night and not feeling much like sleep even at 2 am. My roommate Dan's fairly light snoring hadn't helped because I'm a really light sleeper and find it impossible to drop off unless everything is silent. I felt OK though and so after a shower, headed for breakfast in a good mood. A couple of plates of breakfast later and I was feeling decent. I popped back to the room for a shave before getting the coach to the game. It was a drizzly day, though nothing major. We got to the ground at 10ish and after buying a newspaper from the shop outside and getting some pictures, I went in. It was a great ground and I fancied buying a pennant or a hat but at £10 each, they were too pricey for someone who is rapidly running out of storage space.
The game started with the hosts on top and it was no surprise when they took the lead after 8 minutes, Alan Doherty sliding the ball home from a few yards out. The lead was doubled within a couple of minutes, a home player beating the keeper and laying it off to Alan Sneddon who converted with ease. Camelon made it 3-0 on 26 minutes when Sneddon headed home an excellent right-wing cross. They had the chance to make it 4-0 on the half hour, the ball squirming through the keeper's hands before hitting the post. Edinburgh United would reduce the appears on 38 minutes, a penalty being converted after it was awarded for a foul. Shortly before half time. It was four for the hosts just before half time, Conor Robinson controlling a cross from the right, turning and shooting home. It was 5-1 a few minutes into the second half, a diagonal shot into the bottom corner by Conor McKenzie. It had been a fair reflection of proceedings so far, the hosts dominant and Edinburgh relying on chances on the break. The visitors improved greatly in the second period, chances were at a premium compared to the opening half, but both sides could have scored.
THE GROUND
CARMUIRS PARK is a delightful venue with two large covered terraces with the odd few seats dotted around. The rest of the ground has extensive open terracing which must have held loads back in the day. The food facilities at the ground are excellent, with a wide range, whilst the alcoholic drinks appeared to be restricted to cans although both were reasonably priced.
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