A Footballing First

Well, it took a while, but yesterday, Rowan became the first Wallace boy to accompany me to a football match. Rowan and I were the 2 in the 912 who went along to watch the Championship (first division to you and me) relegation battle between Alloa and St. Mirren at a blustery Indodrill Stadium in Alloa. With both teams having replaced their managers within the previous week after poor seasons to date, the game was never going to be a classic, but a goal in each half from the Buddies sealed the points.

Rowan has shown a modest interest in the sport this past year, mostly because his classmates play and talk about it all the time. To his credit, he was patient throughout a moderate match played on artificial turf but notably didn't cheer when the first goal went in and contrived to miss the second goal as he'd gone off to the toilet! Still, he was happy with his square sausage on a roll and a few fruit polos. It reminded me of my first match back on a sunny August afternoon in 1972, again following St. Mirren's relegation from the top flight, when I sat on the grass bank at the top of the Caledonian St End of what was then the vast, crumbling oval of Love St, the Buddies' erstwhile home. That day St. Mirren ran out 5-1 winners over Brechin City and my induction into a life of supporting also-rans was complete. Time will tell if Rowan repeats his trip to see another match with me, but it was good to have his company yesterday. Maybe Santa will bring him a pair of football boots after all.