BRORA RANGERS (Dudgeon Park)

SCOTTISH LEAGUE CHALLENGE CUP, BRORA RANGERS 3-1 STENHOUSEMUIR (After Extra Time, 90 mins: 1-1)  ATTENDANCE: 250

As much as I love this groundhopping malarkey sometimes even I question my own sanity!

When the draw from the Scottish Challenge Cup (for sponsorship purposes it is now the Petrofac Training Cup) was made back in early July, the tie that immediately leaped out was at a ground 500 miles away from home in Sutherland. Don’t be stupid I thought, but when a like-minded  groundhopping pal suggested driving, well oh my goodness!

It was a 3am start for the nine hour drive north to Brora, a village 60 miles north of Inverness. At 6am we were crossing the border into Scotland. After many stops for power naps, breakfast (in Aviemore) and a GBG tick (the excellent Dornoch Castle with 2 Cromarty Ales on tap) we arrived at the ground around 1pm.

Brora Rangers were hosting Stenhousemuir in the first round of the Challenge Cup , having gained entry to this competition by virtue of being the current Highland Football League champions, having won the title for the first time in their history in 2014.

The club were founded in 1879 and originally played at Inverbrora Park before moving to their current home, Dudgeon Park, in 1932. In 1933 they became members Scottish Football Association and joined the Highland Football League in 1962.

The ground is on the outskirts of the village, just off the A9, as you enter Brora. It was a 5 minute walk to the nearest alehouse, the Sutherland Inn, where they had a couple of Isle of Skye ales on the go. Very nice too.

I did wonder how strong the ale was when greeted with the sight of a float going by with youngsters dressed up in various football strips, including an one lad dressed up in a Terry Butcher-style blood soaked England kit, to the strains of the Fat Les tune Vindaloo, very bizarre.

The match wasn't the greatest spectacle, but Brora Rangers managed to pull off a well deserved cup shock to dump Stenhousemuir out of the competition. This was in no small part thanks to a Zander Sutherland hat-trick.

I never actually seen Sutherland's first goal (32) as I was taking a much needed toilet break, but I was told he bundled the ball home from close range, although there was some controversy as to whether the ball had actually crossed the line before the defender cleared it. My mate assures me it did cross the line and, more importantly,  the referee agreed.

Stenhousemuir levelled early in the second half, from the penalty spot, when Martin Grehan (52) blasted home (pictured above left).

There were no more goals in normal time, so extra time it was. A defensive mix up allowed Sutherland to bag his second goal (92) where he was also booked for whipping his shirt off in celebaration, a stupid rule in my opinion. He completed his hat-trick in the 104th minute when his cross/shot found it's way into the net to secure a famous victory for Brora.

It was then a mere 170 miles back to our hotel in Perth and some much needed refreshment. A ridiculously long day but well worth the effort - big thanks must go to the man behind the wheel, which thankfully wasn't me in this case!

MURRAYFIELD STADIUM

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2nd QUALIFYING ROUND, 2nd LEG, CELTIC 4-0 KR REYKJAVIK, ATTENDANCE: 40,000 (est)

This evening was, for me, a rare one on many levels. Due to my job it is impossible to do midweek games unless I take holiday, however the chance to watch football at a world famous rugby ground was not to be sniffed at and well deserving of a night off.

With Parkhead, and the usual fall back of Hampden Park, out of commission due to being used for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Celtic opted to play their Champions League qualifiers in Edinburgh at the home of Scottish rugby, Murrayfield.

For myself, and indeed many other of the groundhopping glitterati, it was therefore a Tuesday trip north and we joined the green and white army as they decamped to the Scottish capital.

The Murrayfield Clock (left) and War Memorial (right)

Murrayfield officially opened on March 21, 1925, when Scotland beat England 14-11, on their way to the Grand Slam. Murrayfield has previously hosted football matches when Heart of Midlothian used Murrayfield as their home venue for their European campaign in the 2004/05 season, and again in 2006, as their Tynecastle Stadium did not meet UEFA criteria. Hearts, and Hibernian, have also used Murrayfield for pre-season friendlies against Barcelona.

Celtic, who have a proud Champions League history, being the first British winners of the trophy in 1967, were 1-0 up from the first leg against Icelandic champions KR Reykjavik. To be honest the tie was over as a contest within 27 minutes as Celtic eased into a 3-0 lead. The part-timers defence being carved open at will.

A brace from Virgil van Dijk (13 & 20) in the opening 20 minutes was quickly followed by a goal from Teemu Pukki (27). KR were not without there own chances and with a little more composure they might have got on the scoresheet. The closest they came was a Gary martin effort smacking the crossbar in the opening minute.

The second half was pretty much a non-event as KR went on a damage limitation act and Celtic, understandably, took their foot off the pedal. Pukki netted his second on 71 minutes to make it 4-0 and see Celtic through to the next round where they will play Polish champions Legia Warsaw.

I was very impressed with Murrayfield as a stadium, once I eventually got through the turnstiles after having problems with my print-at-home ticket (I was ultimately issued with a proper replacement) and also impressed with the Celtic fans, who created a good atmosphere and backed their team throughout. The nature of the singing was good (apart from, obviously,  a certain song long associated with a team in red) and I didn't hear any sectarian chanting at all, which was pleasing. The overall experience of tonight made the long midweek journey very much worthwhile.