Montrose Roselea

Match report: North End vs Montrose Roselea 18/09/2004 Roselea travelled to Dundee to face Dundee North End in the DJ Laing Cup section match. It has transpired that it will only be the winner of the six team section that will qualify into the semi finals, so a win would have enhanced the Lea’s chances whilst defeat would almost certainly result in their hold on the trophy being released. To make matters worse the squad was depleted with Paul Masson, James Mckellar, Scott Findlater, Colin Page, Kevin Crawford, Chris Simpson, Kevin Smith and Hayden Smith missing for a variety of reasons. Eric Watson travelled with an ankle injury and was only half fit. Roselea included a couple of trialists in their squad. Roselea lined up with Ross Mcleod in the goals, a back four of Lee Walker, Dean Milne, Chris Masson and Paul Whyte, Martin Christie, David Craig, Matt Miller and Luke Myers were the midfield and Eric Watson & a trialist were the strikers. Graham Walger, Paul Ross, Brian Forbes, a trialist and John Wands were the substitutes. North End’s pitch was immaculate, however the game was likely to spoiled by a swirling wind, which was blowing diagonally across the pitch. Roselea kicked off with a slight wind advantage at their backs. Disaster struck for the Roselea in the very first minute when North End took the lead without a Roselea player having touched the ball. A free kick was given just over the half way line and a lack of communication resulted in Stewart being given all the time in the world to cross. His deep cross was met by Darren Bonella and his looping header deceived keeper Mcleod and barely crossed the line. The young keepers first touch was to pick the ball out of the net. North End had started brightly and kept control of the match capitalising on Roseleas inability to keep possession. This was the pattern for the whole of the first half. Roselea did have a couple of chances and Luke Myers had a long range left foot shot bounce of the top of bar and the trialist striker narrowly missing with a first time effort from 12 yards. Eric Watson had a lung busting run from just inside his own half and may have had claims to penalty after Wilkie appeared to be tugging his jersey. Half Time: North End 1 Roselea 0 Roselea went in at half time relieved to be just one goal down and it could have been much worse after a lack luster performance. Brian Forbes replaced the injured Eric Watson at the start of the second half. The second half followed much the same pattern as the first and it was no surprise when they added a second after 60 minutes. Possession was given away not for the first time from A Roselea throws in and Blackwood found himself in on goals and coolly slotted the ball past the advancing McLeod. North End added a third when Matt Miller attempted an Alan Thompson type headed pass back and Longmuir gladly accepted the gift and made no mistake with his finish. Miller then had the misfortune of being involved in North Ends next goal. The ball was trapped at his feet and was dispossessed on the half way line. Again it was Balckwood who ended up in possession and rounded Mcleod to seal the victory for the Dundee side. To end of a black day Dean Milne conceded a penalty kick with five minutes remaining and received booking for a clumsy challenge in the box. Longmuir stepped up and left Mcleod with no chance of keeping his strike out. Roselea’s only chance when Brian Forbes carved out an opening for himself but his shot from 20 yards barely troubled the keeper. Forbes second half display was one of the bright notes on an otherwise dismal afternoon. Final Result: North End 5 Roselea 0 Barely a handful of Lea players could claim to have achieved pass marks and performances will have to improve once the League campaign starts. Roselea will need something not short of a miracle to qualify from the section, although with four of their last five matches being on home territory this could still be achieved but not with the performances of late. The only bright note on Saturday was the fact that high scoring Forfar West End were surprisingly beaten 1-0 at home by Broughty and this saves them from running away with the section. Perhaps it may be better to use the remaining games to get the injured players back in action and build towards the league campaign. Roselea face Kirrie Thistle in the DJ Laing cup at home on Saturday September 25th at 2.30pm. Kirrie have improved since their opening day defeat to Roselea and had a comfortable 3-0 win over Coupar Angus. Roselea should be strengthened by the return of Scott Findlater, James McKellar and Kevin Crawford.

ROSELEA HOLT LOSING RUN Apologies for delay in the report, Saturday night had a lot to answer for. Match Report:Roselea vs Broughty Athletic 04/09/2004 Team Manager, David Balfour made a couple of changes from the team that was beaten 5-0 by Forfar West End the previous week. Ross Mcleod on loan from Carnoustie made his first start in goals, Dean Milne played at right back with Paul Whyte moving back to left back. Hayden Smith and Chris Masson were the middle pairing. 17 year old Luke Myers made his first start on the left hand side of midfield, Matt Miller returned from a three match suspension and David Craig and Paul Masson made up the middle four. Eric Watson & Colin Page were the chosen strikers. The bench consisted of Martin Chrisite, Lee Walker, Paul Ross, Graham Walger & John Wands. On a hot afternoon the pitch looked as good as it has for years and thanks goes to the management of the Roselea u17s for the work they have done. However the dreaded Broomfield wind mysteriously appeared, despite conditions being calm for most of the week. Broughty Athletic included Montrose player Kit Bremner on the bench, Craig Farnan ex Montrose and are managed by John Holt and Ian Jenkins the ex Dundee Utd and Northern Ireland player. Roselea kicked off into the wind and were looking the livelier of the two sides. It was no surprise that they took the lead in 3 minutes. Eric Watson went on a run inside the box and after two attempts, was chopped down by Craig Farnan. Chris Masson stepped up to make it 1-0, placing the ball to the keepers left hand side and celebrated with his customary pointing signal. In 11 minutes Roselea increased their lead when Eric Watson harrased a defender in the box, he then poked the ball across the box leaving Luke Myers the simple task of tapping home for his first Roselea goal on his full debut. Broughty then had a chance when Wares was given free header at the back post but Chris Masson blocked to clear the danger. In 15 minutes Dean Milne & Matt Miller worked a quick free kick on the right hand side with the latters fantastic cross being narrowly missed by two incoming strikers. Roselea were looking hungry and Eric Watson made it three in 25 minutes. Paul Whyte broke down the left and found Colin Page at the far post, the ball broke to Eric Watson and he poked the ball home with his right foot from 6 yards. Eric should have made it four just before half-time when he blazed the ball over from three yards after good work from Matt Miller. Halt Time Roselea 3 Broughty 0 The second half was played at a slower pace than the first with the heat playing a factor. Martin Christie replaced Luke Myers in 60 minutes with the youngster tiring and having put in an excellent performance. Roselea were happy with the three goal lead and did not have to chase the match. This did allow Broughty back into the match but their best effort was a long range shot that hit the top of the cross-bar. Lee Walker & Graham Walger then replaced Dean Milne & Paul Masson. Matt Miller went close in 75 minutes his first time shot just went past the post. In 80 minutes Roselea increased their lead to four. Martin Chrisite was fouled at the edge of the box and Colin Page stepped up to fire the free kick into the left hand side of the goals. Matt Miller had a chance to make it 5 in 83 minutes when a Colin Page pass released him on the right. He carried the ball a little far and wide and his chipped effort was easily dealt with by the keeper. Colin Page was then red carded with 5 minutes remaining for a retaliatory kick at an opponent. The referees decision was correct. Roselea were pegged back during the last moments of the game but were never out under any real pressure. Match Sponsor was Ian Paterson(Poyd) who traded the Florida hurricane for the Broomfield gale. His Man of the Match award went to Chris Masson with three or four players being a close second. General Managers Comments. The result and performances were excellent after the disappointment of the previous two weeks. It was an great team display and without trying to single out individual performances Chris Masson & Hayden Smith were solid at the back, Luke Myers had a great game against a former internationalist, Paul Masson gave the midfield bite and the front two of Eric Watson & Colin Page never gave the Broughty defence a minutes peace from the off. The only disappointment is that Colin Page will miss at least the next two section matches after his sending off. He knows himself that it was a crazy moment but what has happended has happened so we need to get on with it. We have a free week next week and this will give some of our injuries time to heal. Kevin Crawford and Scott Findlater should be fit for the following week and James McKellar should also return from offshore. Chris Simpson is making good progress but will not be available until later in the year. Our next match is away to North End and we will really need to take something from that match. Both North End and Forfar West End won again on Saturday, North End scraping a 3-2 win at Kirrie and free scoring Forfar West Ends scored 5 goals for the fourth week running, beating Coupar Angus 5-2 away. Next Matches: North End (Away) September 18th 2.30pm Kirrie Thistle (Home) September 25th 2.30pm

We have added sound. As a tribute to the guy that used to play the organ in the Sally we have the Heat Is On by Glenn Frey on the Homepage. Watch out for other songs which may be linked to performances or the time of year etc. Requests considered via the message board. There is a limited juke box available at the moment. I have to admit it is very Phoenix Nights/Club singer but what the heck!! (See also the Photo Archive section DJ Laing winners 2004 for the obvious cup winning song)!

Individual Player Sponsors are going like hotcakes!! There is only Kevin Smith & Ronnie Massie to be sponsored. Cost for a season is £50.00 plus VAT(£58.75). This gives the sponsor a mention in the matchday programme and website beside a photo of their player. Pitch Side Advertising: Boards are selling well at a cost of £200 plus VAT for 2 seasons. they can be renewed for £150 plus VAT after the 2 seasons are up. Adverisers also get a photo of their board and a description of their company on the website. For further details and player availability contact: Roy Gill 01674 673651 roygill@thinkpositive.co.uk or any Roselea official.

NO DEFENCE OF THE ROSELEA AT WEST END. Roselea travelled to Forfar West End for their third League Cup Section tie away from home. The pitch looked immaculate, bringing memories flooding back of the glorious day in May when the Lea retained the DJ Laing Cup, beating Carnoustie in the final. Roselea were forced to make a few changes, travelling with a much-weakened pool. Scott Findlater joined Kevin Crawford and Chris Simpson on the injured list, Michael Ross was unavailable, James McKellar, Brian Forbes and Paul Masson were working offshore and Matt Miller was serving the last match of his three game suspension. The team lined up with John Wands in goal, a back four of Paul Ross, Hayden Smith, Chris Masson and Dean Milne, Graham Walger made his first start in midfield alongside David Craig, Paul Whyte and Martin Christie, Colin Page and Eric Watson were the front pairing for the third week in succession. Lee Walker, Kevin Smith, Luke Myers, Ross Mcleod and a trialist made up the bench. In only seven minutes disaster struck for Roselea when they found themselves a goal down. A long ball found its way in-between Chris Masson and John Wands and after some indecision the ball was headed into his own net by Masson. In 11 minutes there was further trouble for the Lea when West End increased their lead to 2-0. Another defensive error lead to Ronnie Valentine heading back for Brian Duell to make it 2-0. Brian Duell scored his second and Forfar West Ends third in 31 minutes. Again a long ball caused problems and his angled drive from the edge of the box left Wands with no chance wiyh his defence dabating a possible offside. Roselea then managed to get some hold of the game although there were no real chances at the end of long periods of possession. Half Time 3-0 In 51 minutes a long throw in was flicked on by Paul Whyte and his chum David Craig almost sneaked in at the back post to score, only being prevented by some excellent defensive play. Martin Christie then had a chance to score when he missed a header from six yards. Roselea then had a penalty claim turned down. In 63 minutes West End got their fourth and it had to be a Brian Duell hatrick. Another long ball was headed on and with the Roselea defence caught square Duell calmly slotted home his 3rd. Roselea then replaced Paul Ross and Graham Walger with Kevin Smith and Lee Walker, Walker making his debut for the club. Eric Watson missed Roselea best chance in 80 minutes. He skilfully dribbled his way around three defenders and with the goal at his mercy he shot high over with his right foot. Roselea’s day was complete in 85 minutes when John Wands miss timed a challenge for a long ball, leaving Ronnie Valentine the simplest of chances to complete the rout. Overall a very disappointing result and the standard of defending was very poor to say the least. Paul Whyte deserves credit for an excellent performance in midfield and Graham Walger did very well on what was his club debut. The only slight positive is that Roselea will now have 5 home games and two away games to finish the section, however if the defending does not improve the holders can say goodbye to the League Cup. Other results went as predicted in the other matches so valuable ground has been lost. Next weeks match: Home to Broughty Athletic, kick off 2.30pm, Broomfield Park. Other section results: North End 3 Coupar Angus1 Broughty 3 Kirrie Thistle 1