[themaclad]

Man U Deepdale 31/7/21

[themaclad]

St Johnstone Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Scotland. The name of the football club derives from St. John's Toun – the old name of Perth. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park. The club's first Scottish Cup appearance was in 1886–87 and they joined the Scottish Football League in 1911–12.

St Johnstone won the Scottish Football League First Division, the second tier of league football in Scotland, in 2008–09. This gained them promotion to the Scottish Premier League, bringing a return of SPL football to McDiarmid Park for the 2009–10 campaign after a seven-year absence. The club have historically floated between the top two divisions of Scottish football, obtaining the reputation of being a "yo-yo club". Their traditional rivals are the two Dundee clubs, Dundee and Dundee United, with matches between St Johnstone and either Dundee club being called Tayside derbies.

The club had limited success in cup competitions for the first 130 years of its history, losing at the semi-final stages on numerous occasions as well as losing two Scottish League Cup finals. The club won their first Scottish Cup in 2014 with a 2–0 win against Dundee United. In 2020–21, St Johnstone won their first League Cup and second Scottish Cup to complete a historic Cup double. They defeated Livingston 1–0 in the League Cup final and Hibernian 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final, becoming only the second club outwith the Old Firm to win both cups in the same season after Aberdeen.

They have also won the Scottish Second Tier seven times, the Scottish Challenge Cup in 2007, the B Division Supplementary Cup in 1949 and the Scottish Consolation Cup in 1911 and 1914. They have qualified for European competitions on seven occasions (four seasons consecutively from 2013 to 2016). Their highest league position in the top division was third place on three occasions: 1971, 1999 and 2013.

The club is notable for being the only professional football club in the UK to contain the letter J.


Manager

Callum Iain Davidson (born 25 June 1976 in Stirling) is a Scottish professional football player and coach. He is the manager of St Johnstone. Davidson played as a left-back for St Johnstone, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Preston North End between 1994 and 2014. At international level, Davidson represented Scotland on 19 occasions between 1998 and 2009. Since retiring as a player, Davidson has become a football coach, and was given his first full-time role in management with St Johnstone in June 2020.

Ground



McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of 10,696.[1]

As well as St Johnstone matches, McDiarmid Park has been chosen to host the final of the Scottish Challenge Cup on nine occasions. It has also been used for rugby union, including a full international between Scotland and Japan in 2004, several Scotland A fixtures, and some home matches of the former Caledonia Reds team.

MACS VIEW

Over the border to Scotland brings back memeories of pre seasons from yesteryear when we rocked up usually on the East coast of Scotland, playing at places like Brechin, Montrose and Arbroath, once saw North End in a friendly at Kilmarnock were ex Scotland manager Ally Macleod was in the Supporters club at a Darts competion.
Sadly cannot go as they still have Covid restrictions hence a crowd of only 2000 when we hit Celtic Park on Saturday

[themaclad]

Preston North End continue their pre-season schedule this evening with a trip to St Johnstone.

Played at McDiarmid Park, the game will get underway at 7pm and will take place in front of 1,000 home spectators, with away fans unfortunately unable to attend.



The St Johnstone supporters attending the game will be glad to get back to watching their team live, having missed the best season in the club’s history last year.

Former PNE defender Callum Davidson led his side to a remarkable cup double, winning both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.

Davidson, who played well over 150 times for North End, isn’t the only Lilywhites link, with striker Stevie May one of their star men.

The Scot scored ten goals in all competitions for the Saints last season, finishing as their top scorer.

This game makes up PNE’s first of the Scotland pre-season camp and the second of their preparations so far, having won 8-3 against Bamber Bridge last weekend.

The likes of Matthew Olosunde, Izzy Brown and Ched Evans all didn’t feature in that game, but have all travelled to Scotland and could play a part this evening.

Scholars Josh Seary, Noah Mawene and Lewis Leigh have also made the journey, as well as first-year professional goalkeeper Oliver Lombard.

[themaclad]

1 up Whiteman

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1 all

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Apparently St J have just blasted a penalty into oblivion

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Finished 1 all

[themaclad]

Match Report: St Johnstone 1-1 Preston North End
PNE were pegged back to a draw against St Johnstone as Ben Whiteman’s stunning opener was cancelled out in the second half.

North End took the lead on 35 minutes through a great effort by Whiteman, finding the back of the net from 25 yards via the crossbar.

St Johnstone levelled the scoring on 50 minutes through David Wotherspoon and he had the chance to give his side the lead five minutes later after Patrick Bauer was adjudged to have made a foul inside the area, but he blazed his penalty over the bar.



Starting from the off was Matthew Olosunde for his first appearance for the Lilywhites, while second-year scholar Lewis Leigh started his second game of pre-season.

After an even first 15 minutes, Mathew Hudson was called into action and he produced a great stop to prevent Ali McCann from inside the area, after Bauer’s clearance was intercepted.

At the other end, North End’s first shot on target came 27 minutes in, as Josh Harrop showed great feet to take the ball under control before manoeuvring it back onto his right foot and taking aim, but goalkeeper Zander Clark was equal to it.

The Lilywhites had the lead eight minutes later courtesy of a wonder strike from Whiteman, who had the captain's armband, as he curled the ball round the defender and in off the underside of the crossbar.

Olosunde almost doubled his new side’s lead soon afterwards, but he couldn’t keep his header down from six yards.

Whiteman was then at it again, this time from a free-kick, and he forced the ‘keeper into a smart save to his right. The ball rebounded out to Joe Rafferty, but his header was too high to trouble Clark.

North End went into the break a goal to the good and came back out with two new men, as Brad Potts and Tom Barkhuizen made their way on in place of Harrop and Olosunde.

Five minutes into the second half, the hosts capitalised on a loose clearance from goalkeeper Hudson and drew level, as Wotherspoon picked the ball up and found the far corner with great precision, despite the best efforts of Josh Earl running back towards the goal-line.

The Saints soon had a chance to turn the game on its head via the penalty spot, with the referee penalising Patrick Bauer for a supposed trip on Michael O’Halloran, but Wotherspoon fired the ball over the bar from 12 yards.

Just before PNE made wholesale changes on 60 minutes, O’Halloran almost put his side ahead, pouncing on a short header back to goal by Bauer, but he too sent his effort too high.

Ched Evans was one of the men to enter the fray in the seven changes made and he was found well in the area 77 minutes in, although he was just stretching for it and couldn’t quite make the connection he wanted, with his header going over the bar.

It was a competitive contest throughout and two yellow cards in the last 15 minutes epitomised that, with Brad Potts and St Johnstones’ Callum Hendry both going into the book for late challenges.

Starting XI: Hudson, van den Berg, Bauer, Earl, Olosunde (Barkhuizen, 46), Whiteman, Leigh, Rafferty, Harrop (Potts, 46), Riis, Maguire.

Final 30 XI: Hudson, Storey, Lindsay, Cunningham, Rafferty (Seary, 79), Bayliss, Ledson, Barkhuizen, Potts, Sinclair, Evans.

[themaclad]

The Celtic Football Club (/ˈsɛltɪk/ SEL-tik) is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887[nb 1] with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigrant Irish population in the East End of Glasgow after they had emigrated over to Britain as a result of the famine. They played their first match in May 1888, a friendly match against Rangers which Celtic won 5–2. Celtic established themselves within Scottish football, winning six successive league titles during the first decade of the 20th century. The club enjoyed their greatest successes during the 1960s and 70s under Jock Stein, when they won nine consecutive league titles and the 1967 European Cup. Celtic have played in green and white throughout their history, adopting hoops in 1903, which have been used ever since.

Celtic are one of only five clubs in the world to have won over 100 trophies in their history.[2] The club has won the Scottish league championship 51 times, most recently in 2019–20, the Scottish Cup 40 times and the Scottish League Cup 19 times. The club's greatest season was 1966–67, when Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup, also winning the Scottish league championship, the Scottish Cup, the League Cup and the Glasgow Cup. Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final and the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, losing in both.

Celtic have a long-standing fierce rivalry with Rangers, and the clubs are known as the Old Firm, seen by some as the world's biggest football derby. The club's fanbase was estimated in 2003 as being around nine million worldwide, and there are more than 160 Celtic supporters clubs in over 20 countries. An estimated 80,000 fans travelled to Seville for the 2003 UEFA Cup Final, and their "extraordinarily loyal and sporting behaviour" in spite of defeat earned the club Fair Play awards from FIFA and UEFA.


Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,411, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also known as Parkhead or Paradise.

Celtic was formed in 1887 and the first Celtic Park opened in Parkhead in 1888. The club moved to the current site in 1892, after the rental charge was greatly increased on the first. The new site was developed into an oval-shaped stadium, with vast terracing sections. The record attendance of 83,500 was set at an Old Firm derby on 1 January 1938.[note 1] The terraces were covered and floodlights installed between 1957 and 1971. The Taylor Report mandated that major clubs should have all-seater stadia by August 1994. Celtic was in a poor financial position in the early 1990s and no major work was carried out until Fergus McCann took control of the club in March 1994. The old terraces were demolished to develop a new stadium in a phased rebuild completed in August 1998. A section of rail seating was installed in 2016.

Celtic Park has been used as a venue for Scotland internationals and Cup Finals when Hampden Park has been unavailable. Before the First World War, Celtic Park hosted composite rules shinty-hurling, track and field and the 1897 Track Cycling World Championships. Open-air Masses and First World War recruitment drives were also held there. Celtic Park hosted the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and has also been used for concerts by the Who and U2.

MANAGER

Angelos "Ange" Postecoglou (/ˈændʒ ˌpɒstəˈkɒɡluː/ ANJ POS-tə-KOG-loo; Greek: Άγγελος Ποστέκογλου) is a Greek born Australian former football player and coach who is the current manager of the Scottish football club Celtic. Postecoglou, who previously managed the Australia national team, is one of the most successful Australian club coaches with two premierships, four championships and a continental title.



MACS VIEW

For those who want to watch this the game is on Premier Sports on Saturday probably a damn sight more reliable than I Follow, our opponents had a slightly disappointing season
Suspect they will be slightly more forward in their preparation as the Scottish season starts on 31/7/21 useful test for us

[themaclad]

Accie away 24/7/21

[themaclad]

Preston North End finished their pre-season camp in Scotland with a 0-1 win at Celtic, in what was the Lilywhites' third friendly outing.

In the first half, the Lilywhites gave a good account of themselves and could've easily gone in at the break with the lead.

Brad Potts called Vasilis Barkas into action early on, with a powerful drive from inside the box that was parried away.

Scott Sinclair, on his return to Celtic Park, then could've easily gone down inside the box but stayed on his feet and saw his low effort kept out - after running through on on goal.

Ched Evans had a good chance to score at the back post, but guided his header wide after Ryan Ledson's inventive cross found him in acres of space.

For the home side, Declan Rudd had little to do but saved well with his feet to deny David Turnbull from range - before Anthony Ralston blasted a good opportunity over, just before the whistle.

PNE carried on playing their stuff in the second half and it was the introduction of Sean Maguire and Emil Riis up front, that really swung the game in their favour.

Both looked sharp from the off and they linked up, to play a key role in the opening goal.

Riis won the flick-on inside the box, Maguire latched on to it, rounded the goalkeeper Scott Bain and was brought down - giving the referee a simple decision to make.

Up stepped a confident Ben Whiteman, who rolled the ball home to break the deadlock from 12 yards and score his second in as many matches.

North End pushed for another as Maguire continued to look lively, but in the end the one goal was enough for the Lilywhites to sign off from Scotland with a hard-earned and deserved win.

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Celtic view

Pre-season friendly
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC… 0

PRESTON NORTH END… 1
(Whiteman 64pen)

A Ben Whiteman penalty just after the hour mark was enough to give Preston North End a 1-0 victory in their pre-season clash with Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side at Paradise. It was a soft award by referee, Kevin Clancy, but the Preston player converted the effort beyond Scott Bain.

In a first-half of few chances, it was Vasilis Barkas who kept the visitors at bay with two superb saves early in the game, including one from former Celt, Scott Sinclair, who had received a warm welcome from the 2,000 Celtic supporters in the stadium.

At the other end, it was David Turnbull who came closest for Ange Postecoglou’s side. His first effort from the edge of the box went just wide of Declan Rudd’s right-hand post, while just after the half-hour mark, he had a shot on target which the Preston goalkeeper saved with his foot.

In between those two efforts, Liam Shaw, playing in the midfield three alongside Turnbull and captain, Callum McGregor, fired a right-foot shot from 25 yards that went wide.

And just before the break, Adam Montgomery and Greg Taylor combined well down the left-hand side, with the latter rolling the ball into the path of Anthony Ralston, but his effort went high and wide.

Ange Postecoglou made a number of changes at the break, most notably replacing Barkas with Scott Bain, while there were further substitutions at the hour mark, with Liel Abada coming on for his first appearance in the Hoops.

But just four minutes after that, the visitors were awarded a penalty when Sean Maguire went down in the box under little pressure. The referee pointed to the spot and Whiteman duly slotted the ball home.

Preston had a chance to extend their lead soon after, but Patrick Bauer’s header was comfortably saved while, at the other end, Dane Murray connected with Ewan Henderson’s free-kick, but couldn’t direct his header on target.

Liel Abada went even closer on 74 minutes, firing a right-foot shot on target from 16 yards, but it was well saved by the Preston goalkeeper, denying the Israeli internationalist a dream debut goal.

With two minutes remaining, Declan Rudd produced another superb stop, this time to deny Henderson, whose curling effort from the edge of the ‘D’ looked destined for the top corner of the net.

CELTIC: Barkas, Taylor, Ajeti, Turnbull, Urhoghide, Shaw, McGregor, Montgomery, Ralston, Welsh, Moffat.
Subs: Bain, Abada, Rogic, Edouar, Bolingoli, Afolabi, O’Connor, Coffey, Robertson, Murray, Henderson, Hjelde.

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PNE: Rudd, Storey (Bauer 61), Lindsay (van den Berg 61), Hughes (Rafferty 61), Barkhuizen (Seary 76), Ledson (Harrop 68), Whiteman (Bayliss 68), Potts (Brown 61), Cunningham (Earl 61), Evans (Riis 61), Sinclair (Maguire 61). Subs (not used): Hudson, Leigh, Mawene.

[themaclad]

Bolton Wanderers are next up on Preston North End’s pre-season schedule, with the two facing each other at the County Ground in Leyland on Tuesday evening.

The 7pm kick-off marks the first time that PNE supporters will be able to watch their team in action since March 2020, with ticket availability now running low from the 1,100 allocation.



This friendly will mark each side’s fourth game of their 2021/22 preparations and they both head into this one unbeaten so far.

PNE enter the fixture following their Scotland pre-season camp which consisted of a victory at Celtic Park and a draw against St Johnstone, and before that they beat Bamber Bridge 8-3.

Whereas Bolton have come out on top against both Longridge Town and Atherton Colleries so far, but they were held to a 1-1 draw last weekend against FC United of Manchester.

Ian Evatt’s side have three more friendlies to play until their League One campaign gets underway on 7th August at home to MK Dons, with games against Barrow and Blackburn Rovers to follow the PNE tie.

Bolton, who earned promotion from League Two last season, have a couple of former Lilywhites in their squad in the form of Alex Baptiste and Eoin Doyle, but the latter will be unable to feature after testing positive for Covid-19.

Due to the facilities at the County Ground, this game will not be streamed live, although a full match replay and highlights will be available on iFollow PNE in the following days.



GROUND HISTORY

The County Ground is a football stadium in Leyland, Lancashire, England which is owned and operated by Lancashire County Football Association (Lancashire FA). It is the home ground of Burnley F.C. Under-23s, Blackburn Rovers Under-23s, Bolton Wanderers reserves and both the Lancashire FA representative team and the Lancashire FA youth team.

History
The County Ground is located next to the Motor Vehicle Museum and was originally home to Leyland Motors FC who played in the Lancashire Combination from 1933 until 1980 when they joined the Cheshire County League, where they played for two seasons, before becoming founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982.[1] In 1990 they changed name to Leyland DAF-SGL and in 1992 were demoted to the West Lancashire Football League,[2] before another name change to Leyland Motors Athletic in 1993. Then in 2001 they left the league altogether.[3]

The Lancashire FA moved their headquarters to the County Ground in 1998 from Blackburn.[4]

The County Ground is the current home of Bolton Wanderers reserve team, who play in the Premier Reserve League and who, in the 2008-09 season, play in the North Division.[5] The club also uses the ground for all their home matches in the Manchester Senior Cup.

The County Ground is also the current home of the Blackburn Rovers Under-23s team, who play in the Premier League 2.

Both the Lancashire FA representative team and the counties youth team play their home matches at the County Ground. The Lancashire FA currently organises nineteen County Cup's and the final of each competition is played at the County Ground.[6] It is also the headquarters of the Lancashire FA.[7]

Facilities
The stadium has a 500-seater covered stand with "LFA" imprinted in white lettering on the seats.[4][8] The offices of the Lancashire FA are located at the ground which also has six corporate rooms.[6] There is also an all-weather pitch, which is used for hockey matches as well as football.[9]

MACS VIEW

Get the feeling this is a match Ian Evatt may have some difficulties with given his recent history with us however I think he is a really decent manager and although apparently has got pelters from Wanderers fans in regards to their friendlies result.
Given the weather cannot expect this to be a cracker but will be a useful work out none the less.

Been on the grounds many times always impressed with the wooden square goal posts they had originally

[themaclad]

City behind closed doors