As well as the quest to visit all the 42 league grounds of Scotland, there's a side quest for this season which is to visit each of the 10 grounds in our division - Scottish League 1. We had a similar plan for last year but failed with an 8/10 score with Bonnyrigg and Annan eluding us. Bonnyrigg was annoying - as we would easily have made it had the game not been rained off on a January Saturday and the fixture was rescheduled for a Tuesday night we'd already booked to go and see Burnley v Watford and Ryan Porteous' debut for the Hornets.

So for in chronological order in 23/24 we've managed Embra City (Tom hasn't), Stirling (obvs), Alloa, Falkirk so when the opportunity came to knock off Galabank (home of Annan Athletic) we figured it was a good chance to get a tick on both lists.

Travel plan were made. Long time co conspirator Swanny was off on holiday to Norfolk so there was no chance of cadging a lift of him; so train optons..? You have to go Edinburgh - Carlisle and then change to the wee local train to Dumfries - price? £80! Oooft!

I then figured out that it was (for me) £18 to Lockerbie and there was a bus service that roughly tied in with the trains for an additional £7.50 (the boys have bus passes so were free!) 

I thought about it later and went and checked - Google maps tells me it's 11.2 miles from Lockerbie station to Annan station. I thought how can they justify £80 when I can get to Lockerbie for £18 - it must be way cheaper if I booked a separate ticket for Lockerbie to Annan. Nope. £56.  I could have got a taxi there and back and it would have still have been cheaper. And paid them to wait outside whilst we watched the game. I mean - how is anyone ever going to travel sustainably with that kind of nonsense going on.

After a quiet morning, we boarded the 1216 Transpennine service bound for Manchester airport and 57 minutes later were in Lockerbie; with 7 minutes to get from the station to the bus stop 150 yards away, it was an easy enough transfer. Then an enlightening half hour bus journey through Ecclefechan and Eaglesfield and Brydekirk (or all round the houses if you prefer) we found ourselves deposited on the High St in Annan!

With an hour before kick off, we grabbed lunch, a lottery ticket and a trolley photo (No Cigs Please, We're British) we meandered up to the ground. 

A stark difference from the previous weekend in Greenock - I didn't see any tractors on the main drag in Inverclyde; and the bakers of Annan are to be commended on their steak pies. 

Then sadly the game kicked off; with half our 1st choice back four recovering from injury, the 2 stand ins played their forward onside and he managed to loop a back header over Blair Currie into the net. 

We then managed to give away a penalty (saved by Currie) before dominating the a good 20 minutes of the first half and the start of the 2nd half too. 

However a deflected free kick foxed Currie and as we pushed forward trying to get a foothold in the game, Gretnas broke and scored a third..... Not a 3-0 game; we had chances and on another day a 1-0 / 2-1 score for either team wouldn't have been unrealistic. Still we'd ridden our luck via Alloa, Embra City and especially Kelty to get 3 x 1-0 victories, so I guess sooner or later our luck would end. Still 3rd, mind!

And then the return journey through pastoral D & G; the 3 minutes in Lockerbie (which is a shame, the chippy there is pretty decent if I remember rghtly)

Back home for chips fae Francos and I barely managed to make it to the start of MOTD; never mind the end!

See the difference from last week...? Summer / shorts attire. This week? Autumn has hit and jeans and jackets a-plenty


Extra is an Oor Wullie moment; all it needed was Fat Boab and PC Murdoch to complete the shot. Peering in over the fence at the big gemme.