Annan up and running for pre-season
That's now the first games of pre-season been and gone and I'm sure the manager will be giving mixed reviews on the two performances from the weekend.
I missed the 2-1 defeat to Vale of Leithen but returned for the comfortable 6-1 victory against Gala Fairydean. By all accounts the performance was a little rusty on Saturday but hopefully we made amends on the Sunday and can take some confidence into this weekend's game against .
Without sounding disrespectful we would have been disappointed to lose the game on Sunday. Gala certainly worked hard and probably scored the best goal of the game but without being at our best it was a fairly routine victory.
Obviously the main objective in these games is to build on your match fitness and work towards the first competitive games of the season and over the weekend this has been achieved.
As well as this we also played some decent stuff and scored some good goals, especially Lewis Sloan's, which was his first since returning to the club. Another positive to be taken from Sunday was that we had five different goal-scorers.
With two games in two days, the manager very kindly gave us the beginning of the week off and we don't return to the club until Thursday night before the game at the weekend. Now this may have been due to the boys needing a rest after their hard work or it may have been that Mrs Cairney just wouldn't allow Mr Cairney more time away from their family holiday in Fife!
Whatever the real reason I was very grateful as the time off allowed me to get away with Laura to the Costa Del for a couple of nights and is also allowing me to attend my little sister's graduation.
Haley has been attending Abertay University for four years and will graduate on Thursday with a first class honours degree. It doesn't take a genius to see that Haley got the brains in my family and hopefully she will look after her older brother when she starts earning the big bucks.
Without a doubt the biggest story since my last column has been . The brochure released by his management company quite obviously did the trick!
I'll be honest and say that although Owen has had a poor few years, I still fully expected him to join a big club - whether that was to be in England or abroad. A fit Michael Owen is an asset to anyone and I think Manchester United is the perfect club for him, and more importantly Sir Alex Ferguson is the perfect manager.
I just don't see it being too much of a risk in United's decision to buy at all. We all know Owen has struggled for fitness and goals recently, but they have got this man on a free transfer.
It also appears to be an appearance and success-based contract for two years. In my opinion this will give him a new lease of life. Without upsetting any Geordies, I think Owen looked upon Newcastle as a stepping stone to bigger things but it never happened. To look at Owen towards the end of last season, it was hard to imagine this was the same boy that ran Argentina ragged in 1998, scoring one of the best goals in that World Cup.
Sir Alex will get Owen playing again and if he manages to steer clear of injuries he will score a barrow load of goals for Manchester United. In terms of value for money, we might just have seen the best transfer of the summer in early July.
Hi there, I'm Chris Jardine, midfielder with Scottish Third Division side Annan Athletic. I hope, throughout the season, I can give you a good insight into life at the newest Scottish League club and maybe even a few laughs along the way.
Comment number 1.
At 9th Jul 2009, Pat McGroin wrote:Welcome back sunshine, I missed you so much I cry sometimes. All the best for the forthcoming season, and stay off the drink you.
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Comment number 2.
At 9th Jul 2009, Malt Loaf wrote:Hi Chris
Nice to know a fellow pro's opinion on Owen's move to United. But I have to ask, does anybody at the level of football you play at feel any kind of envy at Owen's position? As you said yourself that he hasn't had the best time of it over the past few years, yet he has walked into one of the biggest clubs in the world presumably to earn silly money.
Also, which of your teammates has put on the most weight in the close season and needs to work hardest to get his fitness back? Don't be shy in telling us!
Keep up the good work!
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Comment number 3.
At 9th Jul 2009, Zootmac wrote:I honestly don't want to be disrespectful, but I'm at a loss to detect what this blog is about. Surely your task is to comment upon Annan Athletic in the context of Scottish Division 3 football. What on earth has the Michael Owen transfer got to do with that? McNulty's blog has done this to the death (almost 800 postings). And couldn't you find a snap of SOMETHING relevant to the games to which you refer, rather than the done-to-the-death Owen ManU pic?
I think that you have to establish an interested base of supporters for comments before the season starts, so that posters will know that they can come on here and comment and discuss division 3 football. What about transfer activity amongst other division 3 clubs, for example?
Congratulations to your sister.
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Comment number 4.
At 9th Jul 2009, Catherina_X wrote:I've got to agree with Zootmac. The Michael Owen move has been discussed on a more relevant platform.
I assume you were hired to cover an area the Beeb doesn't devote much time to - lower division Scottish football, so why not stick to that beat?
I also assume the beeb's picture gallery doesn't stretch to Annan v Gala friendlies... which is fair enough.
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Comment number 5.
At 10th Jul 2009, U14046889 wrote:Surely your task is to comment upon Annan Athletic in the context of Scottish Division 3 football.
I like this point~
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Comment number 6.
At 10th Jul 2009, fitbagent wrote:Hi Chris
I have been out in Spain for 5 years now so somewhat lost track of what was happening back in D & G, other than the sad (probably not for Annan folk) the demise of Gretna, who I worked woth during their first season on the SFL. Good to hear your doing well. I used to travel with your grandad to the matches in Glasgow with the rest of the Dumfries lads. I note in your latest Blog that you mention Lewis Sloan, I presume that is the one who was at Cargenbridge School and the son of Neil Sloan.
Good luck to you and the lads for the season ahead.
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Comment number 7.
At 10th Jul 2009, Notellingye wrote:Get off the guys back. Its a light-hearted column, and if he wants to speak about other things than Division 3 football then so be it especially during pre-season when very little is happening in that division.
Keep up the good work Chris!
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