Turning on the stile
Ross Anderson, Vice Chairman of Selkirk Football Club at Yarrow Park with new turnstyles being fitted as part of the SFA's new law.
IT’S amazing what you can find on eBay.
And, even a 22-hour round trip didn’t put Selkirk vice chairmain Ross Anderson off securing the bargain of the century for the Yarrow Park outfit.
Still trying to make sure that all the SFA criteria is met within time and budget, Anderson has been trawling the internet over the last few months in order to save his club some dough.
And it is paying him dividends. Firstly, the club got dugouts from Wales for around £300 and last week Anderson and Alan Milven travelled to Crawley near Brighton to pick up a state-of-the-art turnstile which they purchased for a knock-down £200.
Anderson told The Wee Paper: “The SFA haven’t made it easy for us smaller clubs. To fit their criteria we basically need to have all the facilities of a premier club, but now that they have stopped the funding for regional league sides, we have less money. So we have had to think outside the box a bit.”
And they certainly have been. The new turnstile appeared on eBay three weeks ago, with the seller asking for offers over £100. Rather than get into a two-week bidding war, however, Anderson phoned up and offered £200 on the proviso that the vendor took the item off, which he duly did.
“I couldn’t believe our luck,” added Anderson. “I took the details and photos of the turnstile, which is a Vortex 100, and phoned the makers, who told me a brand new one would retail at £2,700 plus vat and then another £800 for delivery.
“We got ours for £200 and the price of petrol to go up and down, so feel it was well worth it. We would draw the line at going overseas, though.”
On field, the team aren’t having such a good time of things, having been put to the sword 6-1 by promotion chasers Leith Athletic last Saturday.
Playing on the all-weather surface at Ainslie Park at the later time of 4pm didn’t appear to suit Mike McKinnon’s men at all.
Selkirk were 4-0 behind before an own goal from Leith’s Gavin Tainsh reduced the leeway, but the hosts went on to score another two with the Souters unable to make any kind of response whatsoever.
McKinnon is all too aware of the current problems facing his team as they struggle to make any impact in the First Division.
Talking prior to the Souters’ home clash with Kelso United this weekend, the former Cowdenbeath player said: “When the season started I set us a target, but we are not going to achieve that now, so we now have a new target and that is just to get as many points as possible.
“We really need to start improving and show other teams we are not as bad as our league position shows. I may have to bring in new recruits and have told our players this, so it’s up to them to prove that they are good enough.
“Due to our recent results, Kelso United will be coming to Selkirk full of confidence and I am expecting a really tough game”.
Backing up his words, the Selkirk boss has two new recruits on board this week – ex-Easthouses and Civil Service Stroller midfielder Bobby Gay and striker Callum Peoples who returns to Selkirk following spells at Berwick Rangers and Coldstream.
Jamie Higginbottom and Daryl Johnston are both suspended for this week’s match, but after playing 15 minutes last weekend, Euan Pritchard has been pronounced fully fit to make a return.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Selkirk
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 7 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South east
