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East Kilbride YM v Hamilton FP at Dalziel Park

7.15pm  3 June 2015

Caledonian League, Presidents Cup Final at Dalziel Park
East Kilbride YM 1 Hamilton Former Pupils 0 (att 157)

It may be June but there's still plenty of football being played in Scotland, with this final rounding off the season for amateur clubs in the Caledonian League.

The Presidents Cup is for teams in the second tier of the league, divisions 1A and 1B, and its final was a local derby played at the impressive facilities at Dalziel Park, near Motherwell, home to Caledonian League side Dalziel HSFP.

Being a cup final it was predictably tight, settled by a single goal for East Kilbride YM in the 43rd minute. They deserved to lift the trophy, having been the better side throughout, but both sides played some good football on an excellent artificial surface.

Hamilton FP had begun the game well, but were on the back foot once YM got into their stride. The Hamilton keeper was much busier than his YM counterpart, and pulled off several top saves which at least kept the outcome in doubt until the end.

I last visited Dalziel Park for a game in August 2007, when I watched Motherwell's under 19 side on a grass pitch inside a running track. That pitch remains, as do a couple of other open grass football pitches, but since then new artificial pitches, suitable for football and rugby (rugby seems the primary sport here, the main rugby ground having a large stand) have been installed.

Logically, with a crowd in to watch, the final was played on "pitch one", closest to the changing rooms and with a fenced area on one side for spectators (although it got so crowded I joined a few others for a better view from the far side). A second pitch runs parallel beyond the first.









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