Source: FOOTYMAD
Progress Report
Our man at The Maracana gives us his views on the continuing fight to keep Cowdenbeath FC alive and in the First Division. It will surely be one of the UK football stories of the year if Jimmy Nichol can keep The Blue Brazil in the second tier of Scottish football. The former Man U and Rangers man is doing well to keep Cowden above the play-off zone with a mix of youngsters and old pros (Rangers youngster Archie Campbell and man of many clubs Stevie Crawford have recently been added to the squad) Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle (crowd 411) saw Cowdenbeath FC in its true light (dark?). The usual hardy 200 local souls shouting their lungs out with Jags fans punctuating the home cries in a stadium that looks like a venue which would not have been out of place in the former East Germany. Central Park? More like Baghdad's Public Park!However, the derbies and matches against the likes of Falkirk and Dundee are boosting the Central Park crowds to a decent level and thankfully the club coffers. Those locals who turn up for the 'big games' will maybe stay if a second season in Div 1 can be achieved.Praise must be given to Donald Findlay QC and his board for trying to finally get Cowdenbeath a move to a purpose built community stadium and after failing to secure land at the South End of the town last year new ground proposals are now being made public with a site in Broad Street the new preferred home of The Blue Brazil. If they can ever get it built that is! Things don't move quickly in Cowdenbeath, in fact they hardly move at all. It is a town that should have "All Talk, No Action" on its coat of arms. Findlay and Co will be far too polite to back such a statement up but anyone at Cowden FC must be frustrated that local enthusiasm for a new stadium has not matched that in similar football towns such as Dumbarton, Methil and Peterhead. All three built new grounds around the time Cowdenbeath should have finally been saying goodbye to their home since 1917.New Floodlights (another pass mark for Findlay and his board) were switched on for the first since 1968 before last Saturday's derby with Dunfermline and another derby awaits The Blue Brazil tomorrow as league leaders Raith come to town.It is inevitable that Cowden will go to the last few games of the season before finally knowing their fate. The odds continue to be stacked against a club that could have invented the word ''shoestring'' and history tells us a second season in any division above the basement of Scottish football is the Cowdenbeath equivalent of winning the Europa League!!A hardy few continue to keep The Blue Brazil afloat in the SFL and Nichol is using all his experience to keep the team afloat in Division One but whatever the result tomorrow expect Cowden to be fighting for their existence on locally and in the First Division come May. A new stadium and First Division survival is now absolutely crucial to 'Beath. Time will tell if the current players and the local population want it enough! Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is Scottish-Fitba Net
