Edinburgh City 2 Brora Rangers 0
In the shadow of a defeated Hibernian, in the wake of broken Hearts, there was a spot of sunshine in the capital.
As fans streamed out the nearby Easter Road after defeat to Motherwell and streams of the Celtic v Hearts decider ended on multiple phones, Edinburgh City stepped on to the pitch at Meadowbank to fight for their survival in the SPFL.
They succeeded but there were enough moments to ensure that the torment of the season did not end until the referee’s whistle sounded.
‘We were favourites to win the title on matchday one and favourites to go down on matchday two,’ said Michael McIndoe, the City manager, as the tunes of glory sounded in the dressing room behind him. He was referring to the belief that his side was the strongest in League Two before a ball was kicked and then deemed the most vulnerable after 15 points were deducted by the SPFL because of what was deemed an insolvency event.
‘We were behind the eight ball then,’ he admitted. They will be again. They will start next season with a five-point deduction. But that is all for the future. City and their band of followers can spend the summer in an unaccustomed state of tranquility, warmed by the realisation that survival in the senior leagues has been achieved.
‘Our average crowd is 278,’ said the manager with commendable precision, though more than 700 attended Saturday’s match. ‘We have the lowest budget in the league, we have the youngest team in the league.’ Most pertinently they are still in the league.
The victorious Edinburgh City squad celebrate after securing their League Two survival
Brora threatened to be blown away at first but fought their way back into the match with grit, power and no little skill. It would have been a long trek home after an afternoon of crushing disappointment and unstinting effort.
If the headlines leading up to Saturday’s fixtures understandably focused on matters at the sharp end of the pyramid, the jeopardy at the bottom of the SPFL has its own grisly drama for Club 42, in this case Edinburgh City.
No side that has been relegated from the SPFL has returned. The drop has all the jeopardy of the scaffold.
Edinburgh City were measured for the noose and weighed for the drop. Their escape was narrow, but deserved. They were the better side on the day — just — and their resilience throughout the season has been laudable. ‘We have had two sides this season,’ said McIndoe, referring to the acquisition of players in the transfer window.
He has done an excellent job of integrating them and in developing and supporting the teenagers who populate the squad. ‘The work starts now for next season,’ he said. ‘I have already spoken to three or four players on pre-contract.’
With that, he was led away for more interviews as the cheers continued from the dressing room. The crude object of football is to win titles but survival can also produce a giddy elation.
Edinburgh manager Michael McIndoe applauds the fans after a hard-fought play-off success
THE tension beforehand was obvious and stretched beyond those in the colours of City or Brora. A drive through Edinburgh was marked by Hearts fans spilling out on to the pavements as televisions indoors relayed events from Celtic Park.
Meadowbank, too, had a wonderfully gaudy addition to the madness that is Scottish football. Fans streaming through to the ground from the reception of the sports centre had to shimmy around contestants in what seemed a dancing or cheerleading competition.
It was too much for some. ‘That’s all I need,’ said one gentleman. ‘My nerves are shot. I am a City fan. Obviously, but I am also a Hearts supporter.’ He pointed to an ear bud. ‘I am listening to the game at Parkhead while dreading the one here.’
Asked for his name, he said: ‘I can hardly draw a breath, never mind give my name.’
Ally Moncrieff, 40, was more forthcoming. He has been a City fan for 10 years and had travelled to Brora for the first leg. ‘Football is all about being miserable. It was designed for people to be miserable,’ he said with a touch of philosophy and perhaps a tincture of wit. ‘But I am hopeful for today.’ This seemed to be the most grudging of admissions.
Divine Iserhienrhien takes the acclaim of his Edinburgh team-mates after opening the scoring
The far-travelled also had their say. City is a popular haven for those of a stag party or groundhoppers. One of the latter was sitting in the stand, perusing his programme, more than a hour before kick-off.
Murray Papworth was on a sort of pilgrimage. He had completed the Borders Abbey Way and decided that a football match was the perfect addition to his travels. ‘I am a Cambridge United season ticket holder,’ he said. ‘So I love football and have visited a lot of grounds in Scotland. I have been to Rothes, Forres and others in the Highland League. This seemed an occasion too good to miss.’
Attendance was mandatory for Ian Christie. At 88, he had travelled from the north to watch the team he had once played for and for whom he holds the utmost affection.
‘I had the nickname Tully after Charlie Tully of Celtic,’ he said of the Irishman who bamboozled defences and, indeed, some of his team-mates. ‘So you have an idea of what kind of player I was.’
He is an ardent supporter. There is an erroneous theory among some in Scottish football that Brora do not want to enter the SPFL. ‘I can dismiss that 100 per cent. It is a nonsense.’
Other Brora supporters pointed out that the prize money in the SPFL meant that the club would receive at least £125,000 across various competitions if promotion had been achieved. It wasn’t but Brora certainly went for it.
Brora fan and former player Ian Christie says he was nicknamed ‘Tully’ – after former Celtic star Charlie Tully – in honour of his silky skills
IT is two hours before kick-off. The chairman is busy. John Dickson of Edinburgh City is attaching ties to barriers to keep them together as he helps create a pen for home supporters behind one of the goals. He has already spent the morning putting up sponsor boards and is heading to greet hospitality guests.
‘I was basically a fan,’ he said of his early involvement with the club. ‘I was invited along by a previous sponsor. I started volunteering and became first sponsor of the women’s team. The previous owner said he couldn’t take the club any further. So here we are.’
This was more than two years ago and he admitted: ‘It has been a rough time lately.’ Asked why he does it, he said: ‘Because I am nuts.’
The light-heartedness disappeared when he contemplated the game. ‘It is paramount that we win,’ he said. Asked what failure would entail, he simply blew out a deep breath.
Meadowbank regularly plays host to groundhoppers, stag parties and other curious fans
‘We are stumbling on,’ he said. ‘We clawed back the 15 points early but there have been ups and downs since. But there are good things here. There are young lads coming through and almost 200 kids play for our teams.’
He looked across a largely deserted Meadowbank and said: ‘There is a future for this club. We will rebuild in the summer. We would want to push for promotion.’
This was football in a sentence. Danger was looming but hope was still peeking though.
A couple of hours later, he was lost in the melee of celebration. A City besieged had become a City reprieved.
