20/42 - Links Park, Montrose
19th January 2019
Ground Number: 20
Ground: Links Park, Montrose
Home of: Montrose FC
Match: Montrose V Dundee United
Score: 0-4
Attendance: 3604
We're finally into the 20's! It feels like a significant part of the tour. Next week we'll be half way! More on that in the next review though. For now we're off into Angus once more and Scottish Cup fever is sweeping Links Park as Montrose will be host to Dundee United.
We arrive much too early in Montrose however the advantage of that is we get parked really close to the ground so only have a short walk to the turnstiles. You'll be impressed with us though as even though Dundee United are playing today we still stick to our rules and sit with the home fans. I had contacted Montrose earlier in the week as they had said no ticket sales would take place on the day of the match. This posed a problem as we couldn't exactly pop into the club to get tickets. We could've just bought tickets for the United end of course but that would be against the rules! Montrose, I'm delighted to say, couldn't have been more helpful and sent me out two match tickets well in time for the game. Tickets sorted, let's get into the ground then.
Links Park is surrounded by housing and is accessed at the end of a short street. Immediately after entering the ground the Club Shop awaits. We love it when this happens as it saves you the hassle of finding it! They have a great range of merchandise for the die hard Montrose fan in your life but at £4 for a pin badge we felt this was verging on the expensive side. Still, we bought one. Or two.
Today we decided on food before the match and well let me just tell you that the Montrose pie was a thing of beauty! Hands down the best pie of the tour so far. It was glorious. Hot, filling, amazing crimped pastry. Yes it was utterly delicious. 10/10 easily. It'll take some pie to beat the Montrose pie, we both agreed on this.
Onto our seats then and we're allocated 2 seats high up in the Bryan Keith stand in among the home support who are all eager for a cup upset. We've got a cracking view from up here! For such a small club the stand here is large and offers fantastic views. Off to our left is a covered terrace where the vocal home fans gathered. Opposite us and to the right were uncovered standing areas given over to the travelling Tangerine Army today.
There's a cracking atmosphere inside the ground as kick off approaches as there always seems to be on Scottish Cup day. Anyone who undervalues this competition doesn't know what they are missing. It's one of the clubs very few chances of silverware in Scottish football. Onto the match then and it's a bit of a damp squib from a Montrose point of view. United get an early goal to settle the nerves and then never really look in danger for the rest of the match truth being told.
United grab a second goal just before half time and there was a general feeling of "job done" around the ground as we got to half time. David went off for a cigarette and anywhere outside the stand was fine for this. I meanwhile watched the "young kid not remotely interested in football but has been dragged to the match by his parents" show. I understand you need to get them interested at a young age but if they clearly aren't interested what's the point? Especially when all one of the parents is doing is taking pictures of the uninterested child for the entire first half. So she's not interested in the match either! Why bother? Sorry rant over!
Onto the second half and it's more of the same. Both teams knock the ball about but Montrose don't offer much threat and it's no surprise when United add more goals late in the game including one from debutant Ian Harkes.
We've really enjoyed our visit to Links Park today. I understand the atmosphere isn't likely to be like this every week but what will be here every week is an impressive stand, great food and a brilliant set of fans eager to see their club do well.
We'll forgive the £4 price for the pin badge due to that pie. Honestly it was amazing. Can we come back?
Ground Number: 20
Ground: Links Park, Montrose
Home of: Montrose FC
Match: Montrose V Dundee United
Score: 0-4
Attendance: 3604
We arrive much too early in Montrose however the advantage of that is we get parked really close to the ground so only have a short walk to the turnstiles. You'll be impressed with us though as even though Dundee United are playing today we still stick to our rules and sit with the home fans. I had contacted Montrose earlier in the week as they had said no ticket sales would take place on the day of the match. This posed a problem as we couldn't exactly pop into the club to get tickets. We could've just bought tickets for the United end of course but that would be against the rules! Montrose, I'm delighted to say, couldn't have been more helpful and sent me out two match tickets well in time for the game. Tickets sorted, let's get into the ground then.
Today we decided on food before the match and well let me just tell you that the Montrose pie was a thing of beauty! Hands down the best pie of the tour so far. It was glorious. Hot, filling, amazing crimped pastry. Yes it was utterly delicious. 10/10 easily. It'll take some pie to beat the Montrose pie, we both agreed on this.
Onto the second half and it's more of the same. Both teams knock the ball about but Montrose don't offer much threat and it's no surprise when United add more goals late in the game including one from debutant Ian Harkes.
We've really enjoyed our visit to Links Park today. I understand the atmosphere isn't likely to be like this every week but what will be here every week is an impressive stand, great food and a brilliant set of fans eager to see their club do well.
We'll forgive the £4 price for the pin badge due to that pie. Honestly it was amazing. Can we come back?
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