10/7/99 The Stramash

July 10th, 1999

Parscelona 4 Erin Hibs 2
Ayr Utd 1 AC Celtic 2
AC Celtic 0 Parscelona 1
Erin Hibs 3 Ayr Utd 1
Ayr Utd 2 Parscelona 2
AC Celtic 1 Erin Hibs 2

Jack Kane Centre, Edinburgh
Game format: 6 games, 15 minutes per half.

PARSCELONA SQUAD : Ronz, Fraser, Chris, Johnnie, Jamie Wilson, Cammy, Alan, Colin McKean, Grant Cotter, Keith Rapley, Alex Mercer, Alasdair Mercer, Stuart Holland, Jamie Miller

The report which follows concentrates only on the Pars games. I would suggest checking the other sites for more information. These links should be of use to you.

• Lynne's report from the Euronet mailing list
• Report by Gregor Anderson of Hibs
• Erin Hibs
• Ayr United
• AC Celtic

By the time the sun drenched Saturday morning arrived, the tournament had boiled (almost literally thanks to the weather) down to only four teams, possibly the only four in Scotland with any enthusiasm for Internet Football if recent events are any indication. Hibs, Celtic and Parscelona welcomed newcomers Ayr United, who had only one previous game to their credit, for an afternoon of fun, football, and regrettable lack of sunblock.

The first game to kick off was that of the hosts, Erin Hibs, versus Parscelona. Historical note: Parscelona's first ever game was against Hibs almost a year before, in this very location - resulting in a 5-3 victory for Hibs.

The heat not yet having taken effect, the players of both sides showed plenty of energy and enthusiasm, but it was the Pars who took the lead. Stuart Holland received a through ball and ran into the box before firing a low shot past Anderson in the Hibs goal, with only three minutes on the clock. "I was aiming for the other corner," he says. Hmmm.

Pars showed plenty of determination and strengthened their lead with another goal from Grant Cotter ten minutes later. Two nil to Parscelona, and so it remained until half time.

Parscelona again looked the stronger of the two following the break and notched up another goal shortly after the restart through a superb headed goal by Cammy Wilson. Had Cammy converted a similar chance later on, the Pars would have had the game wrapped up. But it wasn't over yet.

At three up, Parscelona became complacent and Hibs took advantage. Within two minutes of Parscelona's third, the slackness of Parscelona's midfield and a determined fightback from Hibs almost turned the game - and Hibs fully merited the two goals which followed. Owen Huggon netted Hibs' first and a breakaway three minutes later saw Billy Scott claw it back to 3-2.

The slap in the face seemed to wake up Parscelona and with just three minutes remaining, Grant Cotter fired a 25-yard effort past Anderson to bury Hibs and give the Pars the first 3 points of the afternoon.

The next match saw AC Celtic take on the inexperienced Ayr United. Ayr put in a spirited performance though, and in the end Celtic just edged it, coming out 2-1 victors.

After a little rest, AC Celtic returned to the field to take on Parscelona. Of these teams' previous encounters, Celtic had won both. Parscelona were determined to make amends and also to put themselves in the driving seat for the tournament. The game which followed was, as expected, a tight affair with the teams incredibly going into the half time break with not one goal between them. Both teams missed chances, the best of which was a close-range shot from Pars' Cammy Wilson which Celtic keeper "Laz" forced over the bar, much to everyone's disbelief. In the end, all that separated the two teams was a goal in twenty minutes from the on-form Grant Cotter, sending the Pars off with another 3 points under their belts (following a mocking huddle). A point from their last game would make them champions.

Hibs took on Ayr United next, and were by far the better team. In a more one-sided game than Ayr's previous match, Hibs finished 3-1 victors. While Hibs and Celtic were yet to face each other, that game could be rendered meaningless if Parscelona took a point from their game against Ayr.

And so Parscelona went into their final match with a combination of tiredness, expectation and sunburn. However, as stated in "The Big Book of Football Cliches" (the book consulted by every player and manager before an interview) the conditions were the same for both teams, so tired or not, Parscelona would have no excuses.

Things looked bad for the Pars when, after only a minute, Parscelona's Johnnie MacDougall hauled down an Ayr attacker inside the box. The referee (from the Hibs team) awarded the penalty instantly, despite goalkeeper Ronz's disagreements (which involved questionning the referee's parentage, religion and odour in a single shout). The spot kick was converted, and Parscelona had a struggle on their hands.

Only eight minutes later however, the situation occurred again in the opposite corner of the pitch. The Pars had a corner kick, which was swung in by Grant Cotter. The ball avoided everyone until dropping to the far post. An Ayr defender tried to gather the ball, but was unaware of Parscelona's Alan Maxwell approaching from behind (fwaf). As the left winger snatched the ball away from him, the Ayr player's control gave way to panic and he sent Alan into orbit. The referee's whistle blew instantly but while Alan sat on the ground shrugging and the Ayr players argued about whose fault it was, the referee examined the terrible pitch to see exactly where the line was. After establishing that it was definitely a penalty, Colin McKean stepped up and put the Pars on level terms.

Things swung back in Ayr's favour however with the otherwise excellent Jamie Miller missing what seemed to be a certainty and then with 18 minutes on the clock (despite still being in the first half) Ayr scored again. The Parscelona players barely had time to register their disbelief when the referee blew for half time.

In the second half, Parscelona came out determined to get the goal they so desperately wanted, and after five minutes it arrived. Colin McKean gathered the ball just outside the box and fired a shot in. The Ayr player who attempted to block it could only help it on it's way as it looped over the helpless goalkeeper's head and into the net. Parscelona were determined to win, but after the final chance of the match saw Alan Maxwell squandering a perfect cross from Keith Rapley, the Pars had to settle for a draw. But the point was all they needed.

Hibs then went on to defeat Celtic 2-1 but the game had already been rendered irrelevant. And so almost a year after thier first ever game, Parscelona returned to the Jack Kane Centre - and this time they left with much bigger smiles.