Kingsmills

Absolute idiots. Silly young boys demonstrating that they have a lot of growing up still to do. If I was a St Johnstone fan I would have been cringing with embarrassment at these thoroughly juvenile but still, for some, very intimidating antics.

Me too which is why in my post I come down on the side of keeping him on. It would have been a different story if I was asked 6 weeks ago.

A very worthy cause and a practical way of showing appreciation to a great club servant for over a decade all to frequently blighted by injury. We may in all likelihood never see Aaron on the pitch again so a perfect opportunity to say goodbye, if goodbye it is and allow him to leave with some very well merited boost to his finances.

From the out of contract list, my priority would be Welsh and Devine. Doran has been a magnificent servant over many years. However, it has become increasingly obvious this season that over a decade of significant injuries and gruelling rehabilitation have taken their toll. It would be with considerable reluctance and great sorrow but with such a limited budget and a thin squad, I fear that the time has come to bit a fond and immensely grateful farewell.

Congratulations to Wngwie for having the only correct answer in the poll. His reward in the opportunity to watch Cove Rangers next season on four occasions. As for the over optimistic rest of us, our consolation prize is the opportunity to watch Cove Rangers on four occasions next season.

Well, there it ends. We were the better team in the first half but failed to capitalise on it by scoring. It is a bit of a cliche that you need to score whilst on top but true nevertheless. We were two slow coming out of the blocks in the second half and, before we knew it, found ourselves 2 down and effectively out of it. Those last 45 minutes of a very long season were just a bridge too far after a gruelling regular season peppered by injuries and other reasons for losing key players at vital times followed by the play offs which were even more gruelling and peppered by further injuries to vital players, suspension and absolutely horrendous refereeing failures. I don't blame the players. In the circumstances they did remarkably well to get us as close as they did and can, to a man, leave the stage with their heads held high as can'ting the fans who to a man, woman, boy and girl were, once again absolutely magnificent. I struggle to remember when we had such loud, loyal and enthusiastic support. As for the future, while we will be saying goodbye to a number, I believe that we have the nucleus of a squad capable of competing for promotion next season including a rapidly improving Austin Samuels and hopefully a fully fit and improving Roddy Macgregor. We will need to add a few and bring in a couple fresh loanees but more recently Robbo has proved himself more adept at recruitment than when he was manager probably because that is now his main focus. The one position I remain unsure of and in genuine doubt about is head coach. Dodds will probably accept himself that he was appointed as the cheap and convenient option. I was worried at the time that there was a reason why, despite a long and relatively successful coaching career, no club had sought fit to appoint him as manager in his iwn right. I think those fears proved justified with long spells where he was like a rabbit in the headlights with no tactical awareness and no plan to make constructive changes when everyone else could clearly see that things were not working. However, in fairness, towards the end of the season and particularly during the play offs he seemed to grow more into the role and things certainly improved in that regard. For that reason, I would be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt and retain him in place but on the very clear understanding that if we were not actively involved in the title race at Christmas then he would be replaced. Once again great credit to our magnificent fans who once again sang their hearts out in Perth last night. It was a roller coaster but it was fun while it lasted.

I actually quite like the format of the second last team from the upper division against 2,3 and 4. Don't forget our divisions are half the size of those in England and 20% being automatically relegated each year is probably too much. However, there is no justification for the Premiership play offs having a different format from the other divisions other than sheer self interest. I can also see merit in the final being a one off affair at a suitable neutral venue after a 2 legged semi final.

Yip. If we do fall at the final hurdle it won't be due to lack of support from the fans.

We all like to see flowing, skillful and entertaining football but tonight a scrappy backs to the wall single goal win by whatever means will do perfectly well.

Taking into account increased prize money, gate receipts and commercial income, we will be well over a million pounds better off than in the Championship although obviously our outgoings, particularly wages, would also be greater and, even if we were immediately relegated we would have the benefit of the parachute payment.

More like Mel Brooks..

Bloody exciting and bloody nerve Wracking.....

My vote may well have an element of heart over head but that's what being a football fan is all about.

Simple question. Come 10 o'clock tomorrow evening willwe be back in the Premiership?

In my view, the only other candidate for our most important game ever is the 'Supercaleygoballistic' game at Parkhead. Not because of the performance or result which were amazing but because I still think that might just have saved us not just from administration but from liqidation with no pathway being offered back to us unlike when Rangers went out of business. Our debts at the time were horrendous and completely unmanageable and I don't think our share of the gate receipts from Celic Park alone would have been enough to save us. The additional income from those 2 televised games against Aberdeen made all the difference and bought us the time, along with David Sutherland's business acumen, to put together a survival plan.

As a football fan for over half a century I have been witness to some big and memorable matches including watching the wonderful Inverness Thistle team of the early 1970s secure consecutive Highland League titles, watching Scotland beat czechslovakia in fron of over a hundred thousand at Hampden to secure World Cup qualification, watching Scotland beat England at Wembley, seeing the Jaggies beat Kilmarnock 3-0 in the Scottish Cup to secure a trip to Parkhead which ultimately did not end well despite a 16 year old Les Fridge performing wonders in goal but was still a great day out compared to our usual away days to the likes of Rothes and Lossiemouth. Then, post merger, watching us beating Arbroath in our very first league game at Telford Street which still felt a bit alien to this old Jaggie. Watching us giving Rangers, whatever became of them? packed with world class players like Laudrup and Gascoigne a good run for their money in our 'home' Scottish Cup quater final at Tannadice. Watching us coming back from 0-3 down at half time to win 4-3 in another Scottish Cup tie against Ayr United in typical Steve Paterson style. Then, being present when we beat tomorrow's opponents to, after a court battle, secure our first ever promotion to the top tier. The anticipation followed by dejection of our League Cup final at Parkhead, the anticipation followed by by elation of our Scottish Cup triumph at Hampden. Sadly for me, I missed both legs of our only European tie to date due to holidays commitments entered into by Mrs Kingsmills over a year before. However, even if I had made those matches, I still think that tomorrow's game in Perth will be the single most important game witnessed in my life.

A breif tribute to Richard Gordon who retires today from his role as presenter of Saturday Sportsound. Despite never having played the game at any professional level, he is one of the most knowledgeable and least biased sports journalists in the country despite, unlike many of his Central Belt colleagues, is quite happy to be entirely open about which team he supports and with a passion. He was also quick to give us praise and credit whenever we merited it and, again unlike many of his colleagues, Jim Traynor in particular comes to mind, he was never condescending or patronising towards us. I hope that he enjoys a long and happy retirement.

It might be fortunate if any ban imposed for illegal gambling coincides with his rehabilitation period.

Not a former player but a former manager. Congratulations to John Hughes who, despite getting the team with the second highest budget relegated, walks away from East End Park with yet another wedge of compensation bulging in his pocket.

I don't remember it being announced but it looked north of 5,000 to me. When I watched the match back on TV it was great not to be able to read the lettering picked out the seats for the first time since goodness knows when.

Or with Steve Paterson who was a master of them in his day.

I rewatched the match on TV this morning at that free kick was every bit as stunning as it looked at the time. Unlike the match at Gayfield which was littered with them, there was only one real moment of controversy. We were perhaps a little fortunate with our first goal. Samuels may just have strayed offside but, if he did, it was marginally. Some referees might have stopped the match for a head knock but the laws of the game permit them to use discretion and Billy had clearly been fouled. Both the referee and the standside assistant got a clear view of the incident and could see that both players were moving and that Billy was actually back on his feet and, as it turned out neither were injured. The cut back from Samuels and the finish from McAlear were sublime. What was most revealing of all was the reactions of both managers in their respective post match interviews. Dodds was honest and candid and conceded that our initial problems were down to him getting it wrong with team selection and formation. In stark contrast, Callum Davidson did not accept at all that he bore any responsibility for the capitulation with his failure to react to our changes and his own inexplicable substitutions instead blaming a single refereeing decision which, as I indicated above, could have gone either way. As it happens, I think Madden had a good game feeling it necessary to weild only one yellow card in what was a competitive and hard fought game. The Perth Saints are clearly rattled whilst we have gained some confidence and composure. I hope that the boys are given the day off todsy followed by a light training session tomorrow including a spot of penalty practice before travelling down the road on Monday with, assuming we get our team selection and tactics right from the outset, every bit as much of a chance of spending next season in the Premiership as our hosts. Finally, great credit to the large crowd who stayed behind the team even when things were looking hopeless.

Maybe but I bet that within 2 years he will deservedly be playing at a much higher level than either us or his parent club.

To be fair, he acknowledged his mistake and rectified it.

Especially as so many Central Belt pundits have constantly written us off as a bunch of turkeys.