Plenty of Nothing

R-100 over Montreal, August 1, 1930

Source.

The Hindenberg over Halifax, Nova Scotia

On this date in 1936 the Hindenberg flew over Halifax on the way from Lakehurst, New Jersey to Frankfurt. Source. Find all the Hindenberg's flights here.

Stipa Caproni

The Italians built a flying barrel in 1933. Watch it go. Source.

Yamada-shiki No. 1

A model of Japan's first airship, Yamada-shiki No. 1, which made a single flight in 1909. Source.

Hey, Let's Head Over to Shibuya

This has got to be the most disquieting hot air balloon ever flown, and future generations won't even believe it existed because the photos all look so much like a cut and paste job by Terry Gilliam. Source.

The Graf Zeppelin in Iceland

On July 17, 1930 the airship Graf Zeppelin flew into Reykjavik. Source.

To Stranraer by Flying Boat

This is a 1/72 scale model of the Supermarine Stranraer, a flying boat that could have flown from the Clyde to Stranraer in the days of RAF Greenock and RAF Wig Bay. Source.

It's the 2021-22 League Cup group stage, matchday one. Morton are in Group G with Kilmarnock, Clyde, Stranraer and East Kilbride.

This year the eight group winners plus the three best second-place teams will advance to Round Two. If Morton do not win their group, what will it take to be one of the top three second-place teams? Here's what worked in past years:

                pts    gd

2016-17      9    +4

2017-18    10    +6

2018-19      9    +6

2019-20      8    +6

2020-21      9    +5

That team that snuck in with 8 points was Morton. But, to be on the safe side this year, they should try to get 3 points from each of Clyde, Stranraer and East Kilbride, and take Kilmarnock to a shootout. Also, they want to be at the high end of a 5 - 0 score, because goal difference will likely be the deciding factor.

Today Morton visit Stranraer.

Ten years ago a cup game at Stranraer was just the way Morton liked to start a season.

2010/7/31      Stranraer 1 - 7 Morton    League Cup R1

2011/7/23      Stranraer 0 - 8 Morton    Challenge Cup R1

Morton and Stranraer were both members of League One in 2014-15. Morton took three wins to one win for the Blues, the total goals scored being 8 goals to 2 in Morton's favour.

Stranraer FC is older than Greenock Morton, having been founded in 1870. The club joined Division C in 1949 and Division B in 1955. They made it up to tier II in 1993, 1998 and 2004 but lasted only one year there each time.

Former Morton man Ruaridh Langan plays for Stranraer.

Stranraer played three Championship clubs in the preseason, losing to Raith Rovers, Ayr United and Queen of the South. It was a much more ambitious series of friendlies than Morton's.

[Morton test positive for Covid and forfeit the match. Stranraer are awarded a 3 - 0 win. Ross County also forfeit their match against Forfar, and Dumbarton their match against St Mirren.]

The other match:

East Kilbride [0 - 2] Kilmarnock

These two will meet again in the Challenge Cup Round Two if EK can beat Falkirk in Round One.

Clyde are off.

Group G have no televised games. Group A (with Hearts) and Group F (with Motherwell) have two each.

[Group G standings after today's matches are:

Stranraer         1    1    0    0    0    3    0    3

Kilmarnock      1    1    0    0    0    2    0    3

Clyde               0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0

East Kilbride    1    0    0    0    1    0    2    0

Morton             1    0    0    0    1    0    3    0    ]

Mortonalia:

Morton played a friendly against Cumbernauld Colts on July 6th and won 0 - 2 on goals by Michael Garrity and Cameron Blues.

Morton are advertising for a part-time general manager, which looks to be a backroom position not concerned with managing the football squad or drumming up sponsorship money. It's here if you want to apply.

Morton signed goalkeeper Jack Hamilton on Tuesday. He made 18 appearances for Dundee last season.

Bobby Barr (Morton 2015-16) has signed with Cowdenbeath.

Canadian Premier League:

HFX Wanderers [2 - 1] FC Edmonton

[Two goals for Morelli.]

The Eddies are the oldest club in the Canadian league, having played seven seasons in the NASL from 2011 to 2017 before the CPL was ever thought of. Their park is Clarke Stadium, which stands in the shadow of Commonwealth Stadium, like Lesser Hampden beside Hampden.

Edmonton professional outdoor men's soccer teams:

1979-82    Edmonton Drillers    North American Soccer League (1)

1983         Edmonton Eagles    Canadian Professional Soccer League

1987-90    Edmonton Brick Men    Canadian Soccer League

2004         Edmonton Aviators    USL A-League

2011-17    FC Edmonton    North American Soccer League (II)

2019-        FC Edmonton    Canadian Premier League

Wanderers' record against the Eddies is 1 win, 2 draws, 2 losses, 4 goals for and 6 goals against. Edmonton finished eighth in the Island Games.

Head coach Stephen Hart is out until the end of the month.

Developments:

Auchinleck Talbot and Irvine Meadow have become SFA members this summer.

J1 League side Gamba Osaka missed the whole month of March due to Covid and will have to play through the Olympic break to catch up. They're about six games behind the rest of the league. This will be complicated by success in the AFC Champions League and the Emperor's Cup.

Five of the top ten Covid-infected areas in Europe are in Scotland. Tayside currently has the highest infection rate in Europe.

Lowland League side BSC Glasgow have changed their name to Broomhill FC.

The Challenge Cup schedule is out and it's set up in the form of a bracket, a rare bird in Scottish football.

2021-22 UEFA Champions League 1QR, first leg:

Slovan Bratislava 2 - 0 Shamrock Rovers (July 7)

Connah's Quay Nomads 2 - 0 Alashkert (July 7)

Žalgiris 3 - 1 Linfield (July 6)

Dinamo Zagreb 3 - 2 Valur (July 7)

2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference 1QR, first leg (July 8):

Velež Mostar 2 - 1 Coleraine

FH 1 - 0 Sligo Rovers

Rīgas 2 - 3 KÍ

Bala Town 0 - 1 Larne

Stjarnan 1 - 1 Bohemians

Glentoran 1 - 1 The New Saints

Dundalk 4 - 0 Newtown

Racing Luxembourg 2 - 3 Breiðablik

Honka 0 - 0 NSÍ

Other matches:

J2: Machida Zelvia [2 - 1] Mito HollyHock (tomorrow)

JFL: FC Kariya [2 - 4] Tokyo Musashino United (tomorrow)

[This was Tokyo Musashino United's first win this season.]

[Fuji Club 1 - 1 Dogizaka (July 11)]

UCD 2 - 1 Wexford (yesterday)

Suwon FC vs Pohang Steelers (postponed)

Ulsan vs Pohang Steelers (postponed)

Gnistan 0 - 0 TPS (July 5)

VPS vs TPS (postponed)

Largs Thistle 4 - 0 Irvine Victoria (July 7) (friendly)

Largs Thistle [3 - 0] Bonnyton Thistle (friendly)

Dundee 3 - 0 Leyton Orient (July 6)

Dundee 2 - 2 West Ham United (yesterday)

Lugano 0 - 0 Winterthur (July 8) (friendly)

Coupe de France, Round One (July 7):

AS Saint Pierraise 2 - 1 AS Ilienne Amateur

Real Potosi [1 - 3] The Strongest

1.FC Saarbrücken friendlies to date:

SpVgg Quierschied  0 - 6  1.FC Saarbrücken (June 26)

Quierschied play in the Saarlandliga.

Fola Esch  2 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken (June 30)

Eupen  1 - 1  1.FC Saarbrücken (July 3)

SC Freiburg [2 - 1] 1.FC Saarbrücken (today)

Freiberg play in the Bundesliga.

AFC Champions League group stage:

Group F

Ulsan Hyundai 2 - 1 Kaya (July 5)

Ulsan Hyundai 3 - 0 Viettel (July 8)

BG Pathum United [0 - 2] Ulsan Hyundai (tomorrow)

Group G

Pohang Steelers 1 - 1 Nagoya Grampus (July 7)

Group H

Gamba Osaka 8 - 1 Tampines Rovers (July 7)

Chiangrai United 1 - 3 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (July 7)

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors [2 - 1] Gamba Osaka (July 10)

Group I

United City 0 - 2 Kawasaki Frontale (July 5)

Beijing Guoan 0 - 3 Daegu FC (July 5)

Daegu FC 1 - 3 Kawasaki Frontale (July 8)

United City [0 - 4] Daegu FC (tomorrow)

Kawasaki Frontale [4 - 0] Beijing Guoan (tomorrow)

Group J

Cerezo Osaka 5 - 0 Guangzhou Evergrande (July 6)

Kitchee 0 - 0 Cerezo Osaka (July 9)

[The four South Korean teams advance: Ulsan Hyundai, Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Daegu FC. Three Japanese teams advance: Nagoya Grampus, Kawasaki Frontale and Cerezo Osaka. Gamba Osaka are out. BG Pathum United of Thailand also advance.]

Airship Mast, St. Hubert

Source.

R34

Airship R34 flew over Greenock on March 14th, 1919. The dirigible was constructed by William Beardmore and Company at Inchinnan, made an Atlantic crossing in July 1919, and ended her short career with a crash landing in Yorkshire in 1920. Source. Also.

After the airship craze ended the Beardmore factory site was acquired by India of Inchinnan.

It's Morton versus Montrose in the second leg of their Championship playoff semifinal.

Montrose won the first leg 2 - 1, meaning Morton need to win today. If the aggregate score is equal at the end of extra time it'll go to penalty shots. There's no away goal rule in this cup.

This is the sixth time Morton have played a competitive match on May 11th. The other times were in 1940, 1946, 1963, 1985 and 1991. The details are here.

This is the 36th competitive match of 2020-21 for Morton, and the 18th at Cappielow. Those 36 games have been compressed into a period of about seven months. Normally they would play about 43 games over nine and a half months. Montrose have played 31 games in six months, including eight in April.

If Morton win this playoff, they will face the winner of Airdrie versus Cove Rangers, starting next Tuesday. If Morton lose, it's season over plus demotion to League One.

All the playoffs:

Premiership semifinals:

Raith Rovers [0 - 3] Dundee (tomorrow)

Championship semifinals, 2nd leg:

Morton [3 - 1] Montrose

[Morton win a playoff! Goals by Oliver, Salkeld and McGuffie.]

Airdrieonians [3 - 2] Cove Rangers

[It's Morton versus Airdrie in the next round.]

League One semifinals, 2nd leg:

Dumbarton [1 - 0] Stranraer

Edinburgh City [2 - 2] Elgin

[Dumbarton and Edinburgh City advance.]

Other matches:

Kilmarnock [3 - 3] St Mirren (tomorrow)

Ross County [2 - 1] Hamilton Accies (tomorrow)

This will be matchday 37 of the Premiership. Killie, Ross County and Hamilton are all trying to avoid relegation.

Swiss Challenge League: Winterthur 2 - 1 Grasshoppers (yesterday)

Developments

Major League Soccer began its 2021 season on April 16th. Due to border restrictions the Canadian teams are playing their home games in the US. Toronto FC are operating out of Orlando, CF Montreal Miami, and Vancouver Whitecaps Salt Lake City.

League1 Ontario has postponed its 2021 start date to July 2.

The West, South and East of Scotland Leagues are opposed to the inclusion of Old Firm colt teams in the Lowland League. But the Lowland League clubs have voted for it.

Ray MacKinnon is leaving Queen's Park.

Seasons in which Morton played both Montrose and Motherwell:

1934-35, 1963-64, 2020-21

Tasman United in the NZ Football Championship:

                  G    W    D    L    F      A     GD    P    Pos

2019-20    16    6    2     8    27    26     +1    20    5th

2018-19    18    3    5    10   22    36    -14    14    8th

2017-18    18    6    5     7    34    39      -5    23    6th

2016-17    18    4    5     9    29    42    -13    17    8th

Valentina Grizodubova

Statue of Soviet pilot Valentina Grizodubova in Moscow. Source.