Plenty of Nothing

The Vale of the White Horse

The Vale of the White Horse, c. 1939, by Eric Ravilious. Source.

Rearranged Ayr Fixture

Ayr Racecourse, home of the Scottish Grand National. In 2006 the Scottish government poured £35 million into this facility, because privilege. Suffragists set fire to the grandstand in 1913. Source.

Morton visit Somerset Park for a fixture rescheduled from February 15th. Ayr are fourth with 35 points, Morton seventh with 29. Morton have played to four draws in a row, and are on track to finish the season with 43 or 44 points.

Morton have scored 36 goals in 24 games, which by extension makes 54 in 36 games. They scored only 36 all last season. But they've allowed 47, which is the worst in the division, 2 goals worse than Partick.

[Morton win 1 - 2. Orsi and Cadden.]

Also this evening:

Dunfermline (6th) [1 - 2] Inverness CT (2nd)

Also this evening in League One:

Dumbarton (6th) [1 - 0] Clyde (8th)

After 24 games played both Morton and Dumbarton have 29 points, 8 wins, 5 draws and 11 losses, and are -11 on goal difference, in case you were wanting Duffy back again.

Stranraer vs Montrose [postponed]

Peterhead [1 - 1] Forfar

Reserve league: Morton 1 - 0 St Mirren (yesterday)

The League of Ireland First Division started on the weekend, and Longford Town showed up for their match with Shamrock II and beat them 2 - 0.

How soon could Morton be playing Clydebank again?

If the West of Scotland league is created this summer (looks likely) and Clydebank join it (looks very likely), and Clydebank win it in 2020-21 and earn promotion to the Lowland League, Morton could meet them in the 2021-22 Scottish Cup. If Clydebank win the 2021-22 Lowland League and promotion to the SPFL, and at the same time Morton suffer two relegations in three years, they could both be in League Two in 2022-23.

East Fife versus East Stirlingshire in the Central Football League:

1919/12/6      East Stirlingshire 1 - 2 East Fife

1920/1/31      East Fife 1 - 1 East Stirlingshire

1920/10/2      East Fife 2 - 0 East Stirlingshire

1921/4/23      East Stirlingshire 0 - 0 East Fife

Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive.

East Kilbride vs East Stirlingshire in the Lowland Football League:

2016/9/3        East Kilbride 1 - 0 East Stirlingshire

2017/4/22      East Stirlingshire 3 - 2 East Kilbride

2017/9/23      East Kilbride 0 - 5 East Stirlingshire

2017/12/16    East Stirlingshire 1 - 1 East Kilbride

2018/4/21      East Kilbride 1 - 0 East Stirlingshire (Lowland League Cup)

2018/11/3      East Kilbride 2 - 0 East Stirlingshire

2018/12/22    East Stirlingshire 0 - 2 East Kilbride

2019/8/24      East Stirlingshire 0 - 1 East Kilbride

2019/11/9      East Kilbride 1 - 0 East Stirlingshire (South Challenge Cup)

2020/4/11      East Kilbride vs East Stirlingshire

Source: East Stirlingshire FC website.

Nails Morton

Chicago mobster Samuel "Nails" Morton collected racehorses and met his end not at the hands of a rival gang or the cops but when he was trampled to death by one of his own thoroughbreds. His associates duly rubbed out the horse. Source.

Alloa Athletic visit Cappielow. Morton are seventh in the division with 28 points. Alloa are ninth with 26.

Morton have won both previous meetings this season. The Wasps are the only Championship side that Morton can sweep in 2019-20. Alloa swept Morton in 2013-14.

They'll be lucky if this game goes ahead. East Hamilton Street was underwater yesterday.

The other Championship matches:

Dundee United (1st) 2 - 1 ICT (2nd) (last night)

Arbroath (4th) vs Ayr United (3rd) [match abandoned]

Partick (10th) vs Dunfermline (6th) (postponed)

QoS (8th) [0 - 1] Dundee (5th)

[Morton 4 - 4 Alloa. Morton goals by Jacobs, Colville, Tumilty and McHugh.]

League One:

Falkirk 2 - 0 East Fife (Feb 18)

Dumbarton (6th) vs Forfar (9th) (postponed)

East Fife (4th) [4 - 2] Stranraer (10th)

Falkirk (2nd) [1 - 0] Montrose (5th)

Peterhead (7th) [0 - 2] Airdrieonians (3rd)

Raith Rovers (1st) [1 - 0] Clyde (8th)

Scottish Cup Round Five replays:

Motherwell 4 - 4 St Mirren (St Mirren win on PK.) (Feb 18)

Kilmarnock 3 - 4 Aberdeen (Feb 19)

1963-64. Morton travelled to Douglas Park in Hamilton and beat the Accies 1 - 3.

First and last place teams week by week (2 of 3):

Week 13        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 14        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 15        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 16        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 17        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 18        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 19        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 20        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 21        Dundee United        Alloa

Week 22        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 23        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

Week 24        Dundee United        Partick Thistle

This is fun: if the six Premiership clubs that make the split turn out to be Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Livi and Hibs, then all of Celtic's post-split matches will be home games and all of Rangers' will be away games.

Scottish Junior Cup quarter-finals:

Auchinleck Talbot vs Hurlford United (postponed)

The 2017-18 finalists.

Beith vs Kello Rovers (postponed)

Neilston vs Pollok (postponed)

Darvel vs Broughty Athletic (postponed)

Reserve League: Dundee United 4 - 0 Morton (Feb 18)

Swiss Challenge League: Winterthur 0 - 4 Lausanne Sport (Feb 19)

Concacaf Champions League, Round of 16, first leg (Feb 19):

Saprissa 2 - 2 Montreal Impact

AFC Champions League East, group stage, matchday 2 (midweek):

Group F: FC Tokyo 1 - 0 Perth Glory

Group G: Suwon Samsung Bluewings 0 - 1 Vissel Kobe

Group H: Yokohama F. Marinos 4 - 0 Sydney FC

Iwaki FC have two training matches this weekend:

Iwaki FC 2 - 1 Tokyo United FC (today)

Iwaki FC [5 - 0] Mito HollyHock (Monday)

Iwaki's Byron Vasques has been loaned to Universidad Católica of the Peruvian league.

Europa League, Round of 32, first leg (Feb 20):

Copenhagen 1 - 1 Celtic

Rangers 3 - 2 Braga

Wolfsburg 2 - 1 Malmö

The success of Celtic and Rangers in Europe this year has improved Scotland's coefficient enough that Scotland could have two clubs in the 2021-22 Champions League.

Copa Libertadores, Third Stage, first leg (Feb 19):

There are no Bolivian teams in this round.

Copa Sudamericana, First Stage, second leg (Feb 18 - 20):

Oriente Petrolero 0 - 0 Vasco de Gama (Vasco de Gama advance.)

Emelec 2 - 0 Blooming (Emelec advance.)

Melgar 0 - 2 Nacional Potosí (Melgar advance on PK.)

Always Ready 1 - 0 Millionarios (But Millonarios advance.)

Bolivian league: Bolivar 5 - 4 The Strongest (yesterday)

The Strongest really are off to a terrible start.

Which clubs have won the Lowland League, how many league matches did they lose, and who beat them?

2013-14    Spartans (3) East Kilbride, Preston, Stirling University

2014-15    Edinburgh City (1) Dalbeattie Star

2015-16    Edinburgh City (3) Whitehill Welfare, Dalbeattie Star, Stirling University

2016-17    East Kilbride (3) Cumbernauld, East Stirlingshire, Spartans

2017-18    Spartans (3) East Kilbride twice, BSC Glasgow

2018-19    East Kilbride (2) BSC Glasgow, Civil Service Strollers

SWF Championship South: Renfrew [2 - 0] Morton (tomorrow)

Morton Women vs Renfrew, the record:

2018/4/22      Morton 0 - 1 Renfrew        SWFL1 South

2018/8/26      Renfrew 1 - 0 Morton        SWFL1 South

Source for past women's football results.

The Canadian Premier League 2020 schedule is out. The Spring and Fall Seasons are gone, and every team plays every other team exactly four times. At the end of the season the second and third teams will play a semi-final and the winner will meet the first place team in the final.

HFX Wanderers have signed Jems Geffrard, another player with Finnish league experience. Former HFX Wanderer Matthew Arnone has signed with York9 FC. York9 will hold their spring training camp in Orlando March 4 - 17.

The word is that Atlético Ottawa will play the same style of football as Atlético Madrid. Going by the current standings in the Spanish League that means low scoring, stingy goalkeeping, and as many draws as wins.

Shichinohe Horse Power

Shichinohe is still horse country. This horse pull competition took place in 2017. Source.

Scaring the Horses

The Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers in formation behind the Wanderers' main stand. Source.

The Canadian Premier League has more horses about it than you'd normally expect from a soccer organization. The league's spring training camp was held at Los Establos on a converted polo ground. There's Cavalry FC, who are owned and operated by the horse-breeding Southern family and whose pitch is a converted show jumping ring. And HFX Wanderers perform just across the fence from the Junior Bengal Lancers horse club.

Are soccer clubs and horses the best neighbours? How do the horses not bust out of their stalls whenever 5000 people leap to their feet and shout "GOOOOOAL!!!"?

Tonight it's:

HFX Wanderers vs Cavalry FC

The situation: If Cavalry win or draw this game then HFX cannot win the apertura.

The Calgary club are on an extended road trip while their home ground at Spruce Meadows is converted back to show jumping.

[Cavalry win 1 - 2. HFX goal by Rampersad. Only Cavalry or Forge can win the apertura.]

Also:

York 9 [0 - 0] Edmonton

Valour [1 - 2] Pacific (tomorrow)

Mortonalia: Morton have signed winger Aidan Nesbitt who previously played for the club in 2016-17 while on loan from Celtic. He has also played for Partick Thistle, MK Dons and Dundee United. Charlie Telfer has gone over to Falkirk.

AFC Champions League, Round of 16, first leg:

Kashima Antlers 1 - 0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima

Urawa Red Diamonds [1 - 2] Ulsan Hyundai

Women's World Cup:

Group D

Japan [0 - 2] England (today)

Scotland [3 - 3] Argentina (today)

Group E

Netherlands [2 - 1] Canada (tomorrow)

Canadian teams in American soccer leagues:

MLS:    Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps, Montreal Impact

USL Championship:    Ottawa Fury

USL League One: Toronto FC II

USL League Two: Thunder Bay Chill, WSA Winnipeg, Calgary Foothills, TSS FC Rovers, Victoria Highlanders

Fukushima United seasons:   

             G      W    D     L      F      A     GD   pts       pos            EC

2018    32      9    13    10    36    43      -7     40    12th, J3        no

2017    32    13      4    15    39    43      -4     43    10th, J3        no

2016    30      7      9    14    35    44      -9     30    14th, J3        R2

2015    36    13    10    13    42    48      -6     49      7th, J3        R1

2014    33      9      9    15    30    38      -8     36      7th, J3        R1

2013    34      8    10    16    35    42      -7     34    14th, JFL      R2

2012    12     11     0      1     61     6    +55    33      1st, Toh 1    R4

2011    12     11     0      1     53     6    +47    33      1st, Toh 1    R2

2010    14     12     1      1    46     9     +37    37    2nd, Toh 1     R1

2009    14     11     3      0     51    8     +43    36    2nd, Toh 1     R3

2008    14     14     0      0    76     8    +68     42    1st, Toh 2S    R1

2007    14     12     1      1    83     7    +76     37    2nd, Toh 2S   no

as Perada Fukushima:

2006    12       3     1      8    27    41    -14     10     6th, Toh 2S   no

Riko Ueki's sticker from the 2019 Women's World Cup Missing in Footy Album.

Yawata Uma

In the feudal era the Nanbu clans had control of eastern Aomori Prefecture and most of Iwate Prefecture. The Nanbu were breeders of warhorses, and they constructed a series of fortified ranches where they could raise and protect their valuable animals. These fortified places are known collectively as the Nine Numbered Stockades, and each one was named sequentially according to the formula "number + nohe". Each "nohe" except for the fourth one has given its name to a modern town or city.

Why is there no Shinohe today? At first you might think there never was a Shinohe because Japanese culture is somewhat shy of the number four, which sounds the same as the word for death. But plenty of people have Shinohe as a family name, so that can't be it.

Within the boundaries of Hachinohe, which has grown into a large city, there's an outlying district called Yawata which has a shrine named Kushihiki Hachiman-gu. The shrine is associated with a local folk-art tradition: carved wooden horses called Yawata Uma. These wooden horses suggest that the area around Yawata might have been the missing Numbered Stockade Number Four. Source. Source.

Racecourses of Japan

Source.

Horse Archery

Today is Health and Sports Day in Japan. There's a lot of track and field going on, but also horse archery if you look carefully. This man found some in an Aomori park in 2014.

Czech George and the Dragon

Mikoláš Aleš, St George and the Dragon. Source.

George and the Dragon in Ethiopia

Source.