Plenty of Nothing

The Raid on Lunenberg, 1782

This hooked rug commemorates the American raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, July 1st, 1782. Source.

Border Security

Robert the Bruce slayed John Comyn the Red in Dumfries. Source.

It's the preseason. Morton visit Palmerston Park for a friendly match against Queen of the South. These two last met in the third round of the 2022-23 Scottish Cup and Morton won 4 - 1.

QoS are entering their fourth consecutive season in League One. They were in the Championship from 2013-14 to 2021-22, and before that from 2002-03 to 2011-12. They reached the promotion playoffs last season but were knocked out by Cove Rangers.

Queen of the South's Reece Lyon played for Morton from 2018 to 2023. Morton's Iain Wilson played for QoS off and on from 2019 to 2024.

[Queen of the South 2 - 0 Morton.]

Also:

HFX Wanderers vs Valour

Valour has been Halifax's weakest opponent historically. In 24 games the Wanderers have 13 wins, 4 draws and 7 losses against Valour, and a goal difference of +9. Valour has never made the CanPL playoffs, and is on track to miss them again this year.

Former Wanderer Zackary Fernandez plays for Valour.

Stephen Hart has replaced Lewis Page as head coach of the Halifax Tides, who have won only one game so far this season. Hart was in charge of the HFX Wanderers for the first four seasons, and was assistant manager for the Portland Thorns of the NWSL last year.

[HFX Wanderers 3 - 1 Valour. Halifax goals by Coimbra (2) and Dias.]

Historical matches:

Before Queen of the South existed there was a Dumfries club named Queen of the South Wanderers which operated from 1876 to 1889.

Queen of the South Wanderers in the Churchill Cup:

1881/12/3      QoS Wanderers 8 - 1 Dumfries Thistle    R1

1881/12/31    QoS Wanderers 6 - 0 Vale of Nith    R2

1882/2/4        QoS Wanderers 4 - 3 Moffat    R3

1882/3/11      5th Kirkcudbright RV 5 - 1 QoS Wanderers    SF

1882/11/11    QoS Wanderers wo - scr St Cuthbert Wanderers    R1

1882/12/23    QoS Wanderers 6 - 1 Drumlanrig Rangers    R2

1883/1/13      bye    R3

1883/2/24      QoS Wanderers 2 - 3 Volunteer Athletic    SF

1883/10/13    Dumfries Thistle 0 - 14 QoS Wanderers    R1

1883/12/1      QoS Wanderers 4 - 5 5th Kirkcudbright RV    R2

1884/11/1      QoS Wanderers 10 - 1 Mid-Annandale    R1

1884/12/6      Jessiefield Swifts 0 - 5 QoS Wanderers    R2

1885/1/10      QoS Wanderers 5 - 1 5th Kirkcudbright RV    SF

1885/2/14      QoS Wanderers 6 - 1 Stranraer    Final

1885/11/7      Vale of Nith 2 - 4 QoS Wanderers (protested)    R1

1885/11/14    Vale of Nith 1 - 4 QoS Wanderers    R1 replay

1885/12/12    bye    R2

when             QoS Wanderers wo - scr Mid-Annandale    SF

1886/2/27      Moffat 4 - 4 QoS Wanderers    Final

1886/3/6        QoS Wanderers 11 - 1 Moffat    Final, replay

1886/11/6      QoS Wanderers 10 - 0 Vale of Urr    R1

1886/12/11    QoS Wanderers 6 - 3 Moffat (protested)    R2

1887/1/22      QoS Wanderers 13 - 1 Moffat    R2 replay

1887/1/29      Mid-Annandale 4 - 2 QoS Wanderers    SF

1887/11/12    QoS Wanderers 9 - 2 Nithsdale    R1

(QoS Wanderers were suspended for professionalism.)

1888/12/1      Moffat 4 - 5 QoS Wanderers    R1

1888/12/22    5th Kirkcudbright RV 3 - 1 QoS Wanderers    R2

1889/11/6      QoS Wanderers 3 - 1 Moffat    R1

(QoS Wanderers were disqualified.)

(Source: Scottish Football Historical Archive.)

Dominion Day, 1878

Dominion Day, 1878, at Burrard Inlet, British Columbia. Source.

The Great Seal of Canada on a Plate

Source.

Young Mito

Celtic star Daizen Maeda made a trip back to Mito to hang with the small fry. Source.

It's the preseason. Morton visit Annan Athletic at Galabank Stadium. These two sides last met here in July 2023 for a friendly, but the match was abandoned after Michael Doyle (b. 1991)* broke his leg. Doyle was a trialist with Annan and as a result of the injury did not get the job, but he later signed with Cove Rangers. *There are many Michael Doyles in football.

Annan's Paul McGowan played for Morton in 2006-07.

Morton have signed 30-year-old defender Jackson Longridge.  He has previously appeared for Ayr United, Stranraer, Livingston, Dunfermline, Bradford City, Torquay United, Cove Rangers and Hamilton.

Ryan Mullen is off to St Mirren.

Morton are advertising for a new groundskeeper, which means that Mark Farrell is no longer with the club. His Linked-In page has him at Greenock Golf Club.

[Starting XI: Murdoch, Ballantyne, Delaney, Corr, Moffat, Blues, Davies, Crawford, Gillespie, Longridge and Wilson plus ten subs named Trialist]

[Morton win 1 - 3 on goals by three different trialists.] [TheMortonForum has them as Kian Taylor, Ryan Duncan and Mark Ferrie.]

Other matches:

Bray 1 - 3 UCD (June 23)

HK 0 - 0 Grindavík/Njarðvík (June 25)

Ayr United 1 - 1 The New Saints (friendly) (yesterday)

Mito HollyHock [1 - 1] Tokushima Vortis

After 20 games HollyHock sit atop the J2 standings, 3 points clear, like never before. 

Odd [2 - 2] Start

Sauchie Juniors [2 - 3] Port Glasgow Juniors (friendly)

Largs Thistle [6 goals] Largs Thistle Select

Longford [0 - 2] UCD

Verspah Oita [0 - 1] Grulla Morioka (tomorrow)

Ehime [1 - 3] Sfida Setagaya (tomorrow)

The Nadeshiko League now takes a break until the end of August.

This is the part of the year when impatience for Scottish lower league schedules makes a body commit to teams elsewhere. I once saw a squad of young Fortuna Düsseldorfers filing down LeMarchart Street from Studley House to Wickwire Field at Dalhousie University. So I think I'll follow that club. They start their preseason tomorrow:

SC St. Tönis 11/20 [0 - 9] Fortuna Düsseldorf

St. Tönis play in Oberliga Neiderrhein in the German fifth tier.

FIFA Club World Cup, Group E:

Urawa Red Diamonds 0 - 4 Monterrey (June 25)

Inter Milan 2 - 0 River Plate (June 25)

Urawa Red Diamonds are out.

Historical matches:

Wikipedia lists 1873-74 as the first season for Dumbarton F.C., but the 15/4/1873 Glasgow Herald has this match from April 1873. Before league football began in 1890 it was not uncommon for new clubs to debut in the spring.

1873/4/12      Dumbarton 0 - 0 Jamestown

Coincidentally, Dumbarton played two friendlies last Saturday in which every player for the Sons was named Trialist. Source.

Fanningbank

Fanningbank, aka Government House, was the site of the 1864 Charlottetown Conference, and still exists as the home of the PEI lieutenant-governor. Source.

Louise Edwina as Canada, 1915

Source.

Confederation

This medal commemorates Canadian Confederation. Each maiden represents one of the four original provinces and carries an implement associated with one of its economic sectors. Ontario has a sickle, Quebec a paddle, Nova Scotia a shovel and New Brunswick an axe. Nova Scotia seems particularly ill-clad for working in the mines. Source.

Mackenzie and Macdonald by Bengough

Source.

Saint Michael versus Lucifer

A fresco in the Ursuline chapel in Trois-Rivières depicting the battle between Michael and Lucifer. Source.