Plenty of Nothing

Dioscorides Production Meeting

This illustration from the 6th-century Vienna Dioscorides shows an artist painting a mandrake under the direction of the author and the allegorical figure Epinoia. Source.

Magnolia Map of Halifax

Access the Magnolia Map here.

Ohia Lehua

Source.

Engei Greenock

The only Japanese garden in Inverclyde. Source.

It's matchday five of the League Cup group stage. Morton host Edinburgh City. These two met on matchday five of the 2017-18 League Cup group stage: Morton won 5 - 0.

Edinburgh City were known as FC Edinburgh last season, but the fans weren't buying it so the name is Edinburgh City once more.

Edinburgh's goalkeeper is Sam Ramsbottom, who played goal for Morton in 2019-20. Kyle Jacobs (2019-22), at one time Morton's captain, is also a Citizen.

The last Morton player to score on Edinburgh was Bob McHugh.

The situation:

Edinburgh City have 0 points in three starts and no possibility of advancement. Stranraer are also out the running. Ross County need only 1 point to win the group. If Kelty can beat County before penalty kicks and Morton also win before penalties they'll all have 9 points and it'll come down to goal difference. Only two will advance, or maybe only one, depending on what happens in the other groups. Since 2016 twenty-eight teams have ended the group stage with 9 points, and all but three of them advanced to Round Two.

The final sixteen won't be known for sure until the Dundee/ICT Group E match is played tomorrow.

The other match: Ross County [3 - 3] Kelty Hearts [Kelty win on PK]

This is their first ever match.

[Morton win 4 - 1 on goals by Broadfoot, Crawford, King and Blues. Morton make the second round.]

Final Group D standings:

Ross County       4    3    0    1    0  13    6    +7   10

Morton                4    3    0    0    1   11    4    +7    9

Kelty Hearts        4    2    1    0    1   11    9    +2    8

Stranraer             4    1    0    0    3    3   11    -8    3

Edinburgh City    4    0    0    0    4    6   14    -8    0

Other matches:

NPL2 Vic: Preston Lions 1 - 2 Bulleen Lions (yesterday)

Bohemians 2 - 0 UCD (yesterday)

Tokyo Verdy [0 - 0] Mito HollyHock

Honda FC [2 - 0] Veertien Mie

Vonds Ichihara [1 - 1] Tokyo 23 FC

York United [0 - 2] HFX Wanderers (tomorrow)

All five of the Wanderers' wins this season have come at home [till now]. Five of York's wins have come away from home.

[HFX goals by Fernandez and Morelli.]

North Toronto Nitros [1 - 2] Scrosoppi

Morioka Zebra [3 - 3] Ganju Iwate

Gretna 2008 [2 - 9] Linlithgow Rose

Burntisland Shipyard [2 - 3] Peebles Rovers

East Craigie [3 - 2] Arbroath Victoria

NWCFL Premier Division: FC Isle of Man [2 - 0] Wythenshawe Town

BSC Glasgow [1 - 8] Morton Women (friendly) (tomorrow)

The Argos and Roughriders play at SMU today. [Toronto 31 - 13 Saskatchewan]

The Highland League starts today. Let's follow Banks o' Dee FC:

Banks o' Dee [4 - 0] Wick Academy

The West of Scotland League starts too:

Gartcairn [1 - 1] Largs Thistle

Carluke Rovers [0 - 1] Eglinton

2023-24 UEFA Europa Conference League, 2QR, first leg (July 27):

Inter Club d'Escaldes 2 - 1 Hibs

The New Saints 1 - 1 Swift Hesperange (July 25)

B36 2 - 1 Haverfordwest County

Linfield 2 - 5 Pogon Szczecin

Crusaders 2 - 2 Rosenborg

Ballkani 3 - 0 Larne (July 25)

KA 3 - 1 Dundalk

Derry City 2 - 1 KuPS

Ferencváros 4 - 0 Shamrock Rovers

2023 Concacaf Leagues Cup:

LA Galaxy [1 - 2] Vancouver Whitecaps (tomorrow)

Atlas [1 - 0] Toronto FC (tomorrow)

[Vancouver Whitecaps advance. Montréal and Toronto are out.]

Scotland's UEFA coefficient year by year:

2023-24        36.900          9th

2022-23        33.375        11th

2021-22        27.875        14th

2020-21        22.125        20th

2019-20        18.625        26th

2018-19        18.925        23rd

2017-18        17.300        25th

2016-17        17.900        23rd

2015-16        16.566        23rd

2014-15        15.191        24th

Video: Rescuing a Half Dead Juniper.

Jersey Kale

Source.

Lindenbaum

Source.

Sea Heart

The sea heart, or sea bean, is the seed of the tropical liana vine, can float in water, and sometimes washes up in England. Source.

Jurassic Brora

Brora is home to the quarry that supplied stone for London Bridge. In 1907 the paleobotanist Marie Stopes made a study of the plant fossils preserved in the Brora sandstone, including this ginkgo plant. Source.

Morton visit Dudgeon Park in Brora, Sutherland for their Scottish Cup third round replay against Brora Rangers. The winner of today's match will go on to meet St Johnstone in Round Four.

[Brora 1 - 3 Morton. Morton goals by Lyon, McAlister and Cadden [twice]. Morton advance to meet St Johnstone in Round Four.]

Brora Rangers in the Scottish Cup:

1979-80    R2    Buckie Thistle 0 - 0 Brora Rangers

                          Brora Rangers 1 - 2 Buckie Thistle

2008-09    R1    Newton Stewart 1 - 1 Brora Rangers

                          Brora Rangers 2 - 1 Newton Stewart

                  R2    Brora Rangers 1 - 3 Forfar

2009-10     R1    Brora Rangers 0 - 2 Irvine Meadow

2010-11     R1    Edinburgh University 2 - 2 Brora Rangers

                           Brora Rangers 2 - 1 Edinburgh University

                  R2    Elgin 5 - 3 Brora Rangers

2011-12     R1    Edinburgh City 3 - 0 Brora Rangers

2012-13     R1    Formartine 3 - 2 Brora Rangers

2013-14     R1    Brora Rangers 1 - 0 Vale of Leithen

                  R2    Brora Rangers 1 - 1 Cove Rangers

                           Cove Rangers 0 - 3 Brora Rangers

                  R3    Clyde 2 - 1 Brora Rangers

2014-15     R2    Brora Rangers 5 - 0 Banks O'Dee

                  R3    Edinburgh City 2 - 3 Brora Rangers

                  R4    Queen of the South 4 - 1 Brora Rangers

2015-16     R2    Brora Rangers 1 - 2 Arbroath

2016-17     R1    Fort William 1 - 4 Brora Rangers

                  R2    Brora Rangers 0 - 2 Clyde

2017-18     R1    Brora Rangers 5 - 0 Girvan

                  R2    Civil Service Strollers 0 - 5 Brora Rangers

                  R3    Stranraer 0 - 1 Brora Rangers

                  R4    East Fife 0 - 1 Brora Rangers

                  R5    Kilmarnock 4 - 0 Brora Rangers

2018-19     R1    Brora Rangers 4 - 3 Turriff United

                  R2    Brora Rangers 6 - 0 Coldstream

                  R3    Cowdenbeath 1 - 0 Brora Rangers

2019-20     R2    Clachnacuddin 0 - 7 Brora Rangers

                  R3    Morton 1 - 1 Brora Rangers

Championship: Ayr United [0 - 1] Dunfermline

Wikipedia has pages about nine Morton seasons in the 1870s and 1880s. For the most part they only list Scottish Cup fixtures, but the 1885-86 article lists two friendlies that I had never heard of before:

1886/3/6        Morton 2 - 2 Hibs

1886/4/24      Morton 4 - 1 London Caledonians

London Caledonians (1886-1939) were founding members of the Isthmian League.

Elsewhere. While we're not following 1. FC Saarbrücken this season they're busy leading Regionalliga Südwest.

Sumo Wrestlers and Sunflowers

Source.

Maplelawn 2004