Peterhead, of course, might not be quite as glamorous but whilst driving to the easternmost point in Scotland from Aberdeen with my chief navigator Andrew Dickson (aka rfc_dickson) you couldn’t help but feel a similar sense of excitement.
Having stayed in the Granite City to ‘prepare’ for the big game we were in good shape as we made the 40 minutes journey up to Balmoor, passing on the way a couple of houses flying their Rangers and Union Jack flags.
Neale Cooper, the former Peterhead boss who is now the boss at npower League 1 side Hartlepool, informed me in a recent phone interview (for this weekend’s matchday programme) that the Rangers fans should expect a warm welcome but, having never travelled further north than Pittodrie, I didn’t quite know what to expect.
Former Press & Journal employee Mr Dickson, however, had sampled the delights of Peterhead on many occasions before while our Editor-In-Chief at Rangers Lindsay Herron, who worked for the Highland News in the distant past, threatened us with the sack if we didn’t try one of the club’s famous fish pies.
After driving by the town’s busy port and a sea of Rangers fans sporting the club’s new 1972-inspired top we arrived at the ground high with expectation but also with bit of apprehension.
Having already been to Brechin (a great club with terrific staff but with just two power points in their Main Stand for roughly 30 journalists, one of which was being used by the local police!) there was understandably a hint of nervousness.
As it was Peterhead’s ground was well equipped for the visit of Rangers and the club’s incredible support, albeit the temporary scaffold stand behind both goals must have had the club’s safety chiefs sweating.
Nevertheless the pre-match atmosphere in the ground was excellent with both sets of fans merging to create a wall of sound as the players walked on to the lush but dry playing surface.
Barrie McKay’s opening goal on 26 minutes showed the undoubted class and composure this talented teen possesses but credit too must go to Lee McCulloch for his intelligent flick on from Lewis Macleod’s raking pass.
At half time Rangers had retained their advantage but Peterhead, to their credit, were working hard and creating chances of their own.
During the interval I decided to seek out a mobile food unit which sold the club’s famous fish pies but, before I had the chance to get off my seat, Peterhead’s hospitality kicked in and we were served a Bovril and steak pie in a brown bag which I attempted to devour as quickly as possible.
To my surprise my phone started bleeping furiously and within seconds I had found out that Sky’s HD cameras had zoomed in and caught me in the act.
This is my new desktop background -
— Andrew Dickson (@rfc_dickson) August 11, 2012@rfc_smudger destroying a pie live on Sky! Good spot@kcdotdot... twitter.com/rfc_dickson/st…
My apologies go out to all TV viewers across the country!
But back to the football and the second half was, of course, disappointing with Rangers conceding two sloppy goals before Andy Little bundled the ball in late on to secure a point.
Speaking to Rangers Media after the final whistle Ally McCoist admitted his side did not play well enough, and he focused particularly on their defending.
Barrie McKay, meanwhile, had mixed emotions after scoring his first competitive goal for the club he loves as he had hoped it would help Rangers bag three points from their first ever fixture in the Third Division.
In the end it was a frustrating afternoon for the Light Blues who will undoubtedly get stronger with each passing game.
As for the Rangers fans they clearly enjoyed their trip to Peterhead and the Blue Toon should certainly be commended for the warm welcome they provided on a historic day for both clubs and Scottish football.
As for the media team the four plus hour road trip back to Glasgow was a challenge but this morning plans were already being made for our next Third Division outing to Berwick on Sunday, August 26.
We will undoubtedly face a lot of long and winding roads this season but, like all Rangers fans, we will enjoy this epic journey as our club bids to get back to where it belongs!
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