Civil Service Strollers, Christie Gillies Park – Hopper Tales #155

A Stroll in the Park

This weekend saw us travel to the fabulous city of Edinburgh for a game between the quirkily named Civil Service Strollers and St. Andrew’s United.

Initially, I was supposed to visit Shotts Bon Accord, but cup action thwarted my plans to reach Hannah Park for the second time.

I will get there one day! (Shakes fist!)

The disappointment of that was dampened by the chance to visit another Lowland League club that was on my ‘to-do list’.

After visiting the Strollers, I will be left with just Bo’ness United, Caledonian Braves, Clydebank, and Cumbernauld Colts to finish off the Lowland League.

However, I would like to revisit Albion Rovers and Cowdenbeath, who both form part of the ‘missing’ Hopper Tales (I was busy building the website at that time).

For now, our focus is firmly on Civil Service Strollers, and with twenty goals in our last four matches visited, I’m looking forward to more entertainment. (This includes the Sunderland U21 match against Norwich City last night.)

So let’s get on with it, shall we?

Edinburgh – The Journey

The day started earlier than necessary because my tickets were for Shotts, which had an earlier kick-off time.

I caught the 07:03 X1 bus and was in Newcastle by 08:00. This gave me plenty of time to make a slow walk to Central Station and pick up a snack along the way.

As it turned out, I could have easily caught the later X1 and still have had time to do the same.

After arriving at the station, I immediately noticed that my train was delayed, but there was no attached expected time of arrival.

I heard a tannoy announcement that the 08:49 LNER train to Aberdeen was delayed for what I thought they said was ‘a bomb scare’.

A subsequent announcement seemed to repeat this, but afterwards, they changed it to a ‘points failure’.

However, there were announcements affecting other trains, blaming a ‘safety check’ on another train. Coincidence?

Hiding the bomb scare threat from passengers? Or just the dodgy hearing of an ageing Hopper?

I have no idea, but it gave me time to take a couple of photos of the station.

The train arrived, and I thrust any doubts from my mind and boarded. Setting off at 09:20, we safely arrived in the Scottish capital at 11:05, forty minutes behind schedule.

My Favourite City

Edinburgh and York are my favourite cities in the UK, so it’s always a pleasure to spend time in ‘Auld Reekie’, especially with the sun shining and blue skies.

As it was still early, I decided to have a wander through Princes Street Gardens, adjacent to Waverley Station.

The Gardens are full of statues of famous natives and people who have influenced the city. Of course, the Walter Scott Memorial is by far the largest, standing on the edge of Princes Street, but there are lots of others to be checked out.

One in particular piqued my interest… Wojtek the bear, unveiled in 2015.

You can read a little about his remarkable story during World War II and later at Edinburgh Zoo here.

After a peaceful walk through the gardens, I decided I had done enough to earn my first pint of the day.

While I make my way to the first watering hole, I will leave you to read a little about Edinburgh.

Edinburgh

The Auld Reekie, as Edinburgh is sometimes known, has been the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th Century.

The city is located on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, an extension of the North Sea.

Edinburgh lies 47 miles east of Glasgow, 56 miles south of Dundee, 104 miles northwest of Newcastle, and 122 miles northwest of my home in Hetton-Le-Hole.

In the 2022 Census, Edinburgh and its immediate surroundings had a population of 514,543.

This makes it the second-most populated city in Scotland (behind Glasgow), and the seventh-most populated in the UK.

The city takes its name from the Cumbric word ‘Eidyn’. ‘Din Eidyn‘ was the ‘hillfort of Eidyn‘.

It is thought to have been a Celtic tribe stronghold and settlement built on the rock where Edinburgh Castle now stands.

‘Din’ was replaced by ‘burh‘ (Old English for fort), eventually morphing into its current familiar name.

Edinburgh is built around an extinct volcano, known as Arthur’s Seat.

Traces of Bronze Age settlements have been found around the city. The first recorded history of the area was by the Romans in the 1st century AD, when they wrote of a local tribe whom they called the Votadini.

In 638 AD, King Oswald of Northumbria seized control of Lothian, and it remained in possession of the Anglo-Saxons until circa 950 AD. Under Edward I, England once again possessed Edinburgh during the 13th and 14th centuries, but was eventually ousted during the Wars of Scottish Independence (apart from tourists and Hoppers!)

Expansion

Edinburgh expanded beyond its city walls during the 18th Century, including the now-famous Princes Street, north of the castle.

Around this time, the city earned another nickname as the ‘Athens of the North’ due to its neoclassical architecture and Castle Rock, reminding people of the Acropolis in Greece.

The other reason for the nickname was that Edinburgh was at the centre of the Scottish Enlightenment. This was a period in which Edinburgh was considered a ‘hotbed of genius’, with great thinkers, scientists, universities, and learning centres springing up.

Railways arrived in 1840, with a link between Edinburgh and Glasgow established in 1842. Edinburgh Waverley Station, built in 1869, provides most arrivals with their first taste of the city.

Major industries for the city at that time were printing, brewing, distilling, rubber and engineering factories.

Modern Edinburgh

Until an official name change in 1947, Midlothian was known as Edinburghshire.

As time marched on, the city became a centre of finance and is now second only to London. It is also the fourth largest financial centre in Europe, and the thirteenth globally.

In 1998, the Scotland Act established a Scottish government, with the parliament building located opposite the Palace of Holyrood and Holyrood Park.

The Palace of Holyrood is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

Tourism plays a significant part in the city’s economy, with tourists travelling from all around the world to take in the vibes of this wonderful place.

Visitors can also enjoy a number of important historical and art buildings, including: the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, the National Gallery, the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh After Dark

There is also a whole host of ghost tours and walks for those who believe in such things. Even though I don’t, I would still go on the walks and tours for the history and knowledge gained from the guides.

Indeed, on a previous trip, Mrs Hopper and I took in a ghost tour of the Edinburgh Vaults, which we enjoyed. We caused quite a stir among the ‘believers’ by walking through a circle of stones cursed by witches in the ‘Stone Circle Vault’, though.

I can still picture the look of astonishment on people’s faces as I marched right through the middle of it after the dire warnings, closely followed by Mrs Hopper. 😂

You can book tickets for that same tour, right here.

Apparently, we condemned ourselves to bad luck for a specified number of years (I forget how long), but as this was now a number of years ago, I think we are safe!

Notable People from Edinburgh

Actors: Ewen Bremner, Ian Charleson, Sir Sean Connery, Ian Richardson, Iain Glen, and Hannah Gordon.

Impressionist, Rory Bremner – TV presenters, Nicky Campbell, Kirsty Gallacher, Gail Porter, and John Leslie – comedian, Ronnie Corbett – authors, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ian Rankin, Sir Walter Scott, Kenneth Grahame, Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Irvine Welsh – inventor, Alexander Graham Bell –

Music artists from Edinburgh include: Bay City Rollers, Shirley Manson (singer for Garbage), Nina Nesbitt, Finley Quaye, and original member of The Beatles, Stuart Sutcliffe.

From the world of sports, we have:

Boxers, Alex Arthur, Ken Buchanan – rugby players, Gavin Hastings, Scott Hastings, and Andy Irvine and of course, the legendary cyclist, Chris Hoy.

Football: Neil Alexander, Christophe Berra, Craig Gordon, Dave Mackay, Allan McGregor, Kenny Miller, Graeme Souness, and Gordon Strachan.

Also, who can forget the voice of the former BBC classified football results announcer, James Alexander Gordon?

On the more macabre side, Edinburgh was also home to murderers and body snatchers, Burke and Hare.

Rose & Crown

While you were reading about this fabulous city, I had made my way to Rose Street, which runs parallel to Princes Street.

A number of pubs are located here, and I made my way first to the Rose & Crown.

The first thing to know about Edinburgh is that beer is not cheap!

There will be no pubs here charging circa £3.50 for a pint, as back in the Northeast.

The single-roomed pub has a bar opposite the entrance, and from here I ordered a pint of Tennents, costing £5.80. That’s actually not bad for Edinburgh prices.

Nevertheless, I chose to take it outside and slowly sip it in the sun.

As I sat enjoying the day, a confused-looking woman walked by. She caught my eye and asked me if I knew where 159 Rose Street was.

I confessed to not being a local and unsure, she thanked me and walked on by.

While she walked off, I satisfied my curiosity by looking at Google Maps.

She came walking back my way, and I happily pointed her in the direction she needed, with an inward chuckle to myself.

The address she needed was the location of my next chosen watering hole, and I could fully understand why she hadn’t asked me if I knew where she could find Dirty Dicks!

A few minutes later, I finished off my drink and headed in the same direction.

Dirty Dicks

Inside, Dirty Dicks turned out to be dark and cluttered, rather than dirty.

Lit by table-top candles and the light from the bar, it was hard to make out much of the decor.

The bar was to the right of the entrance, from where I ordered myself a pint of Amstel.

After being asked for £6.50, the barman heard my intake of breath and winced. He apologised and said prices were getting out of control in the city. He said I had actually ordered their cheapest pint, and Mrs Hopper’s favourite tipple, Neck Oil, was nearly £7.50!

I took my pint and sat in a darkened corner, so nobody could see me cry.

As my eyes adjusted to the gloom, I started to notice what a strange mix of items formed the clutter on the pub’s ceiling, shelves and walls.

Above, there was an ancient-looking cricket bat next to an equally old tennis racket. A massive cluster of used train tickets to my left, bank notes from around the world to my right, and pretty much every crevice filled with random objects.

Cleaning that place must be an absolute nightmare! It might also explain the darkness…

Even the toilet doesn’t escape, with posters and stickers covering the walls.

Time To Move On

After finishing my drink, it was time to walk back to Princes Street to catch my bus to the north of the city.

I caught the 13:27 #34 bus to Pennywell Cottages, arriving around 14:00.

This left me with a short walk along Marine Drive, upon which Christie Gillies Park is located.

Civil Service Strollers – Christie Gillies Park

To the left of the photograph above is the entrance to Christie Gillies Park.

To find the entrance, you need to walk past the three arc-shaped buildings and the player’s entrance, following the path around.

This is also where you find Club 1908, which I went to first.

Club 1908

Tucked into the buildings you have to walk around is an entrance to Club 1908, which is the Civil Service Strollers’ clubhouse.

Inside, it is a lot more welcoming than the plain brick exterior would have you believe.

The clubhouse consists of a spacious room with plenty of seating and tables. Club memorabilia adorns the walls, along with a couple of TVs showing the Northampton Town v Rotherham United game.

The bar is on the right-hand side at the far end of the room.

Though no draft beer was available, there were plenty of options for bottles and cans. I ordered myself a can of Tennents (£3.50) from the friendly guy behind the bar.

Whilst here, I paid for my entry fee for the game and received a complimentary pass in return for my £10.00. Cash or card is accepted, though cash is preferred if you pay at the gate.

I took my can and glass and sat at a table in the corner.

Here I got chatting with a guy from the St. Andrew’s United team, and he was yet another lovely, friendly guy to talk to.

Have I ever mentioned that I love Scotland and its people?

When he left, I ordered myself a mince beef pie from the bar, costing me £2.00.

I even had it the way the Scots do, with a dollop of brown sauce on the top. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?

It actually didn’t change the taste as much as I expected; instead, it gave it a moister texture.

I’m not sure if I’m converted, but I’m not against doing the same again either.

After finishing my drink, it was time to head to the gate and enter the ground.

Getting In

I presented the gateman with my complimentary pass and also bought a pin badge for £3.00 in cash.

Possibly one of the smallest badges in my collection, but the price reflected that, so no complaints.

East End

Entry to Christie Gillies Park is at the eastern end, which is where we will start our tour.

Once through the gate, there is a snack bar to your left, and beyond that, a small seating area which strongly reminded me of the perspex covers you find at supermarkets for covering shopping trolleys.

Also at this end of the ground were a storage shed, the players’ entrance to the pitch, the toilets, and the, ahem, hospitality suite.

Hospitality packages are available from the club website at £35.00 per person.

North Side

The north side contains three of the ground’s six floodlights and the only seating in the ground (apart from the small one near the entrance).

A fence separates the football from the rugby pitch beyond, which forms part of the larger complex.

The seating comprises two low, covered stands, containing around a hundred seats in total.

West End

The western end of the ground is fenced off and inaccessible to spectators.

A boundary fence with trees behind it is the only feature.

South Side

The south side of the ground contains the technical dugouts, a gantry presumably for recording the action, and the other three floodlights.

Trees provided some cover from the glare of today’s bright sun, and I decided this was where I would watch the match from.

Civil Service Strollers – Christie Gillies Park Gallery

Christie Gillies Park has a natural grass playing surface and a ground capacity of 1,569 (100 seated).

Civil Service Strollers Tidbits

The Civil Service Strollers Football Club was founded in 1908.

Initially playing under the name of Edinburgh Civil Service FC, they played their home games at the Stenhouse Stadium. This stadium was near the Gorgie area, near where HMP Edinburgh now stands.

During the 1920s, the club moved to Pinkhill Park (demolished for housing in the 1960s), in the west of Edinburgh. There are also reports of games played at Wood’s Park in Portobello and the Royal Gymnasium Ground.

In 1957, they relocated to the Edinburgh Area Civil Service Sports Association in Muirhouse, more commonly known as Christie Gillies Park, where they have remained.

2000/01 saw the Strollers enter into a partnership with Talloaks, with their youth teams taking on the CS Strollers name.

The following year saw the partnership extended to all age groups, including the first team and a women’s team.

In 2016/17, the Strollers were elected into the Lowland League, to replace relegated Threave Rovers.

In that first season at the new level, they finished twelfth of sixteen, but a comfortable 21 points ahead of relegated Preston Athletic.

The former Edinburgh City player, Gary Jardine, took over as manager for the 2018/19 season and still remains in the dugout seven years later.

Honours

East of Scotland Football League champions: 1925/26, 1926/27, 1972/73.

East of Scotland Qualifying Cup winners: 1921/22, 1929/30, 1979/80, 1988/89.

Scottish Amateur Cup: 1910/11, 1920/21.

East of Scotland League Cup: 2000/01.

East of Scotland Trophy: 2001/02.

SFA South Region Challenge Cup winners 2017/18.

King Cup winners: 1921/22, 1925/26, 1927/28, 1990/91.

Civil Service Strollers – Pre-Game View of Christie Gillies Park

Civil Service Strollers v St. Andrew’s United – The Game

Form

Coming into today’s game, the Strollers are currently 12th of 18 in the Lowland League, which sits one level below League Two.

After playing twelve games, they have won four, drawn three and lost five.

During these games, Strollers have found the net 17 times while conceding 27.

In their last four outings, things have been better than the season’s average, winning two, drawing one and losing one. Last time out, they lost 2-0 at Gala Fairydean Rovers.

Opponents, St. Andrew’s United, sit mid-table in the East of Scotland Football League Premier Division.

This is a feeder for the Lowland League, from which Civil Service Strollers were promoted.

After playing nine games, United have won four, drawn two and lost three, scoring 21 goals and conceding 18.

St. Andrews has lost three of their last four games in the league. However, they will be buoyed by a fantastic 4-2 win away to Hill of Beath Hawthorn in the Fife Cup on Wednesday.

I foresee a close game, with St. Andrews getting on the scoresheet, but ultimately not quite strong enough.

Pre-match prediction: Civil Service Strollers 2 St. Andrew’s United 1

Where are the Officials?

The players came out in two separate batches, but with the players all ready for action, the officials were nowhere to be seen, and it was already a couple of minutes past kick-off time.

The match officials were also a little late to the game, though I hope their excuse wasn’t the same as mine.

Drinking beer before the game probably isn’t a good idea for match officials, though it would explain some of the inept displays I’ve seen on my travels.

They appeared a couple of minutes later with shameful looks on their faces, muttering about ‘technology’, which you can hear in the video above.

Kick-Off

Summary

With everyone finally in place, the game kicked off at five past three, with the Strollers getting the match underway.

As I have mentioned before, you never know who you might end up meeting or chatting with at football matches.

I heard American voices next to me, and I started a conversation with my neighbour (neighbor? 😉)

He was on his first visit to the UK and was spending time with his son, who is studying for a Master’s Degree at the University of St. Andrew’s.

I told him that my wife was American, too, and we had a good conversation that took up most of the first half. This means there is no video action and no apologies from me.

Gary, it turned out, was the CEO of Carolina FC‘s youth academy. Our chat ranged from football to the NFL and the differences in life in our two nations.

Thank you for your company, Gary, if you get around to reading this.

While we chatted, the visitors took a very early lead through Regan Lumsden, after being assisted by Ross Cunningham.

The equaliser came not too long afterwards, with Tom Findlay grabbing a headed goal to get the home side on level terms.

Strollers were the better team in the first half, but United looked more than capable of matching them, with a few tweaks.

Half-Time – Civil Service Strollers 1 St. Andrew’s United 1

Second Half

The former Dunfermline Athletic defender, Greg Shields, manages St. Andrew’s United. Whatever he said to his side at halftime seemed to give them a little extra impetus in the second period.

The half saw a more even contest unfold, with St. Andrew’s now matching their higher-placed opponents.

Indeed, it was the visitors who took the lead on 70 minutes, after a calm finish from David Maskrey, assisted by Greig Spence.

This stirred the home side into action, and five minutes later, they bagged a second headed equaliser.

At least I caught this goal on camera and regained some of my dignity after a sloppy performance on my part.

The ball was whipped into the box from the near side and headed back across the goal from the far side.

For the second time, CSS equalised via a headed goal, this time scored by number 12 (one of the substitutes).

The rest of the match played out with both teams doing what they could to find a winner, but neither succeeded.

The referee blew the whistle for full-time, leaving me wondering what would happen next.

Replay? Extra-time? Penalties?

Again, the lack of information was frustrating, but it soon became clear that a penalty shootout was incoming.

This was good news for me, as I wouldn’t have had time to watch the whole of extra time.

Penalty Shoot-out!

I will let you enjoy the shootout without giving you the result in advance…

You can read a full Match Report here, courtesy of the St. Andrew’s United website.

Full-time – Civil Service Strollers 2 St. Andrew’s United 2

(2-4 on pens)

Attendance – To be confirmed

Entrance Fee – £10.00

Programme – N/A

Civil Service Strollers v St. Andrew’s United – Match Highlights

If and when match highlights become available, I will post them here.

Up Next

Next up for Strollers, it’s back to Lowland League action, as they travel to the Forthbank Stadium to play University of Stirling on 15th October.

They will then host Broxburn Athletic (18th), before travelling to Bo’ness United (East of Scotland Qualifying Cup) on the 25th.

They kickstart November with a trip to Bonnyrigg Rose‘s New Dundas Park on the 1st.

St. Andrew’s will host league leaders, Jeanfield Swifts, on 14th October, before travelling to Dunbar United on the 18th.

They will begin November with two home games against Penicuik Athletic (1st) and Whitburn (4th).

Civil Service Strollers Thoughts

Civil Service Strollers is a nice place to visit.

Don’t expect a fantastic stadium, or you will be very disappointed. Instead, savour the great city of which it is a part, and enjoy the hospitality of the people at the club, who were very friendly.

A shout-out also to the travelling St. Andrew’s United team and the people associated with the club. They were also very friendly, and I had a chat with a couple of them over the course of the day.

Club 1908 is a great place to have a couple of pre-match drinks, and the bar staff were also very friendly.

The ground itself is well-kept and quite serene, with trees surrounding it on three sides.

Snacks and drinks are available at Club 1908 and also at a snack bar just inside the gate.

As always, a brief moan about the lack of a programme…

Maybe this was because today’s game was a cup match, and there wasn’t enough time to prepare one? I’m not sure, but I think there should at least be team sheets available for spectators.

There are a few seats, but most people were standing to watch the game. The south side was the most popular area to watch the game from, maybe because the bright sun was shining across from that side.

As an overall experience, I am happy to recommend Christie Gillies Park, but don’t expect to see much of a stadium, or you will be disappointed.

Edinburgh – After the Game

Following the final whistle, I headed out of the ground and made my way to Muirhouse Parkway.

From here, I caught the 17:17 #27 bus back into the centre of Edinburgh.

I disembarked at the foot of Hannover Street, where it joins Princes Street and walked back to Waverley Station just up the road.

By 18:00, I was back at the station, and by 18:15, I was aboard my LNER train back home.

We left Edinburgh at 18:30, and it was a nice, quiet journey back, arriving in the Toon at 19:55.

I knew there was a bus due within the next few minutes, but I didn’t have a run left in me. Instead, I walked as quickly as my old bones would allow, arriving in time to see the X1 drive by at the bottom of the road.

I mentally shook my inner fist at it and walked the last few yards to the bus stop to await the next one.

The next X1 arrived thirty minutes later, and I was home around 21:30.

Another successful Hop in the books.

Next Up for Hoppers Guide

Next week will be a return visit to a familiar place.

After deciding it would be nice to meet some of the Hoppers Guide followers on Twitter, I thought Hebburn Town would be a great place to do so.

Having already visited twice, I am familiar with the superb social club and can’t think of a better place to hold a meet-up.

I am hopeful of making this an annual thing, showcasing some of the fabulous grounds and people that the Northeast has to offer.

There may be just a couple of people this time around, but if it goes well, who knows, there may be four people next time… 😂

Either way, I know that anybody who does pop along will love their visit to Hebburn Town. I may even drag Mrs Hopper out of retirement for the day!

A bonus feature is that the opponents will be Leek Town, a Staffordshire club with strong connections to Stoke City over the years.

This allows me to combine the area I live in with the place where my foundation is firmly rooted.

Perfect!

Onto the next!

Hopper Tales #154 – Darlington Town

Hopper Tales #156 – Musselburgh Athletic