“Ineligible”: Reflections on a footballing nightmare

Last Tuesday night will probably go down as one of my best — but also worst, footballing memories. At the time of writing, Stranraer FC’s response to the charge of fielding an ineligible player against Queen’s Park hasn’t yet been heard. Perhaps common sense will prevail, and the emergency loan signing of a goalkeeper will be seen as just that — even if it wasn’t spelt out in so many words. But it seems like the writing is on the wall. A second trip to Ibrox in five years, £200,000, all gone. As a fan, I’m devastated, but I’m sure it doesn’t come close to how the players, coaching staff and committee are feeling.

In the week since it all unfolded, I’ve have two main reflections from a pastoral perspective. The first is that in the running of a club like Stranraer, as in the life of a church, unpaid volunteers do an astronomical amount of work behind the scenes, week after week, year after year. There are many who will never thank them for it — and yet will be the first to criticise them when they make a mistake. Lessons will be learned, but never forget that there are human beings at the centre of all this. It’s too easy to forget that, particularly in this internet age.

The second reflection is that last Tuesday’s match could be an illustration of what will happen to many who hope to get to heaven. If, as you read this, Stranraer have been expelled from the Scottish Cup, it won’t be through a lack of effort. Our part-time players put in a phenomenal shift for 120 minutes in torrential rain against full-time opponents two leagues higher up. By the end of the game, some of them could barely walk. They had put their bodies on the line for the club and dug out a remarkable victory. But ultimately it was all for nothing. The outcome was already decided. If the club are deemed to have breached the rules, then no amount of exertion by the players could have changed that. As soon as the match kicked off, our fate was sealed. Read the rest of this article written by Rev. Stephen Steele for a local paper here.