It was a hundred and forty years ago today

On St Andrews Day, 1872, the first ever official international football match was held at West Of Scotland Cricket Ground in Glasgow. The game, of between Scotland and England, was watched by 4000 people, and ended goalless. I’m very much hoping (and would be HUGELY surprised if it does) that the score won’t be the same on Saturday when Scottish and English writers XIs take each other on at the same venue. I’ll be nipping down to Partick for midday kick off. Should be highly entertaining, but more than likely a bit nippy. Bovrils all round I reckon.

I heard about this game from Graham Joyce, whose Simple Goalkeeping Made Spectacular relates how he got asked to be the England keeper (and ended up being nominated for the William Hill Sports Book Prize).

And as if that weren’t enough cross-border competitiveness, there’s more rivalry, this time of a literary flavour, at The Mitchell Theatre on Saturday evening. Never been to an evening of readings where there’s a real possibility of a slide tackle. And offensive singing from the terraces.