At half time during this match even the food within Shielfield Park was what you would call fat sodden and unhealthly.  A portion of fries visually looked good but taste wise it was like eating a lump of lard newly dripped from a fryer.   Even the ketchup sauce failed to eradicate the unhealthly tastes lingering in the mouth.  Despite a lowly current league position and low ranking culinary delights, Berwick Rangers have had recent success all be it not from the fryer.   Champions of the Third Division in 2007 this achievement is though a far cry from the current status of the club as it struggles on a weekly basis against the likes of Albion Rovers, Dumbarton and Forfar Athletic.

The club itself is unique in the British Isles and one of only a select group in world football and that itself is an achievement.   Located in the county of Northumberland Berwick is the northernmost town in England and is situated only around 2.5 miles or 4 km south of the Scots border.   It has been called English and Scottish over the centuries and even been stated in official governmental documentation as an indpendent state but today officially it is an administrative part of England and subjuect to English law.   Despite its location though Berwick Rangers are one of only a handful of teams in the world to play football in a national league other than their own country.   They are unique in that other clubs sides around the world play elsewhere an example being Wrexham or Cardiff City. However the Welsh league is semi-professional whilst both Scotland and England have their own fully professional competitions.

You arrive in Berwick Upon Tweed on the east coast mainline train system which ends in London, what instantly strikes is the double sided appearance and nature of the town and its people.    Almost every bar has an English outer façade with names such as 'The White Horse' and 'The Brown Bear' but when you get inside there is often a Scottish flag and an English flag on display side by side.   One walk around the town centre is a walking history into the city and its background.   It boasts notable architectural features mostly defensive ramparts, walls and fortifications.   Closer inspection of these tells a story of walls being built by Queen Elizabeth I to keep Scots from the north out whilst the modern day train station was the former castle area where an accord between the English and Scottish kings was agreed laying claim to the city.

In terms of people Berwick is closer geographically to Edinburgh than Newcastle and this is highlighted in the local dialect of the town people.   You feel as if you are talking to a Newcastle person - a Geordie - who has lived in Scotland for some time.   The voice sounds Scottish at times then will sound totally distinctly English.   This curious mix of lowland Scots and North Eastern English immediately made me think of Trevor Steven the former England, Rangers and Marseille player who came from the area. Clearly there is a sense of complexity surrounding Berwick's identity with many people who live in the town feeling that Berwick should be in Scotland.  

Some believe that better public services such as hospital treatment exists in Scotland.   Similarly restaurants in the town sold haggis dishes alongside roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.   Small side street gift shops provide ginger wig hats and these are sold beside flags of St George.    Within a sport shop though the issue was clear cut.  England national team shirts were on sale with no sight of Scotland dark blue shirts.    You can though understand people who live in Berwick having mixed emotions to the location of the town.   The people equally have the choice of commuting to work to either Newcastle and Edinburgh, equidistant (45 minutes) from the town centre via train.

As far as football is concerned one look at a game at Shielfiled Park does make you think that Berwick would be better off playing in non-league English football against teams such as Blyth Spartans and Gateshead but traditionally the club are Scottish based and always have been.   Moreover, most if not all of the current squad live and reside in Edinburgh and its surrounds.

The walk to Shielfield Park from the town centre took around twenty minutes.   Passing under a walled arch you then cross the extensive Tweed river by the Royal Tweed Bridge and follow the route of the railway until a viaduct to reach the ground which is hidden amongst houses.   Shielfield is a somewhat ramshackle affair with one terracing area and a main stand holding in total around 4,000.   Entrance outwith the ground is mud sodden and one turnstile areas stands now defunct and unused.   Berwick Bandits speedway team use the ground and this is indicated by the quality of the standing areas behind each goal which are covered in layers of dark fuel sodden mud near pitch side.   Overgrown weeds are everywhere and ply-wood dividers separate the terracing area from the pitch side. Similarly from the 'The Ducket' terracing area to the east of the ground viewing for spectators is obstructed by a floodlight pylon and the view offers sight of industrial chimneys and structures.

Fan wise this is one of the few games that V.I.F has ever been to visit where it was possible to count all of the fans in attendance at the game and to do this without a calculator.   Our head count was around 230 or thereabouts with about 20 of those following in a noisy fashion Albion Rovers.

This picture painted so far of Berwick Rangers may not have described too pretty a landscape so far but in its own way the ground does have a good characteristics.   There is a small club shop selling scarves, programmes and merchandise to the left of the turnstile entrance area. Pointers towards the English/Scottish heritage of the town exist in here where you are able to purchase a Berwick Rangers scarf with either a Scottish or English flag on it.   On asking the shop assistant we discovered that the scarf with the St George cross and 'Dream Team' displayed was the top seller amongst fans.  Just as we exited the shop in walked a Berwick Rangers fan complete with England shirt and Berwick scarf.   This would point towards a newer generation of Berwick residents who associate themselves nationalistically more with England than Scotland.

V.I.F spent the first half of the game in 'The Ducket' terracing area alongside around 40 die-hard Berwick Rangers fans of various ages and class. The abuse being thrown towards both Berwick Rangers players, management and club management was merciless and non-stop.   Curiously though many of the players targeted with abuse were not named by the fans rather they were targeted via the shirt number they wore ala 'Hey number two...you are hopeless' and this aspect of de-personalisation would indicate towards the high turnover of players in the squad and a lack of heroes.   Similarly the Berwick Rangers manager Alan McGonigall was targeted with personal insults in that now familiar half Scottish half Geordie twang along the lines of 'You can't event stand up straight McGonigall.'   The referee was not immune either 'I hope you die referee' side one Berwick fan after a contentious decision.   On the referee's side hopefully this would not happen in Berwick as hospital treatment is far better in Scotland.

Word is also getting around that a group of Berwick fans are hoping to buy out the club from the present board of directors and take the club in a new direction.   Crowds at the club have declined with crowds of 250 being the norm rather than 600 to 700 so there may be evidence that the fan base could be bigger than it currently is.

Berwick Rangers were 1-0 down at half time to Albion Rovers who looked a more effective and youthful team compared to Berwick but in the second half things got even worse as did the scoreline with the game ending 3-0 to Albion. Kicking in a gear despite a very heavy pitch, Albion scored a truly spectacular third goal and the abuse kept flowing even as Berwick Rangers players trooped off.   And to be honest you cannot really blame the fans as it was truly awful stuff from the black and gold clad players.   Berwick Rangers look a disjointed and dispirited side lacking any sort of direction on and off the pitch.   It is very hard to attract people through the gates on match day with many in the town and surrounds following Newcastle United but a more successful and progressive football team on the field would serve to attract even an extra 300 on match day.   Equally this could push the side up the leagues where matches against the likes of St.Johnstone, Morton or Raith Rovers could attract larger crowds and better match-day spin-offs.   As it stands any decent players Berwick Rangers source will move onto larger sides and the club are forced to source young players from lowly east of Scotland teams.  It really is a thankless task for club management and use of the word 'dream team' to describe any Berwick side is surely tongue-in-cheek.

Berwick Rangers at Shielfield Park does not currently offer the curious fan a cheery and warm day out particularly on a cold day as the ground is exposed to the elements whatever these may be.   For a club who have had recent success and achievement they seem to have gone downhill a long way in a short period of time. Outiwth the exterior of the ground which looked modern and prosperous with a nice looking black and gold social club the ground interiors was drab and the ground sparsely almost completely and depressingly empty and in desperate nead of repair and some upgrades if not overhaul.   Those in attendance were spreading a vibe that was one of only disorganisation and discontent.   Despite this what V.I.F can say to the club is that if we had money to throw around, even in these difficult times of the credit crunch, then the club would be worth owning for a while if only to put some of our ideas into play and to take on the outdated establishment who call themselves the Scottish Football League.

By Editor