I have grown wise to expect the worst weather regardless of the time of year, and there was no exception today as I travelled south through torrential rain to Mineralwell Park, Stonehaven. Aberdeen Sports Village’s summer schedule of athletics and school sports days meant that Bridge of Don’s usual pitch on Linksfield road was unavailable, and they would have to return to Glenury Park for a second time in as many weeks. The now home side would conclude their league campaign today, where they were set for a 9th place finish.

Miraculously, as I arrived in Mineralwell Park, the sun split through the clouds and the afternoon’s sole McBookie Premier League fixture would be played in bright and warm conditions. As I took my place pitchside, I quickly realised this would not be the busiest fixture within the park.

Just a stone’s throw away (50 metres), is the Jim Glennie Park, where Cowie Thistle A.F.C. were playing Echt A.F.C. in the AAFA premier division. Funnily enough, Cowie has also been moved from their usual home, this time for a cricket fixture. A win or draw would seal the league and Cowie’s 4th trophy of the season, where they have been dominated throughout. Echt, playing their final game of the season, could leapfrog Cowie with a win, but would surely end the campaign second with Cowie still due to play two more fixtures.

Back to Stonehaven and Bridge of Don, the game kicked off at 2pm and within a minute, the away side would receive a fair penalty, after Elliot Duff was felled by the Stonehaven defence. He got up, and impressively placed his shot from 12-yards into the top right corner. The game was quick to settle after the early opener, but the tempo is kept high.

The next few chances fall to Bridge of Don, but they are unable to double their lead. In the 19th minute, Bridge of Don had another player down in the Stonehaven box, with the result being a yellow card to Dec Milne for diving. Bridge of Don continued to hold possession high up the park and kept Stonehaven boxed in and without much breathing space.

A loud cheer and a congregation of blue and white stripes in the Jim Glennie Park meant only one thing- Cowie were on their way to the title, after scoring the opening goal of the game through Shaun McDonald.

The fans were kept amused when Bridge of Don manager Lewis Muirhead sent substitute goalie Ross Salmon to warm up, after the otherwise faultless Keith Robertshaw made a couple of innocent errors.

Half time came with a much needed rest for Stonehaven, who really struggled to keep a comfortable looking Bridge of Don at bay. Changes for Bridge of Don at half time certainly won’t have helped Stonehaven nerves, who kicked off the second half.

A few early corners for Bridge of Don set the tone for the second half, as they looked to kill off Stonehaven. The home side really struggled to show much character and failed to test the Bridge of Don defence, and the inevitable happened on the 72nd minute when Bridge of Don doubled their lead through striker Craig Mackie, after nice play down the left by substitute Adam Joji.

The feisty fixture started to wind down, but not before Bridge of Don grabbed a third through Joji, who capitalised on poor defending by Stonehaven. I hurried out of Glenury Park to see the last few moments of the Cowie game, where I expected to see a home side ecstatic after just winning the league. Instead, I watched Echt grab a third in stoppage time in dramatic fashion, chipping the goalkeeper. That would be Echt’s third of the game, the score finishing 1-3. They will have to pray Cowie slip up in their next two games, as a single win will be enough for the league trophy.

Bridge of Don now have 2 more games to conclude their campaign, which will be the latest junior games across the country, clashing with the start of the Euro’s. Sunnybank on Tuesday and Buchanhaven Hearts next Saturday. 3rd place is still possible for Bridge of Don, who have had a successful campaign, winning the North Region cup against Hermes last month.