Islecroft Stadium - Home of Dalbeattie Star FC

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 23 Oct 2021

Scottish Cup 2nd Round - Dalbeattie Star 0 Rothes 0, Attendance 210 The best thing about this ground is undoubtedly its odd little stand (not shown here - the picture was taken from in front of it) which is reached by steps. The 100 or so seats in it must be around eight feet up. There are other idiosyncries dotted about elsewhere though. The two sides of the ground which aren't designed for supporters have short steep banks, as can be seen here, obviating the need for ballboys. The metal railing running along the stand side of the pitch, and the corner flags - one of which can just be made out in the photo - are in the team colours of red and black. And the pitch definitely has a very slight slope - the view taken seems to me to be slightly uphill. On top of this the four floodlights are oddly positioned, being roughly halfway between the halfway line and the goal line, and one of them doubles up as a telecommunications mast. Dalbeattie Star currently play in the Lowland League, which is the fifth tier of Scottish football, or the top level of non-league football, looked at in another way. The winners of the Lowland League play off against the winners of the only other other Tier 5 league, the Highland League, at the end of the season, for the right to a tie against the bottom team in the actual proper league, which determines who competes in the higher league the following season. The ground has been in use since 1950.

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