The Spartans SAFC is delighted to confirm 2 excellent sponsorship deals for the upcoming season.

Javits Take Away has again supported the club by continuing to be the main shirt sponsor for a third year. New home strips have been purchased and will feature the new Javits logo on the front.

In addition Spexdiscount.co.uk will sponsor new tracksuits for the SAFC squad, and will have their logo on both the tracksuits and on the home jersey above the numbers on the back.

These two significant deals is the result of some excellent work by manager Dean Philp, who is keen to take the club to the next level after last season’s league cup success.

Both teams went into the game on 15 points, with the hosts having a game in hand.

Spartans were forced into a couple of changes from their win at Newton Heath, with Mccathie and Jonno unavailable, Murray & Niven came in.

Spartans took the lead through a Paul Cameron penalty, his 5th goal of the season, however were never at their best. Cameron had a chance to add to the score but shot straight at the keeper, and Hammy elected to pass across goal unselfishly when a shot may have been better.

The half was interupted for a spell when an Abbey player went down after crashing into Paul Cameron’s elbow. It was completely accidental, which everyone realised including the player. An ambulance was called and unfortunatly the player has broken his nose and fractured his cheek bone. Everyone at Spartans wishes him a speedy recovery.

The second half was very poor from a Spartans point of view. Abbey got back into the game when a spot of pinball in the box fell to an unmarked Abbey player to slot home, and worse was to follow.

Gavin Cattanach picked up the clubs 1st red card of the season, for allegedly stamping on a player. The referee agreed post match that he couldnt be 100% sure whether Gav meant it or if he was simply trying to get out of a tangle and run away.

The resultant free kic proved costly. Spartans subbed Hamilton for debutant Mhedi, however the towering centre half was not allowed to get into position before the ref blew for the kick to be taken.

Typically it was Mhedi’s man who, unmarked, was able to knock the ball down to the offside looking attacker to knock home.

Spartans tried to get back in and may have had another penalty when big Mhedi was knocked off the ball whilst trying to poke home, but it was Abbey who sealed the points when a terrific left wing cross was headed into the net by an again unmarked striker.

Kenny said post match; “I am really angry about today. We got what we deserved as Abbey wanted to win the game more than we did. I felt like some players felt that we had done the work by getting ahead uphill before half time.

The attitude was poor and Andy and myself are now getting fed up with players not taking on board the things we say to them every week, in terms of good habbits and doing the basics right.

We dont yet know who we play next week but go into it very understrength as at least Mal & Dean are unavailable. This is a chance for others to come in though to stake a claim.”

Top right, SSAFC squad, bottom 2nd left, Dean Shanks

The Spartans Sunday amateur side features on a new billboard advert as part of the local Healthy Heros project, run by Pilton Community Health Project.

The board is situated just off Granton square and features various activities taking place around North Edinburgh which help keep people healthy.

J-Lo Shanks is delighted to feature in a main shot (bottom second left) while a squad picture is seen top right.

Mal scored goal of season contender

Spartans bounced back from last Sundays Scottish Cup disapointment by running 5 goals past Newton Heath at Duddingston.

It was Spartans first league game since November, however we started the game well and might have been a couple up in the forst 10 minutes. Shanks should have scored from a cut back free kick inside the box. He lost his footing on the terrible pitch.

It was not a game for pretty football, and Spartans Hamilton was first into the book for a heavy tackle – setting the tempo for the match.

The opening goal came from an unusual source, with Mccathie curling a corner directly into the net.

Spartans had a let off 10 minutes later when the goalscorer turned sinner, giving away a penalty kick. Clarke Vietch however dived to his right to make a fine double save after McManus had hit the post.

The goal of the game came not long after, with Mal Leask firing a terrific strike into the top corner of the goal via the underside of the bar. It was a goal of the season contender.

Spartans continued to dominate the half, and added a crucial 3rd on the stroke of half time, this time Shanks finishing with a shot from the edge of the box.

As expected Newton Heath came out fighting in the second half, and had most of the ball.

It was Spartans though who added to their lead when Paul Cameron took advantage of some poor defending to go around the keeper and slot home.

Heath pulled a goal back after Andy Keiths shot hit both posts and bounced in.

The icing was put on the cake when Mccathie scored his second of the match from a free kick, after the Heath keeper, Bryan Porterfield had picked up his second pass back of the day.

Team; 1. Veitch, 2. Stout, 3. Taylor, 4. Leask, 5. Cattenach, 6. Mccathie, 7. Jonathan, 8. Shanks, 9. Cameron, 10. Quinn (C), 11. Hamilton

Subs; 12. Lee, 14. Pennatt, 15. McDonald

The Sunday Spartans are organising a pub quiz night with a darts theme on Saturday 26^th February at the Academy.

Teams of 5 are welcome to enter with entry £5 per player.

 Players will receive a bottle of beer on arrival, and there will be a buffet.

 Any surplus monies will go to the academy, for example to buy a table tennis table for the FooTEA club.

 This is not a fund raiser so to speak, more a team building night, with hopefully the Spartans Family coming together for a good laugh.

 There will be prizes for the winners, and with it being a darts theme, a prize for best fancy dress- DARTS Attire is a must!

 Should you wish to enter a team, please complete an entry form, available by emailing kennycameron@spartanscfa.com and return it to Kenny, at the academy,  no later than Friday 25^th February.

 Places are limited to 60, so get your team in early.

The tie was due to be played in November however the snow put paid to that.

The game will take a number of Spartans players, including Dean Shanks, Mal Leask, Roni Pennatt & John Quinn back to face their old side.

The winners will face either Ultimo Goccia or Albion AFC in the Quarter Finals.

Spartans will travel to Duddingston Park on league duty to play Newton Heath AFC this coming Sunday.

It will be Spartans first league match since away back in October, and will be another tough game.

Heath ran out deserved winners in the Association Cup in November, and Kenny is expecting a tough afternoon for his side.

‘People talk about how Newton Heath are a physical side, and they do have that in their locker. They are not  however a dirty team and it’s often forgot that Dean has them playing some of the best football in the league.

They feel hard done by with league decisions going against them, and that’s nothing to with us. But that will make them even more determined to do well this season and to prove people wrong.

It will be a very hard game for us however we want to bounce back and get right in amongst it again in the league so the boys will be fired up I’m sure’

Spartans started the game well, without overly troubling the Weshill keeper.

The game was level at half time and the first goal was always going to be crucial. It duly came 5 mins after the restart, when a free kick was defended poorly at the back post, allowing David Earley the easy task of firing past Veitch in goal.

Westhill doubled their lead almost straight away, this time the impressive Kirk Forbes rifled an unstoppable right foot shot into the bottom corner from twenty five yards.

The match was ended as a contest when Kirk scored another screamer from the same distance, this time a volley into the postage stamp corner of the net.

Spartans pulled one back through debutant Mcdonald, but it was a consolation strike.

Kenny says-

‘I felt we were slightly the better side in the first half, and we made a few points to the players at half time about how we deal with their threat.

Unfortunatly we gifted them their first two goals, after simple mistakes, and it was always going to be tough after that.

We see this as a missed opportunity as the draw would have been Salters away in the next round for a place in the quarter finals.

That’s not to say that we’d have expected an easy game at Poltonhall but it would have been against a team we know well and who we always enjoy playing.

Unfortunatly it’s not to be and we wish Davie and all the guys all the best, they were good lads and it was a good game’

The tie has been scheduled to be played 3 times however the weather has put paid to that.

Westhill play in the Sunday Central League, which has produced 6 of the last 8 winners of the competition and they are currently sitting in 3rd position, so it will be a very tough game.

‘Gilles Roussett’ did very well, even managing to save a spot kick, and has been asked back again tomorrow, along with former Sunday’s keeper Shaun Smith.

The practice has been great for keeping 17 year old Clarke sharp, as he also played 90 minutes for the EoS19′s against Edinburgh City 19′s the day before.