New Albion Rovers photojournal by Iain McLean, From Lockdown to Lowland, follows ‘The Wee Rovers’ and their ardent fans as the club battled through Covid only to then slip out of the Scottish League 2 and into the Lowland League.
McLean and a loyal army of fellow Albion supporters watched it all unfold from the Cliftonhill terraces, or as close as they could get…
“I’ve been documenting life at Albion Rovers for too many years to remember and this is now my third photojournal showing life in the lower leagues of Scottish football.
The photos are always in black and white and always in landscape format. I look for odd scenarios, awkward juxtapositions and try to anticipate when someone is about to do something.
I can miss a whole game through not paying attention to the footy.”
“This particular journal was hard to produce. Hard in a few different ways – hard to photograph an empty stadium during the surreal days of Lockdown and even harder to photograph the club’s first relegation from Scottish professional football in 120 years.
As it turned out I was almost paralysed with shock and only took a limited number of photos at the end of our disastrous relegation playoff against Spartans.
That day (20th May 2023) was worse than any rain swept Tuesday evening at Cliftonhill in February.”
“The club seem to have kept their core fans and our away support has been exceptional, unlike some of the on-field performances – but let’s not get into that.
Where we go once the parachute payment has gone I don’t really know, and while I don’t miss playing League 2 teams a minimum of four times a season there is always the new experience of visiting new grounds in the Lowland League.
Don’t get me wrong though – it’s 100% not where I want the club to be. It’s all a bit shit really.”
From Lockdown To Lowland
Covid and relegation at Albion Rovers F.C by Iain McLean, 2019-23.
52 page black and white A5 soft-backed photojournal.
“Anyway, I had some reservations about continuing with the project but having been to some of these new grounds over the past few months I think there may be interesting photo opportunities to be found.
I was especially taken with the outdoor toilet at Armadale, West Lothian, where the wall is just low enough to peer over and watch the game while urinating against it.
It’s this kind of thing that keeps me going!” Iain McLean
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Cliftonhill floodlight£100.00 – £150.00 -
Cliftonhill terrace£100.00 – £150.00 -
Laundry day£100.00 – £150.00
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