We ate all the pies . . to mark them out of ten

IT started out as a simple desire to visit every professional football ground in Scotland.

Pie enthusiast David Pattison

But David and Arnold Pattison ended their challenge with more than just an intimate knowledge of each of the 42 stadiums - they are now experts in the traditional football accompaniment of Scotch pies.

The father and son decided to add some competitive fun to their adventure by tasting the pies on offer at each of the grounds and scoring them out of ten, compiling a "pie league".

Coming out on top were the offerings at Aberdeen and Raith Rovers, whose pies scored an impressive eight out of ten.

The pair awarded the "badge of shame" to Cowdenbeath and Hibs as the former failed to sell any pies at all during their visit, while the Easter Road side ran out of pies half way through, meaning they were unable to sample the goods.

Arbroath scored four out of ten, putting it at the bottom of the pair's league.

David, 38, and his father Arnold, 70, started their Scottish football ground challenge last July and just nine months later they ended their tour at the Arbroath vs Queen's Park game on Saturday.

David, from Restalrig, said: "I said to my dad in a jokey remark that it would be fun to go round all of the grounds.

"Two weeks before the season started he produced a schedule of all the grounds we were going to visit.

"He also came up with a list of what we should be expecting from a good football ground pie, with things about what the crust should be like."

David, who works for Scottish Widows, said the challenge has been a great way to see places in Scotland he had never been to before, as well as bringing him closer to his dad. The only time they came to blows was when David's team, Aberdeen, took on his father's beloved Kilmarnock.

He said: "It was the only time during the whole season that me and my dad didn't sit together because we were supporting opposite sides."

Arnold, from Cramond, said: "We started rating the pies because it's a staple diet of football fans. We went for the Scotch pie because that was the one we could get the best comparison from. We weren't sure we would make it in one season, but that was the challenge."

THE UPPER CRUST

Scottish Premier League

Top pies: Aberdeen 8/10, Dundee United and Motherwell both 7.5/10, Hearts 7/10

Scottish Football League Division One

Top pies: Raith Rovers 8/10, Dundee 7.5/10, Falkirk, Greenock Morton, Ross County and Stirling Albion all 7/10

Division Two

Top pies: Forfar 7.5/10 Brechin City, Dumbarton and Alloa Athletic all 7/10

Badge of shame: Cowdenbeath and Hibs