But play they did on the mud of Milntown, where even the best have come unstuck in the 138 year-old history of the club.
The glaur of the Borders was in fact only one of the problems encountered by the visitors who were subject to the usual tirad
e of abuse from the home sides demented supporters.
If that were not enough, the Meadows men had to contend with a biased referee who, according to Parsons, was not up to the occasion.
''The whole situation was ridiculous right from the time we stepped off the bus into a cold, dank dressing room and then on to an unplayable pitch where we were confronted by a rubbish referee who was not up to speed with the laws,'' said Parsons who was equally unhappy with the less than social treatment accorded his side after the game.
''We were directed to a room for food where we had to eat on our own while the home side sat in the bar. It was a most uncomfortable experience,'' added Parsons whose real anger was directed at the referee.
''Week in week out we come across officials who are making different interpretations of the laws making it impossible for the players to understand what is required of them. In the end of the day it is Scottish rugby which will suffer, as players will walk away from the game. The SRU need to address the issue of refereeing standards before it becomes a disaster,'' said the frustrated South African who sought not to make excuses, but hoped his comments would be taken aboard by the ruling body.
In a game that was best forgotten, Ellon failed to take its chances, although they were not allowed to play rugby by the spoiling tactics of the home side.
''We must learn from the experience and concentrate on winning our two games against Livingston and East Kilbride before the Christmas break,'' said the Ellon head coach who still believes his side can feature in the promotion stakes, but admitted the Langholm defeat was a set back.
