As we approach the half-way point of the season, it is business as usual in the SPL. Celtic lead the table, Rangers second and then a huge (symbolic) gap as Hearts and the rest of the chasing pack trail miles behind. It’s hardly exciting at this stage - the league has been won. And that is not just the bitter and cynical opinion of an Aberdeen fan, it’s just a cold, hard fact. We cant quite work out whether making third or fourth spot still merits a European spot - thanks to the woeful performance of Scottish teams in Europe this season - but even if it doesn’t, the rest of us all know that the team that finishes third is the real champion of Scotland.
So given that the SPL is largely pointless, how glad we are to see in our Little Red Book that this weekend is Scottish Cup weekend! Yes, it’s time for the grass-roots of the game to show the superfly nancyboys of the SPL what football is really all about. As always in these preliminary rounds (technically it’s the Third round) there’s a bunch of teams we’ve never heard of but they add that little bit of colour to the Scottish game that is so desperately lacking in the SPL.
In the SPL, the game of the week is without doubt the clash between Hearts and Rangers. Rangers, second. Hearts, third. With Celtic having a relatively easy game (famous last words), Rangers would need a win here to keep the pressure up on Celtic, whom they trail by four points. Hearts lost the first meeting with Rangers earlier this season but since then they’ve put together a good run of results that has seen them rise to third spot, but this will be their first real test since their 2-0 defeat to Celtic earlier on this season.
Elsewhere, Celtic welcome Inverness Caley to Parkhead for an easy three points no doubt. Much improved Falkirk meet another team that has started to show signs of life - courtesy of last weekends 4-1 demolition of Motherwell - Hibernian. Bottom of the league Hamilton take on Kilmarnock and Dundee United make their last trip to Love Street where Gus McPherson’s St. Mirren lie in wait. Aberdeen get another chance to improve on their terrible home record when former Aberdeen legend Mark McGhee takes his Motherwell team ‘oop north. For manager Jimmy Calderwood it’s his 200th game in charge of the Dons. It seems like a lot more somehow …
The game between Dundee and their rivals from up the road St. Johnstone, is the only game of the weekend in the First division, the rest of the league taking their chances against lower, lower, lower league opposition in the Scottish Cup. Unless you’re Livingston in which case you’ll be better off spending the weekend looking for pennies behind the sofa.
St. Johnstone of course, are leading the First division, something we had not expected to be honest. We had Dundee as favourites for promotion this season but, managerial issues aside, Dundee have been pure keech so far. New manager Jocky Scott is starting to string the results together (a draw and two wins since he took over, including wins against teams above them in the league) but tomorrow’s game will be a real test for the Dee’s. St. Johnstone are looking like real contenders this season - lets just hope they can keep up the form until the New Year: since the 2004/05 season, the team in first place on New Years day also won promotion (Inverness, Falkirk, St. Mirren, Gretna and Hamilton).
With pishing rain forecast for most of Scotland, expect many of the games in the Scottish Cup to be called off. The Highland league is represented by four teams, all except current league leaders Inverurie playing opposition from further up the league structure. There’s only two matches that feature two teams from the same division. East Fife take on an Arbroath side that has managed to get themselves off the bottom of the Second division table, while two more Second division teams in the shape of league leaders Raith and Alloa do battle.
The full list of fixtures is as follows, with all games kicking off, weather permitting at 3pm.
Airdrie Utd v Cove Rangers Albion v Queens Park Clachnacuddin v Stenhousemuir Clyde v Montrose East Fife v Arbroath East Stirling v Livingston Edinburgh City v Brechin Elgin v Spartans Forfar v Stranraer Forres Mechanics v Dalbeattie Star Inverurie Locos v Vale Of Leithen Lochee Utd v Ayr Peterhead v Morton Raith v Alloa Ross County v Dumbarton Stirling v Partick Thistle
There are five games in the Highland League. Wick Academy travel to Banff to take on Deveronvale hoping to avoid the 10-0 pounding they Vale handed out to Fort William last week. Speaking of which, the Fort take on Keith up in Lochabers. Could there be another goal fest on the cards?
Deveronvale v Wick Academy Fort William v Keith Lossiemouth v Huntly Nairn County v Brora Rothes v Buckie Thistle
Those are the fixtures for the weekend. If you’re going to any of the games, drop us a line when you get back and tell us how your team got on.
November 28th, 2008 → 8:14 am @ Andy Kennedy
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