Posts Tagged ‘Queen’s Park’

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02.10// The Scottish Fitba Weekender

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

In the SPL, Hamilton and St Johnstone battle it out at the bottom of the league for the wooden spoon. Aye, we know, it’s very early in the season for that kind of talk but there’s been very little from either of these two sides to inspire any degree of confidence in their long term survival prospects.  Hamilton fought hard to get something out of the game against Hearts last week, and where unlucky to lose 2 goals in a minute. St Johnstone are scoring at least, but until they start scoring more than the opposition, their stay in the SPL will be mercifully short. They lost 3-2 to Dundee United last week.

Hibs and Dundee United meet in what would have been one of our games to follow, had it not been for the Old Firm derby on Sunday. Hibs won some silverware this week in the shape of a Manager of the Month for John Hughes, and a Player of the Month award for Derek Riordan. The Hibee’s are third in the league, level on points with Rangers. Dundee United find themselves in fourth spot after that win against St Johnstone.

Aberdeen travel to another one of they bogey teams, Kilmarnock. Killie inflicted a lot of pain on the Dons last season, something Mark McGhee will no doubt want to put right. Their performance against Rangers on Saturday showed some of the fighting spirit that’s been  lacking in many Dons performances this season, and McGhee’s faith in the youth in showing some signs of being rewarded. If only the older players in the squad would do the same.

Killie drew 0-0 with Falkirk at the weekend in a game that’s just not worth wasting any more pixels on.

What else? Motherwell against Falkirk and St Mirren against Hearts complete the SPL action on Saturday. Falkirk are finally off the bottom of the league, while Motherwell will have been disappointed with that 1-3 defeat to Hibs on Saturday. Both of these sides had been unbeaten going into the game, so something had to give. Hearts picked up three ,aluable points as their season continues to cough and splutter to get going. They meet St Mirren tomorrow, a team still looking for their first league win since moving to their new ground.

The semi-finals of the Alba Challenge Cup takes place on Sunday. Dundee take on Third Division new boys Annan Athletic, and Inverness Caley are given a chance to avenge the 3-1 defeat inflicted upon them by the boys from Dingwall earlier on in the season.

Annan Athletic chairman Henry McClelland has been busy this week telling everyone just why his side will beat the second biggest spending club in Scotland this week. Nothing to do with events on the pitch, but rather events of it. Allow Mr McClelland to explain:

“There is a primary school in Annan called Elmvale and in 2005, Brooks Mileson presented their end of year school certificates and within 12 months he was in a national final. In 2007, David Rae of Queen of the South did the honours and he was at Hampden within a year. I presented them in June this year so I reckon our place in the Final may just be around the corner.”

Right ….

Elsewhere, the Active Nations Scottish Cup continues with a series of replays.

Bonnyrigg Rose v Fraserburgh
Forres Mechanics v Buckie Thistle
Wick Academy v Clachnacuddin
Wigtown & Bladnoch v Whitehill Welfare

and there’s a nearly full fixture list in both Division 2 and Division 3.

Scottish Third Division
Alloa v East Fife
Arbroath v Clyde
Dumbarton v Stirling
Peterhead v Brechin
Stenhousemuir v Cowdenbeath

Scottish Third Division
Albion v East Stirling
Berwick v Forfar
Montrose v Queens Park
Stranraer v Elgin

Lastly, no round-up would be complete without mentioning the UK’s highest scoring league, the Scot-Ads Highland League. We’ve a derby game on our hands which we’ll feature in our Four to Follow piece soon, but the legendary Fort William take to the field again, fresh from their 7-0 demolition at the hands of ace Junior side Auchinleck Talbot; they take on Turriff United.  Strathspey Thistle, a Fort William in-waiting take on Lossiemouth. Banff side Deveronvale travel up the road to Nairn, and Huntly‘s game against Brora completes the action.

Phew.

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Four to Follow Weekend Round-up

Monday, September 28th, 2009

So there was Inside Left, sat down on Saturday afternoon in complete Aberdeen regalia to watch the fixture against Rangers on the computer.

There’s no substitute for actually sitting in the stand of course, but geography and economics meant that we’d have to make do with a wee 40cmx40cm screen and a poor network connection. At times watching the footage coming from Ibrox was not too dissimilar from playing 80′s computer game Manic Miner, i.e. very blocky and slow.

Mind you, given Aberdeen performances of late we thought it was probably better to see the horror unfolding in little blocky pixels rather than in full glorious Trounce-O-Vision.

In the end, Aberdeen did a lot better than we thought and hoped for and indeed could have won the game had McDonald put more pace on the header and McGregor not made a truly fantastic save. The opening 20 minutes was slightly scary but once Aberdeen survived the onslaught, the game opened up a lot more.

By no means the hard-tackling end-to-end viciousness that this game usually degenerates into, there wasn’t much in the way of controversy, other than Lee McCulloch’s assault on Paton which only got a yellow card.

Mark McGhee said afterwards he wasn’t happy with the point, but he should be. These days coming away with anything from Glasgow is a blessing. Walter Smith will probably be the unhappier of the two managers, his side now drawing three games in a row, failing to score in any of them. And with Celtic now leading the table by a massive 5 points, the pressure is on next week when Rangers welcome Celtic to Ibrox in the first Old Firm steamie of the season.

In the top game in the First Division, we had Ross County and Dundee drawing valiantly, based on Dundee being on a high after beating Aberdeen in mid-week and Ross County’s continuing good league form. As normal in these predictions, we where quite wrong of course. Two goals from Leigh Griffiths ensured a long sought-after victory for Jocky Scott. Ross County remain in second place, bumped off the top by Queen of the South who crushed Dunfermline 1-4.

Livingston made hard work of their 2-1 win over 10-man Queens Park. Barry Douglas put the Spiders ahead just after the half-hour, but goals from Liam Fox and former Dundee United and Aberdeen striker Robbie Winters won it for Livi.

In the last game on our Four to Follow coupon, we finally made some money. Auchinleck Talbot, the Real Madrid of the Juniors won 7-0 (as we predicted) against Fort William, the, well, Fort William of the Highland League. We’ve not seen the footage yet, but it was probably a total nightmare for the Lochaber outfit.

Just like every other Saturday then.

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25.09// Scottish Fitba’s Four to Follow

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Welcome to this weeks Four to Follow. We’ve picked four games for you that we think are worth keeping an eye out for, for a variety of reasons.

Rangers v Aberdeen

Easily the biggest game of the weekend, fixtures between these two sides are probably the most eagerly anticipated games in the Scottish football calendar after the Old Firm derby itself.   It’s a fixture that’s seen some great on-field battles as well as some less pleasant off-field encounters,  so if nothing else you’re always assured of an exciting time.

Aberdeen travel to Ibrox on a real downer. Defeat to Dundee in the Cup was followed by some scathing condemnation from Aberdeen legend and record goal-scorer Joe Harper who added some more fuel to the spreading fire when he described the Dons midfield as ‘bottlers’. Aberdeen gaffer McGhee has been struggling to get his charges into any kind of shape and cohesion with poor displays from midfield and an unsettled defence. There have been some signs of encouragement however; a crop of the younger players at Pittodrie have been breaking through with the likes of Maguire, Paton (who scored both of Aberdeen’s goals at Dens), Stewart  and Fyvie making some useful contributions. The conundrum is whether you want to blood them at Ibrox, one of the most intimidating stadiums in Scotland.

Rangers won at Queen of the South in mid-week, but the 2-1 scoreline was tighter than the as-good-as full strength Rangers squad out on the field and manager Walter Smith would have liked. Some uncharacteristic draws away at Motherwell and Kilmarnock have seen arch-rivals Celtic ( lead the table by a slender two points) slip Rangers by.

Celtic are away to St Mirren in the early game, so by the time the game at Ibrox kicks off, the pressure on Rangers to win and overtake Celtic, or to win to keep up with Celtic will be on. An added incentive for a win is that the first Old Firm game of the season is next Saturday and clearly Rangers would rather go into that game two points behind than five.

Aberdeen will be without the influential Sone Aluko (he’s with the Nigeria squad in Egypt for the U20 World Cup), while recent signing Davide Grassi – a replacement for Aloko on the left – has been ruled out for “an extended period” after suffering a triple cheekbone fracturein the game against Dundee.

Rangers will be without the suspended Pedro Mendes, while Sasa Papac looks to be out with a hamstring injury. Also missing will be Kyle Lafferty who was involved in one of the more ridiculous and cynical episodes of diving which got Aberdeen’s Charlie Mulgrew sent off when the sides met last May.

It’s hard to see Aberdeen come out with anything in this game. Games between these two are hard fought contests, but we can’t help thinking back to Joe Harper’s comments about the Aberdeen midfield who, if Harper is correct, will need to find their courage and determination to get something out of this game. Prediction 3-1 Rangers.

Dundee v Ross County

Dundee are on a bit of a high after their win against Aberdeen in the League Cup earlier this week. The win took some of the attention from a stuttering league campaign so far. The Dee are 6th in the table, some 4 points behind Ross County, the team travelling south to Dundee tomorrow. The Staggies are top of the league and playing well, recording back-to-back victories over Queen of the South as well as beating great rivals Inverness Caley 3-1 in Inverness. Whether they can hold the pace remains to be seen – it’s a long season, and in a division that’s notoriously difficult to get out of (in contrast to the Second and Third divisons, the First division only sends 1 team up), County will need all their luck to keep ahead of the pack.

Dundee have invested heavily in their squad, showing the kind of ambition in the face of financial risk that some more senior clubs could benefit from. Whether it works remains to be seen. We tipped Dundee to come up this season and we’ve not changed our mind. Their performance against Aberdeen showed that Dundee could do alright in the SPL. They’ve brought in goalkeeper Derek Soutar in on loan to cover for veteran keepers Rab Douglas (37) and Tony Bullock (38) as both are out injured.  Former Ross County players Sean Higgins and Richard Hart should make this game between the league leaders and the league favourites more interesting. Prediction: too tight to call, we’ll go for a draw.

Livingston v Queens Park

One of the youngest side in the league (after Stirling and Annan) take on the oldest team in the league. Livi have finally kicked off their campaign to regain Division 1 status by focussing their activities on the big green area at the Almondvale and beyond, rather than the sports arbritration courts. Getting knocked out of the League Cup and the Challenge Cup to Albion Rovers and Queen of the South respectively in the first rounds is probably a good thing, allowing them to concentrate on league football. Following a wee blip where they lost twice in a row against Berwick and Albion Rovers they’ve now gone two games unbeaten to move themselves into 4th place in the division. We reckon promotion should be a formality really, but it’ll come after a long testing campaign. Queens Park, relegated last season are in 7th place wth only 1 win so far, against Elgin.

There’s only been 5 meetings between these two sides. In season 1995/96, as Livi started their climb that would end in third place in the SPL only a few years later, The Spiders managed to get 1 point from 4 league meetings, while in 2003 two penalties from Lee Makel  and one goal from Spanish midfielder Quino saw Livi through to the Third round of that seasons League Cup. Prediction: a 2-0 win for Livi

Auchinleck Talbot v Fort William (Scottish Cup)

In May of next year, the Scottish Cup reaches its dramatic climax at Hampden. Before all that though, we have to plough our way through various rounds, the first of which starts this Saturday. This round features the leading lights of the Highland and various Junior leagues, but the tie that stick out for us is the one over in Auchinleck.

Auchinleck lies rougly at the point of a triangle drawn from Kilmarnock to the north and Ayr to the west, near the town of Cumnock.  Eight times winners of the Scottish Junior Cup, 10 times winners of the West of Scotland Cup and the Ayrshire League Cup, 11 times winners of the Ayrshire Cup and West Region Superleague Premier Division in 2006 (runners up in 2007), Auchinleck Talbot are one of the giants of Junior football, the only club to have won the Scottish Junior Cup three times in a row. They play in the West Region Superleague Premier Division.

In contrast, their opposition in tomorrow’s game are also infamous in Scottish football circles, but sadly for all the wrong reasons. Fort William, the whipping boys of The Highland League, a team that’s not won a game for 2 years and a perenial favourite here at Inside Left will hope to do a little better than the 10-0 drubbing from Aberdeenshire side Banks ‘O Dee at this stage of the competition last year, though looking at Auchinleck’s form and history, 10-0 might come as a relief. Prediction: 7-0 for Auchinleck Talbot.

The other Scottish Cup games on tomorrow are:

Brora v Irvine Meadow
Buckie Thistle v Forres Mechanics
Civil Service Strollers v Gala Fairydean
Clachnacuddin v Wick Academy
Coldstream v Edinburgh City
Dalbeattie Star v Keith
Edinburgh Univ v Vale Of Leithen
Fraserburgh v Bonnyrigg Rose
Glasgow Univ v Girvan
Hawick Royal Albert v Huntly
Inverurie Locos v St Cuthbert Wndrs
Lossiemouth v Newton Stewart
Nairn County v Golspie Sutherland
Rothes v Banks O’Dee
Selkirk v Preston Ath
Whitehill Welfare v Wigtown & Bladnoch

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28.08// The Scottish Football Four to Follow

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Welcome to another weekend of football in Scotland. As always there’s a few cracking fixtures on the cards right across the country, but we pick out the best four for you to keep your eye on.

St Johnstone v Hearts

(Sunday)
An exciting game between two sides looking to get their season on track.

While Hearts still have to put points on the board, St Johnstone at least have that one point thanks to the draw against Motherwell on the opening day. A good start, but they where brought back to earth with a bump the next week when Celtic, still smarting from the first leg Champions League defeat against Arsenal stung the Saints 5-2.

Heart’s season continues to disappoint. The team that finished third last year is struggling to get their season started. Glimpses of the Hearts of last season where on show last night in the 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb. A good score by any means, but unfortunately the four goals Dinamo scored in the first leg put the tie beyond salvation. In the league, Hearts lost out to Dundee United on the opening day but where unlucky – very unlucky – to not salvage a point against Rangers last week. Kris Boyd’s contentious injury time penalty after Naismith was fouled, seemingly, outside the area meant maximum points for Rangers and another poor return for Hearts’ efforts.

We said before that one of the reasons why Hearts did so well last season was that majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov kept his mucky fingers out of running the club’s affairs. Manager Csaba Laszlo was left to do the things that most of his predecesors where not allowed to do, namely pick the team. The difference was there to be seen as Hearts ran a cracking season last year, finishing third and qualifying for Europe.

Unfortunately, things this season have not been that easy. A poor start caused Laszlo to voice his frustration at not being able to bring on more players, saying that it was up to Romanov to provide the funds. He went on further to suggest he may well leave the club if those additional funds where not made available. Statements like that will of course only infuriate your owners, particularly one as volatile as Vladimir Romanov.

Today, the Lithuanian banker lashed out, saying that it is not the lack of funds which are the problem, rather it’s his manager Csaba Laszlo who is to blame for Hearts’ failure to sign more than one striker for the new season.

All this does not bode well for anyone involved at Hearts. Csaba has been courted by German Bundesliga side Hannover lately, and may well chose to jump ship if things come to a head. For the fans it means another potentially chaotic season lies in store – a pity considering the progress made last season.

It remains to be seen how both these sides react to the situation in which they find themselves. St Johnstone banged 6 past a hapless Arbroath in the Scottish League Cup in midweek; the question is whether they can put that superb win to good use against a Hearts side looking to get over the disappointment of midweek. We think that Hearts are just a bit too strong for them, but we expect The Saints to give them a close game.

A win for Hearts.

Inverness CT v Ross County

Two former Highland League sides meet up again in the league for the first time since 2004, when Caley won 1-0 thanks to a goal by former Ross County player Barry Wilson. Caley are adjusting to life in the First Division, with a sluggish start to the season. An opening day win over Dunfermline was followed by two drawn games against Ayr and Dundee, though they got their scoring touch back with a 4-0 win in the League Cup over Albion Rovers in midweek.

Ross County claimed an SPL scalp in the League Cup when they beat Hamilton Accies 2-1 up in Dingwall. That win should put them in good stead going into this fixture, while three points on Saturday will put their league campaign back on track. The Staggies have only one win this season, that coming against relegated, and then repromoted Airdrie United.

The win against Hamilton will fill Ross County with confidence, but we tip Caley to win this game.

East Fife v Cowdenbeath

Methil versus Cowdenbeath. The Fife Derby. East Fife are no doubt surprised to be playing this fixture at all. Cowdenbeath lost out in the Division Two play-off final last season to Stenhousemuir, but the Blue Brazil won an unlikely promotion when Livingston where relegated to the Third Division. These two sides have not played in the same division since 2006, when two wins each out of four games played in the Third Division against each other was how it ended.

This season, Cowdenbeath are taking their time getting started. Knocked out of the League Cup by Dundee in midweek, they’ve yet to win a league game this season, their only points so far coming from a 1-1 draw with Alloa. East Fife have fared a little better: undefeated so far, but only one win in three games to show for their efforts.

We’ve always had a soft spot for Cowdenbeath, the team being one of our regular Football Manager sides. For that ill-researched and totally baseless bias, we go for a Cowdenbeath win.

Albion v Livingston

It’s the second week we feature Livingston in our four-to-follow selection. By all rights, Livi should be cruising their way to promotion. In the Third Division with a First Division squad, you’d think that getting out of the division would be a walk in the park. When the team finally agreed to play a fixture (they’d refused to play their first game against East Stirlingshire until their appeal against their demotion was heard by the SFA), they won 2-0 against Montrose.

But last week the wheels came of the wagon, if only temporarily. The side went down 1-0 to Berwick Rangers, having been outplayed for most of the game until Allan Brazil scored – at the second time of asking – with 30 minutes left to play. It’s a wake-up call for Livi, one which will no doubt make them take this Division more seriously.

Against Albion Rovers we expect Livi to get their season back on track.

The full weekend fixture list is as follows

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Aberdeen v Motherwell
Dundee Utd v Falkirk
Kilmarnock v St Mirren
Rangers v Hamilton
Hibernian v Celtic (Sunday)
St Johnstone v Hearts (Sunday)

The Scottish First Division
Airdrie Utd v Dundee
Dunfermline v Raith
Inverness CT v Ross County
Partick Thistle v Morton
Queen of South v Ayr

The Scottish Second Division
Brechin v Dumbarton
Clyde v Alloa
East Fife v Cowdenbeath
Stenhousemuir v Arbroath
Stirling v Peterhead

The Scottish Third Division
Albion v Livingston
Berwick v Queens Park
Elgin v Annan Athletic
Forfar v East Stirling
Stranraer v Montrose

Scot-Ads Highland Football League
Buckie Thistle v Rothes
Clachnacuddin v Deveronvale
Fort William v Brora
Fraserburgh v Strathspey Thistle
Huntly v Lossiemouth
Inverurie Locos v Forres Mechanics
Keith v Nairn County
Turriff United v Cove Rangers
Wick Academy v Formartine Utd

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The Ballbag’s Scottish Football Four to Follow

Friday, August 21st, 2009

Despite the somewhat tepid performances of our teams in Europe this week which led to our total rant last night following the Hearts game against Dinamo, Scottish football, for all its faults, lives to play on another week.

It’s only really when Scottish teams play in Europe that Inside Left ends up hiding behind the sofa; when it comes to our domestic game, the thrill and excitement is still the same for us, whether or not we have TV rights, sponsorship or even a rosy future to look forward to.

There’s nothing to beat the feeling of walking down the road to the ground, sitting in the stands watching your team, and no amount of dodgy results against diddy teams from Europe (or even England) will change that.

So, with that said, let’s get on with our Four to Follow!

In the SPL, there’s a few games that stick out for various reasons. The fixture between champions Rangers and Hearts would probably have been the game of the weekend if Hearts had managed to not lose by quite so many goals. A 2-1 defeat for the Jambo’s would have set up a cracking tie, with two teams in good spirits going into this game. As it was, we all know what happened to Hearts, so I fear that this game is going to be another standard win for Rangers.

Another interesting fixture sees Celtic take on new boys St Johnstone at Parkhead. Celtic of course got off to that cracking start against a useless Aberdeen side, while the Saints more than acquitted themselves last week against Motherwell. Perhaps if they managed to hold on to their leads, then this might have been an interesting fixture.

Or there’s Aberdeen against Hamilton, two sides looking for their first win of the season following heavy defeats last week.

But the first of our Four to Follow matches is not one that would immediately grab your attention, but it’s made more interesting by the fact that both sides are under new management, and that both sides have a point to prove.

Falkirk v Hibernian

Falkirk are a bit of an oddity. A side that was noted for playing some excellent football, a side that reached the semi-final of the League Cup and the final of the Scottish Cup (losing to Rangers on both occasions), yet which only avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth. Most of last season Falkirk struggled to make much of an impact in terms of their league position, but manager John Hughes somehow managed to pull the results out of the bag when the going got tough, not least that nerve racking win over Caley on the last day of the season, which kept the Bairns up and that relegated Caley.

Of course, Hughes jumped ship over the summer, instead taking up the reins at the team with which he’ll return to Falkirk with tomorrow, Hibernian.

Hibs missed out on European football this season, finishing sixth, bringing to an end another distinctly average campaign that saw early exists from Europe and domestic Cup competitions. It cost Mixu Paateleinen his job, and the Hibs fans will be expecting much from Hughes. He’s already brought over a few of his old team mates from Falkirk, including Patrick Cregg and Kevin McBride and also some of the old playing style. Hibs had to fight for the win against 10-man St. Mirren last week, but a win’s a win, so they’re full of confidence going into this game.

Eddie May, who had the pleasure of leading Falkirk into Europe had to suffer the shame of losing to a team from Liechtenstein. Not the best start to your tenure, but it’s early days yet. Despite losing to Rangers 4-1 on the opening day of the season, Falkirk actually didn’t have a bad game, with some encouraging spells which may well work against non-Old Firm teams, such as Hibernian.

So, two teams with something to prove: Falkirk for proving they’re better than most people give them credit for, and for sticking it up John Hughes; and Hibernian for continuing their winning start and John Hughes for sticking it up Falkirk. Expect a passionate, committed game. We go for a Hibs win.

Dundee v Inverness CT

Dundee are many bookies candidates for promotion to the SPL. They drew 2-2 with Raith Rovers at the weekend, having to come from behind in the process to earn that draw. The opening day win against Morton was also a little more troublesome than you’d want really. Progress through the Cup competitions is on track, with convincing wins against Cowdenbeath and Stranraer along the way, but then you’d expect them to win those anyway.

Inverness, like Dundee have won one and drawn one game so far, but they’ve probably got the best chance of going straight back up. For one, they’re playing First Division football with an SPL division squad. Not only that, in Terry Butcher they’ve got a manager who, while not having one of the more illustrious managerial track records, is a real fighter and campaigner, the sort to get the fire in the belly that Caley need to ensure a rapid return to the SPL.

So, this game is between two sides we feel will be challenging for the title all the way. Although it might have been better to have the first meeting between the later on in the season to judge how good both sides are (or not), we may get an early indication here of how this battle for promotion might pan out.

East Stirlingshire v Elgin

For some reason, and this is completely the fault of my keyboard and not some kind of subliminal thought process, I keep mistyping ‘Stirlingshire’ into ‘Stirlingshite’. A few years ago this may well have been more appropriate but The Shire have really matured and grown into a solid enough side of late. Gone are the days when they where the subject of a book and BBC news crews, all wanting to see the worst side in Britain.

The team that took over that crown last year was Elgin City. The Borough Briggs outfit finished bottom of the table on 26 points having won only seven games all season. East Stirlingshire, in contrast, nearly made it to the Second Division, the side losing out to Cowdenbeath in the play-offs. That play-off game was also the cause for Jim McInally receiving a 16 game touchline ban from the SFA for “excessive misconduct”, along with a £1,000 fine. You’d wonder what he did or said to deserve such a ban; McInally has started an appeal process.

Both sides have had encouraging starts to the season, which should make for an entertaining game. We’ll go with an East Stirlingshire win.

Deveronvale v Inverurie Locos

Our final game today is between two of the top sides in the Highland League. Deveronvale are currently top of the league, with Inverurie Locos not far behind. Neither of these two sides ventured from top 5 last season. Past meetings between the sides have been high scoring games (although that’s no indication – most Highland League games are high scoring!), with the Banff side winning the last encounter 3-2 back in April, revenge for their 5-2 defeat in the Scottish Cup at the start of last season. Because of home advantage, We’ll go with a Deveronvale win.

Scottish Football Fixture List, 22nd August 2009

Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Celtic v St Johnstone
Falkirk v Hibernian
Hamilton v Aberdeen
Motherwell v Kilmarnock
St Mirren v Dundee Utd
Rangers v Hearts

The Irn-Bru First Division
Ayr v Morton
Dundee v Inverness CT
Dunfermline v Airdrie Utd
Queen of South v Partick Thistle
Ross County v Raith

The Irn-Bru Second Division
Cowdenbeath v Alloa
Dumbarton v Clyde
East Fife v Arbroath
Peterhead v Stenhousemuir
Stirling v Brechin

The Irn-Bru Third Division
Berwick v Livingston
East Stirling v Elgin
Montrose v Forfar
Queens Park v Albion
Stranraer v Annan Athletic

Highland League
Brora v Buckie Thistle
Deveronvale v Inverurie Locos
Formartine Utd v Fort William
Forres Mechanics v Wick Academy
Keith v Turriff United
Lossiemouth v Clachnacuddin
Nairn County v Fraserburgh
Rothes v Cove Rangers
Strathspey Thistle v Huntly

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Alba Challenge Cup: the misery continues for Livingston

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

While the rest of the UK is still fannying around in meaningless friendlies, up in Scotland the season has started for the clubs in the Scottish Football league, as this years Alba Challenge Cup kicked off.

The season just doesn’t seem to get any better for LIVINGSTON. The club where placed in administration on Friday while the Council look for ways to recoup their unpaid rent arrears. For now the football continues in Livingston, but the club will not be adding the Challenge Cup to their honours roll: a single goal by QUEEN OF THE SOUTH‘s Barry Wilson was enough to separate the sides and send Livi crashing out of the competition in the first round (report)

Like Livingston, CLYDE are currently facing a few troubles of their own. Manager John Brown has worked wonders to rebuild his squad after the club where relegated last season – a series of open trails has brought in a new squad that recorded a great win against First Division side Partick Thistle. Unfortunately, that good form didn’t continue against fellow Second Division side STENHOUSEMUIR (report). Craig O’Reilly, a former Clyde player scored the opener, with Scott Dalzeil adding a second.

There was some good news for the other two clubs in Scottish football who’ve been hitting the headlines of late. STRANRAER, relegated last season from the Second division and currently in full fundraising mode won a hard-fought game against BERWICK RANGERS. The 4-2 win for The Clayholers came in a bad tempered game that saw both teams reduced to 10-men.

STIRLING ALBION finally received some good news yesterday afternoon as they progressed to the next round of the Alba Cup. Their 2-1 win over last season’s Second Division champions RAITH ROVERS (report) was quite comfortable, from all accounts, with goals by Andy Graham and David McKenna see Stirling through to the second round.

Elsewhere, MONTROSE pushed Terry Butchers’ INVERNESS CALEY all the way to extra time and penalties. A Sean Creighton own-goal put Caley in the lead before half-time, but the Angus side equalized against the run of play when Jordan Leyden put the ball over Ryan Esson in the Caley goal. With no more scoring in extra-time, the game went to penalties, with Caley eventually going through 5-3 on the night (report).

PETERHEAD failed to capitalize on their excellent showing in their friendly against ABERDEEN earlier in the week – they lost 2-1 at home to COWDENBEATH (report). ANNAN ATHLETIC‘s first ever home match in the Challenge Cup ended in a 2-0 victory over QUEENS PARK with a Mike Jack double, with both goals coming from the penalty spot (report).

There’s one more game taking place today, as DUMBARTON take on MORTON. This game had to be moved to Sunday because of a wedding at Strathclyde Homes Stadium today (no, really!).

Full Results

Dunfermline Ath  2 – 1 Arbroath
East Fife 0 – 2 Forfar Athletic
Elgin City 3 – 1 Brechin City
Inverness 1 – 1 Montrose Inverness (CT win 5-3 on penalties)
Peterhead 1 – 2 Cowdenbeath
Ross County 3 – 2 Alloa Athletic (aet)
Stirling Albion 2 – 1 Raith Rovers
Airdrie United 0 – 1 Partick Thistle
Annan Athletic 2 – 0 Queen’s Park
Ayr United 0 – 2 Albion Rovers
Queen ‘O South 1 – 0 Livingston
Stenhousemuir 2 – 0 Clyde
Stranraer 4 – 2 Berwick Rangers

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