It’s almost that time again! League leaders Civil Service Strollers and the division’s bottom side Selkirk are in action in the South Challenge Cup this weekend but there are six fixtures going ahead in the Lowland League!
Craig, Martin and Jordan take a look at what you’ve got to look forward to in this weekend’s matches (Ronan was on editing duties this week)!
CUMBERNAULD COLTS VS THE SPARTANS (FRIDAY)
It’s fourth versus third on Friday night as reigning champions Spartans make the trip to Broadwood Stadium to meet Cumbernauld Colts.
Spartans have improved in the past couple of weeks after opening the season with two draws against the two university sides. Vale of Leithen and Dalbeattie Star have been beaten by an aggregate score of 8-1 and they scored four again last week in the Football Nation Qualifying Cup.
Cumbernauld Colts have also had a strong start with three wins and a defeat from their first four games. They brought East Stirlingshire’s long unbeaten run to an end last week and sit four points off the top of the league, albeit with two games in hand.
The sides drew 1-1 last year at Broadwood but the feeing is that both sides will need to win to keep the pressure on East Kilbride and Civil Service Strollers.
PlAYERS TO WATCH
Cumbernauld Colts: Fraser Team
The Spartans: Gary Cennerazzo
Dalbeattie Star vs East Stirlingshire
Star host Shire this weekend at Islecroft and both sides could benefit hugely from three points.
Dalbeattie will look to bounce back after their 1-0 defeat to Civil Service Strollers who topped the table last week. A 4-0 thrashing at Spartans before that shows Darren Kerr and co will have a fight on to get out of their slump at the bottom of the table.
It could work in their favour that East Stirlingshire’s 22 game unbeaten run came to an end last Saturday. Cumbernauld Colts managed to put three past the Falkirk side, who never gave up, but could still only finish the 90 with a 3-2 score line. Ross Allum remains the player to watch in the Shire squad as he bagged his 6th goal of the season in that match.
A win for Shire could help them improve on an already comfortable 5th place whereas Dalbeattie could capitalise on a shaky Shire to climb out the bottom rung.
PlAYERS TO WATCH
dalbeattie star: scott milligan
east stirlingshire: ross allum
Whitehill Welfare vs East Kilbride
On paper this should be a routine victory for the visitors as the only side with a 100% record make the trip to Ferguson Park to face a Whitehill Welfare side that are yet to pick up a point. Whitehill have had a tough start this season with defeats to Edusport Academy, Kelty Hearts, Gretna 2008 and East Stirlingshire in their opening games and it doesn’t get any easier with the visit of East Kilbride.
Whitehill suffered a 3-0 defeat at home to Kilby last year and it is hard to see them avoiding a similar result this weekend, however, they did secure their first victory last weekend with a hard fought 2-1 win over Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale in the Football Nation Qualifying Cup.
It has been a perfect league campaign so far for East Kilbride with four wins from four against Selkirk, Dalbeattie Star, BSC Glasgow and Vale of Leithen but they did exit the cup last weekend at the hands of EOS side Jeanfield Swifts.
It is hard to see anything but an East Kilbride win on Saturday but the Scottish Lowland League has produced surprises before, can Whitehall produce one to get points on the board?
PlAYERS TO WATCH
Whitehill welfare: Jack Wright
east kilbride: anton brady
BSC Glasgow vs Kelty Hearts
One of the most interesting ties in this round of fixtures will be BSC Glasgow versus Kelty Hearts. BSC have had a fairly average start to this campaign, an opening day defeat to East Kilbride was avenged with a good away win to Gala Fairydean Rovers but Stephen Swift’s side then followed that up by throwing away a two goal lead at home to Edusport Academy last Saturday.
Swift and his players will be hoping for a good result against the Lowland League new boys in order to kick start this campaign. Despite being newcomers, Kelty Hearts have made a decent start to this campaign with the highlight being a 6-0 thrashing of Whitehill Welfare, a game in which marquee man Stephen Husband bagged a hat trick.
Experienced players like Husband and BSC’s Stevie Murray, who is back in training after a short injury layoff, should make this game a very worthwhile watch and both teams will fancy their chances.
However, you could argue the pressure is off for Kelty Hearts as they are the newcomers to the league and BSC are a good side but that may only encourage them further.
PlAYERS TO WATCH
BSC Glasgow: Stevie Murray
Kelty Hearts: Stephen Husband
EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY VS GALA FAIRYDEAN ROVERS
Both sides in this fixture will hope to regain some morale after both sides suffered defeats in the Football Nation Qualifying Cup. Edinburgh University took a 4-1 beating from University of Stirling in the domestic trophy last weekend, but could up their 8th place in the League by running Gala Fairydean Rovers, who have been in poor form thus far, around Peffermill.
The Gala boys continue to sit in the bottom three of the table with no points to show from their previous games. Their last league encounter showed their current run of bad luck with a 3-1 defeat by BSC Glasgow in that controversial game where three Gala players and their manager Dean Shanks saw red.
Edinburgh University will go in to the game as favourites, but Gala are desperate for three points to kickstart their season, and could find them against a mid-table University side.
PlAYERS TO WATCH
edinburgh university: finn Daniels-Yeoman
Gala fairydean rovers: sean mckirdy
Vale of Leithen vs Gretna 2008
Vale of Leithen come into this game with their confidence slightly battered and bruised after two poor results against arguably the strongest two sides in the league. A 4-1 defeat to Spartans was made worse the following week when the side were crushed 5-1 by Brian Kerr’s East Kilbride. However, Vale gaffer Chris Anderson will see this game as a chance to bounce back and pick up the three points as they have shown they can do in their 4-2 victory over Gala Fairydean Rovers.
Meanwhile, Gretna 2008 will be pleased with the start they have made and will go into this game full of confidence. Andy Aitken and Davie Irons will be very pleased with forward Kevin Connelly’s fine start to the season. Gretna have scored 13 goals in their last 3 games and will be hoping to inflict some damage to a vulnerable Vale of Leithen defence at Victoria Park.
PlAYERS TO WATCH
vale of leithen: brad raiker
gretna 2008: kevin connelly
University of stirling vs edusport academy (sunday)
Edusport Academy have welcomed their fresh intake of students but the side who play their games out of Galabank have been less reliant on their French intake this season. Edusport have welcomed Whitehill Welfare and Edinburgh University to their Galabank home and came from two goals down to draw with BSC Glasgow at the Indodrill last weekend thanks to a last minute equaliser from Max Oulahito.
University of Stirling go into the match on the back of a convincing win against their University rivals Edinburgh in the Football Nation Qualifying Cup last weekend. Chris Geddes’ side have had a couple of ups and downs even this early in the season and he will know how important it will be for his strikers to fire as two of the Lowland League’s more technical sides come up against one another.
