Happy New Year! It’s Lowland League Weekly time and we’re back with the promise of more great Park’s Motor Group Lowland League action.
We’ve also got a few thoughts on the season so far from supporters of some clubs and Official Catchup’s Chris Pow has also given us his verdict on each club’s season so far.
And as for this week’s Neutral’s Pick? Well, it’s got to be Broxburn Athletic vs Linlithgow Rose, doesn’t it?
Albion Rovers
Ryan Kelly: I asked my fellow Rovers supporters for their thoughts on our performance so far this season and was largely greeted with many variations on the phrase “consistently inconsistent”, on paper it may seem that we’re performing marginally better than in our inaugural Lowland League season but an undercurrent of frustration remains among the Cliftonhill faithful. Even during our 9 game unbeaten run you could never be sure if we’d look like world beaters or make heavy weather of a team in the lower half of the league. That’s without even touching on disappointing cup performances.
That run will likely help us continue to hover somewhere around the top 6 but that is of little solace in a league where a single team enters the promotion playoff, increasingly being a Rovers fan feels like being Homer Simpson staring at the plaque on the wall reading “don’t forget, you’re here forever” and no amount of memories of the crazy gang or 2013/14 cup run can cover it up.
The Catchup Verdict: Given the recent board statements released by the club, it’s fair to say, there is a wee bit of turmoil behind the scenes. Albeit, some Rovers supporters have bemoaned the style of play under Sandy Clark this season, It’s the opposite on the pitch. Results speak for themselves, and Albion are the highest up the table of former SPFL sides.
Berwick Rangers
The Catchup Verdict: On paper, things are looking up for Berwick Rangers more recently after Jamie Pyper and Scott-Taylor MacKenzie returned to the club. Talisman Liam Buchanan is back from injury, and Kevin Haynes has also come back to the Borderers, this time as manager, after the club mutually agreed to part ways with Tam Scobbie. The biggest issue Berwick has had, aside from injuries, is hitting the back of the net.
Bo’ness United
The Catchup Verdict: After last season’s high league finish, there were expectations for the BUs to repeat their performance this year. Sadly, it’s not been the case with the team struggling to find consistency for most of the campaign. It was always going to be a tough task with other clubs improving their form and squads this season.
Broomhill
The Catchup Verdict: Broomhill have the advantage of having played 2 less games than Gala and Cumbernauld Colts, but it’s points on the board that the club really need. The impressive Cameron Rowley returning to Airdrieonians from loan is a big loss but the addition of Che Campbell on loan from Partick Thistle and the permanent signing of goalkeeper Harry Broun are positives in their fight to keep off the bottom.
Broxburn Athletic
Stuart McLellan: A complete unknown for us coming into the Lowland league, the Broxburn players and staff should be proud of our maiden season so far.
With big wins against a lot of established Lowland league sides and sitting proudly at the time of writing this in sixth position in the table. Steve Pittman and his coaching team have kept the spine of the East of Scotland Premier Division championship winning side together. Keeper Bob Watt, defender Greg Page, captain Nick Locke and striker Errol Douglas were a huge part of last season’s successful season. This season, the club have added Andy Rodden at left back who has plenty of experience at this level, Owen Wardell on loan from Bonnyrigg Rose gives us pace. And when it comes to a midfield creative spark, Kyle Bell has been fantastic for the club and my favourite player so far this season (Hard to pick)
The main aim for the club was survival at the start of the season, but this is an ambitious bunch and I’m sure mid table would be a better aim at this stage of the season.
The Catchup Verdict: There were very little doubts that Broxburn were going to do well after their promotion into the Lowland League. How well was the real question at the start of the season and I believe Brox fans will be happy to see their side sitting 6th at the business end.
Caledonian Braves
The Catchup Verdict: The Braves started the season in fine form, going on a 15 match unbeaten run. Results have dropped off more recently, however, the Braves remain in second spot, and are tied with Celtic B with the best defensive record in the league, having only conceded 20 goals. The much talked about investment into the club will ensure the Braves will remain a challenger going forward.
Celtic B
The Catchup Verdict: No surprises that the B Bhoys remain one of the strongest sides in the Lowland considering they are stacked with talent. Whether we will ever see one of the B team players get a proper chance to break into the first team, remains doubtful, especially with names like Daniel Cummings being linked with a move away from the club.
Civil Service Strollers
Charlie Laing: Gary Jardine has recruited well to fill the gaps left by a number of young players, who had been with us for a few years, leaving us to go on to SPFL teams.
It’s taken time for the new players to bed in, and we’ve also had a string of injuries too!l
My favourite player at the moment is Callumn Yeats he’s so steady and comes up with some cracking goals. It was disappointing to go out of the Scottish Cup in the 2nd round to Irvine Meadow. However, we’re doing well in the South Challenge Cup (5th round), where we got revenge on Meadow and the EoSQ Cup (4th round). It would be great to get to a final.
Once we get into our stride, I’m sure we’ll finish in the top half of the league again. Fingers crossed.
The Catchup Verdict: Strollers are always there or thereabouts in terms of finishing top half or higher. As the seasons go on, it’s been more difficult for them and Gary Jardine to remain as competitive with those clubs with a higher playing budget.
Cowdenbeath
Andrew Mullen: It has been a frustrating start to Dougie Hill’s managerial career after returning to Central Park for a third spell.
Injuries have played their part in the Fifers slow start to the season. Long term victims have been Ewan MacPherson who hasn’t kicked a ball this season and Aiden McLaughlin who limped off injured in his second game of the season.
It has also been a case of “too many” draws with eight of the 18 league games ending in stalemates.
For the second half of the campaign the draws need to be turned into wins to move up the table.
Robbie McNab has once again been an influential player – although he has now left for SPFL football with Stirling Albion – and assistant player/manager Paul McLean has added experience in the heart of the defence.
Young prospects Ruaridh Lynch (Dundee), Jake Sutherland (Dunfermline), Rhys Walker (Falkirk) and Olly Whyte (Motherwell) have all done well during their loan spells.
The Catchup Verdict: Before the festive period, we might have been saying something different about the Blue Brazil, who seem to have saved themselves from the relegation dogfight in recent weeks. Manager Dougie Hill has had to juggle between tactical styles when Cowden play at Central Park and when they travel elsewhere and results, especially away from home, have been uninspiring for most of the season.
Cumbernauld Colts
The Catchup Verdict: The Colts and David Proctor were victims of their own success from last season. A lot of the first team moved higher up the tiers or moved to league rivals in the summer. Colts have fielded the youngest squad in the league for most of the season and the lack of experience has likely affected results.
Craig Holmes returning to the club and the signing of Paul Woods will help the younger players. But much is still up in the air with new manager John Doyle only being appointed recently.
East Kilbride
The Catchup Verdict: Last season’s Lowland League champions are exactly where many expected them to be at this point of the season – sitting top of the league.
Another crack at promotion to League 2 is the ultimate goal, but a semi-final against Queen’s Park in the SPFL Trust Trophy later this month, will have Kilby fans excited at the possibility of another cup final appearance for the club.
East Stirlingshire
Gregor Mackintosh: It’s been another disappointing season for The Shire on the whole so far, as we currently find ourselves much further down the table than I think most people would have expected given our finish to last season and subsequent summer recruitment.
Looking ahead, despite our rough start we’re only a few points behind the top half of the table, so I’d be hoping we can break into that area before the end of the season and our next games against Bo’ness and Civil Service are great opportunities to do that.
My main hope right now however would be to keep some of our better performers for next season and rebuild ahead of the next campaign.
The Catchup Verdict: Shire looked worryingly like a potential candidate for relegation at the start of the season but after chairman Simon Dickerson continued to show faith in manager Pat Scullion, the club hit a bit of form and pushed themselves to nearer midtable.
Gala Fairydean Rovers
The Catchup Verdict: Gala have no issues with scoring goals, however, they do currently have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 63 goals in 23 games. It will be something manager Martin Scott will be hoping to rectify to steer the club away from the drop in the remaining fixtures.
Gretna 2008
Scott Williamson: As the mid-point of the Scottish Lowland Football League season arrives, Gretna FC 2008 reflects on a campaign marked by challenges and progress. The team has shown determination on the pitch, securing some key victories, but inconsistency remains a hurdle to overcome. We have looked a lot more of a solid unit at the back thanks to Jimbo in goal & whilst I wouldn’t want to comment on too many individuals, my two players of the season so far would be Stuart Douglas & Andy Oram. So much credit has to go to Vinnie & his backroom staff on a stellar season so far.
Off the pitch, the newly appointed board has been a breath of fresh air, bringing stability and a clear vision for the club’s future. Their efforts to engage with fans, strengthen community ties, and support the squad have created a positive atmosphere around Raydale Park. Also all the staff in the Wee Bar & Kitchen deserve a mention, they all know who they are.
With strong leadership from the board and passionate support from the stands, Gretna FC 2008 looks forward to the second half of the season with optimism, We were definitely labelled whipping boys at the start of the season but we have more than shifted that tag and I fully believe we’ll be looking up rather than over our shoulder by the season’s close.
The Catchup Verdict: Much of the groundwork of Gretna’s transformation started last season, without the results on the pitch really showing it. Vinnie Parker has brought stability to the club, and not many would have expected Gretna to be mid table. We’ve been so used to seeing them struggle for survival for so many seasons, their current success has inevitably brought about the death of the relegation safety net for other clubs.
Hearts B
The Catchup Verdict: The Wee Jambos have been largely disappointing this season in terms of results. This can be somewhat excused with a few of the B team players appearing in lineups for the first team, with others such as Finlay Pollock and Callum Sandilands being loaned out to teams higher up the levels.
Linlithgow Rose
Robbie Dougall: The Rosey Posey this season have made us supporters very proud. We’ve improved from last season in many ways, grinding out results by showing character and grit, maintaining a healthy and balanced squad, and protecting our leads well. We also had a lengthy unbeaten run in the league, which was a joy to watch. This is testament to the hard work from the players, alongside Herdy, John and the rest of the management team.
For me, our stand out player has been incredibly consistent no matter who we play – Greg Skinner. I’ve still never seen Skinner lose a ball in the air and he loves a last minute goal!
In the second half of the season, I’d look to see us continue showing determination and always being battle ready – we’re still very much in the running, but a top 4 finish would be a great achievement for only our second season in the league, although a double over Bo’ness would also see us happy.
The Catchup Verdict: Coming off an injury-ridden season, last year, results have improved massively and we’re starting to see what this squad is about. With a little more consistency and taking out a few surprising dropped points this year, Rose can go on to establish themselves as a real contender in the league.
Tranent
The Catchup Verdict: Jonny Stewart took over the Belters in September and they have remained fairly solid in the league up until this point. When you look at the experience and quality of the Tranent squad over the last few seasons, it has been surprising they haven’t been the challengers many expected them to be so far.
University of Stirling
The Catchup Verdict: Chris Geddes was under no illusions this would be one of his tougher seasons as manager. The Uni lost a lot of their senior players in the summer and although some members of the squad still have experience at this level, it’s not as strong currently as previous seasons.
