cinch Championship - Inverness CT v Partick Thistle - Friday (7:45pm kick-off)
Friday night Championship action returns to our screens via the BBC Scotland channel this evening.
League leaders Partick Thistle make the journey north to take on a resurgent Caley Thistle side. After a difficult start to the season, Billy Dodds’ men have really started to find their feet once again. Three wins from their last three league outings, all of which were tricky away fixtures (Raith Rovers, Dundee and Ayr United), has seen Caley jump to fourth in the table, just three points off the summit. Impressive performances across the park have been key. Most notably in the form of Cameron Harper, whose transformation from left-back to goalscoring midfielder has been one of the revelations of the campaign thus far. Inverness are a team in red-hot form and will go into this evening’s clash full of confidence. However, Partick Thistle proved to be Caley Thistle’s most difficult test so far this season, with the Maryhill Jags winning 4-1 at Firhill in August.
Since then, Partick Thistle have climbed to the top of the table and look more and more like serious title contenders with every week which passes. The fine form of the whole team has made Ian McCall’s side an absolute joy to watch. Quality all over the park with plenty of firepower in attacking areas, Thistle have lost just once in the league this season and are unbeaten in their last six Championship outings. The talents of Scott Tiffoney and Steven Lawless (arguably the division’s stand-out player so far this season) on either flank is enough to give any defence in the division nightmares. And given how well the Jags played in their last meeting with Caley, the Maryhill men will be supremely confident they can extend their lead at the top heading into the weekend.
cinch League 1 - FC Edinburgh v Kelty Hearts - Saturday (3:00pm kick-off)
Familiar foes face off in the capital on Saturday. Surprise league leaders FC Edinburgh play host to Kelty Hearts – a fixture which was played in League 2 as recently as April.
At the beginning of the season, League 1 looked like the most unpredictable division in the SPFL. Full-time sides such as Falkirk, Dunfermline, Queen of the South and Airdrie being joined by traditionally competitive outfits like Alloa and Montrose. Not many would have guessed before a ball was kicked that newcomers FC Edinburgh would be sitting at the top of the table at the start of October. But that’s the situation we find ourselves in, with the Citizens moving into first place after a 2-0 win over Peterhead in midweek. Six wins, three losses, 19 goals scored and 13 conceded, FC Edinburgh have provided box office entertainment since their promotion. The attacking talents of Danny Handling and John Robertson have truly lit up the division and the Citizens deservedly sit at the top of the tree. Whether they can stay there is another question but they’ll be full of confidence as they welcome Kelty Hearts to the capital this weekend.
John Potter’s team seem like they may have finally turned a corner this season. Last season’s runaway League 2 winners looked as though they may upset the apple cart upon gaining promotion to the third tier. But a poor start to the season sees them currently sitting in ninth place, just two points above bottom club Peterhead. There have been signs of a revival at New Central Park, though. The Maroon Machine have put together a positive run of form, winning three of their last four matches in all competitions. Wins against two of the division’s stronger sides, Falkirk and Airdrie, showed Kelty are more than capable of competing at the upper echelons of League 1. Saturday’s capital city clash is an opportunity for the Fife club to lay a marker down and really kick-start their season.
cinch League 2 – Stirling Albion v Dumbarton - Saturday (3:00pm kick-off)
It’s first against second at Forthbank as leaders Dumbarton travel to Stirling with a five-point lead over the Binos at the top of the table.
Stevie Farrell’s side were relegated at the end of last season but made a flying start to 2022/23, reeling off seven straight league victories before losing 3-2 in a midweek match at Stranraer. The Sons ended the first quarter of their campaign with a 0-0 draw at Forfar last weekend. It was a fifth clean sheet for goalkeeper Brett Long. Dumbarton have been strong defensively and Martin McNiff has been ever present since his summer switch from Forthbank. At the other end of the pitch Declan Byrne, another former Stirling player, has chipped in with five goals in League 2 this season and will be hoping to add to that tally as Dumbarton make their first visit to this ground since 2012.
Albion beat Dumbarton 2-1 in the Premier Sports Cup but lost 2-0 there on the opening day when Byrne scored twice inside five minutes. Darren Young’s men are much improved since then and recently beat both Stranraer and Forfar 4-1 before a 2-1 triumph at East Fife last time out. They pose a real attacking threat through top scorer Dale Carrick – nine goals in all competitions – Robert Thomson and on-loan Dundee United teenager Kai Fotheringham. It’s a huge week for Stirling, who can cut the gap on the leaders to two points with a win before they face in-form Stenhousemuir at Ochilview next weekend.
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