cinch Championship – Greenock Morton v Inverness CT (Friday 28th October)
Friday night football returns to BBC Scotland this evening, with high-flying Caley Thistle making the journey southwest to take on Morton at Cappielow.
After a sticky start to the season, Morton are currently one of the division’s form teams and are just three points off the top. Unbeaten in their last four league outings, including an away win over Queen’s Park and a 5-0 thrashing of Hamilton Accies, things are looking up for the Ton. Last Saturday’s 0-0 draw away to Dundee brought about a third consecutive clean sheet for Dougie Imrie’s side. While the defence has been one of their key strengths in recent weeks, Morton have been keen to add another body to their ranks. The free agent signing of experienced Nigerian defender Efe Ambrose will add some much-needed strength in depth to the defensive options – he put pen to paper on a deal until the end of the season during the week. Robbie Muirhead and Grant Gillespie have been Morton’s two main men in terms of goals scored – they have netted nine of the Ton’s 15 league goals thus far. Having already beaten Caley this season, Morton will be confident they can repeat the feat.
This evening’s match will be seen as a huge opportunity for Caley Thistle. They have a chance to go top of the table ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures. Much like their opponents, a lot of Caley’s joy has come through their back line which has conceded only 11 league goals this season – the lowest number in the division. On the other hand, ICT have struggled to find the back of the net themselves. They have only managed to score more than one goal in three of their opening 12 Championship fixtures. Whilst grinding out results in low-scoring matches is a positive, it probably isn’t sustainable if they are to really mount a challenge at the top of the table. Star striker Billy Mckay has four goals in 12 appearances – a solid enough return. Injuries across the team have hit Billy Dodds’ side hard but they could do with others in the forward areas chipping in.
cinch League 1 – Airdrieonians v Montrose (Saturday 29th October)
A fixture which last season provided us with one of Scottish football’s all-time great comebacks, the circumstances of this weekend’s meeting between Airdrie and Montrose are a little different.
After another season of play-off heartbreak for the Diamonds, a summer of change was in the offing. Manager Ian Murray and star player Dylan Easton moved on to pastures new, with fans’ favourites Rhys McCabe & Callum Fordyce taking the reins. There were promising early signs – a Premier Sports Cup win over St Mirren and an early-season thrashing of Falkirk – but things now just don’t seem to be clicking for the Diamonds. A side which went an astonishing 25 games unbeaten in League 1 not so long ago is now without a win in their last six matches in all competitions. A shock 6-0 home loss to Edinburgh seems to have been the catalyst for a downturn in form which Airdrie just can’t seem to shake. They’ll need to find the answers quickly if they are to pick up a win against a Montrose side who are bang in form.
For the last few seasons in League 1, Montrose have been there or thereabouts when it comes to competing at the upper echelons of the table. So, it’s no surprise to see the Links Park Dynamo currently sitting in third place, just four points off top spot. Stewart Petrie’s men are unbeaten in their last four league outings and coming off the back of a fantastic 2-0 win over table-toppers Dunfermline Athletic. There are multiple factors behind the ‘Mo’s success. One being a solid back line which has only shipped 10 league goals, second only to the league leaders. Another is the squad’s continuity. Much of Montrose’s squad has been there for several years, although it was on-loan Ross County man Matthew Wright who got the goals last weekend. The team has forged a fantastic work ethic and understanding on the park under Petrie’s guidance which has been a major reason behind their ability to maintain high standards year after year. A win at Airdrie on Saturday would be their third victory on the road this season and could potentially see them jump to second place if other results go their way.
cinch League 2 – East Fife v Elgin City (Saturday 29th October)
It’s third against fifth at Bayview this weekend, with only a point between the teams after 11 rounds of fixtures.
East Fife this week appointed Greig McDonald as their new manager – he had been in caretaker charge since the departure of Stevie Crawford to become No 2 at Dundee United. A hugely popular figure with the supporters in his playing days, the former Stirling Albion boss has recently guided the team to impressive away wins over Forfar Athletic and Bonnyrigg Rose. Former Hearts player Ryan Schiavone scored doubles in both games and on-loan St Johnstone player Alex Ferguson also netted twice at Bonnyrigg. There was disappointment in the shape of a narrow Scottish Cup defeat at Stenhousemuir last weekend. If the Fifers are to remain in the promotion race they will need to improve their home form – one win and four defeats – as they have been outstanding on the road.
Elgin City lost 3-1 at home to East Fife on the opening day of the season and the early weeks were something of a struggle for Gavin Price’s side but they have won five of their last six matches in all competitions. Last weekend brought a 4-0 victory over Camelon in the Scottish Cup as they bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Forfar the previous week. Kane Hester scored all four goals against Camelon and has netted an incredible 19 times in 19 appearances so far this season. One man doesn’t make a team but Hester is clearly a huge player as Elgin seek a top-four finish.
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