cinch Championship – Hamilton Accies v Arbroath (Friday 3rd March)
The BBC Scotland cameras head to Lanarkshire this evening for a tantalising bottom-of-the-table clash in the second tier.
Since the turn of the year, fortunes have drastically changed for Hamilton Accies. Previously rooted to the foot of the table and looking like near relegation certainties, Accies have climbed to ninth and given themselves a huge chance at the business end of the season. Smart January recruitment has been crucial for John Rankin’s side. Dylan McGowan & Reghan Tumilty have added steel to the back line, while Connor Smith has brought creativity, productivity and goals. Before last weekend’s 4-1 defeat to league leaders Queen’s Park, Hamilton had gone five games without loss in the Championship. Regaining that kind of form quickly will be key to survival success.
After last season’s incredible high-flying campaign, 22/23 was always going to be a difficult one for the Lichties. Dick Campbell’s side have struggled for consistency this season and find themselves a point below Accies at the foot of the table. With just four league wins all season, the main downfall for the Angus side has been a lack of goals. With only 24 scored in the league campaign, Arbroath need to find their shooting boots quickly if they are to avoid the relegation places. Both previous meetings this season have been tight, with the home side winning by a 1-0 margin on each occasion. Could Arbroath buck the trend and pick up their fourth away win of the campaign this evening?
cinch League 1 – Dunfermline Athletic v Alloa Athletic (Saturday 4th March)
Things are heating up at the top of cinch League 1, with league leaders Dunfermline set to take on play-off chasers Alloa in Fife.
James McPake’s Pars have been sitting pretty at the top of the table since mid-October and haven’t looked like moving ever since. Consistency and defensive rigidity have been the main ingredients in Dunfermline’s success. The Fife side have conceded just 16 goals in their 25 league games and have lost just once. However, with fierce rivals Falkirk five points behind and with a blockbuster meeting between the sides set for Tuesday, the Pars will be keen to carry as much momentum as possible into the midweek match. Dunfermline have beaten Alloa twice already in the league this season and will be confident of making it three from three on Saturday.
It has been a fairly solid showing from the Wasps in 22/23, with Brian Rice’s side right in among the promotion conversations, currently sitting in fourth place. Alloa have become a very difficult team to break down under Rice’s leadership and have a knack for grinding out results in tight matches. Of Alloa’s 12 league wins this season, half of them have come by a single-goal margin, with a few taking late goals to clinch victory (against Montrose, Clyde & Queen of the South). Veteran forward Conor Sammon has been the Wasps’ key goal threat, having found the net nine times in the league. With just two points separating third and fifth place in League 1, a win over the leaders would be a huge boost for Alloa’s promotion hopes heading into the run-in.
cinch League 2 – Stranraer v Dumbarton (Saturday 4th March)
It might be 8th v 1st in cinch League 2 but Stranraer also harbour promotion ambitions – they are just three points outside the play-off places in an incredibly tight division.
The Blues have been strong at Stair Park this season (seven wins, three draws, three defeats) and beat East Fife 2-0 last weekend, which followed a 1-0 win at Elgin and lifted Jamie Hamill’s men eight points clear of bottom club Bonnyrigg Rose. It was Stranraer who ended Dumbarton’s superb winning run with a 3-2 victory back in September and that will give them confidence this weekend.
The Sons head south on the back of a big 1-0 win at home to Stenhousemuir on Tuesday. Stevie Farrell’s side lost to Elgin City last weekend, allowing Stirling Albion to cut the gap to two points, but responded with a determined display and another clean sheet. The Binos have two games in hand but if Dumbarton can win at Stranraer, then beat Stirling in a massive match in midweek, they will be in a very strong position at the top.
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