Lower league focus

cinch Championship – Dundee v Cove Rangers (Friday 28th April)

With just two fixture rounds to go in the cinch Championship season the title race hangs in the balance. The BBC Scotland cameras are off to Dens Park this evening as league leaders Dundee look to make a statement in their quest for silverware.

Since the turn of the year Gary Bowyer’s Dundee have been the division’s most consistent outfit. A 4-2 home defeat to Arbroath on 2nd January has sparked an excellent run for the Dee, which has seen them lose just twice in the following 17 league fixtures. It is this consistency which has seen Dundee move up the table from 3rd to 1st, a position which they have held since 11th April. After 2nd placed Queen’s Park drew 0-0 with Ayr United last Friday evening, the chance was there for Dundee to tighten their grip on pole position. However, a draw away to in-form Inverness last Saturday means it is ‘as you were’ at the second-tier summit, with Dundee leading the Spiders by a single point. 

Dundee could potentially win the title this weekend. If they can beat Cove Rangers and if Queen’s Park lose to Morton, Dundee will be headed for the top-flight. However, if Dundee fail to win and/or Queen’s Park pick up at least a point on the road it will all come down to a one match shoot-out at Ochilview next weekend. A tantalising prospect!

Cove, though, will be desperate to rain on the league leaders’ parade. The Toonsers’ form has been extremely poor as of late. Paul Hartley’s side recently went on a run of six straight league defeats between late February and early April – a run which has seen the Aberdeen-based club slide to the foot of the cinch Championship table. But a dramatic late win against fellow relegation rivals Arbroath at Gayfield last weekend has given Cove a real fighting chance. They are now level on points with 9th placed Hamilton Accies who have played a game extra, so any potential point picked up at Dens this evening would give Cove a huge advantage heading into the final round of fixtures.

Dundee and Cove have met 3 times already this season, with Gary Bowyer’s side holding the upper hand with 2 wins to 1. With the division’s strongest goal difference (Dundee) coming up against the division’s weakest (Cove Rangers) expect there to be plenty of action in this one. Will Dundee take a step towards a return to the Premiership, or will Cove throw themselves a huge lifeline?

cinch League 1 – Montrose v Alloa Athletic (Saturday 29th April)

With the play-off hunt in all 3 lower leagues coming to a crescendo, we turn our attention to Links Park. Hosts Montrose are aiming to keep their slender hopes of promotion alive, while visitors Alloa could potentially rubber stamp their participation in the post-regular season shoot-out.

2022/23 has been a mixed bag of a season for Montrose. After a relatively bright early season where Stewart Petrie’s side were flirting with the upper reaches of the table jumping in and out of 3rd place, The ‘Mo have dropped off in the latter part of the campaign, dipping as low as 7th place. A pair of back-to-back wins against Peterhead and Queen of the South have given Montrose a slim chance of breaking into the play-off places with two games to play. They currently trail Saturday’s opponents Alloa Athletic by 6 points with an inferior goal difference of 7.

Quite simply nothing less than a win this weekend will do for the Angus side if they are to keep their play-off spark alive heading into the season’s dying embers. Incredibly, Montrose have made the play-offs in 3 of the last 4 seasons in the third tier.

Under the stewardship of Brian Rice, Alloa Athletic have become one of the division’s most difficult to beat teams. A hard-working side with the ability to grind out positive results in tight situations, the Wasps look on course for a play-off place and a chance to return to the second tier since their relegation in 2019. A run of great results in March allowed Alloa to climb into the play-off places – a position which they are desperate not to relinquish. Coming off the back of last week’s disappointing defeat at home to Falkirk, Brian Rice’s men will no doubt be fired up heading north to Links Park to ensure that they pick up all 3 points and all but cement their play-off participation.

The 3 previous meetings this season have all been tight affairs. Alloa have won two, with both victories being decided by a single goal margin, while the other was a 0-0 draw. Expect a tight and cagey affair with neither side willing to give an inch. But keep a close eye on Montrose forward Rory McAllister. He bagged his 240th goal in Scottish league football last weekend and will no doubt be keen to try and edge towards the 250 mark as quickly as possible!

cinch League 2 - East Fife v Albion Rovers (Saturday April 29)

Stirling Albion are the cinch League 2 champions and Dumbarton will finish second but there is still a lot to play for across the division, with a big game looming at Bayview.

East Fife currently occupy the final play-off spot but are only two points ahead of a Forfar Athletic side who they face at Station Park on the final day of the season. Stenhousemuir are a point further back in sixth place. Greig McDonald's men thrashed Stranraer 8-0 in their last home game a fortnight ago but went down 1-0 at Dumbarton last weekend when they paid the price for missing a penalty.

It's a huge game for Albion Rovers, who remain bottom of the table despite beating Stenhousemuir 3-1 last weekend. Sandy Clark's side are just one point behind Elgin City and two adrift of Bonnyrigg Rose, with a much better goal difference than both.

The Coatbridge club - who host Stirling Albion on the final day - will be desperate for all three points as they seek to avoid a play-off against Spartans or Brechin City. Recent fixture history is on their side - all three meetings between East Fife and Albion Rovers this season have been won by the away team.