Andy Harrow, Shaughan McGuigan and Craig G Telfer bring you the Scottish Football Bucket List; all the reasons you need to visit the Ladbrokes Championship, League 1 and League 2 during the Premiership winter break.
Sammy the Tammy
Dunfermline Athletic’s mascot may have calmed down a little in recent years, but the bunnet-sporting rogue is still one of the most recognisable characters in the business. At one stage, Sammy appeared to be locked in competition with Paisley Panda in terms of who could push the envelope the furthest, with his set-piece props including sledges, BMXs, massive brown brogues and perhaps, most touchingly, a tribute to Whitney Houston. All this, and with the added mystique that no-one is 100% sure what kind of animal he actually is.
Danny Lennon making new memories
He once scored a goal against Bayern Munich as a player and, as a manger, led his St Mirren side to the League Cup for the first time. Danny Lennon’s CV has, without doubt, some serious highlights. While Clyde’s Broadwood Stadium is not as glamorous as either Munich’s Olympic Stadium or Hampden, it’s where Lennon will be hoping to create some new career highlights. In November, he took over the manager’s job at Clyde and a strong January will go a long way towards securing the club’s League 2 status.
Harry Lewis's unique approach to pass-backs
What is it about grass-high diving headers in the penalty area this season? It may not quite have had the impact of Jordan Garden’s low-flying head-butt penalty giveaway but Harry Lewis had his own version of the move during the recent 2-0 win at Morton. Faced with a slightly under-hit pass and under pressure from an onrushing forward, Lewis pulled off a piece of goalkeeping that hasn’t been seen out with the cartoon panels of Billy The Fish, repelling the ball away with a full-length diving header that must have caused grass-burns on his fizzog. Goalkeeping manuals will undoubtedly be being amended to include the move as we speak.
An unwanted record for Brechin City
It has been a testing season for Brechin City. Since winning promotion to the Championship via the play-offs, the team have collected just four points from a possible 60 and look on course to break the second tier’s record lowest points total (10 by Clydebank in 1999/00). However, Brechin’s campaign has been a series of hard-luck stories, losing the majority of contests by the odd goal, and the law of averages suggests their luck will turn at some point. Make sure you’re there to witness their first win of the season!
A successful anniversary?
Annan Athletic are celebrating their 10th anniversary as a League club. Since joining the SFL in 2008, they have been a positive presence in the basement division, with trips to Galabank often the highlight of the season for away fans. They have reached the play-offs before but have yet to earn promotion - could this be their year? Despite an inauspicious start, manager Peter Murphy and his players have lost only once since the end of October and are certainly in the top-four scrap.
Read the rest of the SPFL Bucket list:
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-1/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-2/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-3/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-4/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-5/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-6/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-7/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-8/
https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/scottish-football-bucket-list-9/
