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.
Brechin City's first win
Brechin’s unlikely promotion to the Championship last season via the play-offs surprised and delighted football fans across the country. They have, however, found things difficult in the Championship and although they’ve come mightily close on occasion, they’ve yet to register a league win. With an away tie against Dundee United and two home fixtures against Livingston and Morton over the Premiership winter break, get along to Glebe Park to see if they can break their duck.
Cowdenbeath and Edinburgh City lock horns
Both Cowdenbeath and Edinburgh City were involved in a season-long scrap last term as they battled to beat the drop out of League 2. Ultimately, both sides prevailed with the Blue Brazil overcoming East Kilbride in the play-off. This campaign, both sides find themselves entwined towards the bottom of the table again, but a fixture between the two offers the opportunity for breathing space.
Youth finds a way at Elgin City
Elgin City, the country’s most northerly club, is becoming a hothouse for some exciting young players. Bruce Anderson, signed from Aberdeen, is a dynamic midfield presence, capable of dictating matches and boasts a very decent goal return already, while left-back Lewis Strapp has impressed since joining from Greenock Morton. The two loanees, along with stalwarts like Brian Cameron (surely the division’s best midfielder-cum-joiner), JP McGovern and the returning Shane Sutherland will play a vital role in Elgin’s season as they bid to overcome a recent dip in form.
League 1 title race
Two-into-one clearly won’t go, so either Raith Rovers or Ayr United fans will be sorely disappointed come season’s end. Even at this stage, the third tier’s title race seems set to be a straight fight between the full-time clubs from Fife and Ayrshire. While the early running was with the men from Kirkcaldy, a 3-0 defeat at Somerset Park to Ian McCall’s free-scoring side saw the momentum shift. Ayr lead but a couple of recent defeats have allowed Rovers, who have games in hand, to close the gap.
Dumbarton - IRN-BRU Cup semi-finalists
There won’t have been many who put money on Dumbarton reaching this season’s Challenge Cup semi-finals. After all, prior to the start of this season they’d only ever won five ties in the competition, which began in 1990/91. Four wins in a row this campaign though – against Rangers U20s, Connah’s Quay, Stranraer and Raith Rovers – have propelled the Sons into the last four, where they’ll play The New Saints in February. January offers an opportunity to see if Stevie Aitken’s men can maintain their momentum ahead of their trip south.
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/
