Second Division - Mid Season Review

What a fantastic start to management for Player/Manager Allan Johnston at Palmerston Park with his side almost out of sight at the top of the Second Division table and in The Ramsdens Cup Final.  They do have the advantage of being the only full-time club in the division but players still have to go out and win games and that is what Johnston has his side doing.

They are also playing with wide men and pace which leads to a lot of good attacking football and The Doonhamers brought in 2013 with a 5-1 win at Ayr.  It will be really difficult for any side to overhaul them however, Alloa Athletic did show recently that they are not invincible.

Key Player: Nicky Clark – 20 goals for the season speaks for itself and if he keeps banging them in then the title will be won well before May.  Can create goals as well with Gavin Reilly benefiting from his build-up play.

Clark never made the grade at Aberdeen and struggled at a Peterhead side that was relegated to the Third Division.  He was also in the First Division last season with Queens and was not amongst the goals often but it looks like that could be all set to change next season.

Alloa Athletic have done what Arbroath did last season in that they have been promoted as Third Division Champions with a young Manager and not only consolidated in the Second Division, they have looked to grab a second successive promotion.

Paul Hartley’s biggest concern may be a lack of numbers in his squad as his resources are stretched thinly when injuries strike however, they look a stick on for the Play-Offs.  Alloa play a lot of nice football on the ground and their game at Recreation Park with Queen of the South was a great advert for the Second Division with chances galore and the woodwork being hit four times.

They won that night and cut the lead to six points however, recent results have seem them slip back whilst Queens returned to winning ways although a 1-0 win over Stenhousemuir on Wednesday kept the gap at 11 points.

Key Player: Darren Young – His experience is vital to Paul Hartley’s side and they need him fit and available again to help get the ball and keep it in midfield.  When Alloa defeated Allan Johnston’s side last month, Young was the driving force and he almost grabbed a goal with a well timed run into the box.

When Ray McKinnon was appointed to replace Jim Weir, Brechin were worried about the Play-Offs but now they would welcome them as they are at the other end of the table.  McKinnon has done a terrific job in his first managerial role in turning the Glebe Park side’s season around.

The former Dundee United midfielder went back to his former Junior side Lochee to sign Graham Hay and will be keen to bring in some more faces to bolster his squad this January.

A fine 4-1 win at Forfar was a great way to bring in 2013 and send out a message about being promotion contenders.

Key Player – Andy Jackson – The striker is benefiting from playing regularly after a disappointing time with injuries and Brechin City are being rewarded with goals.  Jackson was taken to the club by his former team-mate at St. Johnstone , Jim Weir, but he has handled the change-over to McKinnon being in charge.

This is a big season for Jackson where if he scores more goals and helps Brechin into the Play-Offs, a return to full-time football could beckon for the former Republic of Ireland Under-21 internationalist.

Forfar Athletic’s recent game with Albion Rovers summed up their season of inconsistency quite nicely. They opened up in fantastic style and were two goals up quickly with fine goals from James Craigen.  They then lost their way and Rovers were level by half-time.  However, the Loons came roaring back but they needed an injury time winner from Barry Sellars to take all three points.

They are not only inconsistent in games, they are inconsistent during games.  However, Dick Campbell is more than experienced enough to sort matters out and he will have to as they are by no means a certainty for the Play-Offs with the top eight clubs in the division all believing they can go up.

Campbell would love to make the Play-Offs having seen success in them with Partick Thistle and the Station Park side.

Key Player: Gavin Swankie – Forfar Athletic boss Dick Campbell will be looking to get the best out of Gavin who, aged 29, is now a senior professional as opposed to the kid with great potential that started out at Arbroath.

Has scored nine times already this season however, if he bangs in 20, Forfar should be in the Play-Offs

Arbroath are another side who could be described as inconsistent as they performed heroically against Celtic in the Scottish Cup in the middle of a run of only one win in eight League games.  Paul Sheerin is still looking for the magic formula that will see his men tighten up at the back whilst keeping the attacking flair he has built during his two and a half seasons in charge.

The Red Lichties had a good run in The Ramsdens Cup as well but they need to start winning more games if they are to repeat last season’s success of making the Play-Offs.

Key Player – Steven Doris – Another striker capable of 20 goals in a season.  Beat that total last season and is half way there in this one.  Scored an injury time penalty against Albion Rovers to win their game last Saturday and Paul Sheerin said: “It was never in doubt.  I can trust Steven in situations like that.”

Doris excelled in the recent Scottish Cup replay against Celtic at Gayfield and Arbroath could have a fight on their hands to keep him after his performance that night.

East Fife made a slow start to the season and the illness that saw Manager Gordon Durie absent for three months would not have helped.  Billy Brown eventually came in when Durie unfortunately decided to re-sign from his post and won three of his first four games in charge.

Brown has spoken about being pleased with the effort being put in by the squad to climb the table and after being in the bottom two for most of the autumn, they are another side who will fancy their chances of making the Play-Offs although a 1-0 defeat from Arbroath on 2nd January was a blow.

Key Player: Bobby Barr – The winger has impressed everyone since moving to New Bayview on loan from Livingston and with the move becoming permanent, the Fifers have a chance to excite their fans and move up the table at the same time.

A talented wide-man who has scored a few goals although the relationship with Manager Brown will be key to Barr continuing to star.

One of the seven Second Division sides that changed manager in 2012 and Martyn Corrigan had a good start to the season as Davie Irons' replacement with progress made in the League as well as knocking out The Scottish Communities League Cup holders Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

Injuries to big players Ross McMillan, Scott Buist, Eric Paton and John Gemmell saw The Warriors slip down the table as a lack of experienced depth has been seen.

They are the only team to bring something back from Palmerston Park and if they can get everyone on the pitch fit, they will not be far away from a Play-Off place.

Key Player: Scott Buist – In simple terms, The Warriors are a much better side defensively with the former Alloa Athletic, Stirling Albion and Brechin City player in their side than when he is missing.  He missed out against Queen of the South last weekend and they lost 3-1 and they also had a disappointing run earlier in the season when he was absent.

Keeping Buist fit and the back door locked will help Corrigan’s side climb the table.

Ayr United went for Mark Roberts to be their Player/Manager during the season and even one of Scotland’s happiest people in football will have been left scratching his head at their up and down season.

Roberts has built a good mix of youth and experience and his enthusiasm for the game is infectious however, Ayr have not yet picked up the points they should have.

A poor start was followed by five wins and a draw in seven games which was then followed by three defeats as the Honest Men seem to want to be involved in the Play-Offs at both ends of the table.

Having brought in a young Manager, the club need to support him as he looks to turn things around and the recent battling draw with Alloa Athletic looked to be a sign that things are turning again although the 5-1 defeat from Queen of the South that followed on 2nd January was a blow.

Key Player:  Michael Moffat – Only two years ago, ‘The Moff’ was plying his trade at Girvan Juniors however, he has established himself as Ayr’s main striker since then.  Scored six in six games when not only was he ‘on fire’ but Ayr were as well.

Moffat has gone off the boil since and not scored in six games as the Honest Men fell back down to eighth place.

Having made the hard decision to part company with club legend Keith Knox, The Blues have climbed off bottom spot under Knox’s former assistant, Stephen Aitken, and picked up good wins against Forfar Athletic, Alloa Athletic, East Fife and Albion Rovers.

Aitken looks to have plugged what was the Second Division’s leakiest defence however, with only 22 goals scored there is a bit of work to be done at the other end of the pitch as well.

Having been moved into the Second Division at short notice this season was always going to be about survival as opposed to progression for the Stair Park men and they are in with a chance of doing so.

Key Player: David MacGregor – The former Morton defender is Stranraer’s most experienced man at the back and when he was missing at the start of the season, the Stair Park rearguard was all too easily breached.

He came back to action at much the same time as Stephen Aitken was appointed and both events have given The Blues a lift and they will need to keep rising to get away from relegation trouble.

Albion Rovers defied everyone last season to stay in the Second Division and Todd Lumsden will repeat what previous Manager Paul Martin achieved if he can get his side out of the bad habit of losing late goals.

The Coatbridge side have dropped seven points to injury time goals and that has transformed their season from being on the fringes of the Play-Off places to being bottom of the division and cursing their luck.

Lumsden has built on what Martin started at Rovers with a much changed squad although he will need to ensure that the new recruits have the same ‘Crazy Gang’ approach that took Rovers up and kept them there.  He is very positive about his side’s chances of surviving and he will be proved right if they start taking the points they have in the bag after 89 minutes of play.

Key Player: Ciaran Donnelly – It was Albion Rovers’ 'Captain Courageous' that scored the penalty that kept Albion in the Second Division at the end of last season and they will need more heroics from him to do it a second time.  Donnelly needs to motivate and organise the Coatbridge players on the pitch to see out games much better in 2013.