Craig Telfer from the website Tell Him He’s Pele looks at some of the top performers in the Championship, League 1 and League 2 so far this season.
Three months into 2014/15 and patterns and trends have begun to emerge. After a little uncertainty during the opening weeks of the campaign, it is becoming clearer which sides are likely to challenge for honours, and which teams will be scrambling to avoid relegation.
A number of players have also established themselves as key figures this term. In the Championship, it would be easy to hail the performances of the Heart of Midlothian midfield or Lewis Macleod at Rangers, but this column intends to be a little more thoughtful than listing the obvious talent from the second tier.
Queen of the South have put recent managerial upheaval behind them to sit in the comfort of third place, and Gavin Reilly has been central to their rise up the Championship. The striker is the division’s top scorer with seven goals but to simply look at his record is to perhaps miss the point. An intelligent, technical player, Reilly’s main strength is his positioning and awareness and his ability to find and use space. During the Doonhamers’ brief sojourn in the Second Division in 2012/13, Nicky Clark might have taken the plaudits with his astonishing strike rate but Reilly was arguably the better player during the campaign - it is little surprise to see the 21-year-old continue his development in the second tier.
Christian Nade has had his critics in the past but the big forward has made a very decent start to his Raith Rovers career. While perhaps ill-suited to playing the role of the lone striker – chasing long balls and working the channels is inappropriate for a player of his skill – he looks best when partnered in attack, and has shown some lovely touches over the course of season. Three goals, over a fifth of his side’s total, is a fine return for someone seen as more of a support striker than an out-and-out goalscorer.
It feels as though Craig Sibbald has been around for ages – the 19-year-old made his Falkirk debut in July 2011 and was the apparent subject of interest from a number of English Premier League clubs – but only now does he have a defined role with the Bairns. Sibbald’s progress might have been overshadowed by the likes of Jay Fulton and Conor McGrandles but since their departures to Swansea City and Norwich City respectively, he has been recast as a central playmaker. Far more effective through the middle than he is on the left flank, Sibbald’s performance in the recent 6-0 demolition of Cowdenbeath highlighted his ability and Peter Houston would do well to keep him there for the time being.
In League 1, Forfar Athletic’s bright start has been the most eye-catching facet to the season so far. Almost anyone from their starting XI could be selected for scrutiny – take your pick! – but big Rab Douglas perhaps deserve praise more than most. The goalkeeper is enjoying a renaissance at Station Park and is having his finest campaign in recent years, keeping four clean sheets in 11 games. The 42-year-old might not be the division’s best shot-stopper but his willingness to spring from his goal-line and claim cross balls, as well as his communication and organisation, is vital – such is Douglas’s command of his area that he is rarely called upon to even make a save.
More was expected from Dunfermline Athletic so far but, although some supporters are quietly concerned with recent performances, centre-back Gregor Buchanan has excelled. The 24-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise over the last 12 months and is probably one of League 1’s finest defenders. He can head, kick and tackle like most stoppers but what marks him above his peers is his increasing maturity and his leadership qualities – watch the way he organises and marshals the back four and talks them through matches. Although this is only his first year in full-time football Buchanan is certainly a future captain in the making and, in time, could play one level higher.
Thomas O’Ware might have the unwelcome tag of Morton’s “utility man” but that’s exactly why he merits inclusion. Nominally a defender, he has played through the spine of the team – centre-back, central midfield, striker – at various points of the season and has done very well when called upon, regardless of where he is fielded. O’Ware is also developing a habit of scoring goals at the most opportune moments. He has three in the league this season – his first was the injury-time winner at Peterhead, and his most recent was an equaliser against Dunfermline at the weekend, setting the Ton up for a 2-1 win. Additional recruitments in January might see O’Ware revert to centre-back on a more permanent basis but Jim Duffy’s willingness to use him in a variety of positions is testament to his all-round ability and versatility.
Arbroath are running away with League 2 and, like Forfar, any one of their players could be singled out. The young Canadian Dylan Carreiro, signed on loan from Dundee, might have only played in six of their 10 league matches but has made a tremendous impact – simply put, he is too good for the basement division. An attacking midfielder, Carreiro uses the ball well and plays with poise and intelligence. He has scored four times already, including the solitary goal in a narrow win at Annan Athletic and in the weekend’s routing of local rivals Montrose. Carreiro’s deal with the Lichties expires in January and keeping him until the end of the season must be seen as a priority for Allan Moore.
Queen’s Park have made an outstanding start to the year and Gus MacPherson deserves an enormous amount of credit for assembling such a fine squad of players. The Spiders play an attractive brand of football, with the ball knocked around the park with speed and economy. Their best players so far have been Vinnie Berry and Darren Miller, two pugnacious central midfielders who have struck up a fine partnership in the middle of the park. Berry is the more nuanced of the two, preferring to dictate play with short, sharp passes. Miller, meanwhile, is a more swashbuckling proposition with a willingness to get forward – he has four goals in all competitions, including a thumping last-minute drive in their Scottish Cup win over Gretna 2008.
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