Resident statto @splstats looks at some of the numbers from the weekend games, which saw Angus Beith score the 10,000th SPFL goal.
7 – St Mirren extended their lead at the top of the Ladbrokes Championship thanks to a 2-0 victory over Dumbarton at the Your Radio 103FM Stadium. The Buddies’ last defeat came in their previous meeting with Dumbarton in early December. After that loss, Saints were a point behind Dundee United but since then Jack Ross’s side have picked up six wins and a draw to move eight points clear at the top.
8 – Falkirk boosted their chances of escaping the Ladbrokes Championship relegation play-off spot after beating Morton 1-0 at Cappielow on Saturday. The Bairns have earned three wins in their last five league matches, having previously picked up just one win all season (also against Morton). Cappielow has been a happy hunting ground for Falkirk over the last few years – Saturday’s win extended their unbeaten league run in Greenock to eight league matches. Morton’s last home league victory against Falkirk was in March 2013; since then the Bairns have picked up four wins and four draws in the Championship although Jim Duffy’s men won a Scottish Cup tie between the teams 12 months ago.
8 – Raith Rovers drew 1-1 with Ayr United at Stark’s Park on Saturday to remain a point clear of Ian McCall’s team at the top of Ladbrokes League 1. Barry Smith’s side are now unbeaten in eight matches, with their last defeat coming against Peterhead in the Scottish Cup back in November. Rovers have not lost any of their last five home matches against the Honest Men; Ayr’s last victory in Kirkcaldy was in November 2011.
10,000 – On-loan Hearts midfielder Angus Beith netted the 10,000th goal of the SPFL era in Stranraer’s 3-2 victory over Airdrieonians in Ladbrokes League 1. Beith’s winning goal found the net at 4:29pm, just 14 seconds after former Hearts team-mate Russell McLean had scored for Peterhead against Stirling Albion to take the total to 9,999. By the end of the day, the tally had reached 10,008 goals from 3,510 league matches across the four divisions since the start of the 2013/14 season, an average of 2.85 per game. Beith’s goal helped Stranraer beat Airdrie for the third time in a row at Stair Park and elevated them to within two points of the promotion play-off places.
7 – Montrose remain a point clear at the top of Ladbrokes League 2 thanks to their 2-0 victory over Edinburgh City at Ainslie Park. The Gable Endies have picked up six wins and a draw in their last seven away league matches, and have only lost one league game away from home all season. Saturday’s shut-out was their fifth consecutive clean sheet on their travels, equalling a club record set between September and November 1984. That 1984/85 campaign finished with The Gable Endies winning the old Second Division, their first and, so far, only league title win – Stewart Petrie and his side will be hoping for a repeat this time around.
