10 Best Scottish Lower League Players This Week

1. Kenny Miller (Rangers)

Through the years many celebrities, sportsmen and icons have been bestowed with the nickname King. America’s equivalent to Shakin’ Stevens, Elvis Presley, or legendary grappler Jerry Lawler, for example. Surely though, there has been no finer recipient of the title, than King Kenneth Miller. Many were dubious of the decision to award Miller another year’s deal at Ibrox, a line of thought that does have some merit considering his less than stellar performances that generally involve running off the bench late in games, or being summoned to sit on the bench after starting, and failing to influence the on-field action. However, his three goal salvo against a wretched Dumbarton side surely not only justifies the deal, but also shows up the naysayers. His first was the funniest if not the best, involving a reasonably blatant handball, a collision with the goalkeeper and then shoogling it in while spread-eagle on the turf. Even at 36-yaers of age, the King is still finding new ways to score goals.

2. James Tavernier (Rangers)

When Rangers are pitted against a part-time club, it generally equates to a rather one-sided affair which involves little or no defending. An ideal scenario then for the man who, as the weeks have gone on, looks more and more like the blue Alan Hutton, rather than a similarly hued Cafu. Certainly the Sons had no answer to his attacking questions on Saturday, with the full-back spending about as much time in Dumbarton’s half as the Sons goalkeeper Mark Brown. He helped himself to a goal and three assists as Rangers cantered to a 6-0 victory.

3. Shane Sutherland (Peterhead)

Don’t get us wrong, we wish Peterhead nothing but best wishes and goodwill in their quest for promotion this season. But any club that still plays Dario G’s 1998 World Cup anthem Carnival De Paris as goal celebration music, really needs to have a long, hard look at itself. That said, if any game was worthy of goal music then it was this one, a 4-1 triumph for Peterhead over Stenhousemuir which lifted them to third in the League One table. Alan Cook scored a goal-of-the-season contender for Stenousemuir before Jamie Stevenson top-trumped it with a 35-yard stoater. Shane Sutherland didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet but with two assists to his credit, he was the game’s top man as Peterhead made it eight league games unbeaten. The Blue Toon may just be starting to chase down Ayr United.

4. Iain Russell (Queen of the South)

The unfortunate Iain Russell may look like pretty much every German that Harrison Ford ever punched in the face and threw off a truck in the Indiana Jones movies, but the deadly Doonhamer is currently playing into some excellent form. Queens have stuttered and staggered through the season so far, but their erratic form is still taking them in an upward direction. Their latest win, a comfortable 2-0 romp over Livingston inspired by Russell, pretty much exemplified the campaign to date: far too good to get caught up in the tawdry business at the foot of the table, but lacking the pizzazz to keep up with the Jones’ at the summit. Finishing fourth however, against the other mid-ranking mediocrities of Raith and Morton, hardly requires a huge leap of faith.

5. Paul Cairney (Stranraer)

It was only a matter of days ago that Ayr United fans were salivating over the third coming of Ryan Stevenson to the club, so it’s a little surprising that the opinions toward him appear to have turned a complete 180 degrees already, with “Get that Stevenson tae fuck” probably the choicest cut seen online on Saturday evening. Sadly for the Honest Men, Ayr’s title quest suddenly seems stuck in the muck, with four defeats in five leaving them nine points behind Dunfermline. This latest loss, a 1-0 dooking from Stranraer, was provided by a Jamie Longworth goal. But it was midfielder Paul Cairney who was the Blues main man, dominating the middle of the park which admittedly was shorn of Ayr’s brightest and best. It’s just two defeats in six now for Brian Reid’s men, who now reside in the comparative safety of eighth place after looking like League One’s bummest club just a fortnight ago.

6. Dylan McGeough (Hibernian)

It wasn’t particularly pleasing on the eye, but Hibernian’s 1-0 win over Raith Rovers was sorely required for the Easter Road club. That after their Ibrox mauling in their previous run out jolted both the Leith side’s confidence and league position. Indeed, Hibs’ excellent run of just one defeat in 16 matches has been a curious one to watch, with sides rarely dispatched with ease. And of their 14 three-pointers this season, nine have come by a single goal, with many resembling Saturday’s victory. A lack of width in the middle of the park means Stubbs is heavily reliant on the creativity of his central players and it was Dylan McGeough who was the most industrious on Saturday. As one sided as the victory was, it was only settled by a scuffed penalty from Jason Cummings and the feeling must be that unless Stubbs men can find a way to win matches with greater ease, they’ll surely start to drop points sooner rather than later. Maybe they need more strikers.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35218053

7. Michael Moffat (Dunfermline Athletic)

If we were to pick anyone who was involved in the Fife derby at the weekend, then Michael Moffat may not have made the top-ten. We may have picked Colin Nish for his wonderfully barbed comments after the game, which essentially suggested he believed the referee’s Christmas list had included a Pars onesie and an Allan Johnston mouse-mat. We might also have included the stretcher-bearer – who demonstrated the worst handling skills at East End Park since Raith ‘keeper Andy McNeil in the 2010-11 title shoot-out – after he dropped the injured Mark McAusland off his trolley, leading “Cheesey” to walk off in a strop. With those two unfortunately exempt, we’ve went for option C. The just about deserving Moffat, who rammed home an exquisite opening goal before supplying the winner after a Greig Spence equaliser. All in front of an encouraging crowd of over 5,500. The League One title fight isn’t finished, but a big fat female, and let’s face it, there’s plenty to choose from in Fife, is warming up her throat muscles.

8. Greg Rutherford (Arbroath)

Like so many teams in the wonderful world of League Two, it’s been an up and down season for Arbroath. But a second consecutive Angus derby win over Montrose sees them turn their gaze up the table rather than down. It seemed only right that the club’s 5000th league goal would be fired home by Bobby Linn, but it was striker Greg Rutherford who was the Smokies spark. Rutherford failed to establish himself in the Championship with Alloa last season, but the former Hartlepool trainee looked just the job during the Lichties 2-0 win at the weekend. The Mo’ on the other hand now look perilously close to the relegation play-off, with Paul Hegarty starting to come under some fire for another lacklustre campaign. Rumours that Dick Campbell has been spotted looking out his lucky bunnet are unconfirmed.

9. Andy Webster (St. Mirren)

Which Scottish footballing derby do you think is the most one sided? Hearts v Hibs must be up there, as was the Dundee variant until United decided to hand all their players over to Celtic. Cowdenbeath’s hold over East Fife is also an amusing one, with just two wins in 24 (twenty-four!) league fixtures for the Methil mob. As men against boys as these derbies obviously are, there’s one that surely towers above them all, in the shape of the Renfrewshire Royal Rumble, St. Mirren versus Morton. It’s now 17 years since the Ton came out on top in the fixture, while they’ve only won 10 times in 60 meetings since 1980. The fact they couldn’t win against a St. Mirren side that’s been proven to be utter bobbins makes you wonder if they ever will. Although Andy Webster’s fine performance in the middle of the back-four helped immeasurably. Can Alex Rae’s men now go on a run? The fact they’ve only won two consecutive league matches once since April 2014 would suggest that you probably shouldn’t stake your mortgage on it.

10. John Baird (Falkirk)

As everyone knows, if at first you don’t succeed, lop approximately four yards off each side of your pitch. Which is one of the most well used cliches in sport. Certainly Alloa have embraced that mantra after deciding that having a park that has so many rubber pellets on it there appears to be a flurry of Dolly Mixtures every time someone kicks the ball, just isn’t shite enough. Even though their park now has roughly the same dimensions as a beach towel, it didn’t do the home side a lick of good, as they once again lost without ever troubling the opposition back-line. John Baird on the other hand just can’t stop scoring and he kept his head on Saturday evening to knock home an Andy McNeil fumble to score his 15th goal of the season, keeping Falkirk up with the Championship leaders in the process. Peter Houston’s side may still not be regarded as contenders but with Hibernian and Rangers coming up before January fades, that could yet change.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35218052