10. Chris Smith (Clyde)
Played 28, won two, drawn nine, lost 17. It’s probably fair to say that Arbroath’s form in the calendar year of 2015 leaves a bit to be desired. Todd Lumsden’s gang of ragamuffins continued their dismal run on Saturday, going down by a goal-to-nil in a fairly forgettable duke-it-out with Barry Ferguson’s Clyde. While JP McGovern had a fine debut for the away side in the middle of the park, showing a decent eye for a pass, it was the defensive side of the Bully Wee which dragged them through. Scott Linton seemed a fine addition to the set-up during the summer, and while he impressed at left-back, it was Chris Smith who contributed the most, nodding in a ninth minute goal, clearing a shot off his line and generally heading away every ball that the Smokies foolishly punted into his general vicinity. Clyde have a difficult looking sequence of fixtures coming up against the likes of East Fife and Annan, but for Arbroath, every match appears to be difficult, no matter who the opponent is.
9. Jordon Brown (Peterhead)
Rory McAllister may be the big-dog at the Blue Toon when it comes to plundering back-fours, but midfielder Jordon Brown has quietly made a name for himself at Peterhead for also providing vital goals. Brown’s headed opener on Saturday was already his fifth goal of the campaign, but it wasn’t enough to see off Darren Young’s dogged and determined Wee Rovers team, who responded via Ally Love. Both outfits now reside just outside the League One play-off spots, a more welcome position for Albion Rovers, who are continuing to confound somewhat low expectations. Jim McInally’s team won only eight home matches in League One last season and that frustrating Balmoor form looks to have also leaked into the current campaign.
8. Jamie Longworth (Stranraer)
“JAMIE LONGWORTH HE SCORES WHEN HE WANTS” was the bold claim from the pleasingly partisan Stranraer match commentator during their 1-0 win over Brechin on Saturday. However, if that declaration is accurate, you’d really have to call into the question the attitude of a man who could literally score whenever he desired, but had amassed just two goals in eight games. That Longworth didn’t add to his tally had little to do with Brechin’s defence, which once again resembled a collection of incoherent, imbibed shambletons, lurching from one disastrous calamity to the next, like the Keystone Cops in colour. The goal was a case in point, with Darren McCormack getting himself in a real pickle, allowing Longworth through on goal who applied a composed finish. Brechin boss Darren Dods has much to work on.
7. Graeme Holmes (Alloa Athletic)
It’s the question which is vexing the nation, what is wrong with Dumbarton? Steve Aitken’s team building expertise was rightly praised during the summer, while early wins over Hibernian and St. Mirren created a hubbub, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since Kevin Bacon’s brash and bold big city character arrived in some backwater town in Footloose. However, the Sons have been dogged by poor form since, and Danny Lennon’s Alloa team were the latest side to cash in on their lethargy. The reintroduction of grizzly Graeme Holmes into Alloa’s midfield allowed the more creative and fleet-footed Connor McManus to get forward, bringing a more balanced look to Alloa’s shape. Holmes grabbed the opening goal in the 2-0 win, turning home a McManus free-kick to give the Wasps a deserved lead which they rarely looked like losing. Eddie Ferns provided some gloss to a result, which lifts Alloa above Livingston into ninth.
6. Bobby Barr (Greenock Morton)
Oh how we laughed, giggled and tittered when Morton revealed they’d appointed Jim Duffy as their manager in May last year. “He’s mair like Jim Guffy” we said, prior to Morton pipping a cluster of clubs to win League One. “He’ll be mair like Jim Huffy when they go doon” we proclaimed, right before Morton swaggered into the play-off positions after just one defeat in five matches. Maybe we were mistaken. They were at it again on Saturday, humbling a Livingston side who look alarmingly poor. As is often the case, it was an old hand that did the damage. Bobby Barr, a former Livi Lion for three years at the start of this decade, scored the third in a 4-2 win, as he continued his fine start to the season. With Dumbarton next up, Big Jim could prove the #trollz and #haterz wrong for a while longer yet.
5. Andy Webster (St. Mirren)
It’s a fine pointer to just how bowfing St. Mirren have been this season that, to most observers, Queen of the South were heavy favourites to inflict more misery onto Ian Murray’s men on Saturday. However, while one win is hardly cast iron evidence that the Buddies have sorted out their rum ramshackleness, the experienced spine which ran through the starting XI – Jamie Langfield, Andy Webster, Jim Goodwin and Steven Thompson – at least gives some cause for optimism. No don’t laugh, it does. It was Thompson who waded in with a goal and an assist, but Webster was the stand-out, looking impressively imperious as Queens withered in front of him. The win leaves St. Mirren in the giddy heights of eighth place, and their mettle will be tested in the next few weeks with three matches against teams who are all eyeing up the play-offs.
4. Josh Todd (Annan Athletic)
East Fife may have been impressing most observers as they swaggered to the top of League Two last week, but their defeat to a Josh Todd inspired Annan side on Saturday knocked Naysmith’s noblemen down to fourth. It was Terrace top-boi Smarticus Osadolor who was the provider of Todd’s opening goal, which also doubled up as a how-not-to-take-a-corner routine from East Fife, with the ball hitting the back of their own net 14 seconds after they attempted to flight a set-piece into Annan’s box. Todd also smacked the crossbar with a fine strike in the second period, while East Fife ‘keeper Ryan Goodfellow denied him a double with an excellent save late on. With one point separating the top six points in League Two, it’s shaping up to be Scotland’s most exciting division.
3. Joe Cardle (Dunfermline Athletic)
There was something of a role-reversal in the battle of the Athletics on Saturday. Not in terms of the match itself, where the Pars continued to rag-doll an opponent, possibly demolishing any semblance of hope of a title-race in the process, but in the case of goal taker, and goal facilitator. For the first few weeks of the campaig, we’ve spoken of the chances created by Joe Cardle and Michael Paton, opportunities that have been greedily gobbled up by Faissal El Bhakatoui. However, It was the other way round during Saturday’s one-sided, 4-0 win over Forfar, as the Moroccan teed up Cardle for his hat-trick in the 69th minute with a fine pass through the ragged Loon line. With 21 goals in five league matches, Alan Johnston’s side are looking a safe bet for League One, especially now they’ve added Mickael Antoine-Curier to their roster.
2. Gedion Zelalem (Rangers)
To receive one tricky trickster on-loan from north London seems plenty enough, to get two, well that just doesn’t seem fair at all. After around half-an-hour of Rangers romp to victory on Saturday, Zelalem looked the most impressive player on show, before his colleague Nathan Oduwa gripped the match by the scruff of its collar and dictated it to his will. If Zelalem wasn’t the man-of-the-match, he was a close second though, happily picking up the ball from Rangers back-four and running from deep, leaving skitterish opponents in his wake. The campaign is still in it’s infancy, but this season’s Rangers, initially at least, compares favourably to the Hearts side which ran away with the Championship last time round.
1. Nathan Oduwa (Rangers)
There was a moment on Saturday after Nathan Oduwa rampaged into the penalty area to win Rangers second spot-kick of the afternoon, where even some of the assembled press throng felt compelled to applaud the ingenuity of Oduwa’s display. For a split second, I also considered showing some kind of appreciation of his outrageous skill, then I realised my team were about to go 5-0 down and I had to repress my urge to snap their clappy digits like breadsticks. That aside, Oduwa’s performance, at times, was nothing short of remarkable. Described in some quarters as a show pony on his arrival in Scottish football, he looked more like Seabiscuit on Saturday, flummoxing Raith players left-right and centre. Sure, he provided some flicks and showboatery, but they had a purpose, rather than just an unnecessary garnish, as Rangers ran up another five-goal tally. The on-loan Tottenham man has made a fine start to his Ibrox stay.
Written by Shaughan McGuigan (@ShaughanM)
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