1. Greg Fleming (Ayr United)
Imagine a scenario where watching your team miss two penalties in the dying moments of a game isn’t the honest-to-goodness silliest thing you’ve watched them do all season. Just imagine. That’s the situation Dunfermline fans found themselves in on Saturday though, as Kallum-with-a-K- Higginbotham saw his two penalties pushed away by Ayr goalkeeper Greg Fleming, during the sides 1-1 draw. After seeing three spot-kicks saved by Cammy Bell earlier in the season, Pars fans must be close to stopping celebrating the award of a penalty, since they appear to provide the team with less chance of a goal than a corner or throw-in. The result saw Ayr remain seventh, while Allan Johnston’s men slip to ninth, albeit well clear of the ever-increasingly doomed looking St. Mirren.
2. William Edjenguele (Dundee United)
Wrestler Adam Joseph Copeland and guitarist David Howell Evans may both think they’re the most famous Edge, but along at Tannadice there’s a third contender for that particular crown. Central defender William “The Edge” Edjenguele strolled his way through Dundee United’s 1-0 win over Hibernian on Friday evening, as The Terrors moved level on points with the Leith lightweights at the top of the Championship. It was another performance to forget for Hibs, although Grant Holt’s will live long in the memory, as he produced one of the angriest displays we’ve seen in some time: kicking, elbowing, stamping and glowering his way through a miserable 90 minutes. We’d suggest some chamomile tea to help him chill out a bit. Not too many sugars though, Grant.
3. Lee Miller (Falkirk)
Maybe Jack Ross needs to contemplate narrowing the lines at the Paisley 2021 Stadium. Certainly something needs to change, as St. Mirren made it 14 league games without a win with this 3-1 loss to a Falkirk side who appeared there for the taking in the opening stages of the fixture. That the Bairns turned it around and secured all three points could be partly attributable to two men, Lee Miller and Jack Baird. Miller, for his equaliser and energetic performance up-top, and Baird, who inexplicably decided that he’d bop Miller in the nose at the end of the first period, at a time when Ross’ team looked the likeliest winners. Falkirk move up to third, while St. Mirren start to contemplate road trips to Methil and Coatbridge.
4. David Smith (Dumbarton)
Considering the general consensus amongst Dumbarton fans seemed to be that Steve Aitken’s time was coming to an end down the Cheaper Insurance Direct Stadium way, the current Championship table makes for some interesting reading. Saturday’s 2-1 win sees the Sons eighth, 10 (ten) points clear of the automatic relegation place and in fact closer to the promotion play-offs than bottom. The weekend victory may have arrived with a almighty dollop of good fortune, but if they stay up through lucky victories like this one, then it’s still job done. Not for the first time this season, Queens failed to capitalise on their dominance. But Dumbarton defended well, restricting the Doonhamers to bits, bobs and scraps, with right-back David Smith arguably the pick of the bunch. With six consecutive defeats, new manager Gary Naysmith may have his work cut out to restore confidence at Palmerston Park.
5. Ryan McGeever (Queens Park)
Fair play to Webster the Spider. He may look both terrifying and borderline racist, but he’s proved a real lucky mascot since being brought in earlier this season. Their 2-0 win over Brechin City lifted them to fifth in the table, while for Darren Dods’ team this was their fourth defeat in six outings. The Glebe Park hedge-trimmers may still be handily located in third place, but their season appears to be slipping into the good category, rather than great. The result was thanks in part to a storming performance from captain Ryan McGeever, who helped restrict Brechin to slim pickings at one end, while nodding in a corner to put Queens firmly in control at the other. It would be over-egging the pudding to suggest the Spiders could challenge for the play-offs, but with 20 points from just 15 games, they look in good nick achieve their goal of staying in the division.
6. Andy Ryan (Airdrieonians)
Considering how often we get our predictions incorrect here at The Terrace, it should come as no surprise that we were seemingly way off the mark when it came to Airdrieonians latest managerial appointments. The Clyde Super-Duper Scoreboard dream team of Mark Wilson and Gordon Dalziel can seemingly do no wrong at the moment, with this 4-2 win over Peterhead making it six league wins in a row, lifting them from fifth to just a point behind leaders Livingston in the process. The latest victory came via two goals and an assist from Andy Ryan, taking him to 13 goals for the season as the Diamonds became the latest side to disprove the adage that Peterhead is a difficult place to go to. With Alloa wobbling of late, Livingston’s main title rivals could well come from North Lanarkshire.
7. Shane Sutherland (Elgin City)
Montrose moved to appoint Stewart Petrie as their new manager on Sunday, and it couldn’t come a moment too soon with the Angus club flunking to the bottom of the League Two table after yet another bodying, this time from Elgin. A 4-1 defeat to one of the promotion favourites is hardly an embarrassment, especially when you take into consideration the minging Mo’ spent 85 minutes of the match shorthanded after Terry Masson was dismissed in the game’s opening moments. However, Petrie has his work cut out if he’s to avoid the relegation play-off with a team who’ve yet to win a home game this term. As for Elgin, they snapped back into form after three straight defeat. Shane Sutherland took the man-of-the-match award, with his 14th goal of the season helping City back up to second. However, they’ll need far greater consistency to cut the gap on Forfar.
8. Ousman See (Edinburgh City)
Edinburgh City played the role of party-poopers on Saturday, as they ruined Hilda Forrester’s 100th birthday celebration. The Red Lichtie supporting centurion led the teams out on Saturday, but she watched Dick Campbell’s team lose for the first time in nine matches, as Edinburgh made it eight games unbeaten with the 1-0 win. While goalkeeper Calum Antell and forward Craig Beattie arrived with much fanfare and hoopla in the summer, it’s two other players in those positions which are providing the impetus to drive City up the table. Andrew Stobie kept his third clean sheet in four matches, while Ousman See’s goal made it five in nine starts as the Citizens moved up to eighth. Fingers crossed the rest of Hilda’s birthday celebrations were more successful.
9. Scott Pittman (Livingston)
The Amber Machine kept their lead at the top of League One, but only just, after a 1-0 win against an obdurate Albion Rovers team. While Livingston enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the second period against Darren Young’s team, they failed to create too many genuine chances and looked to be dropping to second until Nicky Cadden fired in a last minute penalty to turn the game. It was a role reversal from during the week, when Rovers were the final-second winners against Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup, but the home side lacked anyone who could hold a candle to Livingston midfielder Scott Pittman, who continues to shine this term. Livingston’s tussle with Airdrie a week on Saturday could very well be the the match of the weekend.
10. Kris Renton (Cowdenbeath)
For about 85 minutes on Saturday, Cowdenbeath versus Clyde appeared to getting the exact result it deserved. The match had been a desperate, Godforesaken spectacle, with neither side seemingly capable of producing the basics. Like trench warfare in footballing form, it seemed a hellish and pointless exercise – quite literally from a Clyde point of view, as Cowdenbeath won all three – thanks to Scottish football’s worst goal of the weekend. A huge blooter up the park from David McGurn was left well alone by the Clyde central-defenders, Bully Wee ‘keeper John Gibson then bumped into Brian Ross and fell on his bahookie, allowing Kris Renton to dump a header into the turf and into the net. It was more total mess than total football. Renton wouldn’t mind though, with his goal a just reward for one of the better performances on display. Cowdenbeath move up to sixth, but it’s still ridiculously tight in League Two.
Written by Shaughan McGuigan