1. Cammy Bell (Dundee United)
It was always going to take something out of the ordinary for Cammy Bell to be remembered for anything other than THAT goal for Motherwell. After all, the images of him blundering backwards into the net during Rangers play-off pumping, like a pensioner falling off a wedding dance-floor in a particularly funny You’ve Been Framed clip, are etched in folklore for eternity. Imagine our surprise then, when he top-trumped that moment with some sensational scenes at East End Park. Bell saved not one, not two, but three Pars penalties in the first period, as Dundee United went on to somehow win the match 3-1. The award of the third was a particular highlight, with all the Dunfermline players walking in the opposite direction, as if they knew scoring a penalty was a complete impossibility. Hilariously, it was.
2. Luca Gasparotto (Falkirk)
Raith Rovers fans picked the playlist for the pre-match and half-time tunes for their home match against Falkirk, but if they’d had prior knowledge of the soporific shambles which was to unfold before their very eyes, then maybe they’d have picked something more morose than MC Hammer. Listening to the combined back catalogues of The Smiths, Portishead and Bon Iver would have provided them with a more enthusiastic afternoon than what they viewed, as Falkirk put in a fine away performance, combining stout defending with sucker-punch, counter-attacking vim. Luca Gasparotto and David McCracken barely put a foot wrong in the centre of defence, but the Canadian international gets the nod for having a far better name. If McCracken’s parents had called their son Phil instead of David, this decision would have been completely different.
3. Jamie Insall (East Fife)
Whilst League One’s presumed biggest and best, Alloa and Livingston battled for supremacy at the the foot of the Ochil Hills, both Brechin and East Fife have managed to impressively sneak under the radar. Brechin pogoed to the summit of the table, while East Fife’s comfortable 2-0 win over Stranraer saw them mooch into fourth spot. Although there was much to admire last season about Gary Naysmith’s title-winning titans, it was always going to be difficult to replace the goals of Nathan Austin and Jamie Insall, so there was a huge sense of relief amongst the Fife support when the latter recently returned for a second loan spell from Hibernian. His two goals secured a deserved win for the Methilites, who are genuinely starting to resemble a contender rather than an also-ran.
4. Ryan Wallace (Albion Rovers)
Early days or not, this season is shaping up to be something of a dog’s dinner for Stenhousemuir. Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Albion Rovers at the Exsel Group Stadium means they now prop up the division, with 31 goals conceded in their 11 competitive fixtures to date. Neither side had a league win to their name going into this one, but that changed for the Wee Rovers after a one-sided second-period where Ryan Wallace scored one and was involved in two others as Stenny capitulated once again. It’s a scenario that now appears to be a weekly occurrence for Brown Ferguson’s men. Worrying times for the Warriors.
5. Conrad Balatoni (Ayr United)
It’s normally a sure-fire sign that all is not well within a club when one of its players is offering to pagger some its own travelling support. The fact that Thomas O’Ware was offering to do just that at the end of Morton’s rotten 2-1 loss to the Honest Men of Ayr United, should therefore be cause for Cappielow concern. As should their latest performance, which saw them deservedly extend their unwanted sequence of zero league wins this term. Ayr by comparison suddenly seem upwardly mobile, and while the signing of Gary Harkins garnered more attention, the acquisition of Conrad Balatoni has been equally astute, with the former Killie defender helping to shore up what had been a fairly shoddy looking defensive quartet up until now. Ayr expectations now seem hopeful, rather than hopeless.
6. Dale Hilson (Queen of the South)
Shock horror! A Queen of the South player makes it into the top 10, and it isn’t Stephen Dobbie. Wonders will truly never cease. In fairness, with a goal in the 3-1 win over a stinking St Mirren side, it would have been easy to select Dobbie the dynamic Doonhamer once again, but this result ably demonstrated that they’re far from a one-man-band. Dale Hilson was involved in two of the three goals, in what was arguably his best performance in a Queens jersey to date, as the Dumfries Dynamos continue to impress. The bogging Buddies now prop up the division, whilst their rubbish Renfrewshire neighbours Morton reside just a place above. Those derbies may double up as relegation scraps this season. Wonderful.
7. Scott Pittman (Livingston)
Last weekend’s Irn Bru Cup achieved the previously considered impossible, as all of Scotland united to cheer on the Amber Machine against the Celtic under-20 side. Normal service was resumed on Saturday though, as those same-self folk let out a groan of displeasure as they heard the biggest heels in Scottish football had brought a halt to the Alloa Athletic juggernaut by three-goals-to-one. Scott Pittman was at the heart of it, scoring the first and producing another fine performance, which was sorely required after the timid Livi surrender to Queens Park last time out in the league. As good as Pittman’s performance was, it only just pipped Jim Goodwin’s rugby tackle on Danny Mullen as the game’s stand-out vignette.
8. Andy Jackson (Brechin City)
While there were some comments of foolhardiness when it was announced Airdrieoninians would go full-time this season, the vast amount of opinions on the matter seemed to consider it a fine decision. After all, history tells you that full-time teams generally win this league. However, considering Airdrie’s meagre resources, it was difficult to fathom how the move from fielding fairly good part-time players, to some of the nation’s worst full-timers, could possibly move the club forward one single iota. They may still win the league of course, but after losing 3-2 to an Andy Jackson inspired Brechin City, the signs don’t look good. For Brechin though, these are changed days from last season’s wretchedness, with the side now preening themselves from the pinnacle of League One. It’s an incredible turnaround for manager Darren Dods, whom most fans would happily have had hung, drawn and quartered last term.
9. Chris Smith (Clyde)
Considering the plaudits which have come Clyde’s way in terms of the improved standard of their football, it took a straightforward blooter up the park to cement the three points in their 3-2 win over Arbroath. A goal-kick, a bounce, and a swish of Peter MacDonald’s right foot was all that was involved in the match-winning strike, and the direct route may be required more often in the immediate future after Dylan Easton was forced off with a serious looking injury in the closing stages [ed: he’s since been ruled out for most of the season]. Defender Chris Smith was awarded the man-of-the-match prize for his towering show, and he’s presumably upping his game so as not to be lumbered with the ultimate ignominy: being dropped for new signing Ross Perry.
10. Lewis Stevenson (Hibernian)
Considering Neil Lennon presumably does most things in an ugly manner, it’s no surprise that he can command his football team to win in the same gnarly, pock-marked, hideous fashion. There certainly wasn’t much glamour or glitter about this 1-0 win over Dumbarton, with the winning goal coming after Grant Holt went down somewhat softly in the area, allowing Jason Cummings to skelp in a penalty. Despite the low enjoyment factor on offer, Lewis Stevenson was his productive self down the left, both defending well and sending in a number of good crosses, which Cummings, Holt and eventually Brian Graham all managed to make a complete hash of. With Alloa losing to Livingston, only Hibernian and Forfar now retain a 100 per cent record in the lower leagues.
Written by Shaughan McGuigan