1. Ryan Stevenson (Ayr United)
After a disappointingly low-key start to his umpteenth spell at Ayr United, Ryan Stevenson rolled back the years on Saturday with a virtuoso show in the Honest Men’s 3-1 win over Albion Rovers. The game was pretty much home and hosed in the first five minutes, thanks in no small part to Stevenson’s second goal, a strike that Paul Merson would probably describe as a “worldy”, before promptly mispronouncing his name. In a weekend of fine goals, Stevenson arguably scored the best. Receiving the ball from a throw-in on the right hand side, he cut in and unleashed a tremendous drive past Ross Stewart. Stevenson probably had a tattoo of the effort, etched somewhere on his silly looking body by Monday. After four defeats in five games, the fear is that Ayr have given themselves far too much to do in terms of challenging those pesky Pars, but with games coming up against Dunfermline and Peterhead in the next three weeks, the title picture should be far clearer by the middle of February.
2. Frazer Wright (Dumbarton)
Fife Council recently spent £9,000,000 on a new sea wall to protect the promenade, but they could have saved a packet by simply hiring Frazer Wright, who, based on Saturday’s evidence, could probably have headed, blocked and hacked any stray waves back into the Forth. Both he and central defensive partner Gregor Buchanan created a formidable obstacle to the Raith side, so much so that even the return of roly-poly-goalie Jamie Ewings, who hadn’t featured for the first-team since 2014, wasn’t a worry. Even when Ewings was beaten, Wright was on hand to clear the ball off the line not once but twice from Louis Longridge in a matter of seconds, while he also managed to escape censure for blootering Mark Stewart in the penalty area when he only had the keeper to beat. Equal parts hero and rogue, Wright is probably the Dumbarton equivalent of Han Solo.
3. Liam Henderson (Hibernian)
Hibs moved up to second place in the Champiosnhip, thanks to a combination of a comfortable 3-1 win over St. Mirren and Falkirk frittering away two points at the Tony Macaroni Arena against Livingston. In the absence of Dylan McGeouch, it was Liam Henderson who was at the hub of Hibs goodness, starting the ball rolling with a fizzing free-kick from outside the area. Henderson had looked jaded recently, but seems to be rediscovering his form which initially, at least, made him look like an astute signing from Alan Stubbs. He did that despite finding himself up against a Buddies team who now seem to be moulded into the image of their manager, Alex Rae. Namely a niggly gang of bludgeoners, although their roughhousery failed to have the required effect, as the 3-1 score could and probably should have been a lot more. Next up for Hibernian is the League Cup semi-final, where they’ll be desperate to win through for the opportunity to lose 3-0 to Celtic in the final.
4. Barrie McKay (Rangers)
The knowledgeable and erudite Derek Rae is rarely incorrect, but when he made the bold claim on Monday evening that the Cappielow faithful used to cheer on Barrie McKay, his comment was more wide of the mark than a Pa Saikou Kujabi free-kick. McKay rarely impressed during his loan spell, and his stilted, listless performances for Kenny Shiels rank-rotten Morton imposters were rarely cheered to the creaking Cappielow rafters. His showing on Monday during the away side’s 2-0 win ably illustrates the leaps-and-bounds that the player has made to his game under Warburton, while his goal was the highlight of a bristling, enjoyable match. Well, unless you preferred Andy Halliday’s dismissal; the funniest red-card in Scottish football since Rowan Vine and his massive beard were sent packing for making a GIRUY gesture to a Cowdenbeath fan in 2014. While much has been made of James Tavernier and Martyn Waghorn this season, there’s a creeping feeling that McKay may actually be the Mark Warburton’s most important player.
5. Kyle Wilkie (East Fife)
After a shoogly-woogly couple of months for East Fife, which saw them win just two league games across October and December, four victories in five has propelled them back up the League Two table to third. The latest triumph, a 3-1 win against the trapdoor troublers East Stirlingshire, was inspired by left-midfielder Kyle Wilkie and proved that while East Fife are somewhat reliant on Falkirk bound front-man Nathan Austin, that reliance isn’t complete. Dove-tailing effectively with gaffer Naysmith behind him, Wilkie may lack the pace and trickery of Elgin’s Dylan Easton, but with seven goals to his name this term, he arguably surpasses the Elgin playmaker in terms of final product. The latest of his strikes came on Saturday, cutting in from the left and firing past Richard Barnard. And it was his skills in the penalty area which got poor Aron Lynas in a fankle, with the defender bringing down Wilkie in the box. With a four point cushion between the Fife and fifth place Clyde, their meeting this Saturday should be an absolute barn-burner.
6. Wullie Gibson (Stranraer)
He’s oor Wullie, your Wullie, but most importantly for Brian Reid, he’s Stranraer’s Wullie. While Cowdenbeath’s 2-0 home defeat to Stranraer was a sobering affair for the home side, for Reid’s team it was an eye-opening look at what exactly his team is capable of, especially with the added x-factor that is the freshly added Gibson. It was his exquisitely taken free-kick which opened the scoring, and as he was the last time he was at Stranraer, he was the player who always looked most likely to add a certain something to a match, which the away side should have won by a larger margin. After a successful few weeks for Cowdenbeath, the loss of loan players Andy Murdoch and Gordon Smith – the latter of whom inexplicably swapped Cowdenbeath for Australia – looks a serious blow. Despite recent claims they could cause some angst amongst the contenders at the top of the division, staying in the league may be a more realistic aim.
7. Darren Brownlie (Queen of the South)
It was another helping of stodge down Palmerston way on Saturday, but a win’s a win and all that. Queens latest, a 1-0 victory over Alloa Athletic, moved James Fowler’s team level on points with Raith Rovers, although they remain fifth due to an inferior goal-difference. But with the Dumfries side having more momentum behind them at the moment, there’s a growing feeling that Queen of the South could be the least worst of the detritus out-with the top-three in the Championship. Darren Brownlie hasn’t had the best of seasons after leaving Cowdenbeath in the summer, but on Saturday he impressed more than most after moving back infield to replace the injured Chris Higgins. Restored to the centre of defence, the young defender looked far more at home as the Doonhamers kept the Wasps at arms length for the majority of the game. It’s fourth versus fifth next week, as Queens travel to Kirkcaldy, as the battle to see who is eliminated from the play-offs first intensifies.
8. Lewis Spence (Brechin City)
It’s obviously trite to say, but these aren’t exactly halcyon days for either Brechin City or Airdrieonians. Eddie Wolecki Black has failed to rustle up too much improvement since assuming control of the Airdrie manager’s office, with his recent signing of 32-year-old Hugo Faria on a two-and-a-half year deal raising eyebrows, heckles or guffaws, depending on your point-of-view. His counterpart on Saturday, the down-on-his-luck Darren Dods, is faring even worse. His basement boys are seemingly bereft of the attributes required to pry themselves off the bottom. Despite this murky doom-and-gloom, however, the two managed to conjure up the game of the weekend, with the 3-3 draw featuring some fleeting moments of skill in amongst the wonderfully inept defending. Recent loan signing Lewis Spence was the main contributor of the aforementioned positives, with his first-half strike a 50/50 collaboration of impudence and ingenuity. If Brechin are to survive in the third tier, Spence will need to emulate, and possibly surpass, the form of the recently departed Isaac Layne.
9. Andrew Steeves (Montrose)
Barry Ferguson’s misfiring Clyde team slipped out of the play-off places altogether on Saturday evening, not helped at all by Michael Bolochoweckyj’s straight red card, a dismissal which must have dismayed the referee as much as the player, as he realised he’d have to write his ridiculous name into his book. Montrose defender Andrew Steeves was the man-of-the-match, closely edging out Montrose’s number nine, a player who was listed as B Trialist, a pseudonym that becomes slightly confusing due to the complete lack of anyone listed as A Trialist. Regardless, B Trialist did score a fine goal, prompting the Montrose PA to scream GOAL for a long time over the tannoy, presumably attempting to emulate the South American’s penchant for such a thing, but instead he came across as a slightly deviant sounding fairground attendant. A few weeks back Clyde were being touted as potential league winners, while Montrose prepared themselves for a relegation scrap. Now, only three points separate these sides. We’ve said it a gazillion times, but League Two is brilliant.
10. Jordan Lowdon (Arbroath)
Annan Athletic may look hunky-dory against cannon-fodder like Hamilton Academical, but when it comes to squaring up against decent sides, like East Fife and Arbroath, they’re failing to cut any condiment, never mind the mustard. Their 2-1 defeat to the Angus side was their fourth successive League Two defeat, a sequence which has seen them slipping and sliding from the top spot to fourth, in a matter of weeks. Despite the slim margin of victory, Arbroath looked streets ahead of Jim Chapman’s strugglers, and none more so than left-back Jordan Lowdon, who appears a different player from the one who looked so tepid and timid earlier in the campaign. Not only does the 22-year-old now look adroit at the back, the former Celtic player’s surging runs are now a constant source of attacking intent for the revitalised Red Lichties. Good performance or not however, Lowdon is banned from appearing further up the list, for having a hairstyle which features two ponytails.