Points to be made in cup showdowns

Aug 15 2008 by Our Correspondent, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE chase for vital points in the ACA Sports League Cup, Section Two, continues tomorrow.

Luncarty have the section leaders, Kinnoull, as their guests at Brownlands Park while Jeanfi eld Swifts entertain Scone Thistle at the Riverside Stadium.

The situation in both games is very similar with Kinnoull and Jeanfield Swifts chasing points which will see them continue as the leading contenders in the race to finish as the section winners.

The other side of the coin is that Luncarty and Scone have to win if they are to remain as challengers for this prize which, of course, carries with it a place in the semi finals of this competition.

Kinnoull and Luncarty had differing fortunes in midweek. While Kinnoull had a 3–0 win over Bankfoot at Tulloch Park, Luncarty went down 2–1 at home to Jeanfield Swifts.

The Bleachers went into the game against Swifts as the section leaders but their defeat saw Kinnoull leapfrog them to go top.

Should they fail to win against Kinnoull, the Bleachers will find it difficult to remain as contenders in the race to win the section.

Alan Williams, the Bleachers’ boss, was hit by a rash of late call offs for the game with Swifts. However, Alan is upbeat about the clash with Kinnoull as his squad will be almost back to full strength. He expects to have 16 or 17 players available.

Kinnoull boss Scott Brown is delighted to see his squad topping the section. Scott felt that their win over Bankfoot was deserved although he did say that the Bankies were a difficult side to break down and it was no easy victory.

Scott had a couple of trialist strikers in his squad and they both showed up well. One of them capped his performance with two well taken goals. Scott expects to have them back in his squad for the game against Luncarty.

Stuart Nicol will again be missing with the knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines for Kinnoull’s last three games.

Eddie O’Connor expects to have the same squad of 16 as did duty in the midweek game.

Scone Thistle had a bye in midweek which allowed one or two players who picked up knocks last Saturday to recover, the one exception being Scott McManus. The striker was involved in a clash of heads last week and will be out for the next two or three weeks.

Thistle boss Derek Adam is hopeful of having two new signings on board for this game. They have both impressed in the games they have played for Thistle and Derek expects to have a squad of 17 available.

Blairgowrie and Coupar Angus both had terrific results in their midweek away games in the DJ Laing League Cup section three.

Blair were guests of super league champions Lochee United and they held them to a 2–2 draw. By all accounts Blair were unfortunate not to come away with all three points.

Coupar Angus did just that in their game with Downfield, winning 2–1.

Tomorrow Coupar and Blair meet at Foxhall Park and this looks like being a cracker of a derby clash.

Blair are the section leaders while Coupar, who are third in the section, are just a point behind them.

Blair are looking for a win that will consolidate their position as the section leaders.

If Coupar win they will topple Blair and will take over the leadership spot, so it’s all to play for at Foxhall Park.

Coupar will be without Mark Traynor and Paul Cruickshanks for this game as they are both injured. Striker Ian Petrie is doubtful as he took a knock against Downfield. On the credit side Willie Laing returns. Coupar expect to have a squad of 17 or 18 available.

Blair will go into this game without their skipper Mark Brash, who is unavailable, and still out with injuries are Mark Nugent and Kevin Hirons. Mark Christinson returns and the trialist striker who was on the mark with a well taken goal against Lochee United is in the squad, which is expected to number 16 or 17.

Kinnoull have placed midfield player Jamie Reilly on the open to transfer list at his own request. All enquiries should be directed to Kinnoull secretary, Graeme Chalmers, tel. 01738 630326.

Midweek games

KINNOULL went in at the interval in their game against Bankfoot leading by 2–0.

Gary Sweeney in 15 minutes and their trialist striker in 43 minutes were the scorers. The trialist made it 3–0 in 67 minutes to complete the scoring.

Kinnoull’s Chris Anton was red carded in the 71st minute after picking up a second caution.

Luncarty found themselves two goals behind in their game with Jeanfield Swifts.

Gerrard Kelly in two minutes and John Anderson in 30 minutes were the goal scorers. Chris Dudek pulled one back for the Bleachers in the second half but it was too little too late.

Steven Watt of Swifts was given a straight red card in the 70th minute.

Blairgowrie were twice in the lead against Lochee United and came near to snatching what would have been a deserved winner in the final minute of the game. Blair scorers were Paul Ireland in 35 minutes from the penalty spot and a trialist.

Coupar Angus’ Steve Williamson scored both his team’s goals against Downfield. The first got Coupar, who were trailing by 1–0, back on level terms midway through the second half. Steve’s winner came just a couple of minutes before the final whistle.