PERTHSHIRE JUNIOR FOOTBALL

Apr 23 2010 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

TWO words keep cropping up in the games that Kinnoull, Jeanfield and Blairgowrie are involved in and they are ‘crucial and vital’ and they refer to the points at stake in the games they have been involved in and they are in use again tomorrow.

Crucial

Kinnoull and Jeanfield are both at home and the points are crucial to each of their needs and could have a big say as to which league competition they will be playing in next season.

Kinnoull can move up to the Super League if they finish as champions or runners up in the Premier League.

Swifts haven’t the luxury of having two bites at the cherry as they have to finish as the Central League champions to win promotion to the Premier League which makes life a little more difficult.

It’s a very different scenario for Blairgowrie as they are fighting to stave of the threat of relegation.

They were chasing three extremely vital points on Wednesday night when they met Tayport at Davie Park.

Kinnoull take on Carnoustie at Tulloch Park who are just below them in third place in the table but they trail their hosts by eight points from a game more played.

This would suggest that Kinnoull are the favourites to take the points from this game which hopefully they will do, it would also see them take revenge for the 2–0 defeat they suffered in the corresponding fixture at Laing Park in November, which is one of the two only league defeats they have suffered this season.

Kinnoull skipper Mark Morrison and Chris Anton have both been undergoing treatment for injuries.

Anton’s is the more doubtful of the two with a knee injury while Morrison has a groin problem but is said to have at least a 50/50 chance of getting the all clear.

It will be a late fitness test that will decide whether any or both of them can be considered.

The only definite non starter is the unfortunate Stuart Nicol who will miss the rest of the season with his leg and ankle injuries. Scott Brown will make a late selection.

Jeanfield are at home to Newburgh tomorrow and given their relative positions in the league table Swifts would have to be considered the favourites to finish with the three points.

Boss Murray McDowall in his pre-match pep talk will no doubt stressing to his players just how crucial those points are in the championship race.

Murray, will go into this game without two of his midfield players – Chris Dodd and Kevin Fowler, both ruled out with groin injuries. On the plus side Tony Holt, who missed last week’s game with a knee injury, has resumed training and if he feels no ill effects he will return to the squad which Murray expects will number 17 or 18.

Swifts follow up tomorrows game with two of their most crucial fixtures of their season as they face up Dundonald on Wednesday night and then Oakley next Saturday and both sides are championship contenders.

Those games are at the Riverside Stadium, its first things first however and that’s to finish tomorrow’s clash as winners.

Bankfoot suffered a string of disappointing league results in the first half of their season and a very hefty injury list for a long spell had much to do with this. Bankies now have only Scott McCabe and Colin Fraser still out of action.

Their return to near full strength is paying dividends as they are on a roll at present and are undefeated in their last five games and have moved up to a near mid table position.

If they can keep this winning sequence going they will keep moving up the table.

Tomorrow Bankies take on Steelend Vics for a second successive week.

This time it’s at their opponents Victoria Park and the Bankies will be striving to extend their undefeated run to six games and they expect to have the same squad of 16 that sent the Vics home pointless from Coronation Park last week.

Luncarty and Scone Thistle are also down in the Kingdom, Luncarty are guests of Crossgates Primrose while Thistle take on champion chasing Oakley.

Luncarty boss Mark Potter hasn’t seen his team finish as winners in any of the three games they have played since he took over, two of which were against top guns Jeanfield and Thornton Hibs and a derby clash with Bankfoot was the other.

Mark’s tactics has stemmed the profusion of goals they have been used to conceding and he is confident better results will follow.

The Bleachers may have to face Crossgates without Noel Meehan who has a hamstring injury and Craig Wallace knee injury.

It could be that late fitness tests will be the order of the day, Definite non starter is Neil Ritchie (unavailable). It’s a late selection from Mark Potter.

Scone Thistle have had a run of poor results in recent games and they will certainly have to buck the odds in their game against Oakley if they are to come home with a favourable result.

Goalkeeper Steve McKinnie is still doubtful with the knee injury that caused him to miss last week’s game and central defender Derek Angus is struggling with a foot injury while Gerrard Kelly is suspended. It’s a late selection from manager Derek Adam.

Coupar Angus are at home to Forfar Albion in the North League and they will again be without goalkeeper Laurie Spence who has a leg injury, Jamie Malone is his likely deputy and Scott Henderson is still confined to the sidelines with a knee injury.

Manager Barry Britton will however have Robbie George back now that he has completed his suspension stint and he is hoping that Darren Duncan will have arrived back home from his holiday in Egypt to be included in the squad which is expected to number 16 or 17.

Scone Thistle are holding a sportsmans dinner in the Lovat Hotel tomorrow night, at 7.30pm.

Blair slipped further into the relegation mire when they went down to Tayport by 5–0 in their midweek clash and as the score suggests they lost to a stronger side.

This result is a boost for the Port in the race for league honours. Lee Bryce netted a hat trick with veteran Ronnie Kenneth scoring their other two goals.

Blair have two games left which are both away from home and realistically their chances of avoiding the drop would appear to hinge on getting favourable results from those games and how the other teams with the same predicament fare in their remaining games.

The first of those last two games has Blair taking on promotion chasing Arniston Rangers and manager Ross Graham said one or two players were nursing knocks but he expects to have a full strength squad available.

TOMORROW’S fixtures in the Bukta Teamwear.com Leagues: Premier League – Kinnoull v Carnoustie; Arniston Rangers v Blairgowrie.

Central League – Jeanfield Swifts v Newburgh; Crossgates Primrose v Luncarty; Oakley v Scone Thistle; Steelend Vics v Bankfoot.

North League – Coupar Angus v Forfar Albion. KO: 2.30pm.