JUNIOR FOOTBALL – PA FRIDAY MAY 6

May 6 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

JEANFIELD Swifts – while out of contention for the championship – have still to play the two main contenders for this honour, Kirkcaldy YM and Oakley.

Both games are at the Riverside Stadium.

The first of those crucial encounters takes place tomorrow with the YM the Swifts visitors.

YM and Oakley met in midweek at the YMs Denfield ground and the outcome was a 2–0 win for Oakley. They are now four points ahead of the YM with two games in hand, Lochgelly Albert and Dundonald are the other sides who are still in contention for this top honour.

YM will come to the Riverside knowing full well that a win is a must for them if they are to keep their now outside championship hopes alive so this will be a very keenly contested encounter.

Swifts victory in their derby clash with Bankfoot in midweek revenged the defeat they suffered in the corresponding clash at Coronation Park a couple of weeks ago.

Swifts boss Scott Brown will have Bryan Scott back in his squad for tomorrow’s game the striker was unavailable in midweek due to work commitments.

Jamie McKenzie drops out as he is suspended and David Thornton out with his long term groin problem. Scott Brown expects to have a squad of 17.

Luncarty are away to Lochore Welfare and it’s the Bleachers second last game of the season and they are unfortunately still without a point.

Manager Mark Potter wasn’t in a position to name his squad for this game although he expects to have a number of players back who were either injured or unavailable last week.

Mark had to name himself as one of the subs last week and although he came on and scored his side’s goal he doesn’t intend on there being a repeat performance. Mark will make a late selection.

Lochore are having a poor season by their standards, they are in the lower reaches of the table.

They had two midweek games the first on Monday when they were thrashed 5–1 by Dundonald, but they bounced back on Wednesday night with a 2–1 win at Steelend.

Scone Thistle are at home to Newburgh. They met the Fife club recently at their East Shore Park and they trounced them to the tune of 5–2 which is their biggest away win of the season.

They would be delighted to get a repeat performance tomorrow.

Bankfoot who have slipped out of the championship race are away to league leaders Oakley and they will be delighted if they can do as they did when the teams met in the corresponding fixture at Coronation Park when they bucked the odds to finish the day as winners.

That was Oakley’s first league defeat and they have only lost one more since that Coronation Park reversal.

This will be Bankies fourth game in eight days and so far they haven’t announced a squad, they will make a late selection.

Coupar Angus fresh from their second league victory of the season, a 3–1 win over Harp last Saturday, take on Arbroath Vics at Foxhall and the Vics are the only other team they have taken full points from and that was away back in the early days of the season.

They hope to complete the double over the Arbroath side.

Coupar boss Alan Robson was another manager who had to pull on the boots last Saturday but Alan doesn’t intend to make it a habit and last Saturday was a one off. Alan will make a late selection for tomorrow’s game.

Arbroath Vics were one time very much involved in the race for the championship but a form slump has seen them take only eight points from their last 10 games and they have slipped down to a mid-table position and must be considered vulnerable. This could be an interesting encounter.

Blairgowrie suffered a hefty defeat last Saturday at the hands of Violet. New boss Jim Lock and the players spent much of Tuesday night’s training session having an inquest as to what went wrong.

Jim said: “We had a good discussion after which I said to the players to put it behind them and get back into the winning vein in tomorrow’s game against Brechin Vics at Davie Park.”

Jim has only one doubt for this game – Mark Christison has been receiving treatment but the chances are said to be very good that the central defender will get the all clear and if that happens then the Blair boss will have a full squad available.

Midweek Reports

Jeanfield Swifts2

Bankfoot 1

THE first half of the Jeanfield v Bankfoot game on Monday night ended goalless.

Two minutes into the second half Swifts came very close to taking the lead.

A corner taken by Tony Holt was knocked down by John Anderson to Sandy Ross.

His shot looked to be heading into the back of the net but a timely clearance from Danny Dobbie averted the danger.

Bankies from nearly being a goal behind went on to break the deadlock in 53 minutes when Shaun Fergus gathered a cross from MarkCaldow on the edge of the penalty box turned his marker and shot into the corner of the net, all in one movement.

This was an excellent goal from the striker and there certainly was no dubiety this time.

This setback seemed to spark life into the Swifts and within five minutes they were back on level terms with a goal from John Anderson.

It was tough luck on the Bankies keeper, Mike Whyte, who dived to save the strikers shot at the foot of the far post but it broke away from him and Anderson who had followed up and knocked the loose ball into the back of the net.

Swifts had the lions share of the attacking play after this and a fair number of chances but they couldn’t get the ball past Mike Whyte who produced a string of top drawer saves to thwart the Swifts and it looked as if the keepers heroics were going to earn his team a share of the points

There was four minutes remaining when Swifts won a free kick out on the left and it was taken by Steve McManus.

He hit an inswinger into the goalmouth and it looked as if it was heading for the far corner of the net but another super human effort from Mike Whyte saw him get his fingers to the ball and touch it on to the face of the bar.

Unfortunately for the keeper it rebounded a few yards out and Swifts’ full back Neil Gardiner, who had joined in the attack, met it first time and cracked it into the back of the net for the winner.

Scone Thistle 1

Bankfoot 2

ON Wednesday night Scone Thistle went ahead in their game against Bankfoot midway through the first half.

They were awarded a penalty after the Bankies keeper Mike Whyte brought down a Thistle forward in the box.

Max Smith cracked the resultant spot kick into the back of the net.

Their first half goal looked as if it would earn Thistle the three points but in a dramatic finish the never say die Bankies went on to score twice in the last two minutes with goals from Gary Campbell and a trialist to turn the game on its head and win the game 2–1.

FIXTURES for tomorrow (Saturday) in the ACA Sports Leagues:

Central League – Jeanfield Swifts v Kirkcaldy YM; Scone Thistle v Newburgh; Oakley United v Bankfoot Athletic; Lochore Welfare v Luncarty.

North League – Blairgowrie v Brechin Vics; Coupar Angus v Arbroath Vics.

All kick off’s – 2.30pm.