Perthshire's Juniors set for busy day as league action resumes

Nov 4 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

IT’S back to league business tomorrow (Saturday) after the Scottish Cup games.

Of the five clubs who had second round ties last week, only Kinnoull and Blairgowrie will go forward to the third round draw.

No doubt, both Kinnoull and Blair will be hoping for home draws and probably against sides that have a good travelling support that will help boost the gate drawings.

There was disappointment for Jeanfield Swifts, Bankfoot and Coupar Angus who had their cup hopes brought to a rather premature end as they all lost their away ties. Luncarty had already gone out in the previous round.

Tomorrow, Luncarty are hosts to Kinnoull at Brownlands Park and it’s ’a real tough one for the Bleachers as the Tulloch Park side are in an excellent vein of form at the present time.

They are still undefeated in their league games and are second from the top of the league table.

Luncarty boss Mark Potter recognises that the Bleachers, who are in the lower half of the table, will obviously have to buck the odds if they are to take anything from this game.

Mark feels however if they turn in as good a performance as they did in last week’s game, which they lost by the odd goal in five to Lochgelly Albert, who are also one of the leading contenders in the title race, this could be an interesting encounter.

The Bleachers will have a stronger squad for tomorrow’s game as Scott Lafferty and Mark Caldow, who were unavailable last week, return. Doubtful are Scott Pelatier and Grant McGregor and still missing for a variety of reasons are Jason Henderson, Noel Meehan, Craig Harrigan and Paul Blyth.

It’s a late selection from Mark Potter.

Kinnoull are going really well at the moment and they are second from the top of the league table and it’s only a one goal difference in the leaders Kirkcaldy YMs favour that separates them.

If they win this Brownlands Park encounter it may see them move up to the top spot.

Manager Gavin Price, while delighted with recent results, said: “They are now behind us and we must focus attention on carrying on the good work by leaving for home tomorrow with the three points.”

Gavin Price expects to have the same squad as did duty last week plus new signing Gavin Macleod, a central defender and has joined up at Tulloch Park from Newburgh.

He previously had a spell with Scone Thistle.

Bankfoot were bitterly disappointed at being dismissed from the Scottish Cup by St Roch’s.

Tomorrow, they are away to Lochore Welfare and they, like their visitors, were also dismissed from the cup when they lost away from home to Ayrshire side Troon.

This will be the second time the teams have clashed their previous meeting was a few weeks ago at Coronation Park in the first round of the East of Scotland Cup and the Fifers with a goal in the final minute of the game finished 4–3 winners.

The Bankies if they can come home from this visit to Central Park with a win or even a share of the points could consider themselves as having done very well.

Either of those finishes would earn them the bonus of a move up to a mid-table position and give them some revenge for that Coronation Park Cup defeat.

Bankies will, for a third successive week, be without their skipper Gary Campbell as he is still nursing a hamstring injury and Jamie McAinsh is again ruled out with an ankle injury.

Ross Mitchell had to come off at the interval in last week’s game with a recurrence of his recent groin injury and it looks as if he will be joining his team mates on the sidelines.

One or two other players are having treatment for minor knocks but manager Ian Duff doesn’t visualise any call offs, he will make a late selection.

TOMORROW’S fixtures in the McBookies.com Leagues:

Central League – Luncarty v Kinnoull; Jeanfield Swifts v Steelend Vics; Lochore Welfare v Bankfoot.

North League – Blairgowrie v Dundee North End.

All games kick off at 2pm.