JUNIOR FOOTBALL – PA FRIDAY DECEMBER 9

Dec 9 2011 Perthshire Advertiser Friday

FIXTURES for tomorrow (Saturday):

East of Scotland Cup second round – Kinnoull v Musselburgh, kick off –1.30pm.

McBookies.com Leagues: Central League – Bankfoot Athletic v Crossgates Primrose; Luncarty v Steelend Vics; Lochgelly Albert v Newburgh.

North League – Blairgowrie v Lochee Harp; Forfar Albion v Coupar Angus.

Kick offs – 1.45pm.

KINNOULL have a very attractive East of Scotland Cup tie scheduled for tomorrow when they host super league side Musselburgh.

The Lothians side were in the Scottish Cup final last season and finished runners-up to Auchinleck.

Their league form this season has been poor so far as they have taken only nine points from 10 games and are in the lower half of the league table. By comparison they are performing better in the respective cups.

This is obviously a tough test for Kinnoull but they are going really well both in the league and the Scottish and North/Tayside Cup.

In this cup, Kinnoull defeated premier league side Broty in the previous round and now they have the chance to add a super league scalp to their belt.

Gavin Price and his players are quietly confident they can do the business. Gavin will have an almost full staff available, Richard Doig has recovered from the injury that kept him on the sidelines for a few weeks and the striker returns to the squad that will number 18 for this cup clash.

Musselburgh ousted the super league leaders Hill o’ Beath from the Scottish Cup but the Fifers took their revenge last Saturday when they beat them 4–2 in a league game at Musselburgh. So far the Lothians side haven’t announced a squad.

Bankfoot’s visitors Crossgates Primrose are making their third trip to face a Perthshire side in successive weeks. Those previous visits saw them knocked out of the Scottish by Kinnoull, followed up last week when they were hammered 10–0 by Jeanfield Swifts in a league game. Now the Bankies will be going all out to make it a hat trick of Big County woes for the Fifers.

Bankies will consolidate their place in the top half of the league table if they take the three points from this game. Crossgates are currently three points behind them from a game more played and with Coronation Park the venue Bankies are certainly the favourites to finish with those valuable points.

Bankies, who have had a number of key players out of action with injuries, are getting back to near full strength with Gary Campbell, Shaun Fergus and Mike Jarmuszewski all fit again which leaves only Jamie McAinsh still nursing damaged ankle ligaments. Manager Ian Duff said he will almost certainly keep Jamie on the sidelines into the new year. Jason Brown is again unavailable due to work commitments. Ian Duff expects to have a squad of 17. Crossgates haven’t made any team announcement as yet.

Luncarty who are on the foot of the league table are at home to Steelend Vics who are just a couple of points and a couple of places above them in the table and if the Bleachers can finish with the points from this game not only would it lift them off the bottom of the table and above the Vics. But there’s every possibility they could leapfrog a further four places up the table, which is quite feasible, depending on results, so the ball is certainly in the Bleachers court.

It’s only a few weeks ago that they met Steelend at their Woodside Park and the Bleachers looked to be on the road for the points as they had a two goal lead but a late collapse saw them lose to the Vics by the odd goal in nine.

Manager Mark Potter will be without Mark Caldow who is unavailable. Jamie Fairlie and Mike Hampton, are having treatment for knee injuries and will have late fitness tests. The boss will await the result of those tests before deciding on a line-up.

Newburgh are away to Lochgelly who are one the contenders in the race for the championship. Both sides have been idle over the last two Saturdays and the enforced layoff has at least been of some benefit to both sides as it has allowed players with niggling injuries to recover. The news from both camps is that they each expect to have full strength squads available tomorrow.

In the north league Coupar Angus are away to Forfar Albion who, like themselves, have yet to win a game. They have four points all earned from drawn games while the cupboard is still bare as far as Coupar are concerned as their points total is still zero and they are anchored to the foot of the table.

Manager Alan Robson feels a win would get the monkey off their back and improved results would follow.

Alan has lost the services of Ryan Valentine due to injury. The striker has damaged ankle ligaments and he is likely to be sidelined for a few weeks. The Coupar boss’ latest signing striker Ryan Smith joined Coupar from NCR Amateurs last Friday and he scored twice in his debut on the Saturday. Coupar have a squad of 16 for tomorrow’s game.

Blairgowrie are at home to Lochee Harp who they met in the first league match of the season and went down at Beechwood 2–1. They will be striving to take revenge in tomorrow’s game and get back into the winning vein after losing out on their Scottish Cup replay. Unfortunately they will have to go into this game without their two strikers, Gary Axworthy and David Salisbury, who are both injured.

However they still have a squad who are quite capable of taking the points from this game.

Jeanfield Swifts’ East of Scotland Cup tie v Camelon which was scheduled for tomorrow at the Riverside has been cancelled as Camelon are playing an overdue Scottish Cup tie.

Central League

Jeanfield Sw

980142524

Kinnoull

9711231722

Kirkcaldy YM

10622292120

Dundonald B

660017818

Lochgelly A

7511251116

Bankfoot Ath

9324202111

Lochore W

10316192010

Crossgates P

1022616348

Thornton Hibs

720513216

Newburgh

813411206

Steelend Vics

813418316

Rosyth

71249165

Luncarty

1011824414