Scottish League 2: Albion Rovers Lack Desire At East Fife

A chorus of boos greeted the full-time whistle, as the defeated Albion Rovers’ side trundled back through the tunnel; quite the opposite from the reaction that met their emergence for the first-half. A tense-but-optimistic atmosphere surrounded the away end at Bayview, with coachloads of supporters making the trip from Coatbridge to see a potential title-decider. The scenario was simple: Rovers needed three points and for Annan Athletic to at least hold Queen’s Park – a victory for the Hampden club and the balloons would have to wait for another weekend.

Neither side had the historical advantage heading into the fixture: Rovers claimed a 2-0 win in August, the teams played out to a goalless stalemate three months later, and East Fife snatched a late, 85^th minute winner in their previous meeting. Despite that loss, and a poor run of form at the stage of the season, Rovers had built up an eight point lead over Queen’s prior to the game at East Fife. Six victories in their last seven matches – the 3-0 loss to Elgin came as a complete surprise – made them firm favourites over their Fife opponents.

With a possible title-celebration on the line, Rovers’ first-half performance came as a surprise.

Some teams buckle under pressure, and it appeared that might have been the case for Rovers. The champions-elect looked nervous, making simple defensive mistakes and letting East Fife dictate the tempo of the game. Supporters, vocal during the opening 20 minutes, soon quietened, growing frustrated with their side’s lack of fire – players didn’t fight for loose balls, lacking the desire to challenge 50/50s. Rovers didn’t test Jordan Millar for the first 40 minutes; the Fifers looked to take advantage of their opponents’ mistakes.

Kevin Smith, a constant threat for the hosts, latched onto a long-ball from the on-loan St Johnstone keeper, charging past his marker, and finding space on the left flank. Luring Neil Parry off his line, he pulled a simple pass back to the onrushing Sean Dickson, who poked the ball into the undefended net.

Rovers couldn’t penetrate the Fifers’ box – Jonathan Page and Julen were solid in the heart of the home defence – and their best chance of the opening 45 minutes came from a set-piece. Ross Davidson’s free-kick found three red shirts in-front of goal, all unmarked, but Eddie Ferns tipped his shot around the post – it should have been an equaliser.

Heads dipped further at half-time. Hearing that Queen’s Park held a 2-0 lead over Annan, the visiting support realised that the bunting and champagne – or the League 2 equivalent – would have to remain on hold. The second-half performance gave them little to celebrate.

East Fife continued to dominate the game as the second-half kicked-off. For a period Albion couldn’t escape their box, pressed back and bombarded by the hosts, who should have had a penalty, after Nathan Austin’s close-range effort was blocked by an outstretched arm.

With minutes remaining, Rovers decided to turn up. Chris Cadden managed to squeeze a curling shot towards the bottom-right corner, inches from the fingertips of Millar, but, as the travelling supporters sucked in all the air in anticipation of a celebration, the ball bounced off the post. The midfielder silenced them for a second time minutes later; another shot, refusing to dip, mere centimetres from getting an undeserved point for Rovers.

East Fife might have claimed a second in the final minute of added-time, with Austin leading a quick counter-attack against a lone Albion defender, however, the referee called for full-time, and it was the hosts, not the visitors, celebrating a crucial three points.

For East Fife the three points came at the perfect time. Defeats for East Stirlingshire and Annan all-but-ended their hopes of catching the Fifers, leaving just Elgin, who beat Arbroath 2-1, chasing the third play-off spot. With Arbroath still struggling from game-to-game, there’s still a chance that the Fifers could secure third. The defeat means Queen’s Park cut the gap to five points. With three matches remaining, it’s all-but-guaranteed that Albion will claim the automatic promotion place, but the Coatbridge club will need a better performance next weekend if they want to end any Hampden hopes.

Scottish Championship: Hibernian 2-0 Heart of Midlothian

Hibernian claimed their first Edinburgh derby victory of the season after goals from Jason Cummings and Farid El Alagui sunk the champions.

Hibs dominated the first-half but had to settle for a slender lead. Cummings latched on to El Alagui’s knock-on and pushed the ball past Neil Alexander to give Hibs the advantage heading into the second-half. With minutes of the match remaining, El Alagui finished off a late counter-attack, chipping Neil Alexander, to keep the three points at Easter Road.

The match marked the final time the Edinburgh clubs meet this season. It’s been almost 12 months since a Callum Paterson double dragged Hibs closer to the Premiership relegation zone; mocked by their rivals for their impending drop to the Championship, Hearts would have the final laugh. But after a season in the second tier of Scottish football, the Gorgie club prepare for a return to the Premiership; that might not be the case for Hibs.

With the Hibees going from strength-to-strength, and Rangers struggling, it appeared that Alan Stubbs’ side would be favourites for the promotion play-offs. However, their 13-match undefeated streak came to a crashing end against Rangers, who silenced their influential diamond midfield and cruised to a crucial three points. The result had a knock on effect. A 2-1 loss at Stark’s Park and a 1-0 defeat against Queen of the South made it three consecutive losses, raising old questions.

Stubbs earned plaudits for his revitalisation of Hibs, creating a team that, had he been able to finish his work earlier, some believed would have challenged Hearts for the title. The biggest threat to Hibs’ success, though, is their mind-set. The Hibees crumbled at the end of last season; pessimism crept into their game, nerves brought about mistakes, performances dipped. It appeared that Hibs had arrested that part of their game; recent results have put that into question. Will Hibs crumble when the pressure is on? Claiming all three points against the champions should give them some extra confidence heading into the coming month.

With Hibs place in the Premiership far from guaranteed, their bragging rights from this encounter could last months, or another season.

Perhaps having seen the chaos of the Dundee derby, it was a much quieter start – on the pitch, not in the stands – to the game.

In the opening ten minutes both sides looked a little impotent. High pressure and tight defending left little space for creating chances, with most of the game being played out in the centre of the park. But as the game opened up, the hosts started to dominate.

Martin Boyle, employed as a right-wing back, drove up the flank and cut a pass inside to Jason Cummings. The Championship’s top scorer held up the ball, before releasing a through ball into the path of the onrushing Fraser Fyvie, whose hard effort flashed over the crossbar.

Momentum started to favour the hosts. Paterson was fortunate not to send Hibs into the lead, after his misguided header crashed off his own crossbar. From the resulting corner Liam Fontaine found enough space for a quick shot, which was blocked inside the six-yard-box.

Jason Cummings tested Neil Alexander’s reflexes with a curling shot from the edge of box, directed towards the top-left corner, but the veteran stopper was quick to react and made a comfortable save. The hosts’ momentum soon paid off.

Scott Allan’s corner found itself knocked back into the box, where Farid El Alagui headed it through to the unmarked Cummings. Adam Eckersley, caught out of position – he’d drifted from the striker after the initial clearance – watched on as Cummings nudged the ball over the line to put the hosts ahead.

In the first 30 minutes of the game, Hearts had struggled to make an impact. Genero Zeefuik appeared isolated from the action, while Osman Sow was anonymous. A desperate long-range shot from Kevin McHattie summed up their success in attack. The visiting fans sung ‘championees’; the team’s performance didn’t match the title.

With memories of Alim Ozturk’s late 40-year stunner claiming a point for Hearts back in November, Hibs refused to settle for a one-goal advantage and continued to push to extend their lead. Fontaine came close to achieving that aim, his thunderous effort smashing off the crossbar, but as the referee called for half-time, Hibs had to settle for their slender lead.

Hearts had a better start to the second-half. The Jambos looked a little more settled and dangerous in the opening minutes. Ozturk’s furious free-kick might have drifted wide, but it acted as a reminder that, for all Hibs controlled the first-half, Hearts needed just one goal to undo all of Hibs’ work in the opening 45 minutes.

Mark Oxley, having watched the game as a spectator for the first 55 minutes of the tie, made the most of his first test. Jamie Walker, fed up looking for space, unleashed a strong shot straight at the on-loan keeper, who made an acrobatic save to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Hibs should have added a second with 25 minutes remaining. Jordan Forster’s little lob sent El Alagui through one-on-one with Alexander. Perhaps thinking he’d stepped offside, he snatched a lame shot straight at the hands of the Hearts keeper, before realising he’d timed his movement to perfection.

Chaos erupted as Hearts pressed for an equaliser from a free-kick. The visitors had three shots blocked before Paul Hanlon cleared the ball up the field, opening up a brilliant chance for Hibs. The sudden counter-attack left just one Hearts defender against three rampaging green shirts. In a moment of frustration, Dominique Malonga, who had options through the middle and to his right – both unmarked – opted for a selfish shot that didn’t even test Alexander – Allan looked like he could have throttled his team-mate.

With the game moving from end-to-end, mistakes and miss-placed passes aplenty, Hearts had the next chance to level things up. Sow, who had been quiet throughout, managed to find enough space to get a firm shot directed at the bottom-left corner, which Oxley palmed away.

Tension kicked in as the match reached added-time – four minutes for Hibs to hold on. That soon morphed into euphoria.

A 90^th minute counter-attack sent El Alagui through one-on-one with Alexander. The returning striker lured out the keeper, before chipping the ball into the bare net. Easter Road celebrated a morale-boosting three points.

Scottish Premiership: Dundee 3-1 Dundee United

Dundee claimed a win in the Dundee derby for the first time since 2004, earning themselves a place in the top-six in the process.

Having suffered a 4-1 defeat back in September, ending their undefeated start to the season, and then enduring a 6-2 thrashing around the New Year, the game marked Dundee’s first success in the fixture in ten attempts.

Radoslaw Cierzniak’s mistake gifted Dundee the opener, before Nadir Ciftci converted from the spot a couple of minutes later.

James McPake’s header sent Dundee back into the lead and Paul Heffernan then confirmed the three points late in the second-half.

The points send Dundee ahead of the out-of-form Hamilton as the Dees try to guarantee their place inside the top-six before the split later this month.

For United, the loss continues their dreadful run of form – the Arabs are still without a win since the departure of Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong at the beginning of February.

The match started at a furious tempo, with Nadir Ciftci sent crashing to the ground a mere three seconds into the game – this wouldn’t be a mild evening in Dundee.

Dens Park sparked into life as the hosts pressured United, before a counter-attack ended with Paul McGinn picking up the first booking for clattering into Chris Erskine – the first of four the Dees received in the first-half.

United settled into the game, creating a few chances of their own, before a huge error gifted their rivals the lead.

Greg Stewart sent a simple curling effort straight at Cierzniak, who kneeled in preparation to collect the ball. However, the ball slipped through the hands of the Polish stopper, rolled through his legs, and crossed the line as the home support erupted. The celebrations didn’t last long.

Referee John Beaton made a controversial call, deciding that Kevin Thomson had used his arm to block Erskine’s shot and pointing to the spot. The ever-quiet Ciftci coolly sent Bain the wrong way, rolling the ball into the bottom-left corner, before celebrating in-front of the Dundee keeper and earning himself a booking.

Cierzniak, confirming his reputation as the sort of keeper to pull off a preposterous save and make a clanger, then stopped Stewart doubling his tally, pushing his thunderous free-kick around the post. Another free-kick a couple of minutes later, however, proved too much for him to block.

McPake darted into the box, getting ahead of Fojut, and smashed his header at the centre of the net. Despite his positioning, Cierzniak had little chance of stopping the close-range shot and could only push it into the roof of the United net.

The visitors began to create chances again, with Aidan Connolly twice coming close to finding an equaliser. Scott Bain, though, who signed a long-term contract earlier this week, commanded his box with confidence, and neither Konrad nor McPake were letting United find space inside the area.

A reserved cheer greeted the sound of the half-time whistle.

The second-half started at the same pace as the first, despite it being less eventful. United controlled possession, but couldn’t seem to find an opening, with Ciftci looking isolated inside the box – the Turk started drifting outside the box to get the ball himself.

The lack of penetrating runs, pace and movement has been a real issue for McNamara since the departure of Mackay-Steven and Armstrong to Celtic, and against Dundee it stood out as the Arabs struggled to trouble the home defence. The fact that McNamara had to bring on the inexperienced Blair Spittal and Mario Bilate as subs highlighted their sudden lack of depth in attacking options – something once considered a strength for them. The lack of cutting edge came back to bite them in the 67^th minute.

Stewart’s cross cut through the box, reaching the far post where Paul Heffernan awaited. The veteran striker nudged the ball over the line, giving Dundee a 3-1 lead and lifting hopes that the Dees might celebrate their first derby win in over a decade.

With the threat of a complete reversal of the score from their last meeting at Dens, Cierzniak again had to pull off an excellent save to stop United from falling further behind. Stephen McGinn’s strong header tested the keeper’s reflexes, as he just managed an acrobatic leap to tip the ball over the crossbar.

But as the game creeped towards full-time, United’s game started to drag, their supporters began to exit the stadium, and the hope fans cheered each-and-every desperate attempt to test Bain.

Dens erupted as the referee called full-time. While United’s season is collapsing around them, Dundee’s is going from strength-to-strength at just the right time.

League One: Stranraer and Forfar chasing the title

It’s been an unpredictable season in League One. With four matches remaining, there are three battles taking place throughout the division: Stenhousemuir and Ayr United both have 28 points and neither seem able to escape the threat of a relegation play-off; Airdrieonians’ brilliant form in the second-half of his season has seen them climb to within three points of fourth place Brechin City, who are desperately clinging on for the final promotion play-off spot; and Stranraer and Forfar Athletic are fighting for the title and automatic promotion to the Championship.

A month ago Stranraer, Forfar, Morton and Brechin could all be classed as in the group chasing the top spot, before a spell of poor form separated the Angus club from the pack. Brechin claimed just four points out of a possible 18 in March, losing at Peterhead and at home against Forfar, and were held in the other four games. The run has left them nine points behind Stranraer, and just three ahead of the Diamonds. A comfortable 2-0 win at the weekend – their first since late February – not only kept the gap intact, but also damaged the title aspirations of Morton.

The Ton looked to be heading for the top spot at the beginning of March. An eight-match undefeated streak, including a 2-0 thumping of Stranraer, made them favourites to claim the automatic promotion place. However, three defeats in their last five matches has seen them slip three points off Forfar and four off Stranraer – if not for two 90^th minute goals against Ayr, that would be an even larger gap. The one thing going in their favour heading into the final four games is that the fixtures include games against bottom sides Stenhousemuir and Stirling Albion, and a visit to face Stranraer – with just 16 points separating top from seventh, this league has proved this season that any result is possible. The defeat at the weekend, however, has left Forfar and Stranraer in the clear, battling for the title.

The Blues and the Loons have mirrored each other for form in the past couple of months. Both suffered inconsistent runs – Forfar had a record of W/L/W/L/W/L/W/L and Stranraer lost four out of eight – before claiming four straight victories on the bounce, which has left Stephen Aitken’s side one point ahead of second. Both were careful not to slip up this weekend.

Forfar had to come from behind to claim all three points at Ochilview, after Colin McMenamin opened the scoring minutes into the second-half. Paul McMullan burst in the box before stinging the hands of Rab Douglas, who could only watch as the perfectly-positioned McMenamin rolled in the rebound from six-yards-out. Despite the one-goal advantage, Stennie’s challenge to hold onto the slender lead was made more difficult by Anthony Marenghi’s dismissal in the 55^th minute – Forfar took full advantage of the situation.

Dale Hilson’s simple cross into the centre of the box met Martyn Fotheringham, who swept the ball past Greg Fleming to equalise. The visitors took the lead seven minutes later, when a brilliant back-pass from Gavin Swankie sent Fotheringham through on-goal – the midfielder tucked the ball in the bottom-right. With the match almost over, Swankie cemented all three points, after a counter-attack left him free to curl his shot through the fingertips of Fleming.

But as Forfar collected a crucial three points, so did Stranraer.

Ayr had the better of the chances, with a free-kick and a James Beattie lob both skimming the woodwork. Stranraer settled into the match, though, and Craig Malcolm gave them the all-important goal in the 64^th minute in wonderful style. A poor clearance sent the ball to Chris Aitken, whose long-range effort lacked power. However, Martyn Campbell’s unsteady kick directed it high into the air, and in the direction of Malcom. David Hutton, misjudging the flight of the ball, charged out and could do little as Malcolm side-chipped his shot into the right corner of the net from a difficult angle.

With one point separating first and second, and with Morton still in the chase, every game is now incredibly important. Forfar have perhaps the easier run of fixtures, as the Loons don’t have to play another top four side. Games against Dunfermline and Peterhead, who both have little to fight for, could be the easiest games, while visits from play-off chasing Airdrieonians and relegation threatened Ayr pose the biggest threat to their title challenge. Stranraer have a more difficult run-in. The Blues have to face both Morton and Brechin in their final two matches, so might have to make the most from games against Dunfermline and Stennie.

Scottish Championship: Second Loss For Hearts

It’s been as close to a perfect season as Hearts fans could hope for. The numbers speak volumes: 26 wins from 31 games, 87 scored, 20 conceded, and a 26 point lead over their Edinburgh rivals. But it’s more than that. Hearts almost went out of existence last season. This season hasn’t just been a success on the field, but also off it. Anne Budge, Craig Levein and Robbie Neilson have all exceeded in their roles – they’ve rebuilt the club and the team, and have done so in such a short space of time. But it’s also worth remembering that, as good as the numbers look, Hearts have been facing Championship opposition all season – the real challenge is about to begin.

Neilson has to build his squad for next season, cutting the excess and those not good enough to make it in the Premiership, and carefully choose to the type of players he thinks will add to the team – Adam Eckersley, the 29-year-old left-back, who has made 22 league appearances so far this season, is the first casualty. It’s hard to imagine Neilson and Levein adopting a Dundee-like promotion strategy, when Paul Hartley overhauled almost his entire starting-eleven, but it’s going to be games against the likes of Rangers and Hibs that help form his opinion of his squad.

Hearts haven’t dominated Rangers or Hibs the same way they’ve cruised past the other seven Championship sides. The Gorgie Boys beat a Hibs side still-unsettled at the beginning of the season 2-1, but were then held 1-1 in their next two meetings – Ozturk’s long-range thunder-bastard saved their then-unbeaten record back in the 90^th minute back in October. Against Rangers Neilson’s side have collected six-points from both their meetings, but this weekend they faced a Rangers side on the up – a different challenge altogether.

Hearts received an understandably bitter reception from the Ibrox faithful as they walked through the guard of honour. While this season has been almost-perfect for Hearts, it’s been far from for Rangers. But against Hibs a couple of weeks ago, Stuart McCall’s side seemed to click into place: the team looked organised and motivated; Premiership-calibre players started performing at the level expected of them; McCall got the tactics spot on and hushed Hibs’ crucial midfield diamond. Less than a month ago, it would have been laughable to think that Rangers could beat Hearts based on their respective form. But the performance and result against Hibs made things a little less predictable.

Rangers dominated from the opening minutes, pushing for a break-through and stopping Hearts from creating chances – Hibs had faced the exact same problem. It didn’t take them long to take the lead.

The goal-scorers against Hibs linked-up to open the scoring. Lee Wallace’s cross snuck through the box, rolling into the path of the rampaging Kenny Miller; the veteran striker nipped in unmarked and turned the ball past Neil Alexander from close range. Rangers extended that lead soon after.

Haris Vuckic replaced David Templeton after his two goals off the bench last week, and he doubled Rangers lead minutes later. Cutting inside, he caught out his marker and curled the ball right into the top left-corner.

It had been a fantastic half for Rangers, and a dismal one for Hearts, but Lee McCulloch did his best to make the second-half a little more interesting. He did a typical McCulloch move, ramming his arm into the head of Osman Sow and getting himself sent off.

It had been a dreadful first-half for Hearts: the Jambos let Rangers dictate the tempo, Genero Zeefuik and Sow struggled to impose themselves on the home defence, and they allowed themselves to be bossed around at outmuscled by their more-experienced opponents. Although having a one-man advantage, the second-half was going to be a fresh challenge for the champions.

Hearts started pushing numbers up-front but still couldn’t test Cammy Bell. Rangers, rather than being the dominant side they had been the opening 45, changed into a more counter-attacking outfit. Nicky Clark should have extended Rangers’ lead before the 60 minute mark, after Nicky Law sped past his marker and delivered a cross to the unmarked striker. Clark, however, chose to take a first-time shot, perhaps not realising the space around him. He ended up releasing a tame effort that dragged across the grass straight into the grasp of Alexander.

Miller tested the reflexes of the Hearts stopper not long after. The experienced attacker met a corner and thumped a hard shot at the bottom-left corner, as Rangers again threatened to go 3-0 up. Alexander, however, reacted without hesitation and pushed the shot out for another corner. For all their possession, Hearts were still second-best and didn’t look like capitalising on their numerical advantage.

With 15 minutes remaining, a dire corner, going straight out for a Rangers goal-kick, elicited laughs from the home support – it summed up the game for the visitors: a limp effort. Not one of the Hearts players had stood out. A late flicker of hope came late on.

Hearts pushed up a gear, at the exact time Rangers appeared to be tiring. Bell managed to block an initial shot but the rebound bounced into the path of Zeefuik. The striker, marking his 25^th birthday, tucked the ball into the net from a yard out – a tense atmosphere suddenly enveloped Ibrox.

Four added minutes separated Hearts from suffering their second defeat of the season. Wave-after-wave of maroon pushed for a desperate equaliser; Rangers held firm, packed the box, and the Govan club claimed another important three points.

Hearts might have secured the title, and some will argue that the loss means nothing, but I’d argue that it does – although the result of their meeting on the final day of the season will mean much more. I’ve seen some Hearts fans claiming that a top three spot is their aim because of their success this season – that’s both high expectations and an insult to Inverness. The defeat to an in-form Rangers side and the draws against Hibs prove that Hearts aren’t as dominant as the numbers suggest – some supporters could be in for a surprise next season.