WoSFL Premier Division thread

[GNU_Linux]

[superpollok]

47 minutes ago, Thejackdaw said:

League is mental this season with probably about 6 or 7 clubs mooching about the top half and all are  on probable parity ability wise and being at it for the 90 minutes.  

 

Good game at bellsdale today and we got out the traps very early doors and should have added another few but as the first half progressed pollok were the better team . 

 

Second half was mostly about beith I felt and we came back very well and longmuir had several good saves to keep pollok In it , however if you want to mention great saves then our goalie had arguably the best save I've ever saw at bellsdale in injury time when he scooped one Up like Gordon banks to deny pollok a victory.  

 

A draw was the fair result for me today on the balance of the game. 

Second half was like a basketball game, both teams going for it. 
Any neutral would have seen an entertaining game. 
When both sides are disappointed about missing chances or keeper saves to deny a victory, that’s usually the indicator that a draw was a fair result.

Leaving the game I couldn’t work out how we didn’t score in the last minute, watching it back in twitter I still can’t believe it! 

[AM-1]

54 minutes ago, Thejackdaw said:

League is mental this season with probably about 6 or 7 clubs mooching about the top half and all are  on probable parity ability wise and being at it for the 90 minutes.  

 

Good game at bellsdale today and we got out the traps very early doors and should have added another few but as the first half progressed pollok were the better team . 

 

Second half was mostly about beith I felt and we came back very well and longmuir had several good saves to keep pollok In it , however if you want to mention great saves then our goalie had arguably the best save I've ever saw at bellsdale in injury time when he scooped one Up like Gordon banks to deny pollok a victory.  

 

A draw was the fair result for me today on the balance of the game. 

Beith the better team technically with Pollok the more physical side mixing it up. A draw a fair result but this leagues going to go to the wire for sure. 

[Dean Learner]

1 hour ago, Thejackdaw said:

League is mental this season with probably about 6 or 7 clubs mooching about the top half and all are  on probable parity ability wise and being at it for the 90 minutes.  

 

Good game at bellsdale today and we got out the traps very early doors and should have added another few but as the first half progressed pollok were the better team . 

 

Second half was mostly about beith I felt and we came back very well and longmuir had several good saves to keep pollok In it , however if you want to mention great saves then our goalie had arguably the best save I've ever saw at bellsdale in injury time when he scooped one Up like Gordon banks to deny pollok a victory.  

 

A draw was the fair result for me today on the balance of the game. 

Really good game of football and largely seen it the same way as you. Second half swung back and forth - we had a couple of spells of heavy pressure but couldn't force a goal, though you will likely feel like you should have scored when you had us under the cosh just after you made some changes. 

All in all, no arguments with the end result. Didn't expect to come through the two games this week with four points. Frustrating that we've dopped too many points to remain in the mix as we seem to have found a formula that suits the players. 

[KirkieRR]

2 hours ago, GNU_Linux said:

As the table shows, the draw suited as more than Medda. Draw a fair result but we're very wasteful with chances.

Going to be a nervy end to the season.

[Mighty Good]

15 hours ago, Shanner said:

After today's results Talbot can win the title without favours from elsewhere - words I did not expect to be typing this side of the summer holidays. 

We still have to go to all sorts of difficult places and win, and there's a very hard sequence of away games coming up so not getting too excited just yet. 

The field is starting to thin out. Looks like it will be between Beith, Talbot and StCadocs. Beith have a slight advantage in having played both ties against Pollok, Bankies, Darvel and Gartcairn plus half way against Talbot and StCadocs. Talbot have quite a few of these still to face. The game in 2 weeks time, Talbot v Beith has a lot hinging on it.

Take nothing for granted though in the run in as the bottom teams will either not have any pressure on them as already for the drop or they will be fighting tooth and nail for points to stay up.

3 horse race unless there some major shocks to come

COTM

 

[Shanner]

38 minutes ago, Mighty Good said:

The field is starting to thin out. Looks like it will be between Beith, Talbot and StCadocs. Beith have a slight advantage in having played both ties against Pollok, Bankies, Darvel and Gartcairn plus half way against Talbot and StCadocs. Talbot have quite a few of these still to face. The game in 2 weeks time, Talbot v Beith has a lot hinging on it.

Take nothing for granted though in the run in as the bottom teams will either not have any pressure on them as already for the drop or they will be fighting tooth and nail for points to stay up.

3 horse race unless there some major shocks to come

COTM

 

Talbot will drop some points in the run-in because we have a lot of games including some very difficult ones. We could do with beating Beith but a draw wouldn't be the end of the world. 

After slagging Beith and Bankies fans a few months back for playing down their side's chances I will state that despite Talbot's momentum it's 60/40 in Beith's favour because of their lead, already being the champions, and the slightly better run-in (I can't bring myself to count St Cadoc's into the equation - they could very well win the thing but they're a kiddy-on club and it's just such a depressing prospect).

It now feels like a free hit for Talbot because we've salvaged some hope from a doomed-looking season so win or lose there will be a lot of optimism for next season and the management, players and everyone else connected with Talbot will deserve a massive round of applause for the way the ship has been steadied regardless of how it all pans out. The pressure of expectation is probably more on Beith right now because they're the champs and have been pegged back from an unassailable-looking lead. 

 

Edited March 17 by Shanner

[superpollok]

1 hour ago, Shanner said:

Talbot will drop some points in the run-in because we have a lot of games including some very difficult ones. We could do with beating Beith but a draw wouldn't be the end of the world. 

After slagging Beith and Bankies fans a few months back for playing down their side's chances I will state that despite Talbot's momentum it's 60/40 in Beith's favour because of their lead, already being the champions, and the slightly better run-in (I can't bring myself to count St Cadoc's into the equation - they could very well win the thing but they're a kiddy-on club and it's just such a depressing prospect).

It now feels like a free hit for Talbot because we've salvaged some hope from a doomed-looking season so win or lose there will be a lot of optimism for next season and the management, players and everyone else connected with Talbot will deserve a massive round of applause for the way the ship has been steadied regardless of how it all pans out. The pressure of expectation is probably more on Beith right now because they're the champs and have been pegged back from an unassailable-looking lead. 

 

The next 3 games will define the league season for Talbot. If they get through that run still in touching distance then I would put them as favourites. 
Form team in the league at the minute. 
The last 4 fixtures will likely be against teams with nothing to play for when these games come around.

Beith defense is not the greatest, losing McGlinchey would have been a blow plus a few other players rumoured to be leaving. While Talbot seem to have none of that background noise. 
 

A lot of teams will look at this season as what could have been. For us to take zero points from Meadow and Glenafton earlier in the year killed us. That was right over a really unsettling period for the club and no doubt it impacted the players.

I don’t think this seasons eventual winners will be remembered for being any sort of formidable force, just the ones who had a bit more resilience when it mattered. 

[andy25]

6 minutes ago, superpollok said:

The next 3 games will define the league season for Talbot. If they get through that run still in touching distance then I would put them as favourites. 
Form team in the league at the minute. 
The last 4 fixtures will likely be against teams with nothing to play for when these games come around.

Beith defense is not the greatest, losing McGlinchey would have been a blow plus a few other players rumoured to be leaving. While Talbot seem to have none of that background noise. 
 

A lot of teams will look at this season as what could have been. For us to take zero points from Meadow and Glenafton earlier in the year killed us. That was right over a really unsettling period for the club and no doubt it impacted the players.

I don’t think this seasons eventual winners will be remembered for being any sort of formidable force, just the ones who had a bit more resilience when it mattered. 

The standard of the League this year is absolutely dreadful. 

In saying that the standard of Scottish football in general is honking. 

[Shanner]

6 minutes ago, superpollok said:

The next 3 games will define the league season for Talbot. If they get through that run still in touching distance then I would put them as favourites. 
Form team in the league at the minute. 
The last 4 fixtures will likely be against teams with nothing to play for when these games come around.

Beith defense is not the greatest, losing McGlinchey would have been a blow plus a few other players rumoured to be leaving. While Talbot seem to have none of that background noise. 
 

A lot of teams will look at this season as what could have been. For us to take zero points from Meadow and Glenafton earlier in the year killed us. That was right over a really unsettling period for the club and no doubt it impacted the players.

I don’t think this seasons eventual winners will be remembered for being any sort of formidable force, just the ones who had a bit more resilience when it mattered. 

Very true, Beith have dropped points in 40% of their matches and are effectively the leaders.  it's been a stramash, but an enjoyably competitive one. 

 

[Thejackdaw]

Talbot Def the league favourites as they've got the momentum , we will just try and keep giving our best every single game and it's totally there for the Talbot while we will continue to be  the plucky little under dogs ........... 

[beaver watch]

10 minutes ago, Thejackdaw said:

Talbot Def the league favourites as they've got the momentum , we will just try and keep giving our best every single game and it's totally there for the Talbot while we will continue to be  the plucky little under dogs ........... 

Violin shite. League is yours to lose.

[the nearly man]

Don’t think Beith ever had unassailable lead this season it’s been very competitive with a handful of clubs in contention, Beith however do punch very much above their weight in this league, last season we were rank outsiders and nobody would have tipped us for the title, this season we’ve been mentioned as potential winners but at no time favourites considering the wealth of some other clubs, having a manager that players want to play for and workrate that some of these bigger clubs fail to match we won’t be far away but equally neither will Talbot Clydebank Darvel and St Cadocs

[GNU_Linux]

Elsewhere:

[Shannon]

3 hours ago, GNU_Linux said:

Elsewhere:

Dalbeattie Star were daft not voting for more relegation from Lowland League as they and Gretna would likely be able to yo-yo between the two instead of likely losing to East and/or West champions every season.

[wosgroundhopper]

I took in the St Cadocs v Clydebank game at the weekend as it was fairly local and only a few weeks ago it looked like it could be a crunch match in the league title. Overall I thought a draw was a fair result, I don't think a draw suited either side in their pursuit of the league title. One of the Clydebank fans had told me a fact I found hard to believe until I checked it out myself. Out of 9 games where Clydebank have played league matches against another team that play on an astro they have picked up only 9 points, their two wins came against Largs and Cumnock, this seems a strange weakness for a team that plays/train on a 3G surface all the time. Enjoyable game and well worth the £8. I have already penciled in the return match in a few weeks time. 

 

With only 5 games left for Clydebank now, I think they are relying on other teams helping them out in order to win the league, I think maximum points are now required from their remaining games. I would be interested to hear how their fans will view the outcome of the season, it is often hard to gauge fans mood straight after a game as sometimes they need reflection time to fully assess things. 

 

The other game I was considering going to was the Beith v Pollok game which by all accounts was a good game as well, perhaps the 5 minute car ride was enough to sway me to New Tinto. Beith are still in pole position for the league however similar to Clydebank I think a near maximum points will be required.  Talbot have been gathering pace and creeping up, looking at all title challengers run ins, Talbot on paper have the hardest, I haven't seen Talbot since early January when they were at Holm Park against Clydebank, on the day wasn't much between them. 

 

A massive 3 points for Troon at the weekend and 3 points that may well be enough to secure their place in the league for another season. Portland Park is one of my favorite venues to visit so I would be glad to see them stay up. 

 

For me Irvine Meadow needed all 3 points at the weekend to give them a fighting chance of staying up, with a good social club at the ground this is another ground I enjoy visiting so would be sad to see them drop a division however if you don't get the points then you can't stay in the league. I now think they are too far adrift to stay up unfortunately. 

 

It will be an interesting end to the season at the bottom as well as at the top. This is the most open league I have seen for some time. 

 

Next game up for me is Wednesday night for a trip to Darvel where they host Arthurlie, I have seen Darvel 3 times this season however this will be my first trip to Recreation Park this season. I would 9/10 times back Darvel for the win however giving the stage in the season and Arthurlie fighting for their place in the premier league I think it will be a tough game for the home side. Although they still have an outside chance of the league, I think Darvel (fans included) will probably have accepted that their best chance of Silverware is in the Scottish Cup of WoS Cup so unsure if they have one eye on that.

 

I was hoping to take in both legs of both Scottish Cup semi finals however unsure if there is going to be general sale at Darvel, I will try and find out when I am there on Wednesday as I think it would be a good game as a neutral if pay at the gate was an option, I personally like flexibility on the day to decide where I go etc...unsure what Darvel have as a ground capacity however how likely is a sell out? With 900 tickets allocated to away fans, I would be assuming the home fans would have a higher number of tickets so approx 2000 plus capacity would be my guess? I am sure someone from Darvel on here could confirm. I would like to be in attendance at the Friday night Darvel/Talbot games as well as the Sunday Arthurlie/Johnstone Burgh games. 

 

I have heard Auchinleck Talbot are planning on refusing the uptake of away tickets for the second leg match against Darvel due to concerns raised from all their fan groups, as a club that are incredible well supported, this is a bold move and will starve the opposition of significant money. I have been told that the Talbot fans are also refusing to attend the league game at Darvel as well. Between the league game and the home Scottish Cup tie, Auchinleck fans refusing to go could cost Darvel in excess of £10k which I am sure would hurt any club. It would be sad to see this happen however as a football fan as oppose to a fan of any particular team at this level I think there is something noble about this stance from the club. I may be wrong however I believe similar to Clydebank, Talbot are fan owned and have an elected committee, I think in these circumstances it is right that the club listen to fans. 

 

Who is your favourite for the cups/league now? Mine are below

 

League - Beith

Scottish - Darvel

WoS - Talbot

 

 

 

 

[Shanner]

14 minutes ago, wosgroundhopper said:

I took in the St Cadocs v Clydebank game at the weekend as it was fairly local and only a few weeks ago it looked like it could be a crunch match in the league title. Overall I thought a draw was a fair result, I don't think a draw suited either side in their pursuit of the league title. One of the Clydebank fans had told me a fact I found hard to believe until I checked it out myself. Out of 9 games where Clydebank have played league matches against another team that play on an astro they have picked up only 9 points, their two wins came against Largs and Cumnock, this seems a strange weakness for a team that plays/train on a 3G surface all the time. Enjoyable game and well worth the £8. I have already penciled in the return match in a few weeks time. 

 

With only 5 games left for Clydebank now, I think they are relying on other teams helping them out in order to win the league, I think maximum points are now required from their remaining games. I would be interested to hear how their fans will view the outcome of the season, it is often hard to gauge fans mood straight after a game as sometimes they need reflection time to fully assess things. 

 

The other game I was considering going to was the Beith v Pollok game which by all accounts was a good game as well, perhaps the 5 minute car ride was enough to sway me to New Tinto. Beith are still in pole position for the league however similar to Clydebank I think a near maximum points will be required.  Talbot have been gathering pace and creeping up, looking at all title challengers run ins, Talbot on paper have the hardest, I haven't seen Talbot since early January when they were at Holm Park against Clydebank, on the day wasn't much between them. 

 

A massive 3 points for Troon at the weekend and 3 points that may well be enough to secure their place in the league for another season. Portland Park is one of my favorite venues to visit so I would be glad to see them stay up. 

 

For me Irvine Meadow needed all 3 points at the weekend to give them a fighting chance of staying up, with a good social club at the ground this is another ground I enjoy visiting so would be sad to see them drop a division however if you don't get the points then you can't stay in the league. I now think they are too far adrift to stay up unfortunately. 

 

It will be an interesting end to the season at the bottom as well as at the top. This is the most open league I have seen for some time. 

 

Next game up for me is Wednesday night for a trip to Darvel where they host Arthurlie, I have seen Darvel 3 times this season however this will be my first trip to Recreation Park this season. I would 9/10 times back Darvel for the win however giving the stage in the season and Arthurlie fighting for their place in the premier league I think it will be a tough game for the home side. Although they still have an outside chance of the league, I think Darvel (fans included) will probably have accepted that their best chance of Silverware is in the Scottish Cup of WoS Cup so unsure if they have one eye on that.

 

I was hoping to take in both legs of both Scottish Cup semi finals however unsure if there is going to be general sale at Darvel, I will try and find out when I am there on Wednesday as I think it would be a good game as a neutral if pay at the gate was an option, I personally like flexibility on the day to decide where I go etc...unsure what Darvel have as a ground capacity however how likely is a sell out? With 900 tickets allocated to away fans, I would be assuming the home fans would have a higher number of tickets so approx 2000 plus capacity would be my guess? I am sure someone from Darvel on here could confirm. I would like to be in attendance at the Friday night Darvel/Talbot games as well as the Sunday Arthurlie/Johnstone Burgh games. 

 

I have heard Auchinleck Talbot are planning on refusing the uptake of away tickets for the second leg match against Darvel due to concerns raised from all their fan groups, as a club that are incredible well supported, this is a bold move and will starve the opposition of significant money. I have been told that the Talbot fans are also refusing to attend the league game at Darvel as well. Between the league game and the home Scottish Cup tie, Auchinleck fans refusing to go could cost Darvel in excess of £10k which I am sure would hurt any club. It would be sad to see this happen however as a football fan as oppose to a fan of any particular team at this level I think there is something noble about this stance from the club. I may be wrong however I believe similar to Clydebank, Talbot are fan owned and have an elected committee, I think in these circumstances it is right that the club listen to fans. 

 

Who is your favourite for the cups/league now? Mine are below

 

League - Beith

Scottish - Darvel

WoS - Talbot

 

 

 

 

I think Clydebank have had it due to the recent drop off in form. Top three is probably the best they'll manage now.

[PollokGang]

3 minutes ago, Shanner said:

I think Clydebank have had it due to the recent drop off in form. Top three is probably the best they'll manage now.

Two horse race. Beith a far better side than Clydebank or St Cadocs. I haven’t seen Auchinleck since they lost at Newlandsfield in July, but it is clear that have picked up and are on a hell of a run. 

[wosgroundhopper]

Just now, PollokGang said:

Two horse race. Beith a far better side than Clydebank or St Cadocs. I haven’t seen Auchinleck since they lost at Newlandsfield in July, but it is clear that have picked up and are on a hell of a run. 

Could Talbot having played the least amount of games therefore the most league games to play along with challenging for two cups play a part?

 

The other team not spoke often about that are still in the running are Hurlford. 

[jimbaxters]

36 minutes ago, wosgroundhopper said:

Could Talbot having played the least amount of games therefore the most league games to play along with challenging for two cups play a part?

 

The other team not spoke often about that are still in the running are Hurlford. 

An all too familiar scenario.