Accies vs Queen of the South - Sat 24 Aug 2013

It is again a good time to be an Accies supporter.  The managerial change has proved to be a positive move despite an early season Ramsdens Cup defeat and Alex Neil is assured of my support through thick and thin, as was his predecessor.  The signing of MAC (pending formalities) should be another step forward, with my only question being why no other teams seem to have been chasing him given his record in Scottish football.  

Saturday's opponents Queen of the South are one of only 3 unbeaten teams in the Scottish Professional Football League Championship after 2 rounds of games.  Another tight 2nd tier season looks to be in prospect.  39 goals have been scored in 10 games this season with Accies and QoS providing 12 of these - the difference in the teams being the solidity of Accies' defence.  I can't see too many changes to the team after the fine home win against Dumbarton, but Andreu must be close to a start - but at the expense of whom?  While QoS are one of the form teams in the league to date (early, I know) Accies are at home and this is the sort of game we must win if we are to challenge for the one direct promotion spot.  Unlike many, I am no fan of play-offs - but it seems that in this instance they are the closest we will get to a 2nd promotion place, so are welcome none the less, despite the fact that they undermine the league structure and are a blatant commercial ploy.  I reckon this season must be close to being the 50th anniversary of my first game at Douglas Park - promotion would be a fine way to celebrate and I'm not fussed about the route we take.  3 points on Saturday, please. 

Accies v Dumbarton - SPFL Championship - Saturday 17th August 2013

This Saturday, Accies host Dumbarton for the first home match of the season and our first competitive match on the new artificial surface at NDP. After last week's excellent away victory against Raith Rovers there is bound to be some confidence and optimism amongst the players, management team and the fans. The big question is whether the promise shown in the last two victories can continue. According to the OS, the injuries to Longridge and Routledge will keep both on the sidelines for a few more weeks. That should mean the only change to the starting eleven will be the return of our captain, Martin Canning to the heart of the defence alongside Mikey Devlin. The dominant performance of Alex Neil last week must leave our manager no choice but to pick himself to start again this week. Last season Dumbarton showed they were capable of virtually anything - good & bad! However there's no doubt they are a much more capable outfit under the stewardship of Ian Murray. They managed to grab a late equaliser last week to earn a good point at home to Falkirk and I believe they will be no pushovers. It's still very early in the season to identify the form sides, however if we are aspiring to achieve a top four finish then this match is the type of game that we really need to be winning. I'm looking forward to an open, entertaining game with a narrow victory for Accies.

Accies vs Cowdenbeath - Sat 4 May 2013

On Saturday 4th of May we face Cowdenbeath for the 4th and final time this season.  Honours have remained obstinately even to date, with an away defeat and draw sandwiching a home victory for Accies.  Stevie May has already scored twice against these particular Fifers and his current form suggests he might well add to that total.

While Accies have defined their season magnificently in the last month or so, this match remains important in that it could lead to a recently-unthinkable 3rd place finish.  Cowdenbeath will be no pushovers, with their own future in the play-off balance.  Matters are not in their own hands, in that a Dunfermline victory will secure 1st Div football for the Pars next year.  The Blue Brazil need to win at NDP and hope that Dunfermline don't win at home to Airdrie.  A cruel outcome could see Cowdenbeath win their 3rd game in 10 but still be ambushed by the likes of Alloa or Brechin in a play-off.  Accies will be keen not to show our visitors any on-field hospitality in the knowledge that a victory guarantees a 4th place finish in this most competitive of leagues.

Accies have few availability worries (McShane apart) and the starting line up may well be the team that played from the 17th - 89th minutes in last week's fine win at Morton.  As well as prospect of a keenly-fought 90 mins on the park, Accies fans have the added incentive of an audience with club Chairman Les Gray immediately after the game.  It promises to be an interesting afternoon.    

Accies vs Raith Rovers - Sat 20th April 2013

Next up for Accies is a home match against our closest rivals in the league Raith Rovers. The remarkable month of April will see Accies ultimately play 7 league games. So far it's been going pretty well - with 4 wins and 1 draw under the belt and 13 goals scored and 3 clean sheets in the process. The winning streak was halted on Tuesday night at Livingston with a slightly disappointing 0-0 draw, however there is a confidence in the team at the moment that can hopefully see them get back to winning ways on Saturday.

Our opponents Raith Rovers also come into the match on the back of a 0-0 draw at Firhill where, according to media reports, a fine performance from them delayed the league championship winning party for Partick Thistle. They've had a very respectable season under the leadership of their promising young manager Grant Murray. With only 3 games remaining I'm certain they'll be looking for a victory in order to give them a chance to overtake Accies and secure a 5th place finish.

Accies will still be without the suspended Page while Ryan is now free from his suspension. Hendrie and Longridge both made claims for a starting place with fine substitute performances at Livingston. Given that this will be the 6th game in 18 days for the players it might be appropriate to bring in some fresher legs. 

Accies vs Airdrie - Tuesday 9 April 2013

Accies face Airdrie (United?) on Tuesday at NDP having registered a very good win at Dunfermline on Saturday.  On paper, this should be an easier match to predict, with Accies having taken 7 points out of 9 against Airdrie so far this season, scoring 9 goals in the process while conceding only 2.  If Alex Neil and Frankie McAvoy's men were to maintain that scoring average, (which matches their own scoring average as a management team!) I suspect that we will see another comfortable Accies victory.  I have no reason to suspect that Alex will drop himself back into the team for this fixture and Gary Fisher remains out with an injury.  Page could be recalled, depending on whether Neil/McAvoy wish to give Devlin 2 games in 4 days, with another game to come in a few days  (repeat ad nauseam).  Otherwise, I expect to see an unchanged side.  Accies are free from any lingering direct relegation worries but are not yet mathematically out of the play-off equation. 4 more points, Cowdenbeath dropping 4 points or Dunfermline suffering a draconian administration punishment will resolve this issue (for Accies).  

More worrying for this commentator is that Accies picked up another 5 bookings on Saturday.  Ill-discipline has been an issue over the last couple of seasons and while Alex Neil may not be the individual best placed to resolve the matter, I suppose a job share allows his colleague to major on this aspect of player management!  It would be disappointing to see the start of next season affected by suspensions held over from this year, especially at a time when the job for the season is complete, bar the last lick of paint.  Victory tomorrow night will bring us to the point of watching the paint dry for the rest of the season!  

Accies vs Dumbarton (x2) - Sat 30th March and Tues 2 Apr 2013

These might be 2 of the most competitive matches played all season.  Dumbarton were mighty impressive when I saw them outplay Accies in January in the shadow of the Rock and on their day Accies are more than capable of performing to a better level than their league position might suggest.  In fact, there is an argument that each of these clubs deserves to be in better league positions than 7th and 8th, but inconsistency has been another common factor.

Accies are likely to rely on the men who came to the Falkirk party last weekend, although Jon McShane impressed a number of respected commentators in scoring 3 times for the U20s side against Dunfermline at NDP in midweek.  It will be interesting to see if BR continues to play 3 at the back after the Falkirk success, or if he has identified a different strategy for the threat posed by Dumbarton.  If Accies do win the first game, will he employ the same tactics on Tuesday?  While I always enjoy predicting victories, I'll be delighted if we take 4 points out of 6 from this unusual double header.