EL CLASSICO COMES TO GOVAN

DANNY DESPERATE FOR CUP WIN OVER RIVALS

The protagonists in Govan’s very own equivalent of El Classico are far removed from their Spanish counterparts in not being among the wealthiest and most successful clubs going the rounds but that trifling incidental will not be lingering in the thoughts of supporters of St Anthonys and Benburb ahead of the near neighbours going head to head in the last 32 of the Clydebuilt Homes Scottish Junior Cup tomorrow.

McKenna Park is set to provide the humble setting for a clash that one has to rewind all of ten years (doesn’t absence make the heart grow fonder?) to find when the teams were here before on competitive business…an early December 2013 staged Central First Division encounter won 3-1 by the Bens.

Yet it’s not as if anyone of the mind to put a wager on tomorrow’s outcome will be assisted by a more recent form book because if my delving back into the history of their head to heads is accurate then 2017 was their last coming together of any note in a Sectional League Cup contest at New Tinto Park where the Ants ran out 4-1 winners on the back of some very favourable refereeing decisions, not least of all three penalty kick awards, all converted by striker Chris Gordon.

The angst from suffering such a heavy defeat at the hands of the perceived no-hoper Ants was sorely felt by losing team boss Paul Lovering , still at the Benburb helm to this day, and it’s a given that he will be all the more determined to extract his revenge (never mind the passage of time) now that another locking of horns has come around.

The current rankings suggest he is in a good position to do just that with his Bens side occupying a very creditable fourth top spot in the Premier Division pile and facing a St Anthonys fully 37 places below them in the WoSFL standings but the one time Airdrie player is sure to be urging his troops to regard the media’s sure to be applied tags of `favourites` and `lower league opposition` as meaningless once the action gets underway.

Strikers Declan McDonald, Aaron Black and Ryan Livingston ,so important to Benburb’s psyche along with his own son Lewis Lovering’s aerial ability have evolved into a potent and much feared attacking threat even though it must be a source of concern to Lovers that blanks have been fired in Benburb’s previous two outings (2-0 and 5-0 defeats by Largs Thistle and Beith respectively).

The temptation for the Bens gaffer to further tweak forward line matters has to be an obvious one, however the smart money reckons he might settle on pulling the versatile Livingstone back to tighten up his backline while at the same time crossing fingers in the hope the adrenaline rush from the prospect of attaining a place in the Holy Grail last 16 can help Messrs McDonald and Black rediscover their hitherto prolific scoring touch in front of goal.

LOVERS NEEDS HIS STRIKERS AT THEIR SCORING BEST

St Anthonys are likewise in anything but their finest fettle coming into the Cup contest as their last round 3-2 success against Stoneywood Parkvale stands alone as the only victory chalked up in their last half dozen outings however their never anything less than enthusiastic manager Danny Taylor (he was the same as a player) came across as decidedly confident sounding when asked for his take on what will be his first all-Govan confrontation since taking up the Ants’ reins nigh on three years and a bit ago..

The former goalscoring ace insisted , “I could come away with the old cliché that says `the form book goes out the window in derby games `but what’s an even more relevant reason for me feeling upbeat is having close to our strongest squad at my beck and call for the first time in months.

“At any given time, injuries, holidays, illness , weddings, suspensions and work commitments have resulted in players being unavailable but they’re all going to be back and champing at the bit for Saturday possibly with the exception of our young defender Kyle McLauchlan who is looking likely to miss out with a knee injury.

Danny went on defiantly , “ I don’t need any reminding that we’re the outright underdogs but being written off suits me and my players just fine and all I’m wanting is for the guys to go out give a good account of themselves.

“If we can do that then Saturday may not be quite the foregone conclusion that everyone and their granny are predicting!”

As a former striker of some repute himself, Danny has a high regard for Benburb’s attacking riches and he in tandem with former Ants centreback, Ronnie McDonald ,now his Ants assistant gaffer , have worked on ways to try and stifle this undoubted threat.

He added , “The front guys can undoubtedly play a bit so it would have been amiss of Ronnie and myself not to respect their qualities particularly whenever defenders afford them too much time and space.

“Our intentions are to work our socks off to deny them that by asking players to operate in certain areas and our plan is to do the same all over the pitch and see where it gets us.”

Arguably the pick of the bunch among the other 15 ties taking place is the all-Premier Division meeting of Glenafton and Darvel down at Loch Park where their clash on the opening day of the season ended in a 2-1 victory for the Glens.

Their league placings might be taken as a pointer towards the visiting Darvel emerging as the most likely winners given they are sitting fifth top whereas Glenafton are down in a lowly second bottom of the table placing however recent results (make that events?) would suggest otherwise .

The once freely spending Darvel have been plunged into disarray by self-confessed financial woes and have managed to come out on top in only one of their previous five outings whereas Glenafton ,under new manager Mark Roberts , have shown definite signs of a recovery with 4 victories and a draw to their name during the same period.

It only makes matters worse that their seemingly crisis-hit state forced Darvel into recently selling on highly regarded midfield pair Ian McShane and Thomas Reilly to Gartcairn thus appearing to leave manager Tony McInally and his remaining Recreation Park troops (many of whom are rumoured to have pastures new in their sights) up against it in taking on a rampant and in-form Glenafton.

MACCA SEEKING A TURNAROUND IN FORTUNES FOR DARVEL

Another couple of intriguing match-ups sees last season’s losing Junior Cup finalists and the current First Division leading lights Rutherglen Glencairn hosting the visit of top flight Troon while supporters of Third Division pair Bellshill Athletic and Lesmahagow will doubtless be salivating about their Third Round confrontation in the wake of an exciting and high scoring 5-5 draw played out by their teams earlier this season.

Elsewhere ,one would expect Hurlford United to get the better of Tayport , Johnstone Burgh to similarly make home advantage tell against Dundee North End , the ever improving Auchinleck Talbot to win on the road away to Bridge of Don Thistle, along with St Cadocs and Arthurlie coming good respectively up at Dundee Violet and Forfar United.

But looking extremely more difficult to call is the meeting of Ashfield’s shock troops (on their day capable of giving anyone a game of it) with the considerably more fancied Largs Thistle while it would not be surprising if penalty kicks were required at the regulation time conclusion of the Shotts Bon Accord v St Rochs tie at Hannah Park.

Away from the Junior Cup scene , Premier Division frontrunners Clydebank await the visit of nearest challengers Beith in a Holm Park showdown made all the more important by both participants seeking to bounce back from disappointing defeats in the Scottish Gas Cup last weekend (against Formartine Thistle and Broomhill) .

The Bankies will relish this opportunity, particularly in front of their own supporters , to open up a seven points lead on the reigning champions however Beith will be no less motivated in wanting to cut their deficit to a solitary point from having played four games fewer.

At the other end of the table, bottom markers Irvine Meadow whose experieced midfielder Kyle Faulds is on the open to transfer list at his own request will be out to improve their plight at the expense of three places and four points better off Cumnock while hard not to think an extremely testing 90 minutes lies in store for third bottom and newly managerless Rob Roy (Kevin McGoldrick has allegedly relinquished the Rabs hotseat) from going up against a strong going Gartcairn looking better prepared for life in the top flight after their injection of new signings.

PLAYING TOMORROW: (Kick Offs 2 PM):

CLYDEBUILT HOME IMPROVEMENTS Scottish Junior Cup.Third Round(.Bellshill Athletic v Lesmahagow, Ashfield v Largs Thistle, Glenafton v Darvel, Finnart v Larkhall Thistle, Rutherglen Glencairn v Troon, Dundee Downfield v Dalry Thistle, Hurlford Utd v Tayport, Bridge of Don Thistle v Auchinleck Talbot, St Anthonys v Benburb, Dundee Violet v St Cadocs , Forfar United v Arthurlie, Vale of Leven v Montrose Roselea, Shotts Bon Accord v St Rochs, Culter v Lochee Utd, Johnstone Burgh v Dundee North End, Stonehaven v Aberdeen East End.INDIGO COMMS West of Scotland Cup.Second Round.Newmains Utd v Eglinton.P.D.M HUWS GRAY Premier Division. Clydebank v Beith, Irvine Meadow v Cumnock, Rob Roy v Gartcairn P.D.M HUWS GRAYFirst Division. Blantyre Vics v Kilwinning Rangers, Kilbirnie Ladeside v Renfrew, Neilston v Cambuslang Rangers, Thorniewood Utd v Maybole.PDM HUWS GRAY Second Division. Glasgow Perthshire v Craigmark, Vale of Clyde v Cumbernauld Utd, Kilsyth Rangers v Ardrossan Winton Rovers , Muirkirk v Wishaw, Glasgow University v Maryhill (8PM Friday) Bonnyton Thistle v Yoker Athletic. PDM HUWS GRAYThird Division. Irvine Vics v Lanark Utd, West Park Utd v Threave Rovers, Greenock v Kello Rovers, Ardeer Thistle v Girvan. PDM HUWS GRAYFourth Division. Carluke Rovers v Giffnock SC , Glenvale v Campbeltown Pupils, Knightswood v Lugar Boswell, Saltcoats Vics v East Kilbride Thistle.