Trio of top-flight stalwarts docked three points for festive fixture flap
SEVERAL degrees of difficulty have been added to the battle against relegation for a trio of long-standing Junior clubs after West Region beaks adopted a tough line in deducting three points from Premiership outfits Petershill and Cambuslang Rangers as well as Irvine Vics from the Championship.
The punishments relate to their controversially failing to fulfil festive fixtures. on Saturday 29th December – Petershill because they were unable to gain access to Glasgow City Council-owned New Petershill Park to avail themselves of their boots and playing kit for their trip down to Ayrshire to face Largs Thistle – Cambuslang Rangers due to a sudden flu bug that swept through Somervell Park’s dressing room and left them short of players for going up against Auchinleck Talbot while an electrical fault at Victoria Park prevented the clash of Irvine Vics v Neilston from going ahead.
Largs Thistle boss Stuart Davidson said: “I have sympathy with Petershill considering they had laid out the money for a bus to bring them down to Barrfields but we as a club felt it necessary to lodge a complaint because calling things off just hours before kick-off was a slap in the face to our players who had gone out of their way to swap shifts and cancel family get-togethers in order to play.
“Junior football is recognised as a semi-professional level in Scotland and it’s a poor show if clubs do not plan ahead in terms of preparing and collecting team kit but instead leave it to the very last minute.”
Their own points penalty has left the troubled Lang rooted in bottom spot in the top-flight standings, three points adrift of the Peasy whose own basement position improved ever so slightly as a result of Lewis Crawford and Scott Cameron goals helping Willie Patterson’s side chalk up a precious 2-0 victory over Renfrew on Saturday.
Yet as cruel irony would have it, Petershill are through at Somervell Park this Saturday for an intriguing six-pointer against a Cambuslang side weakened by the absence of suspended pair Scott Faulds and John Gemmell whose bans (five and two games respectively) are also causing them to sit out the following week’s Macron Scottish Junior Cup fifth-round clash against Troon Juniors.
The basement showdown also marks the first game to be played under strict SJFA guidelines imposed as a direct result of the alleged assault on referee Calum Scott by Cambuslang Rangers manager Paul McColl during a recent game away to Glenafton which caused the whistler to abandon the game.
The restrictions in place for the foreseeable future are for an SJFA appointed observer as well as Police Scotland officers to be present whenever Cambuslang Rangers are playing and designated stewards must also be on hand to provide security for Match officials when leaving the pitch and walking to their cars.
Meanwhile, popular Whitletts Vics manager George Grierson has tendered his resignation, citing health reasons. He’s about to undergo surgery for a second hip replacement.