High out to repair Mayfield record

Dundee High’s away form is in stark contrast to at home so far in this BT National League One, but that’s probably got a lot to do with the fixture schedulers.

Two wins and a bonus at Gala have come away from Mayfield, last week’s excellent victory over GHA at Braidholm being perhaps the pick of High’s performances this season.

The focus is now on repairing the home record, which is slightly skewed by having hosted the clear title favourites, Edinburgh Accies, and second place Selkirk.

The narrowness of the defeat to the Borderers, pushing Gala all the way at Netherdale, and the decisiveness of last week’s win – as many as 10 possible starters were missing through injury and unavailability – suggests High belong on the high side of the clear dividing line developing in National One.

This week’s visitors to Mayfield, Stewart’s Melville, with six losses from six so far and coming off conceding 67 points at home to Aberdeen Grammar, are among those clearly struggling.

Following this week, High play only one other team presently above them in the division before the halfway point of the season – a chance to start accumulating points in the drive to get back in the play-off race.

Kirkcaldy went back to the top of National Two by virtue of Dumfries’s loss at home to Hamilton and their own decisive win over Whitecraigs.

Even with uncontested scrums as early as just over half-an-hour – removing one of their chief weapons of choice – the Blues’ forward power was too much.

Preston Lodge, who have lost their last three after a bright start to the season, are the visitors to Beveridge Park this week.

In contrast to PL, Howe of Fife have bounced back from three losses to win three on the trot, last week’s being a particular morale booster with 70 points at Aberdeenshire.

Dumfries are at Duffus Park this week and represent a significant test, but there are signs Howe could be making their home ground the fortress it was last time they were in National Two.

For all the fine away results last week by all the Midlands National League teams, pride of place should maybe go to Perthshire, who came from behind to beat Dalziel 29-20 in Motherwell, their first victory of a tough season so far.

Scrum-half Zack Harris had a brace as Shire won with the bonus to leap out of the bottom three in one bound. Hillhead Jordanhill, directly above them in the division but six points to the good, are their hosts this week.

Caledonia One has Caithness out in front with Strathmore doing the chasing, and both will be favoured to record home wins against Banff and Harris respectively.

In Division Two Blairgowrie are six from six so far, five with the bonus, with the home win over second-placed Hillfoots already tucked away. They travel to a Falkirk IIS side struggling every bit as much as their firsts are in National One.