Junior bosses hope to see season completed

East Region junior football bosses have expressed their confidence in being able to conclude their Covid 19-hit season.

The Premiership North – which comprises 17 teams from the Dundee, Angus and Perthshire areas – has been in cold storage since December 19.

After a two-week festive season break all junior football was suspended after talks between the SFA and the Scottish Government.

The temporary ban also covered League One, League Two, Scottish Women’s Football Premier Leagues 1 and 2, the Highland League, Lowland League, East, West and South of Scotland Leagues and the North Caledonian League.

However, the East Region

Juniors are in a more fortunate position in that they have fewer games to fit in.

Region officials were quite astute when they set out their plans for the 2020-21 season. The initial plan was for all 17 clubs in the area to play each other once, eight games at home and eight away, then if time allowed the league would have been split.

The plan looks to be a positive one as even with a restart at the beginning of April, there will be time to complete the 16 games.

Broughty Athletic manager Jamie Mccunnie does not expect to see the Premiership North season scrapped just yet, like the National League North and South in England were last week.

“I don’t think that will happen here” said

Mccunnie. “However, it will be tight for a lot of teams to play all of their fixtures. Teams will require a period of time to get players fit and play friendlies before competitive games start again.”

Tayport boss Chris Macpherson hopes for the best but fears the worst.

He said: “Leagues 1 and 2 in the SPFL will find it really difficult to finish their season as they have many games left.

“I understand that they feel aggrieved as they follow strict protocols and had offered to carry out a testing regime in the same way as the Championship clubs.

“I think we have as good a chance as any to get back. We have looked at the fixtures left and believe that the period from March to June gives us enough time to get players back up to speed and to play the games remaining.

“I realise that this may be wishful thinking but in times of adversity you look for the light at the end of the tunnel and this may be just that.”

Andy Heggie, manager of Dundee Violet, is adamant that every opportunity should be taken to complete the season.

“Our league should continue until there isn’t enough Saturdays or midweek dates available,” he said.

“We are at an advantage because the officials planned for this scenario and we only play each other once.”

However, not all managers are quietly confident like Mccunnie, Macpherson and Heggie.

Blairgowrie manager

Mark Brash cannot see football returning ahead of the 2021-22 season.

He said: “The priority is people’s welfare; it is an unfortunate situation in unprecedented times and keeping people safe and healthy needs to be the priority.

“The problem at our level is that its not just about football; the guys are mixing at work and that contact increases.

“Unfortunately I don’t see any option other than scrapping the season.

“We would need time to get boys back to fitness etc. It would have been a great time to look at summer football.”

The Berrypickers boss is, however, confident that clubs will survive.

He said: “It will bounce back, and local community spirit will see clubs thrive.”

Two defeats in a row and now out of the Championship play-off places – pressure is mounting on James Mcpake and his Dundee side.

Saturday’s poor 3-2 home defeat to Queen of the South saw the Dark Blues drop to fifth in the table and made it just five wins from their opening 14 league matches.

In a curtailed, 27-game season, time is running out for a Dundee side stacked with quality to find the form that can win them promotion.

That’s why tomorrow night’s home clash with Ayr United has suddenly taken on huge importance.

The Honest Men sit just three points behind the Dark Blues in the league table, despite occupying the relegation play-off spot after losing at the weekend.

Always a tight division, the second tier is outdoing itself right now with only seven points separating Raith in third and Ayr in ninth.

The silver lining to this cloud for Dundee is that they have it within their grasp to take the secondplace position they desire come the end of April.

Looking at squads and budgets, that’s where this side should be finishing.

Hopes of a title chase with Hearts were pretty much extinguished after game one of the season, though there was a flicker of life after their meeting in January.

Win all three of their rearranged games and they jump back above Dunfermline into that second spot – it is in their own hands.

However, any repeat of Saturday’s performance – particularly the first half – and promotion will feel a long, long way off.

With a defeat to Ayr tomorrow night it’s conceivable Dundee drop to seventh, if Inverness beat bottom side Alloa.

The defending on Saturday was obviously a huge negative but, on the plus side, the Dark Blues created enough chances to win the game against Queens.

There is no denying the fact that three weeks without a game for Mcpake’s side took away any sharpness they might have built up and their hope will be the weekend game has shaken off the rust.

It’s up to the manager now to find the solution that marries up their attacking threat through the likes of Osman Sow, Jason Cummings, Charlie Adam and Paul Mcmullan with defensive stability.

Because Queens was a bad day, after a bad day against Raith.

Those bad days are beginning to mount up along with the pressure and they can’t afford many more.

Tomorrow night against Ayr looks like a tipping point – and whichever way it goes could prove pivotal for James Mcpake’s future as manager of Dundee Football Club.