Dundee High aiming to end season on a high

It never rains but it pours, although the weekend forecast is apparently for snow, writes Steve Scott.

Whatever the weather, Dundee High will be hoping for some kind of turnaround in fortunes as they take on Hamilton in their final league match of 2018.

Last week Stuart Barlow’s red card was the turning point in the contest against Gala, although the difference in contest was ultimately the conversion by Dean Keddie of Gala’s third try which hit the upright and, in keeping with High’s luck this year, went through the posts.

Fielding a couple of teenagers in their backline, there was enough to provoke some optimism at Mayfield that things might be turning for the better.

But the crucial game against Hamilton this week comes up sharply, with the Laigh Bent side having lifted themselves out of the bottom two with a narrow win over bottom side Cartha last week.

That leaves High second from bottom and in need of some succour from their travels this weekend.

Dayle Turner’s opportunistic interception and 55-yard run gave Kirkcaldy at least a losing bonus in a fluctuating game against Aberdeen Grammar and they stay just ahead of Hamilton in ninth.

Lack of numbers meant Quinny Sanft had to be on the bench for the Blues and on the pitch for those final few minutes, but there remains a level of optimism the club will do better in the New Year if they can get their full complement of players out most weeks.

They end the year with arguably the toughest of tasks, away to division leaders Marr, who didn’t even concede a point raiding Musselburgh – who had been third – last week and stretching their advantage at the top to seven.

Howe of Fife predictably could not get anything from their trip to National Two leaders Biggar but the key game for the club was unquestionably this week’s anyway, with Glasgow Accies the visitors to Duffus.

Accies lie four points and two places above the Howe – who went back to the bottom of the division with Lasswade salvaging a losing bonus at home to Dumfries – and this is the ideal opportunity to leapfrog them and at least be out of the hypothetical relegation zone for the forthcoming festive break.

A little of the form from the commanding win over Whitecraigs two weeks ago might well do the job.

In Division Three Perthshire had a heartbreaker, conceding a last play penalty to lose to Murrayfield Wanderers having been pushing for a bonus point win in the dying minutes.

It leaves Shire third from bottom and well clear of the bottom two, but three are slated to go down from the National Three to the Regional Leagues, although the fate of the structure for next season is still pretty much anyone’s guess.

It’s last four time in the regional stages of the SRU Shield and Bowl, with one result already decided in the Caledonia Shield.

Alloa have been unable to raise a team to play Strathmore, giving the Caley Division One leaders a pass into the final.

The other semi sees Blairgowrie travel to meet Grangemouth Stags in what will be a significant test for the visiting Caley Midlands Two leaders.

In the Caley Bowl, it’s nicely set up for a possible repeat of last year’s epic “Snow Bowl” meeting between Panmure and Dundee Uni Medics – hopefully without the need to spend two days removing six inches of snow from the pitch this time.

The teams have been kept apart in the semi-finals, and as they share Panmure’s Forthill grounds it has required DUMs to take their semifinal against Rosyth Sharks to St Andrews University’s all-weather pitch.

Pannie, the holders, are at home to Arbroath.

Strathmore beat Dunfermline to stay unbeaten in the Caledonia One clash of the top two but it was a tight one, 22-18, and the Forfar side were denied a bonus for the first time this season. Dunfie will be looking to cement their second place status against third-placed Glenrothes at Carleton Park.