The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Blue Toon entering must-win territory
Brown braced for crucial game at Albion
Peterhead have eight games left to secure their place in League 1 and midfielder Scott Brown believes the Blue Toon will be left firmly in the relegation mire if they lose at Albion Rovers today.
TheBuchanmenare in eighth place in the division, one point clear of today’s opponents, who have played two games less.
Brown regards the trip to Cliftonhill as one of the biggest games of the season for his side. He said: “We’re at the stage now whereit’s simply a case of rolling the sleeves up and getting stuck in. We’re in must-win territory at Albion Rovers.
“If we win it lifts the pressure a little but ifweloseweare going to be deep in a relegation dogfight, so it’s a massive game for us.”
The Blue Toon’s hopes of winning a promotion play-off place have dimmed with Brechin’s 1-0 win at Balmoor last weekend opening up a 10 point gap between fourth place and eighth.
Promotion now seems unlikely but Brown is refusing to Peterhead assistant manager Davie Nicholls is bracing himself for an old fashioned scrap when the Blue Toon visit Albion Rovers today.
Six games without a win have left the Buchan men deep in the give up hope just yet. He said: “It’s been a really strange season as we don’t feel as if there have been too many games where we’ve been outplayed but at the same time we haven’t really beaten teams 3-0 or 4-0.
“It has been tight at times and there have been matches where wefeelwehaven’t had the rub of the green and things have not gone ourway butwecan’t worry about that.
“We’ve got eight games left and we have to put it right and make sure we are not relegated or in a relegation play- off place.”
Peterhead’s hopes of winning their crucial game today have been bolstered by the return of leading scorer Rory McAllister.
Brown hopes the forward’s return from suspension can swing the game in his club’s favour today. relegation mire in League 1 and Nicholls knows his players have to stop the rot.
He said: “It’s a massive game for everyone – Jim(McInally), me and the players andweneed to be up for the fight. The pitch will not
WEEKEND FOOTBALL CARD: ALL THE FIXTURES
be the best but the message will still be the same – get on the ball, be brave, be first to second balls and be ready for a scrap. We must not be outbattled. That cannot happen.”
After today’s game the Blue Toon face seventh-placed Stranraer but Nicholls believes all the remaining matches will be pivotal. He said: “We have eight games left and they are all big. You cannot start looking at the fixtures or try to work out how many points will be needed. The focus is solely on the next game and trying to beat Albion.”
Blue Toon defender Ryan Baptie has joined Broxburn Athletic on loan for the rest of the season. Hibernian manager Neil Lennon has urged his side to find the goals to take them another step closer to the Championship title.
The Easter Road outfit will be without top scorer Jason Cummings when they host Dumbarton today.
The forward netted his 20th goal of the season to hand Lennon’s men a crucial win against Dundee United last week. But he then needlessly got himself sent off after picking up a pair of yellow cards – the first for throwing the ball away after being caught offside, the second for punching a cross into the Tangerines net.
Lennon is frustrated he will be without his chief marksman but reckons the other members of his squad can provide the league leaders with the
“Cummings is a hard player for Hibernian to replace”
necessary firepower. He said: “Jason a hard player for us to replace. However, wedohave JamesKeatings, Brian Graham, Grant Holt, Martin Boyle, Andrew Shinnie and John McGinn who have all got goals in them.”
Hibs have a six- point cushion as well as a game in hand on secondplaced Falkirk but Lennon reckons his side will not get it all their own way when the seventh-placed Sons visit Edinburgh.
Falkirk can cement their place behind the tabletoppers for another week if theyovercomethird-placed Mor ton. Jim Duff y ’ s Greenock players are just a point behind but have played two games less than the Bairns and will be looking to leapfrog their hosts at the Falkirk Stadium.
DundeeUnited will hope to fire some life back into their promotion push after three games without a win when they face struggling Raith Rovers at Stark’s Park.