Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dokens have to be wary of old mates
IT’S back to league action tomorrow and one of the top attractions in the Super League is at North End Park where the Dokens will be out to dent Lochee United’s title credentials.
North End have made a reasonable start to life in the Super League, having lost only twice, both at home, although wins have been hard to come by.
They have picked up two victories from six starts and their last league outing was a disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Scone Thistle.
They performed well when they met the Bluebells in local cup competitions last season.
However, the loss of striker Kevin Milne and Ryan Blair to the Thomson Park outfit was a major blow and they will be hoping the pair don’t come back to haunt them.
After their surprise defeat at Luncarty on the opening day of the season, Lochee are back in their stride and manager George Shields will be urging them to keep the momentum going.
Greg Kirk and Alan Tulleth, who missed last week’s Scottish Cup win over Lothian Thistle, are added to the pool, with long-term injury victims Craig Smith and James Thomson the only absentees.
Meanwhile, league leaders Carnoustie take on a rejuvenated Downfield side at Laing Park.
The Spiders are undefeated in their last three matches and last week’s 6-1 East Region Cup win over Linlithgow will add to their confidence.
The Gowfers, on the other hand, were disappointed with their performance at Luncarty which resulted in a 1-0 defeat.
Manager Phil McGuire is looking for a big improvement.
He said: “We lacked quality in key areas against Luncarty and didn’t create enough chances and paid the penalty.
“As far as tomorrow’s game goes, Downfield are a compact side who we know will compete. However, it is up to us to match them and find the cutting edge to give us a positive result.”
The Gowfers manager has a full pool at his disposal.
New Tayport manager Chris McPherson will be looking for his team to chalk up their first league win against Scone Thistle at The Canniepairt.
’Port will be without top scorer Dayle Robertson, who is suspended, while Conor Ireland is doubtful.
On the plus side, Jamie Gill returns from suspension.
Scone have a full squad as they chase a fourth-successive win.