This league really is unpredictable. In week six we yet again saw surprises, comebacks and for two managers (Laszlo and Archibald) we had victories that keep them in a job for another week or so at least. Falkirk still remain pointless, Ayr have found their mojo again after yet another impressive result and that Highland cracker we were all excited about was a bit rubbish…
Partick Thistle 3 – 2 Queen of the South
It was all or nothing for Alan Archibald on Saturday. With the vultures circling it seemed like the inevitable was coming when Partick fell behind early on against Queen of the South. In a ding-dong battle the Firhill side managed to secure a vital win and a victory that ensures another week in the job for Alan Archibald. For Queen of the South this loss will hurt because of the way it happened but looking at the bigger picture they still have had a great start to the season so it is not too concerning.
Greenock Morton 1 – 1 Dunfermline Athletic
In Greenock it was definitely the Dunfermline fans who will feel a little hard done by as they left with only a point. If not for a late error by Lee Robinson the East End Park side would have picked up an important three points. The Morton fans seem to be largely disappointed in the performance levels from their team and it must be frustrating that in Johansson’s first home game they didn’t show more to impress their new manager. In Fife the mood is maybe slightly more positive but there is still a long way to go if Dunfermline are to recover and life up to their pre-season billing.
Falkirk 0 – 2 Dundee United
Pre-match this had the feeling of an inevitable victory for Falkirk. With Ray McKinnon in the home dugout and Csaba Laszlo on the verge it seemed as though the football gods had aligned. Surprising then that Falkirk put in a 90 minutes of tepid and fearful football and United largely dominated. Two headers in the second half exposed the Falkirk defence (and goalkeeper) to give Laszlo another lifeline and pile more misery on the Falkirk fans. They will give McKinnon time but he has inherited a squad that needs to be gutted (for about the third time in 18 months).
Ross County 0 – 0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
This should have been a classic. It should have been a battle between two good sides and one that would be a great advert for the Scottish Championship. It wasn’t. County fans seem unanimous that in many ways this was the weakest performance of their season and it leaves them frustrated at more dropped points. For Caley they too will be disappointed that a good opportunity to beat their rivals and maintain their top spot in the Championship.
Alloa Athletic 0 – 2 Ayr United
The Ayr United humiliation in Dumfries all of a sudden seems like a distant memory. Yet another three points for the Ayrshire men and this one is special as it sees them go top of the league on 13 out of a possible 18. Once again Shankland was involved in everything good about Ayr and it was 2-0 going on much more as Alloa put in their worst performance of the league campaign so far. With a massive fixture against Falkirk next week it is going to be a big week for Jim Goodwin as he tries to lift his players ahead of that.
Team of the Week – To win a match after being behind not once, but twice is a very satisfying outcome for players and fans. When it effectively saves the manager’s job it is even better (or maybe not if you are still anti-Archibald). For Partick Thistle it looked like another week and another defeat when Stephen Dobbie scored for Queen of the South early in the match but the Firhill side deserve great credit in coming back to win. They have given their manager a stay of execution.
Player of the Week – As a Dundee United supporter I don’t really feel comfortable doing this but this week it has to be Blair Spittal for me. The winger isn’t exactly the player some had hoped he would be when he first broke through as the next big thing from the Queen’s Park talent pool but he rescued his team and his manager on Saturday with a double against Queen of the South.
