HibeeJibee

Linlithgow and Jeanfield were only leading 1-0 late in their games, while Broxburn won 2-1 against 10-man St Andrews, so it shows nothing can be taken for granted in this title race. Jeanfield v St Andrews next week shaping-up a vital game for both. Blackburn did the business but the rest of the top 5 or 6 contenders lost.

Bonnyrigg could win this in a fortnight if they prevail at nearest pursuers Dundonald, and Tranent and Bo'ness drop points. Failing that their next opportunity would come in 3 weeks at home to LTHV. This conference seems to have belatedly caught-up with the others, in now having a discernible top 4. Vital win for Crossgates today, LTHV once again ground out an away draw at a rival side in the shape of Dalkeith, Sauchie did the business at Eyemouth while Haddington collapsed. Even allowing for their games-in-hand Haddington are now hanging on a bit in the race for top 5 or 6 but beyond that it remains impossible to call, especially given the number of "head-to-heads" these 5-6 sides still have to play: Sat 09 Mar ... Crossgates v Tranent Sat 16 Mar ... Haddington v Crossgates Sat 30 Mar ... Tranent v Sauchie Sat 06 Apr ... LTHV v Tranent Sat 13 Apr ... Tranent v LTHV Sat 20 Apr ... Crossgates v Dalkeith Sat 20 Apr ... Haddington v Sauchie Sat 27 Apr ... Crossgates v Haddington Sat 27 Apr ... LTHV v Sauchie

Tynecastle-Newtongrange abandoned? Aye, in its death-throes only Bonnyrigg, Leith, Newtongrange and 2 others participated (East Linton + Murieston). Leith was a bit puzzling, tbh.

Manager gone and 6 months progress undone in 1 week as Tweedmouth crash 14-1 at Newtongrange? Hopefully not. Top 4 all won... next 4 all lost (or didn't have a game in Easthouses case). Coldstream crashing 3-0 at Arniston is a shock, and they aren't going to compete for top 5 or 6 with results like that. It looks difficult for Leith now given their only remaining games are away to HoB and Easthouses, and both Coldstream-Easthouses and Easthouses-Dunbar are still to come. Maybe that visit to Lily will ultimately prove a must-win.

Those were in cup-ties. 515 Linlithgow v Fort William (Scottish Cup) 350 Bo'ness v Jeanfield (EOS Qualifying League) 340 Linlithgow v Penicuik (EOS Qualifying League) 330 Bo'ness v Leith (EOS Qualifying League) 319 Musselburgh v Dunipace (EOS Qualifying League) 300 Linlithgow v Dunbar (EOS Qualifying Cup) 288 Dundonald v Bo'ness (EOS Qualifying Cup) 287 Tranent v Bo'ness (EOS Qualifying Cup) 283 Tranent v Bo'ness (Alex Jack Cup) 278 Bonnyrigg v Shortlees (Scottish Cup) 270 Dunipace v Broxburn (Alex Jack Cup) 260 Crossgates v Hill of Beath (South Challenge Cup) 255 Preston v Linlithgow (Scottish Cup) 249 Bonnyrigg v Oakley (EOS Qualifying Cup) 249 Tranent v Linlithgow (South Challenge Cup) 248 Haddington v Bo'ness (Alex Jack Cup) 240 Penicuik v Musselburgh (EOS Qualifying Cup) 230 Bonnyrigg v Inverkeithing (EOS Qualifying League) 223 Tranent v Haddington (South Challenge Cup) 220 Bo'ness v Tweedmouth (Alex Jack Cup) 220 Broxburn v Camelon (Alex Jack Cup) 220 Penicuik v Broxburn (EOS Qualifying Cup) 216 Bonnyrigg v Eyemouth (South Challenge Cup) 214 Bo'ness v Crossgates (EOS Qualifying Cup) 203 Linlithgow v Heriot-Watt University (South Challenge Cup) 200 Inverkeithing v Hill of Beath (EOS Qualifying League) 39 Edinburgh Utd v Inverkeithing (Alex Jack Cup) 39 Peebles v St Andrews (EOS Qualifying League) - played at Leith 39 Tweedmouth v LTHV (EOS Qualifying League) 38 Burntisland v Ormiston (South Challenge Cup) 36 Leith v Oakley (EOS Qualifying League) 36 LTHV v Cumbernauld (South Challenge Cup) 35 Craigroyston v Coldstream (EOS Qualifying Cup) 35 Eyemouth v Camelon (EOS Qualifying League) 35 Heriot-Watt Uni v Haddington (EOS Qualifying League) 34 Heriot-Watt Uni v Coldstream (EOS Qualifying League) 30 LTHV v Ormiston (EOS Qualifying League) 28 Tweedmouth v Ormiston (EOS Qualifying League) 25 Craigroyston v Peebles (EOS Qualifying Cup) 25 Heriot-Watt Uni v Jeanfield (Alex Jack Cup) 15 Hawick v Burntisland (South Challenge Cup) 15 LTHV v Easthouses (EOS Qualifying League)

Saturday 9th March

Crowds over 200 so far: 603 Linlithgow v Camelon 528 Bonnyrigg v Dalkeith 520 Linlithgow v Broxburn 484 Broxburn v Linlithgow 426 Bonnyrigg v Tynecastle 415 Camelon v Linlithgow 414 Musselburgh v Dunbar 400 Tranent v Bonnyrigg 361 Bonnyrigg v Haddington 358 Dalkeith v Bonnyrigg 347 Bonnyrigg v Dunipace 336 Linlithgow v Blackburn 326 Bo'ness v Bonnyrigg 321 Bonnyrigg v Crossgates 320 Bo'ness v LTHV 320 Linlithgow v Ormiston 320 Linlithgow v Preston 320 Tranent v Bo'ness 318 Dalkeith v Tranent 314 Musselburgh v Newtongrange 303 Penicuik v Hill of Beath 300 Penicuik v Newtongrange 296 Bonnyrigg v Sauchie 296 Dundonald v Bo'ness 290 Bo'ness v Dunipace 290 Linlithgow v Heriot-Watt Uni 272 Musselburgh v Hill of Beath 270 Dunipace v Bo'ness 270 Linlithgow v Stirling Uni EOS 268 Tranent v Dalkeith 266 Bo'ness v Tynecastle 263 Bo'ness v Dundonald 260 Newtongrange v Penicuik 256 Linlithgow v Edinburgh Utd 250 Tranent v Haddington 246 Bonnyrigg v Tranent 240 Bonnyrigg v Dundonald 232 Musselburgh v Tweedmouth 230 Crossgates v Bo'ness 225 Bo'ness v Burntisland 225 Inverkeithing v Linlithgow 224 Musselburgh v Penicuik 220 Easthouses v Newtongrange 220 Linlithgow v Craigroyston 220 Haddington v Bonnyrigg 219 Dunbar v Musselburgh 208 Penicuik v Arniston 200 Arniston v Penicuik 200 Easthouses v Penicuik Crowds under 40 so far: 39 Crossgates v Tynecastle 39 Tweedmouth v Oakley 38 LTHV v Dunipace 38 Tweedmouth v Hawick 37 Leith v Oakley 37 Tynecastle v Burntisland 36 LTHV v Crossgates 35 Eyemouth v Dundonald 35 Hawick v Arniston 35 Heriot-Watt Uni v Ormiston 35 Ormiston v Heriot-Watt Uni 35 Stirling Uni EOS v Ormiston 35 Stirling Uni EOS v St Andrews 33 Hawick v Musselburgh 33 Stirling Uni EOS v Blackburn 33 Tweedmouth v Easthouses 32 Hawick v Easthouses 32 Leith v Peebles 31 Leith v Easthouses 30 Dunipace v Eyemouth 30 Eyemouth v Tynecastle 30 Hawick v Oakley 30 Heriot-Watt Uni v Inverkeithing 30 LTHV v Dalkeith 30 LTHV v Dundonald 30 Stirling Uni EOS v Jeanfield 30 Tynecastle v Eyemouth 28 Ormiston v Jeanfield 26 Leith v Tweedmouth 24 Stirling Uni EOS v Preston 23 Stirling Uni EOS v Inverkeithing 20 Craigroyston v Stirling Uni EOS 12 Stirling Uni EOS v Craigroyston

Crowds over 250 so far: 560 Kelty v Gala 545 Kelty v Spartans 470 Kelty v Dalbeattie 384 Kelty v East Stirlingshire 377 Kelty v Stirling Uni 369 Kelty v BSCG 369 Kelty v Whitehill 326 Kelty v Edusport 315 Kelty v Gretna 300 East Kilbride v Selkirk 290 Spartans v East Kilbride 256 Kelty v Edinburgh Uni 252 East Stirlingshire v Kelty Crowds under 50 so far: 49 Civil Service v Cumbernauld 48 Edinburgh Uni v Stirling Uni 47 Civil Service v Edusport 46 Stirling Uni v Vale of Leithen 45 Edusport v Whitehill 45 Gretna v Edusport 42 Edusport v Gala 40 Stirling Uni v Whitehill 36 Stirling Uni v Dalbeattie 30 BSCG v Edusport 30 Edusport v Vale of Leithen 30 Selkirk v Gretna 15 Edusport v Edinburgh Uni

EOSL: 352 Linlithgow 346 Bonnyrigg 270 Bo'ness 226 Tranent 224 Musselburgh 183 Penicuik 171 Broxburn 165 Camelon 161 Dundonald 153 Newtongrange 139 Hill of Beath 137 Dalkeith 127 Dunbar 121 Sauchie 109 Easthouses 105 Haddington 104 Arniston 96 Crossgates 94 Coldstream 91 Dunipace 89 Inverkeithing 87 Tynecastle 81 Blackburn 80 Burntisland 80 Preston 79 St Andrews 75 Jeanfield 75 Oakley 74 Peebles 72 Tweedmouth 60 Eyemouth 60 Heriot-Watt University 52 Edinburgh Utd 52 Leith 52 Ormiston 50 LTHV 50 Stirling University EOS 47 Craigroyston 43 Hawick

Current averages: 383 Kelty 189 East Kilbride 189 East Stirlingshire 180 Spartans 133 Gala 127 Dalbeattie 113 Cumbernauld 107 Whitehill 89 Gretna 88 Vale of Leithen 82 Edinburgh University 81 BSC Glasgow 79 University of Stirling 72 Civil Service Strollers 57 Edusport (46 Selkirk)

Depends. What you after?

EK won 27-in-a-row during 2016. Which included a penalty shoot-out and wasn't a world record...

It's a con and an out-manoeuvre of FA by EPL. FA top brass think a winter break will help England, and result-on-the-day and floodlit games will reinvigorate the cup. EPL want to pay lip service to a break but not have a proper one, and grab another weekend for TV games. So from next season you've got FA Cup R3 & R4 on weekends with replays, R5 on midweek without, QFs on weekend without... meanwhile EPL 'winter break' will hardly be discernible. Quite why they scrapped the Last 16 a season early I'm unsure.

They're scrapping them and moving Last 16 midweek in order to give EPL the weekend... EPL will then hand 10 clubs a weekend off one week then 10 the next. It doesn't start till next season, though.