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Lowland Trapdoorwatch 2016-17


HibeeJibee

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Given their GD is so much worse Preston need to: (1) take 10pts from their last 4 games plus hope Hawick lose all of their remaining 6 or Selkirk lose all their remaining 4; or (2) take maximum 12pts from their last 4 games plus hope Hawick or Selkirk get nothing more than a single draw... they could be relegated by the end of the coming week.


Remaining games:

Tuesday 21st March
EK v Hawick

Friday 24th March
Preston v Cumbernauld
Saturday 25th March
Gretna v Selkirk
Hawick
v East Stirlingshire

Saturday 1st April
Hawick v Vale of Leithen
Preston v East Stirlingshire
Selkirk v Whitehill

Saturday 8th April
Gretna v Hawick

Saturday 15th April
Hawick v BSCG
Preston v Selkirk

Saturday 22nd April
Edinburgh Uni v Preston
Selkirk
v CSS
Stirling Uni v Hawick

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In terms of what we might call the "Buckie scenario" and the need to avoid second bottom... now very tight with only 8pts separating BSCG, CSS, Gretna, Edinburgh Uni, Hawick and Selkirk - although latter 2 most noticeably adrift.

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4 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

In terms of what we might call the "Buckie scenario" and the need to avoid second bottom... now very tight with only 8pts separating BSCG, CSS, Gretna, Edinburgh Uni, Hawick and Selkirk - although latter 2 most noticeably adrift.

Hawick and Selkirk would be in serious trouble under the worst case 'Buckie scenario', however may not be an issue if W&B elect not to go up. Exciting times as always in the lower leagues.

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30 minutes ago, Bundesliga Boy said:

Hawick and Selkirk would be in serious trouble under the worst case 'Buckie scenario', however may not be an issue if W&B elect not to go up. Exciting times as always in the lower leagues.

Why would W&B not go up.

I'm fairly certain there's no choice. 

LTHV were confident of getting a license when they pumped us last week by the way.

Play off anyone............ 

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7 hours ago, newcastle broon said:

Why would W&B not go up.

I'm fairly certain there's no choice. 

LTHV were confident of getting a license when they pumped us last week by the way.

Play off anyone............ 

The rumblings seem to be that they will reject the chance to go up and take the consequences whatever they be. When I saw them at Edinburgh Uni in the Cup earlier in the season the feeling amongst the support was that there was no way they could cope with the travelling. 

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7 hours ago, newcastle broon said:

Why would W&B not go up.

I'm fairly certain there's no choice. 

LTHV were confident of getting a license when they pumped us last week by the way.

Play off anyone............ 

They have to win the league first of all which won't be easy. I think they could do very well so hopefully they do win the league and get a licence (presumably Leith have no chance of a licence at their current ground but they might well end up winning the league again this year).

Is there any kind of cut-off point for when they would need a licence by to get promoted?

 

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There is work going on at saughton but lthv problem is great cup runs giving them a backlog of games,  they've 4 games in hand on heriot watt.... Plus a lot of call offs.  Going to be pretty tough to win league and maintain cups but looks like potential decider v Leith on cards. 

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Preston Athletic's relegation was effectively confirmed tonight.

Despite a battling performance they went down 2-0 at home to Cumbernauld Colts in the first groundhop match; given their comparatively dire GD they can't overtake Selkirk/Hawick, even by winning all their remaining games and either losing all theirs; and a south-of-Tay club will finish bottom of SPFL2 - so they're sure to finish bottom, all being equal dropping to EOSL.


Three clubs were initial founders of the Lowland League. Threave finished bottom last season, went down - Preston following this season - so it looks like being a hard 2017-18 for Spartans...

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11 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Preston Athletic's relegation was effectively confirmed tonight.

Despite a battling performance they went down 2-0 at home to Cumbernauld Colts in the first groundhop match; given their comparatively dire GD they can't overtake Selkirk/Hawick, even by winning all their remaining games and either losing all theirs; and a south-of-Tay club will finish bottom of SPFL2 - so they're sure to finish bottom, all being equal dropping to EOSL.


Three clubs were initial founders of the Lowland League. Threave finished bottom last season, went down - Preston following this season - so it looks like being a hard 2017-18 for Spartans...

Just to clarify, Preston are now effectively going to finish bottom but there is a fluid situation regarding how many clubs will be relegated. It will be some time before we know if 0, 1 or 2 clubs will go down. Also, whilst Threave 'went down' last season they were not relegated. They would have played in the Lowland League this season if they had not resigned.

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Very true, and as noted "all things being equal".

Still several sides in contention for second bottom. LTHV closed to within 2pts of Leith this morning in an early groundhop game, both have 6 games left and still to meet at Saughton. Edusport now lead SOSL on GD but have only 3 games left to Wigtown's 5 - St Cuthbert 5pts back.

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LTHV beat Heriot-Watt University 3-2 tonight which - with they and Leith still to meet - reinforces the EOSL title-race as looking a straight shootout between LTHV and Leith.

Both have 5 league games left... LTHV trail Leith by 2pts, by 14 GD and 11 GF.

However their mutual meeting is at Saughton and Leith have still to visit 4th-placed Tynecastle.


Respective run-ins are:

Leith Athletic
Tynecastle (A)
Peebles (A)
Eyemouth (A)
Tweedmouth (A)
LTHV (A)

Lothian Thistle HV
Stirling Uni EOS (H)
Burntisland (A)
Eyemouth (H)
Tweedmouth (A)
Leith (H)



LTHV are considerably busier on other fronts, though.

Leith are still in the EOS League and King cups - LTHV are similar, but also have the South Challenge Cup SF, EOS Cup Final and South & East of Scotland Cup-Winners' Shield Final.


On paper Tynecastle with their 6 remaining league games could challenge, but they're 12pts behind with only 1 game-in-hand.

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Took in the Lothian v Heriot game. 

Hutchie the better side (as expected) and thoroughly deserved victory, but made things difficult for themselves at times. 

Hutchie being 2-1 up decided to take a couple of their better players off due to upcoming cup and league games which nearly backfired, but completely sympathise with the manager.

The Tynecastle v Leith game on Tue Apr 5th is huge. If Leith win, I can't see them losing the title. Draw or worse and it probably puts Hutchie in poll, it's that close. How Vale must regret somehow drawing with Burntisland earlier in season. 

 

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16 hours ago, Bundesliga Boy said:

Took in the Lothian v Heriot game. 

Hutchie the better side (as expected) and thoroughly deserved victory, but made things difficult for themselves at times. 

Hutchie being 2-1 up decided to take a couple of their better players off due to upcoming cup and league games which nearly backfired, but completely sympathise with the manager.

The Tynecastle v Leith game on Tue Apr 5th is huge. If Leith win, I can't see them losing the title. Draw or worse and it probably puts Hutchie in poll, it's that close. How Vale must regret somehow drawing with Burntisland earlier in season. 

Think you mean Tweedmouth. Both have dropped points at Heriot-Watt but LTHV have also drawn at home to Tweedmouth and away to Stirling Uni EOS. Their 3-0 win against Leith at Meadowbank 3G of course redressed 3pts out of the 4pts dropped in those draws.

If they did withdraw some players from the fray for that reason it's probably understandable. Their success in inter-league cup competitions has been exceptional, and left them with a heavy schedule. I was piecing together their schedule to the end of the season just now to see what they've upcoming - on top of everything else it lacks the King Cup Sf if they win on Saturday btw - and in April, which is admittedly a 5-Saturday month, they play 7 games... across 6 different competitions. That must be almost unheard of in itself. Including a pair of cup finals and a pair of semi-finals:

Sat 01 Apr    Heriot-Watt Uni (H) - KC R2
Wed 05 Apr
Sat 08 Apr    
East Kilbride (A) - SCC SF
Wed 12 Apr    Tynecastle/Eyemouth (H) - EOSLC SF
Sat 15 Apr    Stirling Uni EOS (H)
Wed 19 Apr    
Edinburgh City (A) - EOSC Final
Sat 22 Apr    Burntisland (A)
Wed 26 Apr
Sat 29 Apr    
Lochar (N) - SESCWS Final
Wed 03 May    Eyemouth (H)
Sun 07 May    
- EOSLC Final
Wed 10 May    Tweedmouth (A)
Sat 13 May    Leith (A)

Sat 20 May    - KC Final
Sun 28 May    - SCC Final

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3 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

Think you mean Tweedmouth. Both have dropped points at Heriot-Watt but LTHV have also drawn at home to Tweedmouth and away to Stirling Uni EOS. Their 3-0 win against Leith at Meadowbank 3G of course redressed 3pts out of the 4pts dropped in those draws.

If they did withdraw some players from the fray for that reason it's probably understandable. Their success in inter-league cup competitions has been exceptional, and left them with a heavy schedule. I was piecing together their schedule to the end of the season just now to see what they've upcoming - on top of everything else it lacks the King Cup Sf if they win on Saturday btw - and in April, which is admittedly a 5-Saturday month, they play 7 games... across 6 different competitions. That must be almost unheard of in itself. Including a pair of cup finals and a pair of semi-finals:

Sat 01 Apr    Heriot-Watt Uni (H) - KC R2
Wed 05 Apr
Sat 08 Apr    
East Kilbride (A) - SCC SF
Wed 12 Apr    Tynecastle/Eyemouth (H) - EOSLC SF
Sat 15 Apr    Stirling Uni EOS (H)
Wed 19 Apr    
Edinburgh City (A) - EOSC Final
Sat 22 Apr    Burntisland (A)
Wed 26 Apr
Sat 29 Apr    
Lochar (N) - SESCWS Final
Wed 03 May    Eyemouth (H)
Sun 07 May    
- EOSLC Final
Wed 10 May    Tweedmouth (A)
Sat 13 May    Leith (A)

Sat 20 May    - KC Final
Sun 28 May    - SCC Final

Tweedmouth, yeah.

And as for the subs, yeah thats exactly why I had sympathy for their manager. When the subs were made whilst winning, not a peep, after it went to 2-2 a frustrated (for that, read - disgruntled) guy behind us started barking out loud about needless substitutions.

Manager was merely seeing the bigger picture and trying to keep the squad as fresh as poss for the hefty schedule ahead.

Here's hoping we get that winner take all shoot out in mid May.

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13 hours ago, newcastle broon said:

 Is the former high profile referee still representing Preston on the LL committee?

 

Chairman of the LL. Obviously his jaiket is on a shoogly peg. A very interested party (hint, a wee short man :lol: ) mentioned it to me last week.

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