Scottish League One: Three Things we Learned as Peterhead get off the Mark
Scottish League One returned this weekend after matches last week were postponed as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Clubs observed a minute’s silence prior to kick-off in tribute to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Let’s look at the three talking points from matchday seven…
O’Keefe the hero for the Blue Toon as 10-match winless run comes to an end
Peterhead earned their first league win of the season in a narrow victory over Kelty Hearts at Balmoor.
Conor O’Keefe opened the scoring in the sixth minute as the hosts went into the interval with a slender lead. The only downside for Jim McInally’s men was a red-card for Chris Kisuka on the stroke of half-time.
Former Rangers’ midfielder Jamie Barjonas headed home the equaliser for the Maroon Machine five minutes after the re-start, before O’Keefe secured his brace in the 64th minute.
However, the Blue Toon remain bottom of the table, albiet only behind the visitors on goal-difference. The victory is a welcome win for Peterhead boss McInally ahead of next weekend’s match at home to Elgin City in the Challenge Cup. On Friday, Kelty take the trip down to face Annan Athletic.
Peterhead manager, Jim McInally: “It’s a brilliant three points, especially the way it happened. I thought in the first-half we were really competitive. We could’ve played better but we had the wind at our backs. We scored good goals and never conceded much defensively.”
Queen’s hit four past FC Edinburgh in first league win on home soil
Queen of the South earned their first home win as a League One club and climbed up to seventh in the table after a resounding 4-1 victory over FC Edinburgh in Dumfries.
The first-half looked set to end in a stalemate before Ruari Paton broke the deadlock for QOS in the 44th minute. Euan East doubled the hosts’ advantage with 13 minutes remaining before Ewan Bange added a third three minutes later.
Paton secured his brace and slotted home the Doonhammers’ fourth in the 85th minute. Ryan Shanley hit the target from the penalty-spot during injury time in what was a late consolation for the Citizens.
Defeat for the capital side ends their three-match unbeaten run as they slip to fourth. Both teams will be under the lights at Palmerston Park on Thursday evening for the Third Round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
FC Edinburgh manager, Alan Maybury: “The boys looked sharp going into today’s game and we never really got going in the first-half. As we got closer to half-time, I thought we could’ve kept it at 0-0, but we conceded a goal and were fortunate not to concede another. Fair play to Queen of the South, they were better than us, but we are back here on Thursday with the chance to rectify that.”
Clyde lose four league games for the first time since last October in derby rout
The Bully Wee’s winless run continued against their derby rivals as Airdrie returned to winning ways in a five-star demolition at the Excelsior Stadium.
Lewis Jamieson came back to haunt his former side with the opening goal in the 38th minute as the Diamonds went into the interval on top. Gabriel McGill doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 66th minute before Callum Smith slotted home a third four minutes later.
The Diamonds continued to find gaping wounds in the visitor’s defence as Smith grabbed his brace in the 78th minute and Kouider-Aissa completed the rout in the penultimate minute of normal time.
Victory for second-place Airdrie ensures they remain in Dunfermline’s rear-view mirror after the Pars’ shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at home to Falkirk. Meanwhile, Clyde fall to eighth and dangerously close to bottom-placed Peterhead, who are only three points behind. The Hamilton-based club have shipped 13 goals in their last four matches.
Next Friday, Airdrie face league rivals Alloa Athletic in cup duties, while Clyde welcome Welsh opposition, Caernarfon Town to New Douglas Park the following day.
Airdrieonians player-manager, Rhys McCabe: “First of all, we asked for a performance, losing 6-0 in the last game was a huge disappointment. I said to the lads before the game, that if we get the performance, the result will take care of itself and it did.”
Clyde manager, Danny Lennon: “It’s very concerning, I don’t think anyone in the stadium saw that coming to five goals. It’s alarming, we have experience, that’s the worrying thing, that should be able to handle the soft goals we are conceding at the moment. I felt after the 66th minute, we stopped playing as a team, certain individuals did, but not as a team.”
Elsewhere, Alloa Athletic made it three wins on the trot with a 2-1 victory over Montrose at the Indodrill Stadium, while Dunfermline Athletic failed to increase the gap at the top of the table in a 1-1 draw against Falkirk at East End Park.
Scottish League One Results:
Airdrieonians 5-0 Clyde
Alloa Athletic 2-1 Montrose
Dunfermline Athletic 1-1 Falkirk
Peterhead 2-1 Kelty Hearts
Queen of the South 4-1 FC Edinburgh
Scottish League One Table: As It Stands