South Region Cup reaches second round

Nov 20 2009 Dumfries Standard Friday

THE SFA South Region Challenge Cup reaches the second round this weekend which is still being played on a sectional basis.

This will leave the last eight teams to fight it out for this season’s trophy in an all-in draw.

In the South section the four ties could all go close with St Cuthbert Wanderers taking up the gauntlet for the South of Scotland league when they travel to Raydale Park to play East of Scotland First Division side Gretna 2008.

This match could go very close with the home side probably starting as slight favourites but with the Kirkcudbright side more than capable of pulling off a positive result if they play to their best form.

First and second in the South league meet in a local derby at Meadow Park, Castle Douglas when Threave Rovers lock horns with neighbours Dalbeattie Star.

The home side won the most recent cup competition encounter between the two when they won a League second round tie by three goals to one but were later denied playing St Cuthbert Wanderers in the semi-final having been adjudged to have played an un-registered player.

This will be the Castle Douglas side’s last outing before they play hosts to Highland League side Inverurie Loco Works in the third round of the Active Nation Scottish Cup the following weekend. This tie could very well go close with home advantage maybe being the deciding factor.

A vastly improved Nithsdale Wanderers have a home tie against Crichton at Lorimer Park, Sanquhar and this is another match that could go down to the wire.

Nithsdale seem to have turned things around since new Manager Bobby Moore came in recently and with Crichton not having found any real consistency this season so far it could well take more than the regulation 90 minutes play to decide who qualifies for the last eight from this contest.

Newton Stewart have Heston Rovers as their visitors to Blairmount Park with the Rovers having beaten the home side by four goals to two earlier in the season in a league match.

Heston have accumulated fourteen points from their twelve matches while Newton Stewart have put 11 points on the board from three less outings and the teams sit in eighth and ninth place respectively.

Heston’s good run of results came early in the season and have lost some of their players to University studies although they did manage a recent two-all draw with Stranraer at Glencaple.

Newton Stewart come into this contest on the back of two victories against Crichton and Fleet Star and have been disappointed that their last two matches have been rained off to try and keep their good run going.

This looks like being another close encounter with again home advantage coming into play to possibly give the Creesiders the passage into the quarter final play-offs although Raymond Boyd’s side will not just be there to make up the numbers and are more than capable of taking advantage of any slack play to take Heston through.

There are three matches scheduled to take place in the South of Scotland League with fifth and sixth placed Stranraer and Wigtown and Bladnoch meeting at Trammondford Park. A victory for either side would see them move up into fourth place ahead of St Cuthbert Wanderers and although the Stair Park side won the first league contest of the season by four goals to nil it is expected that this match will be much closer.

Fleet Star play hosts to Creetown for a match that again could go very close with the Gatehouse side failing to turn some good performances into positive results and the Ferrytoon side finding some good form of late.

Third-placed Abbey Vale could effectively go one point behind the two league leaders, Dalbeattie Star and Threave Rovers if they beat Mid-Annandale at Lockerbie.

Although the New Abbey side will have reached this lofty position by playing four games more than the other two it has nonetheless been a fine effort from them this season.

Mids, on the other hand, have accumulated only eight points this season so far and by their own previous standards this is very low and sees them floundering near the foot of the table.

Vale will start as favourites to take the three points to maintain their good run of form.

With the Wigtown and Bladnoch League Cup second round tie against Newton Stewart being postponed for the third time last Saturday, the semi-final match due to be played at Stair Park against Stranraer on the evening of Wednesday, November 25 will now be played in two weeks’ time on Saturday, December 5 with the Wigtown/Newton game being played next Saturday.

Fixtures for Saturday November 21:

SFA South Region Challenge Cup - Second Round Ties, kick-offs at 1.30pm unless otherwise stated:

South/West Section: Threave Rovers v Dalbeattie Star, kick-off at 3pm; Nithsdale Wanderers v Crichton; Newton Stewart v Heston Rovers; Gretna 2008 v St Cuthbert Wanderers.

South of Scotland League, kick-offs at 2pm: Fleet Star v Creetown; Mid-Annandale v Abbey Vale; Wigtown and Bladnoch v Stranraer.

Wednesday, November 25:

League Cup semi-final: Stranraer v Wigtown and Bladnoch or Newton Stewart - match postponed.