May 2009 Archives

AND so it has come to this. One game for Airdrie United to save their first division bacon.

On Sunday, the Diamonds' destiny will finally be decided. We will know if we have matches against Partick Thistle, Dundee and Dunfermline Athletic to look forward to.

Or acknowledge that trips to East Fife, Arbroath and Brechin City in the second division lie ahead.

The first leg of the first division relegation play-off final at Ayr United on Thursday night was a cracker. A 2-2 draw, everyone who ventured to the South Ayrshire coast was treated to a game full of drama, excitement and incident.

It was a great advert for the SFL. Any neutrals who attended or tuned in on the telly must have been impressed at the intensity of the football served up.

For those of us following Airdrie's fortunes particularly closely, it was a night of mixed emotions. With Kenny Black's men 2-0 up, the mood was ecstatic. Come full-time, the elation had been curtailed somewhat.

The season has lasted a full ten months, and in that time, I've heard the phrase: "If there is a difficult way to do something, Airdrie will find it," on countless occasions.

I now know what those people mean.

In some ways, it is good(?) to know that we go every week to watch a team where it's best to expect the unexpected. But, on the other hand, wouldn't it be nice going along to New Broomfield on Sunday thinking that survival will be guaranteed?

With Airdrie, there are no guarantees and that is why I am not going to bother making a prediction.

If the players produce the performance they did in the first half on Thursday, they will win and stay up. If they repeat their second half efforts, they will not.

Over to you, lads. Will the good Airdrie United please stand up - your town needs you.

ACH, I'd always wanted to visit Peterhead anyway.

While those of us at New Broomfield last Saturday afternoon tried to avoid being drowned in the monsoon conditions, Ross County got on with the job of securing first division survival.

And when it was confirmed that they had won 2-0 at Morton, that meant a Wednesday night trip for Airdrie United to Peterhead in the semi-finals of the play-offs.

In some ways, I wasn't too bothered about that. Peterhead's Balmoor Stadium was one of only five grounds in Scottish Football's '42' I'd yet to visit.

Spectacular scenery was on offer for those who made the journey north in warm, sunny conditions and the views of the North Sea, from the ground as well as the A90, were a sight to behold.

But this wasn't a holiday, this was about football, and the Diamonds got to work almost straight away with an early goal their early play deserved, which helped settle the nerves.

The major turning point of the match came within a minute of the restart. A Peterhead corner appeared to be headed in by Stuart McKay, but no goal was given.

Airdrie didn't bother hanging around for a post-mortem and raced up the pitch to win a corner of their own, and from a half-cleared ball, Scott McLaughlin fired home a lovely goal.

Incredible drama. For Peterhead's goal, it was thought that keeper Stephen Robertson had been fouled in the build-up, but it later emerged that referee Craig MacKay felt the ball hadn't crossed the line.

With the press area half-a-mile away, we will just have to take his word for it! Not that the Blue Toon contingent agreed. They were insistent that a goal should have been awarded.

The Diamonds weren't great, but did enough to win. With the second leg at New Broomfield, a place in the final against Ayr United is looking pretty much odds-on.

It's a case of one down, three to go.

ONE of the reasons why I desired a career in sports journalism will be laid out at New Broomfield this weekend.

Airdrie United will take on champions St Johnstone as they fight for their first division lives on 'Survival Saturday'. The sense of anticipation is palpable.

Should Kenny Black's men defeat the Perth outfit and Ross County, who currently lie in the coveted eighth place, lose at Morton, then the Diamonds will secure outright survival and condemn the Staggies to the post-season play-offs.

Not only will we have the excitement of events on the pitch in Airdrie, those of us present will be keeping close tabs, whether it be by internet, radio or text, on how Morton are doing against County.

These are the type of football matches you want to be involved in whether you are a coach or player; fan or journalist. You simply can't buy this kind of drama on the last day of the season.

The game in this country may have problems, but Saturday will not be a day for debating such issues. All that matters is enjoying the afternoon for what it is. This is what the beautiful game is all about.

Can Airdrie do it? I believe they have the ability to beat St Johnstone, and with Ton in with a chance of finishing in the top four (this means entry to next season's Scottish Cup at the fourth round stage), I reckon they will be highly motivated to get a result at Cappielow.

It's almost impossible to predict how things will pan out over 90 mad minutes. The optimist in me says Airdrie and Morton will win and the former will stay up. However, the realist in me thinks County will get whatever points they need.

Across the country this Saturday, teams will be playing out meaningless games, counting down the minutes until school's out for summer.

But give me the thrills and spills of a battle against the dreaded drop instead of a mid-table mediocrity slugfest every day of the week. Let the action begin.

WATCHING Newcastle United battle out a goalless draw with Portsmouth on Monday night, in what was billed a 'must-win' game, it was hard to see how the Magpies will avoid the dreaded drop.

They may have one of the most passionate sets of supporters in the country, a manager adored by the public and players worth millions of pounds...

But, in my view, they don't have what it takes to survive in the Premiership this season.

For some weeks now, I have felt that Newcastle were the team most in danger in the bottom half of the table. They have almost sleep-walked their way into the bottom three.

And now that they are in the danger zone, I can't see how they will get out of it.

The players on their books are not the type you want fighting a relegation battle. Alan Smith and Mark Viduka apart, just who else has spent time fighting in the trenches?

The squad is all quantity and little quality. Barely any thought appears to have gone into the signings made in recent months - Ryan Taylor and Kevin Nolan, for example, were added in January but failed to make the starting XI against Pompey.

Elsewhere, Michael Owen is the shadow of the player he once was. Viduka looks unfit. Damien Duff runs fast but offers little else. The defence looks suspect (and without a left-back if Jose Enrique is suspended or injured). The least said about the woeful Danny Guthrie, the better.

Their run-in isn't great. Away to Liverpool followed by home matches with Middlesbrough (the game means as much to them as it does the Magpies) and Fulham, with a trip to Aston Villa rounding things off.

I can see Hull City and Sunderland each carving out one more win, which means Newcastle would need seven points from these fixtures to be sure of survival.

It's not happening.

Newcastle's luck has run out. The famous Toon Army should dig out their maps and plot their journeys to Peterborough and Plymouth. The Championship beckons.