Six points from Border raids so far might prove to be crucial for Dundee HSFP as the season progresses, following last week’s draw at Poynder Park which left them fifth behind pacesetters Selkirk and GHA in BT National League One.
When most expected the title and promotion play-off race to be between the big Edinburgh clubs, Dundee and Aberdeen, instead big changes at Poynder Park and with the “other” merged Glasgow club have borne early fruit as both are unbeaten.
Aberdeen meanwhile lie second bottom without a win while Dundee, Stewarts Melville and Watsonians all have just two wins from four.
Dundee’s start to the season has been bright enough, but two weeks featuring a loss at home to Selkirk and the draw at Kelso makes it imperative they get back to winning ways against Biggar at Mayfield tomorrow.
Reconstruction saved Biggar last year after they won just one of 18 games and conceded over 600 points, and over 100 to High in the two matches they met.
This year the Lanarkshire team seem to be made of sterner stuff and have won their last two games, away to Peebles and home to Hillhead-Jordanhill.
Those results notwithstanding, it should be a bonus point chance for Dundee to keep the pressure on the other sides in the top six of the division.
Duffus Park may only be for the strong-hearted with top National Two side Howe of Fife with a 100% record of four wins with bonus points averaging 50 points a game hosting Haddington, who are bottom of the division after conceding an average of 42 points a game.
The Neilsen Park side at least got two bonus points last week against Kirkcaldy at home, although they still ended up defeated.
Although no doubt Gary Horne will have Howe wound up against any sort of complacency, it’s hard to imagine anything but a landslide and the Cupar crowd making themselves hoarse with repeated renditions of the “Howe-Howe-Howe” scoring chant.
Kirkcaldy meanwhile have had an excellent start to the season and find themselves solidly in fifth place, just one win’s worth of points behind second place.
Last week’s win at Haddington came from being 19-0 down after just beyond the first quarter, with Chris Mann’s late try completing the comeback.
The Blues host Cartha QP at Beveridge Park, the Glasgow southsiders having been competitive since an opening day thrashing at Musselburgh.
Dunfermline’s plight may seem dire at the bottom of National Three without a point, but they’ve so far played four of the top six sides in the division and take on the other side so far pointless, Dalziel, in Motherwell this week. Murrayfield Wanderers and Hawick YM are also struggling, so there’s still plenty of scope for escape.
Two solid wins have lifted Perthshire into mid-table respectability, and last week’s victory over East Kilbride was a notably good one. They should be looking for the full complement on the national stadium back pitches against Murrayfield Wanderers.
There’s an outstanding match in Caledonia Division One with unbeaten league leaders Glenrothes at second-place Gordonians, who have been ominously good since surprisingly held to a draw on the opening weekend by Caithness.
They thrashed Morgan at Alloway Place last week but Glens have been no less impressive, and they can open out a handy advantage if they come away from Countesswells with a win.
Hillfoots, after last year’s long unbeaten run in the league to win the Division II Midlands title, find themselves without a point. They host Morgan while Strathmore take on third-placed Highland in Inverness.
Division II Midlands also sees a clash of unbeaten, 100% teams in Harris visiting Alloa.
The Clackmannanshire side have the advantage right now because Harris’ match against Stirling University was postponed.