While Annan (25 Pts) in 5th and all those above can lay claim to Play Off promotion slots and one automatic promotion slot in League Two in May, the teams from 6th to 10th in SPFL League Two are currently the definite contenders for a Play Off Place at the end of the season against Lowland or Highland League Champions in what will be the third season of the two legged Pyramid Play Off Final. Montrose survived v Brora under Paul Hegarty in 2014/15, although ironically the former Dundee Utd man was sacked as manager at the Gable Endies this season when it looked like they might be contenders again for relegation, and East Stirlingshire fell at the hands of Edinburgh City in 2015/16. Shire have regenerated in the Lowland League and have moved into second in the table seven points behind still league favourites East Kilbride and could yet regain their place in League Two at the end of the campaign. However, the five teams looking to avoid the trauma the former Falkirk based club went through are mostly teams that have been treading water in recent times. Should Berwick Rangers be relegated it would be the end of league football, for a spell at least, at the SPFL's only English based football ground and how ironic it would be if the Wee Rangers were to drop exactly 50 years after shocking a Glasgow Rangers side en-route to a Cup Winners Cup final v Bayern Munich in a never-to-be-forgotten Scottish Cup tie at Shielfield Park. Sammy Reid's solitary goal is still the biggest ever cup shock in the UK but the spirit of eleven 'Super Sammy's' will be required now to keep the Border side up. Should Stirling Albion drop it would be the worst thing to happen to football in the historic city since the Luftwaffe bombed Kings Park FC out of existence and the newly formed Stirling Albion FC emerged from the ashes in 1945. Cowdenbeath face their third successive relegation after dropping from Championship then League One. Cowdenbeath are Fife's oldest League club (1881) and are 100 year tenants of their controversial Central Park ground which has also hosted Horse Trotting, Speedway and Stock Car Racing (since the late 1950's). An unhappy Centenary for the Fife Maracana then if the Blue Brazil go the way of Shire in May. Plus they have already lost to East Kilbride this season in the Scottish Cup! Montrose have been over Pyramid Play Off ground before and, unlike the other teams in the bottom half of League Two, they would move into the Highland League if relegated Cowden, the Binos, Edinburgh City and Berwick are geographically pencilled in for Lowland League action should they fall. Edinburgh City were only promoted from Lowland League football via the play off last season and after a stuttering start they are now finding their feet in their first Scottish League campaign since 1955 but are not out of the relegation woods yet. It now seems inevitable one of these sides will face the winners of the Lowland/Highland League Play off to preserve their league status in a few months. Will a weel kent face in the Scottish League suffer Pyramid pain? With EK on a roll in the Lowland League and Highland League contenders as strong as ever the chances of one of these famous five dropping out of the SPFL are high if not yet inevitable. |
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| Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba.net) Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba.net) This is Scottish-Fitba.Net |