The new season is now only thirty-two days away. With most clubs returning from their summer break and getting back into pre-season training, Inside Left looks at the teams promoted from the Scottish Football Leagues and assesses their fortunes for the 2008/09 season. We start today with Hamilton, Airdrie United and Ross County, and conclude tomorrow in the Second Division with East Fife, Arbroath and Stranraer.
Hamilton Academical (promoted from Division One as Champions)To say Hamilton where runaway winners would be putting it mildly. They traded places with Dundee at the top of the table in week 3, and never looked back. Pushed hard by their Tayside rivals all the way, Hamilton where eventually crowned champions in April following their 2-0 win against Clyde. The Accies finished the season on 76 points, without losing a game at home. With 62 goals scored and only 27 conceded in 36 games shows they're good at the back, and able to score up front too - First Division Player of the Year winner Richard Offiong was top scorer last season with 19 goals.
Tying down "Manager of the Year" Billy Reid on a three-year contract was a big relief to the fans - he had previously been on a rolling contract. On the field, The Accies have not been too extravagant in their pre-season spending; keeper Sean Murdoch, midfielder Mark Corcoran and Dundee striker Derek Lyle are new additions for this season.
Off the field, the club have spent nearly £750,000 to get ready for life in the Scottish Premier League. The spending includes under-soil heating, a sprinkler system, two new dug-outs as well as a new press room and players’ lounge and an upgrade to the CCTV and computer-operated turnstile systems required by the police.
Hamilton are not unfamiliar with life in the top flight, but the last time they played in the SPL, season 88/89, they finished bottom on fourteen points. This precipitated a drop in fortunes for the Accies which saw them relegated down to the Third Division in 2000, but steady performances since has seen them climb up the leagues and after seventh, fourth and third place finishes, they return to the top division.
They're under no illusion that life in the SPL will be tough. A young enthusiastic squad, eager to prove their worth in the top flight could be their strength, but also their weakness - inexperience. Put simply, survival is the aim of the game this season. They need to continue last season's excellent home form and hope Offiong keeps scoring, and work hard to pick up points from the weaker half of the league.
Prediction: 8th. A tough season and potentially a long one if they don’t get off to winning ways soon. They start the campaign at home to Dundee United, before trips away to Kilmarnock and Inverness which should see them picking up points, as well as confidence. Local rivals Motherwell come to town on the 1st November - a tasty derby!
Ross County (promoted from Division Two as Champions)Ross County bounce back to the First Division hoping to do a lot better than they did in 2006/07 when they finished rock bottom. Promoted as Second Division champions, the Dingwall side relied heavily on former Queen of the South and Kilmarnock striker Andy Barrowman's 29 goals and will miss him next season now that he's joined SPL team and former Highland League rivals Inverness CT.
Second Division Manager of the Year Derek Adams has brought in experienced players to help with this seasons campaign, including former SPL players Richie Hart who, if he and Sean Higgins can keep up the form that had them scoring 11 goals each last season, should go some way to replacing Barrowman. Former Aberdeen player and U-21 international Scott Morrison and ex-Dundee United player Danny Griffin also joined, and more experience comes in the shape of goalkeeper Tony Bullock and defender Stuart Golabek. Finally, Steven Craig joins from Livingston after two seasons of invaluable First Division experience as the Jags try to re-establish themselves.
Like Airdrie, Ross County are solid mid-table team. Apart from last season, Ross County have never finished lower than eight in the First Division, but never higher than fourth. A good cup run would suffice, and this season they'll be hoping to get their own back on St Johnstone, the team they face first in the Challenge Cup (and also the team that knocked them out the same competition last year - they would go on to win it).
Prediction: The First Division is a tough division to get out of. Derek Adams has got a squad with experience this season, so relegation should not be an issue. Mid-table safety is achievable, so that's what we'll go for - a sixth place finish.
Airdrie United (promoted from Division Two)Airdrie United finished a distant second to Second Division winners Ross County. A somewhat poor start to the season saw them out of the league cup in only the second week of the season. It took a 6-0 thumping of Alloa to get back to winning ways, but the erratic form that would hallmark the 07/08 season was never far away, generally winning two games, then losing (though Airdrie did win four in a row between Boxing day and the first week of January).
Nevertheless, they never found themselves lower that 7th throughout the season and come the end of April, they where right behind Ross County and into the Division One play-offs. They beat Raith 4-2 on aggregate in the semi-final to set up a meeting with Clyde where a 1-0 home defeat, followed by a 2-0 defeat away at the Broadwood meant Airdrie United would remain in Division Two for another season.
At least, that was the case until Gretna's demotion to Division Three which meant that as losing play-off finalists, Airdrie United where promoted and would start the new season in Division One. Slightly ironically, some might say, as six years ago it was Gretna that took Airdrieonians place in the league.
A clear-out followed at the end of the season, including senior Player of the Year and top scorer Allan Russell, who moved to Kilmarnock, and 2006/07 Player of the Year Bryan Prunty who went to Ayr after three seasons with Airdrie. Striker Paul Di Giacomo was snapped on a free after being released by Kilmarnock. Manager Kenny Black is a bit of an Airdrie legend, having played for former incarnation Airdrieonians before leaving for Raith Rovers and Leicester City, to return to the town where he won his first senior medal, when Airdrieonians defeated Dundee in the 1994/95 Scottish Challenge Cup final.
Prediction: More of the same really. Airdrie United return to the First Division together with the team that followed them to the Second Division at the end of season 2006/07, Ross County. A safe mid-table finish should be within their grasp, providing Stuart Noble keeps up scoring, and they manage to string results together better than they did last season.
Join us tomorrow as we profile the teams promoted from Division Three last season.
With your predictions of the promoted teams, does that mean we can expect a full division by division prediction and breakdown sometime in later this summer?
ReplyDeleteTime permitting Tavis, yes - hopefully we can get some more people on board to help build the site.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to begin by saying I'm keen to learn more about Scottish football (as an Englishman) and articles of yours like these will help me get a better education on the subject. :)
ReplyDeleteI must admit I was amazed to hear how far Hamilton had dropped since their last appearance in the top flight. I remember them being in the Premier League before, but that must have been in 1988-89 as you mentioned. I assumed they must have hovered around just below it. Did they get that bad?
A question now which highlights my lack of knowledge: Airdrieonians / Airdrie United... what's that all about? Did one replace the other? I remember the former from my Panini sticker album days... when did they change name?
Nice shirt graphics, by the way... did you create them yourself?