SPFL Review: A reliable goalscorer can save a club from relegation... but a safe pair of hands is just as crucial

Every twelvemonth astir this time, the relegation conflict is analysed and the mentation goes that the squad who enactment up volition beryllium the squad with a recognised goalscorer.

If you person a Simon Murray who tin marque the quality successful choky games, arsenic Dundee did successful their 2-0 triumph against St Mirren yesterday, determination is each accidental you volition bushed the drop.

There is simply a batch to beryllium said for that argument, particularly erstwhile cipher other successful the bottommost fractional has specified a reliable root of goals, but it is acold from the lone origin astatine play.

You mightiness conscionable arsenic easy constituent retired that a team’s destiny precise often hinges connected a match-winning goalkeeper, oregon possibly much pertinently a match-losing one.

Andy Fisher surely doesn’t autumn into the second category. The St Johnstone No 1, connected indebtedness from Swansea City, was outstanding successful their daze 1-0 triumph against Celtic astatine McDiarmid Park.

Still 5 points adrift of the play-off spot, the Perth club’s endurance hopes stay slim, but truthful acold they person been capable to beryllium connected their goalkeeper, which is much than tin beryllium said for a fewer others.

The play programme was littered with a catalogue of handling errors, not slightest astatine Ibrox wherever Jack Butland’s latest howler enactment Hibs connected their mode to a 2-0 triumph against Rangers.

Elsewhere, Murray got some goals astatine Dens Park, but his 2nd would not person been imaginable without an eccentric assistance from Zach Hemming, who passed consecutive to the striker and past jumped implicit the resulting shot.

In the archetypal fractional of the season, Ellery Balcombe wore the gloves for St Mirren earlier returning to Brentford and past joining Motherwell, wherever helium hasn’t precisely covered himself successful glory.

At Rugby Park connected Saturday, his nonaccomplishment to bid the six-yard country proved costly for Motherwell arsenic they slipped to a 2-0 decision that leaves them — and St Mirren — successful a bizarre presumption arsenic they await the last crippled of the regular season. 

While some clubs tin leapfrog sixth-placed Hearts, they are besides conscionable 4 points wide of the play-off spot. Only by finishing successful the apical fractional tin they warrant safety.

Of those already consigned to the dogfight, Ross County person a goalkeeper, Jordan Amissah, who has been a revelation. And Dundee person the experienced Trevor Carson down a defence that has been stabilised by the instrumentality of Joe Shaughnessy.

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes dropped the struggling Robbie McCrorie for the Motherwell game. His replacement, Kieran O’Hara, recorded a cleanable sheet, albeit against a squad who played astir of the crippled with 10 men.

A sojourn to Celtic Park connected Saturday volition beryllium a overmuch bigger trial for O’Hara. While Fisher’s show against Celtic mightiness not beryllium capable to prevention St Johnstone, akin heroics by the Kilmarnock stopper could marque each the quality for his team.

Misery for Mulgrew

Charlie Mulgrew is having a wretched clip with Kelty Hearts, who gave him his interruption arsenic a manager successful January. Since taking implicit from Michael Tidser, helium has presided implicit conscionable 1 triumph successful 11 games.

In a rather gruesome sequence, Kelty person scored 5 goals, conceded 21 and slipped to wrong 4 points of the relegation play-off place. The nadir was reached astatine New Central Park yesterday erstwhile they were spanked 6-0 by already-relegated Dumbarton.

Needless to say, supporters of the Fife nine are not champion pleased. As Mulgrew mightiness enactment it: ‘They’re raging aren’t they?’

Spiders’ expansive plans successful ruins

Who would person thought that the consequences of Queen’s Park’s historical Scottish Cup triumph against Rangers would beryllium truthful far-reaching?

Never caput the resulting situation astatine Ibrox, the wee nine from crossed the metropolis person gone to pieces, sacking manager Callum Davidson, losing their main sponsor and scrapping their younker academy successful the process.

Eight consecutive defeats, the latest a 3-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Livingston, has sent the Championship broadside careering to wrong 3 points of the relegation play-off place.

Less than 2 months aft Seb Drozd’s Ibrox victor and Calum Ferrie’s goalkeeping heroics, the ambitious task to marque Queen’s Park large again lies successful tatters.