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Alloa Athletic
Finished last season: 9th (beat Forfar Athletic in play-off final)
Manager: Danny Lennon
Players in: David Crawford (Arbroath); Michael Duffy and Conor McManus (Celtic, both loan); Colin Hamilton (Brechin City); Dougie Hill (Raith Rovers); Omar Kader (Forfar Athletic); Kyle McAusland (Dunfermline Athletic); Andy McNeil (Airdrieonians); Geoff Mitchell (Histon); Burton O’Brien (Livingston); Catalin Paun (Stirling University); Mikk Reintam (Frydek-Mistek); Mark Williams (St Mirren).
Analysis: Since Alloa were promoted to the Championship in 2013, the only thing that’s been predictable about them has been their unpredictability. One week they can be coming from 2-0 down to beat Rangers in a cup semi-final, the next they can be hounded 5-1 at home by Dumbarton. The Wasps achieved some remarkable results last season, drawing with Rangers three times as well as beating them in the Petrofac Cup semi-final, and beating Hibs. If they’d had that sort of form against other teams at the bottom, they’d have been nowhere near their finishing position, as enthralling as the climax was.
That era, though, is set to end. The dynasties of Paul Hartley and Barry Smith have been more or less removed by a close season of intense transfer activity by Danny Lennon, with players brought in from within Scotland and further afield. Of the starting XI for the play-off final second leg against Forfar, only Iain Flannigan is still with the club, although he could yet be joined by Michael Doyle. If that does not transpire then on Saturday, September 5 at the Rock, there will be more of that Alloa team in Dumbarton jerseys than Wasps ones.
It really is difficult to know what to make of the new-look squad at the Indodrill Stadium. Some players bring experience from higher up the Scottish football spectrum, with ex-Hibs keeper Andy McNeil the early first choice in goal, while Burton O’Brien has joined from Livingston. Others have come from outside Scotland – most notably striker Geoff Mitchell, whose towering presence upfront made him a must-sign. However, results in the cup ties were to say the least mixed. A potential banana skin trip to Brora in the Petrofac Cup brought success, but Saturday’s League Cup first round tie at Berwick Rangers will not be fondly remembered. Two goals ahead with 20 minutes gone, the Wasps were eliminated after extra time. Perhaps the reverse of previous cup exploits against another team called Rangers.
Similarly to Dumbarton, Alloa had something of a cushion last season in that they were one of three part-time teams, at least one of whom would survive. Now there are only two, and every point the teams can take off each other will be vital. Not to mention the games against full-timers who are not liable to challenge the promotion places. With such a hefty rebuilding process, the team is going to take time to gel, and with a tough start (away to Queen of the South on Saturday, then at home to Rangers), time is something Alloa don’t really have.
It’s going to be a fascinating Championship this season, but after two impressive escapes, this time it may be a bridge too far for Alloa.
Verdict: 10th
Falkirk
Finished last season: 5th
Manager: Peter Houston
Players in: Bob McHugh (Motherwell); Danny Rogers (Aberdeen, loan); Paul Watson (Raith Rovers).
Analysis: “Much the same as last season” was how this correspondent heard Falkirk being described at half time during Dumbarton’s game at New Bayview on Saturday. Given the transfer activity in and out at Westfield Stadium over the close season, that assessment seems about right.
Last season, of course, wasn’t all about the league for the Bairns. The run to the Scottish Cup final – the club’s third in 18 years – will live long in the memory and will always be a “what if” for them. What if they’d made better use of the extra man? What if the ball hadn’t spun loose for James Vincent to tap home the winner for Inverness CT? There’s always this year to do it again – why not?
But that now has to be forgotten about as Falkirk look to return to the top flight, a division they haven’t taken part in since 2010. There’s no prize for guessing whose names stands out for Dumbarton observers among the signings. Danny Rogers is the epitome of the warning that penalties don’t guarantee goals. Lee McCulloch, Dominique Malonga, Gennero Zeefuik and Farid El Alagui were all kept out from the spot by the on-loan Aberdeen man. It would have been no surprise to see him push for a first-team place at Pittodrie, but Dons boss Derek McInnes obviously feels he needs another year at this level. Jamie MacDonald may now be playing for Kilmarnock but the Bairns have added a quality replacement.
Does Bob McHugh fill the space left by Rory Loy – the man who put two goals past his former team-mate as Dundee hammered Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday? Can a striker who was on loan in League One last season score the goals to keep Falkirk in the promotion hunt? Perhaps. After all, he spent the later part of the 2013/14 campaign on loan at Queen of the South and was part of their successful play-off push. Much will also be expected from academy graduates like Kieran Duffie, Blair Alston and Craig Sibbald, unless they get better offers elsewhere before the transfer window closes.
Any other season, Falkirk would have been good enough to finish in the top four, but they had Hearts, Hibs and Rangers to deal with as well as Queen of the South. Now Hearts have gone, and many of Queens’ top players have left. This may be Falkirk’s opportunity.
Verdict: 4th
Hibernian
Finished last season: 2nd (lost to Rangers in play-off semi-final)
Manager: Alan Stubbs
Players in: Marvin Bartley (Leyton Orient); Martin Boyle (Dundee); Danny Carmichael (Queen of the South); James Keatings (Hamilton Accies); John McGinn (St Mirren); Mark Oxley (Hull City); Antonio Reguero (Ross County).
Analysis: Hibs haven’t been in this position since 1999 – looking up from the second tier of Scottish football while their Edinburgh rivals are in the top division. That, alone, should be enough motivation for them to push hard for promotion.
The top performers of last season are still at Easter Road – although how much longer that will be the case, with Scott Allan’s ongoing transfer saga, remains to be seen. They’ve also been added to very well – most notably in the form of John McGinn, whose performances in Scotland’s top division with St Mirren had him strongly touted for a move to at least that level again, if not down south. It’s a huge coup for Hibs and the thought of him and Allan in the same midfield, in Scotland’s second tier, is some prospect.
It isn’t just about the youngest of the three McGinn brothers, though. Striker James Keatings and midfielder Danny Carmichael have made a significant impression at this level already, the former with Hamilton Accies more so than Hearts, and the latter at Queen of the South. The likes of Farid El Alagui and Dominique Malonga are still around to provide goals, and with another striker rumoured to be on the radar, additions in that department might not be complete yet.
For Hibs, anything lower than second place this season would be a disaster. They are one of two teams who are, far and away, best-placed to compete for the title. However, a statement has already been made, on Saturday, July 25 when the first competitive ball of Scotland’s 2015/16 season was kicked. Hibs were decimated by injuries that day, and maybe it was just a beginner’s impression being made by the new-look Rangers side. However, 6-2? In your own backyard? They say the early season cup ties don’t matter that much, but when it’s by that margin, at home to your fiercest divisional rivals, maybe it does a bit.
Hibs’ first league match against Rangers is two weeks on Sunday. It may be at Ibrox, but they need to go there and show that anything the Gers can do, they can equal. They don’t have to run in six goals – a fluke 1-0 will do; it’s still a win. But they do need to show their title rivals that they’re up for this battle. It’s a result they’ve got a chance of recording, having won on both their league visits to Govan last season.
Until they do that, they are behind Rangers in the running for the league title. However, watch this space. It WILL be watchable.
Verdict: 2nd
Livingston
Finished last season: 8th
Manager: Mark Burchill
Players in: Liam Buchanan and Ben Gordon (both Alloa Athletic); Moses Duckrell (Barnet); Spas Georgiev (Dobrudzha Dobrich); Kieran Gibbons (Aberdeen); Matt Gould (Cheltenham Town); Jackson Longridge (Stranraer); Ross Millen (Dunfermline Athletic); Morgyn Neill (Motherwell); Jordyn Sheerin (Musselburgh Athletic).
Analysis: As soon as the five-point penalty was handed down last season, the prospects of Livingston featuring in this division last season seemed distant. And when Garry Fleming stuck away the winner for Dumbarton on Saturday, March 21, it seemed unthinkable that Almondvale would be back on the itinerary.
Yet here we are. Although it took a last day nerve-shredding win at home to Queen of the South to seal it, there’s no denying Livingston did brilliantly to turn it around. There was a point in season 2014/15 when they could rarely record a victory and when they did, it was 5-1 away from home, with Raith Rovers and then Sons beaten by that margin on their own pitches. However, the Lions dug deep and got their reward.
Nobody pretends that Livingston will spend this season around the lower part of the Championship table again. A return to top flight football is still some way off, indeed it may never happen for a considerable time. However, with the impending bottom-half season in mind, they’ve taken two of the best players from their rivals. Liam Buchanan and Ben Gordon each had a stellar season at Alloa last season as the Wasps clinched survival in dramatic style. Left back Jackson Longridge has also made the step up from Stranraer.
But key players have left, most notably the remaining two of the four Jacobs brothers, with Keaghan moving to South Africa and Kyle joining Queen of the South. They were big players for Livi and it will be interesting to see how they are replaced. There are also spaces to fill in defence, with Jason Talbot and Callum Fordyce dropping down a division to join Dunfermline. Again, interesting times ahead.
Nothing spectacular is to be expected from Livingston this season – at least not in league terms, as their defence of the Petrofac Cup is still ongoing. However, survival should come their way more easily than it did last season.
Verdict: 7th
Morton
Finished last season: 1st in League One (promoted as champions)
Manager: Jim Duffy
Players in: Bobby Barr (Brechin City); Denny Johnstone (Birmingham City, loan); Frank McKeown (Stranraer).
Analysis: If Dumbarton are to avoid the bottom two this season, they’re going to need at least one full-time side to finish below them. It took them just 90 Petrofac Cup minutes to identify an ideal target.
Apparently the assertion was made on national radio at half time during that tie that Morton would be wondering how they weren’t ahead. This was at the interval of a game where Dumbarton led 2-0 and the gap between the sides was almost as wide as the River Clyde that separates them. Eventually Sons won 3-2, but although the score may suggest otherwise, they were right on top of the Championship’s newly-promoted side.
That day, Morton did have key players missing, and once they return, and more signings come in, they will potentially be a different side. Already they’ve bounced back from that game – the 5-0 win they recorded over Elgin City on Saturday is decent whoever the opposition are. That game saw a debut goal for ex-Celtic striker Denny Johnstone, recruited on loan from Birmingham City, a signing which has generated excitement.
The two other signings have been steady performers at a lower level – Frank McKeown with Stranraer and Bobby Barr with numerous clubs, most recently Brechin City. However, the number of youngsters used in the Morton side so far suggests that there isn’t much strength in depth. Between now and transfer deadline day, Jim Duffy has a big job on his hands to add to his squad. Before then, they have to face Hibernian and St Mirren, and also face an early crunch match at home to Alloa.
If they mess that up, along with other games against the part-time sides, it’s going to be a long, hard season for Morton.
Verdict: 9th
Queen of the South
Finished last season: 4th (lost to Rangers in play-off quarter-final)
Manager: James Fowler
Players in: Darren Brownlie and Robbie Thomson (Cowdenbeath); Ryan Conroy (Raith Rovers); Steven Higgins (Motherwell); Dale Hilson (Forfar Athletic); Kyle Jacobs and Shaun Rutherford (Livingston); Jordan Marshall (Carlisle United); Gavin Skelton (Workington); Calum Tapping (Brechin City).
Analysis: Victims of your own success. Something this website said about Stranraer in the League One preview which was published yesterday. And a phrase which could also be used to describe another team in blue in Dumfries and Galloway.
Queen of the South, for the last three seasons, have enjoyed incredible fortunes. The Second Division title (now League One title) was won at a canter, and has been followed by two consecutive play-off places in the Championship. But with neither push being successful, the top players are going to be noticed by other clubs, who will offer them the chance of a step up with them instead.
Gavin Reilly, Mark Durnan, Ian McShane and Kevin Holt will all be playing top flight football this season while Danny Carmichael will be back at Palmerston this season, but only as part of the away team with Hibs. That’s the nature of football, and this close season, James Fowler has had the task of replacing those key players. He’s done well to bring the likes of Ryan Conroy to the club – perfect evidence of the midfielder’s talent coming with a stunning goal in Saturday’s 4-3 win over Annan Athletic. Others have come from a lower level, having impressed there, like Dale Hilson and Calum Tapping. Kyle Jacobs, Darren Brownlie and Robbie Thomson have also arrived after a relegation battle last season, when their teams had different results.
Queens aren’t going to disappear from the race for the top four overnight. One thing which didn’t change at all when Fowler took over from Jim McIntyre was the team’s work ethic. They’ll still be bright and industrious, and taking points off them will be a big ask. However, they are set to battle with Falkirk for fourth place, and with the Bairns squad having largely been together longer, they just might have the edge. It’s one to keep an eye on, though.
Verdict: 5th
Raith Rovers
Finished last season: 6th
Manager: Ray McKinnon
Players in: Kyle Benedictus and Craig Wighton (Dundee, Wighton on loan); James Craigen (Partick Thistle); Ryan McCord (Alloa Athletic); Mitch Megginson (Dumbarton); Darren Petrie (Dundee United); Lewis Toshney (Cowdenbeath).
Analysis: It’s getting on for 20 years now since Raith Rovers were last in Scotland’s top division. The desire will always be there to bring that level of football back to Kirkcaldy, but it’s been a slow burner.
After steering Raith to another mid-table finish, Grant Murray may have been expecting that he’d at least have the chance to lead them into the 2015/16 season. The Stark’s Park board had other ideas and relieved him of his duties before the 2014/15 campaign was out. Despite caretaker Laurie Ellis overseeing a 2-2 draw at Dumbarton, the chosen replacement was Ray McKinnon, who had impressed in the division below in charge of Brechin City.
From a Dumbarton point of view, two names stand out among the close season signings made by McKinnon. Darren Petrie pretty much came and went during his loan spell with Sons from Dundee United last season. Mitch Megginson was a revelation during his first season at the Rock, but couldn’t replicate that form second time around. How much that had to do with his position on the field was up for a lot of debate during that spell. If Raith can get the same out of him in his debut season as Sons did, they’ll have made a bargain purchase.
As far as other signings are concerned, activity has been steady. Big things are expected of Craig Wighton at Dundee, and having had the player on loan at Brechin last season, McKinnon is well aware of his ability. James Craigen is known to be a capable performer at this level with Partick Thistle, while Kyle Benedictus was part of the Alloa side who pulled it out of the fire against Forfar in the play-off final.
Existing players are also liable to continue to make a good impression at Stark’s Park, although the long-term injury sustained by Lewis Vaughan is a blow. Raith are set for a season of more excitement and better results, but in a tough league, it’s questionable whether their overall league position will improve. However, it’s set to be steady enough.
Verdict: 6th
Rangers
Finished last season: 3rd (lost to Motherwell in play-off final)
Manager: Mark Warburton
Players in: Wes Foderingham (Swindon Town); Andy Halliday (Bradford City); Jason Holt and Danny Wilson (Hearts); Rob Kiernan, James Tavernier and Martyn Waghorn (Wigan Athletic).
Analysis: This was going to be the most difficult thing to decide about this preview. It probably still is. Rangers and Hibernian, by far, are going to be the two teams battling it out for the title. But which of them will win it?
Then the Petrofac Cup first round draw was kind to those who wanted an early impression. And then Rangers went out and delivered a clear message. It’s a new era under Mark Warburton, a manager who made an incredible impact in charge of Brentford. As competitive debuts go, a 6-2 win away to Hibs was some statement to make.
Of course, Peterhead were also dispatched from the League Cup at the first round stage at Ibrox on Sunday. However, on Friday night, the real task begins for the Warburton regime. And it’s going to be far, far different to the task he excelled at while Brentford manager. At the start of the 2014/15 season, the Bees were newly promoted from League One into the Championship. Their aspirations for promotion to the Premier League would have been zero and therefore, there was no pressure on the gaffer. What followed was an incredible rise to prominence.
The pressure will be on, though, as soon as the first whistle sounds against St Mirren on Friday. It’ll increase with every scrutinised misplaced pass; every mistake will be picked up on by the almost sell-out crowd and the media. A first competitive cup tie outing at Easter Road was one way of breaking yourself into your new job. This is going to be another.
Signing activity has consisted largely of players from England who are already known to the new Ibrox boss. What Danny Wilson and, to a lesser extent, Jason Holt can do at this level has already been established with Hearts last season. If this squad can deliver to the extent it did at Easter Road there’ll be very little to stop them winning the title. More will be known about that, though, when Hibs go to Ibrox on Sunday, August 23.
Verdict: 1st
St Mirren
Finished last season: 12th in Premiership (relegated)
Manager: Ian Murray
Players in: Scott Agnew (Dumbarton); Stuart Carswell (Motherwell); Luke Conlan and Cameron Howieson (Burnley, Conlan on loan); Calum Gallagher (Rangers); Paul McMullan (Celtic, loan).
Analysis: So…this could easily have been the preview that was to be written for Dumbarton. At least in terms of signings, key players and what football they would play. Until the events of Friday, May 22 changed all that.
Ian Murray, exactly two and half years since he took the Sons job, was off across the Erskine Bridge to manage St Mirren. A full-time vacancy, almost every one of which he’d been linked to for at least a year, had finally become his next move. Nobody is doubting he has what it takes to thrive as a manager at this level – what he did at Dumbarton, both in the short and long term, was spectacular. But he won’t be in any doubt that this will be an entirely different challenge to the one he faced at the Rock.
For a start, he’s working with higher-profile players than he had at Dumbarton. They’ll all be full-time, and with that comes a higher level of fitness. Murray has been studying to work with these sort of players – now it’s time for him to put his work into practice. The signings of Stuart Carswell, Calum Gallagher and Paul McMullan are good ones – up-and-coming prospects who should add real quality to the midfield. And then there’s Scott Agnew. Nobody at Dumbarton needs told what he’s capable of. Neither does anybody at Berwick Rangers after his double goal haul against them in the Petrofac Cup first round tie.
St Mirren are unlikely to challenge for the title, but should easily make the top four, probably in third place. They’re then unlikely to come through all six play-off matches in triumph, but they’ll have given themselves a chance. We’ll see.
Verdict: 3rd
Dumbarton
Finished last season: 7th
Manager: Stevie Aitken
Players in: Darren Barr and Mark Brown (Ross County); Gregor Buchanan (Dunfermline Athletic); Kevin Cawley and Mark Docherty (Alloa Athletic); Steven Craig (Wycombe Wanderers); Grant Gallagher and Willie Gibson (Stranraer); Jamie Lindsay and Calum Waters (Celtic, both loan); Darren Miller (Queen’s Park); Jon Routledge (Hamilton Accies); Gordon Smith (Stirling Albion).
Analysis: It’s like moving house. Moving to a new country, even. You’ve got a good feeling, a real buzz about a new beginning for yourself. But although you’ve a good idea of how it’s going to go, you’re never certain until it all kicks off.
The friendlies and early season cup ties have offered an early impression of what life will be like for Dumbarton under Stevie Aitken, who until Saturday, May 9 was on course to manage Stranraer to a place in the Championship. Some of it has been most impressive, others had all the hallmarks of a team still gelling. The two cup ties offered different perspectives. Against Morton in the Petrofac Cup Sons were dominant, ruthless and clinical with chances. At East Fife last week they still had opportunities, but weren’t as merciless when they came along. Although as previously outlined, the League Cup exit may not be the worst thing, bearing in mind how it would fit into the schedule.
Possibly predictably, the players who have impressed most are the ones Aitken brought with him from Stranraer. The ones he’s worked with for some time and knows what he can get out of them. While the Blues have been Grant Gallagher’s only senior club, Willie Gibson has been around a few teams, even moving down south with Crawley Town. Both of them, though, have fitted seamlessly into life as Dumbarton players.
And the big-name players just keep coming. The ones who, if told a few years ago that they’d be playing for Dumbarton one day, you’d laugh at whoever was telling you. Darren Barr, Mark Brown, Jon Routledge, Steven Craig? Yet again, it just shows how far the club has come in such a short space of time.
Those big-name players will of course be vital with the experience they offer of arenas like Ibrox and Easter Road. But each and every one of Aitken’s troops will be vital. From the five (FIVE) he has retained from last season to those who have done it at a high level, all will be needed to perform. It gets said every season, but this is going to be a 36-game roller coaster. One which can be brutal and ruthless, but also generate moments to savour. Starting on Saturday against Hibs, perchance, or at least providing a victory in one game against a high-profile side?
No rash predictions. Eighth place will do just fine. The signs have been there that it can be bettered – but one step at a time. The preliminary journey is over, for the time being. The real one is about to begin. Enjoy it.
Verdict: 8th
The Dumbarton Terrace 