THERE is little surprise about the fact that the only live issue remaining in the regulation Scottish Football League season is in the First Division. It is, after all, a league into which only the bravest fixed-odds punter would delve.
The two clubs involved have recent experience of Division Two, but that's not to say either is keen on a rapid return. Only a win for Airdrie United against title-winning St Johnstone leaves the North Lanarkshire outfit with a chance of overhauling R
oss County and completing a remarkable escape from a play-off spot.
Even victory for Kenny Black's men, though, will not be sufficient if County secure a point in Greenock against Morton and Airdrie cannot overhaul a current goal difference deficit of four. The competitive nature of the division is merely illustrated by the fact County could finish as high as fourth if they retrieve three points from the long trip south.
"We are playing in the tightest division in Europe and I don't think the SFL gets enough credit for that," insisted Jim Ballantyne, the Airdrie chairman. "I would fancy any First Division team in a match against any of the bottom seven teams in the Premier League."
Quality, then, has not been mistaken for competition as far as Ballantyne is concerned. The same perhaps cannot be said for the Second Division, where disparity can exist between the various mix of full and part-time sides. A year ago, Airdrie were open about the possibility of becoming a part-time team if promotion to Scotland's second tier was not secured. Gretna's demise saw that notion off at the pass; Ballantyne, despite being "very disappointed" at the crowds his club have generated this season, is adamant there is no closer likelihood this time around.
"Even if we go down, we have no thoughts whatsoever about part-time football," he said. "If you look at the Second Division in recent years, Brechin in one case aside, it is full-time clubs who have won the league. We would be in that division to get back out of it, so it would be counter-productive to harm our chances by going part-time."
Dave Siegel is somewhat less familiar with the potential troubles associated with relegation, at such closer quarters anyway. The Ross County chairman has only been in office a fortnight; he can hardly be accused of arriving at a comfortable time with the Dingwall outfit slipping ever-closer to the play-off berth.
"We are not contemplating part-time football at this stage," explained Siegel, who is part of a new, three-man influx on to the County board.
The long-serving Roy McGregor, whose funding has been crucial to the club's rise from the Highland League, spent 15 years as chairman but will continue to support the club financially where necessary.
"This is an ambitious club, we want to push on and that means we have aspirations of playing in the SPL one day; why shouldn't we have?" added Siegel. "Clearly, that wouldn't be helped by dropping into the Second Division. That would be a big blow for everyone associated with this club."
While County's supporter figures remain impressive, and probably would remain so even if relegation had to be endured, the club's laudable community schemes and heavy funding in youth development would be the most likely areas to suffer in the short-term.
Yet such worries can wait, for both chairmen. "It is still in our own hands," Siegel said. "And everyone has terrific belief in the director of football, manager and players we have here. But Airdrie have been on a terrific run, they deserve enormous credit for that, and it is a great pity that either of us must go into the play-offs."
That Airdrie salvation job – they flirted with bottom place for much of the winter before a brief upturn at the start of this year – has included three wins from four matches. Two of them arrived at tricky away venues, Firhill and Dens Park. Few would bet against a triumph over a celebrating St Johnstone.
"It is a huge ask but outwith our hands so I am honestly pretty relaxed about it," Ballantyne said.
"Perversely, I don't think St Johnstone having won the title really helps us. Last season we went down to Ayr, having already guaranteed second place in Division Two, fielded an incredibly young team and won. St Johnstone's players will be playing for contracts and a place in an SPL team.
"But we are on a good run, there is no shortage of confidence. This weekend will be another advert for something I don't think the SPL have; competitive football from top to bottom, teams going out expecting to win every game they play in."
The full article contains 807 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
