Ross County win at Hamilton as the bottom three all lose
League One MatchDay 15: the leaders won at second-placed Hamilton, East Kilbride hit four, and the three sides at the foot of the table were all beaten.
By Barrie Moran,
MatchDay 15 had one fixture that mattered more than the rest, and the leaders won it. Hamilton Academical 1-2 Ross County was first against second, and Ross County came away with the points. They sit on 41 from 15 matches with a goal difference of 41. Hamilton stay second on 33.
The detail that tells the story is Hamilton's recent record. Their last five read L L D D W: one win, two draws, two defeats, five scored and nine conceded. Over the same stretch Ross County won four and drew one, scoring 13 and conceding four. Losing at home to the leader is exactly how a gap grows, and Hamilton's form gave them little reason to expect anything else. My view is that this is now Ross County's league to lose. That changes only if they start dropping points regularly and Hamilton rediscover the habit of winning. Neither has looked likely lately.
East Kilbride the side in form behind them
East Kilbride beat Alloa Athletic 4-1. That makes two wins in a row, and they are third on 24 points with a goal difference of eight, having played 14 matches to the 15 of most of the division. They are well short of the top two. Still, of the sides chasing, they look the most convincing. They scored ten and conceded seven in their last five, with only one defeat.
A good afternoon for the home sides
Four of the five matches were home wins, and three of those were clean sheets. The tightest knot in the table is in the middle, and this round pulled it tighter.
- Cove Rangers 3-0 Montrose was the most emphatic of the three. Cove have won three in a row, with nine scored and three conceded in their last five. They are seventh on 15, but with a match fewer played than most of those above them.
- East Fife 1-0 Peterhead made it three straight wins for East Fife, who are sixth on 18.
- Airdrieonians 2-0 Queen of the South was a second win in a row for the home side, who are fifth on 19.
That leaves Montrose fourth on 20, Airdrieonians on 19 and East Fife on 18. Montrose have lost their last two, and the three sides directly behind them have all won at least their last two. Fourth place looks the least secure position in the division.
The bottom three all lost
Every one of the bottom three was beaten. Peterhead and Queen of the South are on 13 points, with Alloa Athletic last on 12. Peterhead have lost two in a row, Queen of the South three and Alloa four.
The goal differences tell a different story from the points. Alloa are bottom, but theirs is minus seven, the same as Montrose and Airdrieonians. Peterhead are on minus 14 and Queen of the South on minus 26. Queen of the South have scored three and conceded 13 in their last five, with one win. Of the three, they are the side I would be most concerned about. Alloa's losing run is longer, but they at least score goals: seven in their last five. A couple of wins would change that view. The table is close enough down there that one good result could reorder it.