Resurgent Saints on track to complete great escape

Scottish preview, 3pm Saturday

St Mirren can go above Raith Rovers with a win in Paisley and take a huge step to completing a memorable great escape.

Last week’s unlucky defeat at Dundee United was the Saints’ first loss in eight league games and put them back into a playoff spot as the second-bottom side in the Ladbrokes Championship.

It’s been well documented how Jack Ross has transformed the Buddies, a side who were utterly marooned at the bottom of the league and didn’t win a league game until December.

And they should be too strong for John Hughes’s Raith, who have been sucked into an increasingly desperate dogfight at the bottom.

They lost only 3-2 to champions Hibernian in midweek, but the Hibs side was crammed full of kids after Neil Lennon made ten changes to his starting 11.

That last-minute defeat will do little to the morale of the Fifers and St Mirren’s engine room of Stevie Mallan and Stephen McGinn can help beat the Kirkcaldy outfit, whose defence is suspect.

Arbroath are in an epic struggle with Angus rivals Forfar at the top of Ladbrokes League Two and they can put indifferent home form behind them by beating Elgin City at Gayfield.

Dick Campbell’s side slipped up at home recently against Montrose and Edinburgh City, but will fancy their chances of beating an Elgin side who are on a ten-game winless streak.

With Forfar facing a tricky fixture at Cowdenbeath, the Red Lichties know a win against the Highlanders could send them top of the league with just one game remaining.

They showed great resolve to dig out a victory against Cowdenbeath last week and will be backed by a big home support by Scottish fourth-tier standards.

Queen’s Park are surprisingly odds-against at Hampden for a game against Ladbrokes League One bottom club Stenhousemuir.

Stenny grabbed a big win at fellow strugglers Peterhead last week but Gus MacPherson’s men are excellent in Glasgow.

They’ve lost just once at Hampden this year and aim to celebrate their 150th anniversary by claiming a place in the playoffs, which would be an impressive achievement.

Queen’s have beaten Stenny three times out of four this term and can do so again.

Recommendations
St Mirren
3pts Evs Hills
Arbroath
2pts 23-20 Hills
Queen’s Park
1pt 5-4 general