Ladbrokes League 1: Ayr United & Raith Rovers battling for the title
Ladbrokes League 1: Ayr United & Raith Rovers battling for the title
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We’re heading into the final two games of the regular season in Ladbrokes League 1, and the title is still up for grabs.
Ayr United sit at the summit, two points clear of Raith Rovers. But following a surprise home defeat to Stranraer, will the Honest Men stumble again? And if so, can Barry Smith’s Rovers take advantage?
We take a look at the pair’s final two fixtures, as we head into prime squeaky-bum time…
Ayr United (1st / 73 points / GD +49)
Game 35 – Alloa Athletic (A)
Sunday sees the current table-toppers head to Clackmannanshire to face a Wasps side on course for the promotion play-offs, and chasing third spot.
Alloa have had the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, with Ayr winning just one of the last nine meetings.
However, Jim Goodwin’s side can take heart from the fact they did take all three points on their last visit to the Indodrill Stadium – winning 2-1 in November 2017.
With Alloa strong on their own patch and Ayr recording four successive away wins ahead of this game, it could be a close run thing. It’s 12/5 for a Draw in this one.
Game 36 – Albion Rovers (H)
The Wee Rovers are bang out of form, but they still have everything to play for at the wrong end of the table. The Coatbridge club are fighting to avoid the automatic relegation spot – and are currently level on points with bottom club Queen’s Park.
However, with just one league away win since the end of September, it’s still hard to see them causing a stir at Somerset Park. Especially so in front of what’s likely to be a huge crowd cheering on Ian McCall’s hosts.
History is also on United’s side. They’ve won all of this season’s three meetings, including a 5-1 tonking of the strugglers at Cliftonhill.
Raith Rovers (2nd / 71 points / GD +33)
Game 35 – Stranraer (A)
The Blues did Raith a favour last weekend, with Scott Agnew’s late winner securing maximum points for Stranraer at Ayr. But the visitors will be hoping they can quash their hosts’ recent fine form.
Stranraer have won four games on the spin. However, it hasn’t all been convincing. Three of those victories have come by a single goal, and the current run followed embarrassing home defeats to League 1’s bottom two sides.
With the Fife club taking 13 points from a possible 15 (at time of writing), they’ll be brimming with confidence against a Blues side who – despite recent form – have little to play for.
Meetings between Raith and Alloa have tended to be tight affairs. None of the last 15 clashes have seen over three goals. And if the title is still on the line going into the final day, this could be even more tense and cagey than usual.
One thing the Kirkcaldy outfit can take confidence from is the fact they’ve won the last game of the regular season in each of the last two campaigns.
With a number of players from last term still on the books at Stark’s Park, they’ll be confident of another strong final-day display if the title us up for grabs.
