Following last week’s disappointment, The Buffs travel south to Townhead Park to take on Cumnock Juniors, who could move to as high as second in the division with a win today. The Buffs can expect a tough tie against The Nock, as they look to bounce back from back-to-back home defeats at the hands of Troon FC and Rutherglen Glencairn.
Managed by ex-Buffs defender Steven Swift, Cumnock have so far fulfilled the expectations of many this season, sitting comfortably in fifth place, just outside of title contention. Prior to last week, The Nock hadn’t been beaten within 90 minutes since exiting the Scottish Cup to rivals Auchinleck Talbot in late September, a run which lasted 13 games. However, last time out for Cumnock, it was a shock defeat at New Western Park as Renfrew battled to a crucial 1-0 victory, putting an end to the visitors’ impressive run. The Buffs have met Cumnock twice already this season, but have yet to defeat the Nock, who were victorious on both visits to Buffs Park. Cumnock won the first contest 0-1 before returning to Buffs Park a few months later to beat the Buffs once again, this time in a penalty shootout after the game finished one goal apiece. It would be fair to say that neither game was particularly enjoyable to watch for either set of supporters, with very little goalmouth action or free-flowing football occurring across the 180 minutes. The lack of action and goals is a trend which has featured in large parts of Cumnocks campiagn so far, with the Nock scoring just 21 times in 15 league games, a tally which is the fourth lowest in the division. Despite not being the most prolific of sides, Cumnock have only been beaten four times in the league this season, which can largely be put down to their impressive defensive record. Today’s hosts have the best defensive record in the division, only conceding 15 goals in the league, meaning as an, overall, Cumnock’s games have featured fewer goals than anyone else in the league.
The Buffs’ recent struggles has made today’s game more important than some would’ve liked it to be, as the need for points becomes more imperative by the week for Kevin Kelly’s side, who head into a run of around eight games which look to be season-defining for the club.
