This weekend will be the furthest The Buffs will have to travel in the league this season as they head north of Glasgow to the home of Cumbernauld United, Guy’s Meadow. After an impressive start to the season, thanks to a poor run in recent months, “The Nauld” find themselves only 5 points clear of the relegation places in a very tight relegation battle that sees only 5 points separate 14th to 9th place.
Formed in 1964 The Nauld have spent the majority of their life playing at Guy’s Meadow after the ground was opened in 1874, when Manchester United travelled up to play Cumbernauld in the club’s first game at their new home. The club are yet to win any major honours but do have experience of winning league titles, such as the Central First Division Championship, which The Nauld won back in 2010. Some famous names have played in the maroon and blue of Cumbernauld, with internationalists such as Lee McCulloch and the great Kenny Dalglish spending spells at the club.
After being relegated from the WOSFL First Division 2 seasons ago, The Nauld bounced straight back up to the division at the first time of asking when they finished 3rd place behind Vale of Clyde and The Winton last campaign. It was a great start to the season for the newly promoted club, which, after 10 games, had them sitting above The Buffs in 8th place. Unfortunately for manager Jamie Nesbitt, his side have not been able to emulate their early-season exploits. Their recent change of form has dragged the club back into the relegation battle with 3 consecutive losses in their last 3 games to Renfrew, Blantyre Vics and Petershill, allowing the chasing pack to reduce the points gap to the relegation zone to just 5. Top scorer Paul Brennan has 5 goals for the season but has not netted since the end of August, when he scored a double against Kilbirnie Ladeside. Defender Frazer Stobie joined The Nauld from Thorniewood in the summer and will be considered one of their key players, with the defender being one of the main-stays in The Cumbernauld 11 so far this season. Cumbernauld are only 1 of 3 teams to defeat The Buffs in the league this season, when the Nauld scored 2 in the last 15 minutes to snatch all 3 points from Kevin Kelly’s side back in August.
It’s another massive game in the race for promotion for Kevin Kelly’s side, who currently sit top of the table with a far-from-comfortable lead over the other promotion contenders. Kelly will be hoping his side can show a repeat of their work rate from the recent matches while also hoping his side can add a bit of quality to their game in attacking areas. Promotion challengers St Rochs travel to Winton Park, Arthurlie go away to Blantyre Vics, Renfrew welcome Kilbirnie, Rutherglen host Ashfield, and Petershill face Vale of Clyde away from home.
