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With the league now entering on a three week international break, matchday seven proved a fitting temporary send-off. Derby day and last-minute goals were focal points in weekend that saw a shifting table, leaving some surprise teams near the top. With the pressure already mounting on some managers, this weeks action could yet prove crucial…

Motherwell Lacking Cutting Edge

Dundee secured a top four spot going into the international break, beating Motherwell at home courtesy of goals from Joe Westley and Bradley Fink.  

All three goals in this match came in the first half, with Joe Westley opening the scoring from the penalty spot after Emmanuel Longelo was deemed to have handled the ball in the box. It was a day to forget for Alex Paulsen as Bradley Fink scored Dundee’s second, his header sneaking in off the post after Paulsen appeared to think the shot was heading wide.

Motherwell pulled one back just before half time through Alex Lowry, the 23-year-old getting on the end of a Tom Sparrow cross to give the Steelmen some hope heading into the second half. They could not, however, find a second goal and Dundee would picked up their third win of the season to go fourth in the table.  

Analysis 

Dundee are now in a great place heading into the international break, sitting fourth ahead of everyone but the Glasgow teams and Hearts. Having finished in a respectable eight place last season, many did not expect them to peak much higher under Stephen Pressley. Yet they seem to have improved and look like a team that could potentially crack the top six, even with captain and star-striker Simon Murray missing with injury. A win against a good Motherwell side puts them in contention for this feat and puts the rest of the league on alert of their talent. This wraps up a great run of games to open their league campaign.  

As for Motherwell, that is now three losses in a row in the league, leaving them on eight points and in poor form going into the three-week break. Having the started season well, winning two of their European knockout rounds whilst going unbeaten in their first four league matches, they have now hit a wall and seem to be struggling. Last season’s top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise is in a difficult period; registering just two goals in 13 matches.

Whilst this loss was an improved result from their 4-0 defeat to Aberdeen midweek, the warning signs are showing and they will need to provide more of a threat up top if they want to get anywhere near the form they achieved last season.  

Player Of The Match: Joe Westley. Bagged another for the season and was constantly testing Alex Paulsen.  

A Scrappy Affair In The Capital

Hibs and Aberdeen collected a point each as they battled it out in Leith, with Kevin Nisbet bagging against his former club whilst Martin Boyle notched his ninth goal against the Dons.  

The scoring was opened by Aberdeen following a poor run of play by Hibs, as Kevin Nisbet found himself in acres of space in the box to take a touch and finish against his former team. The rest of the half passed without much action, with the Hibs team walking off the pitch to boos ringing around Easter Road.

Hibs equalised thanks to a Martin Boyle penalty following a foul on Jason Kerr committed by Jack Milne. The Edinburgh side were much better in the second half but could not really get close to the Aberdeen net. Both came close to taking the lead, with the best chance falling to Ante Suto, who headed wide and squandered a golden opportunity, but ultimately nothing fell for either team, with a draw a very fair result.  

Analysis 

With David Gray now gone, Hibs fans would have been hoping for a new spark on the pitch and something a bit different from the displays that had frustrated them so much. Yet it did not look very different from the Hibs we have seen recently, particularly in the first half. The atmosphere was stale and there was little encouragement from the fans, reflective of the recent performances on the pitch. It was a rather lacklustre performance all round, although Miguel Chaiwa put in a good shift whilst Grant Hanley was solid in the second half and others such as Callum Wright were trying to create chances. The international break could not have come at a better time, as it allows Hibs time to try and find a successor for Gray, with whoever it is that comes in almost certain to feel the pressure right away. 

Aberdeen have enjoyed a mixed start to the season and that was prevalent again as they were not great this game, but by no means bad. They were the better side in the first half, with Nisbet taking his goal very well and overall provided a bigger threat than Hibs. In the second half, however, they took over from Hibs and did not really look threatening, only coming close to scoring once and ultimately not troubling Raphael Sallinger that much. After a brilliant midweek win against Motherwell, it is a bit of disappointing result against a very poor Hibs outfit and shows there is work to be done for Stephen Robinson and his new-look Aberdeen side. 

Player Of The Match: Callum Wright. In a game where not many stood out, he was creating many chances down the left that Hibs just could not capitalise on.  

Defensive Issues Once Again Haunt Falkirk

St. Johnstone left it late to rescue a point as they equalised in the sixth minute of stoppage time, denying Falkirk a chance to lift themselves out of the relegation zone. 

The first half of this match lacked chances, with the only two clear cut chances falling to Taylor Stevens, who was denied brilliantly by Scott Bain on both occasions. Jacob Murrell came closest for Falkirk, firing just over the bar after he was played through into the box. 

The second half started with a bang as Cheick Diabate was sent off for a second yellow offence before Ethan Ross opened the scoring for the away side just seven minutes later. The Saints were given a mountain to climb in order to get anything from this match, pushing for a goal but denied repeatedly. After 35 minutes of action with no goals, summer-signing Enes Alic stepped up in the 96th minute with a stunning free kick goal to rescue a point for the Perth side.  

Analysis 

St. Johnstone have enjoyed a brilliant start to life back in the topflight, sitting sixth in the table as the international break arrives. Having been freshly promoted and losing last years star player Josh McPake, many predicted them to struggle greatly this year. Wins against Hibs and Kilmarnock combined with hard fought draws has indicated to the league that they are here not just to survive, but to challenge for a position higher up the table. Josh Fowler leads the league with four goals, whilst the defence seems to have improved since they conceded three goals against Kilmarnock on the opening day. They did well to keep Falkirk at just the one goal in this game and limited their chances in the final third, with Enes Alic taking his chance when it fell to him late on in the match. This draw shows the resilience that Simo Valakari’s side possesses and indicates that they have much more to give this season in their bid to stay in the top flight.  

Falkirk will be extremely disappointed with losing what should’ve been three points in the bag. Sitting 11th in the table, last season’s team that stunned the league and finished sixth seems a world away from the team right now. Having said that, they have been unlucky in their matches, particularly against Rangers where they perhaps could’ve snatched a draw or even a win, as well as this match where a moment of magic late on denied them the three points. It was, however, not the best defensive performance from the Bairns as Taylor Stevens found himself in space and one-on-one’s against Scott Bain far too easily, citing the fact their defensive worries are very much real. With anyone but Bain in net, Falkirk may not have kept the Saints to just the one goal. Whilst they do sit low in the table, these unfortunate losses and draws could be turned around if they fix their defensive issues, particularly from balls played through the middle of the park. 

Player Of The Match: Scott Bain. Produced some stunning saves to keep his team in the lead until the end, St. Johnstone would’ve run away with the win if it wasn’t for Bain. 

Break Comes At A Good Time For Saints

Dundee United defeated St. Mirren with a flurry of first half goals, giving them their second league win of the season whilst the Saints have now lost three in a row.  

Jesse Randall rounded Jacob Chapman in the sixth minute to grab United’s first of the match, taking the winger’s tally for the season up to two goals. Their lead was soon doubled by Rangers’ loanee Lyall Cameron, whose brilliant turn and finish on the edge of the box gave him his first goal in United colours.  

United thought they were down to ten men as David Dickinson initially brandished a red card at Daniel Bennie, only for it to be downgraded to a yellow upon review. It would only get worse for the Saints, however, as United added a third on the stroke of half time, courtesy of a Kevin Ciubotaru goal just outside the six-yard box, sealing the three points within the first half.  

Analysis 

As Jim Goodwin returned to the sidelines, a win like that is exactly what he needed. Having endured a mixed start to the season, United desperately needed to climb out the bottom three and try gain some momentum in the league. Their attack looked great, with Jesse Randall scoring and assisting whilst blockbuster signing Zidane Iqbal performed well, looking very comfortable in his new team. Having just missed out on top six football last year, Goodwin’s side will have something to prove this year and this display of attacking prowess shows they mean business, as the scoreline could have easily been even greater in favour of United. A great performance that will give the team a massive confidence boost, they do, however, need to get rid of the inconsistencies in defence that have been plaguing them so far this season. Doing that will ensure they will be in and around those top six spots, ready to challenge as their attack is clearly capable of producing the goods.  

Having won three of their first four matches in the league, St. Mirren have now lost three in a row. Whilst this is a worrying run of matches, they have faced tough opponents in this run including Rangers away and Celtic at home. This match exposed St. Mirren’s defensive flaws, with United easily creating chances and finding themselves in plenty space throughout the match.  The Saints still sit fifth in the table, however, and star man Killian Phillips has now returned from injury after missing a month of action. With the return of Phillips and a three week break now upon them, St Mirren will be hoping to come out the other side refreshed and look to pick their form back up.  

Player Of The Match: Jesse Randall. Bagged a goal and an assist to help his team cruise to victory. 

Kilmarnock Vs Hearts 1-1 

Kilmarnock extended their unbeaten run in the league to three games as Hearts snatched a point in the dying minutes of the game.  

Just minutes after Laurent Mendy had a goal disallowed for handball, Kilmarnock took a surprising lead against Hearts thanks to a Jamie McCart own goal 16 minutes into the game. After McCart and Stuart Findlay were caught out by a ball over the top, the defender was chasing Joe Hughill before lunging in for a tackle and prodding the ball past Beau Reus. Hearts finished the half the stronger side but could not find a way past a resilient Kilmarnock defence.  

Again, Hearts had the better share of the chances in the second half, with striker JJ Williams missing a golden chance as he fired his close-range header over the bar. The pressure would soon pay off, with Stephen Kingsley firing his shot into the bottom corner after a scramble in the box to rescue a point for his team.  

Analysis 

Killie have turned their act around and after losing their first four matches in the league, they are now unbeaten in their last three league matches, including a much needed win against Hibs. Their start to the season was nothing short of abysmal and you felt Neil McCann was under a lot of pressure, even this early in the season. The last three games have shown that they in fact are able to produce when it matters, with two clean sheets displaying a change from the 14 goals they leaked in the first four league games. In this match they were behind for a lot of it with Hearts ramping the pressure up throughout, but Killie held on well and holding the Edinburgh side to the one goal, a goal that came from a chaotic set piece, reinforces the fact that it looks to be a much improved Kilmarnock defence. If they keep up the good form, survival that looked so unlikely after the first four games could be a real possibility. It looks like McCann has clicked with his new players and the team seems to be calmer and more organised.

Hearts have cooled down a bit following a strong start to the season, losing to Falkirk in the midweek match whilst narrowly snatching a draw in this game. Following a poor loss to Aberdeen, they had enjoyed a great run of form, winning four league games in a row and reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup. Yet this game they could not seem to score, with in-form striker James Wilson rarely present throughout the match, whilst others were wasteful; particularly JJ Williams who missed a sitter of a header from six yards out. The last couple games have shown there is still work to do for Hearts in terms of consistency, especially on the attacking side of the game. We know what this team is capable of and if they can find the level of consistency they were putting out last year, they could once again be in and around the battle for the top of the table.   

Player Of The Match: Stephen Kingsley. Stepped up when his team needed him, rescued a draw that could be vital down the line. 

Derby Day Double Completes Rangers Turn Around

For the second time in seven days Rangers came out on top against bitter rivals Celtic, with Ryan Naderi’s first half goal separating the two sides.  

With the historic stature of this match combined with recent results and off the pitch events, this was always going to be a tasty game. Celtic thought they had opened the scoring through Auston Trusty, but it was ruled it out as Liam Scales was offside in the buildup. Kieran Tierney came close to scoring as his shot rattled the bar, before Ryan Naderi stunned Celtic Park and converted the rebound from a Kim Min-Su volley on the edge of the box. 

The second half provided chances for both teams, with Celtic’s best coming from Colby Donovan who was denied his first goal after a brilliant Ivor Pandur save. Rangers thought they had doubled their lead through a stunning Olwethu Makhanya strike, but VAR spotted a handball from Makhanya, leaving the Gers with a long 15 minutes to see out the game. They did exactly that to give them their second Old Firm win in a week and put Martin O’Neil and his Celtic side under immense pressure.  

Analysis 

Rangers are now flying, following a terrible start that saw some fans call for the sacking of Derek McInnes. With the rough start that saw them drop completely out of Europe, it was not surprising considering the standards expected at a club of Rangers’ size. McInnes has completely turned the form around, however, with the team winning their last six games in a row, conceding just one goal in that time. There are many factors that can explain this but ultimately I think it comes down to the fact McInnes has now got a squad of his own that he has gotten to know, with many new signings slotting immediately into the starting XI. They look organised on both ends of the pitch, with Ryan Naderi now firing following a slow start to his Rangers career and players such as Olwethu Makhanya hitting incredible form right when it is needed. A great win against their bitter rivals and ultimately they looked very comfortable out there, making it two wins in two against Celtic for the season.  

As for Celtic…the alarm bells are ringing. Having started the season by winning their first six league games, they have now lost their first of the season, concluding a disastrous eight days that saw them lose to Rangers last Sunday on cup duty and also saw a defeat against Ferencvaros in the Europa League. They once again looked very poor against Rangers, unable to find a way through the defence and did not look like scoring at all. They came close to scoring through Colby Donovan but as the game went on, the atmosphere in Celtic Park just became increasingly sour. Captain Callum McGregor has been unable to motivate and lead the team and from the outside, it looks like Martin O’Neil has lost the dressing room. With such a poor run of games looming over the team during the long break, the first game back against Motherwell is crucial. If O’Neil does not win that and restore some stability to the team, I cannot see him lasting beyond that match.  

Player Of The Match: Olwethu Makhanya. Kept Duran and Høgh at bay and continued his great run of form with a brilliant showing. 

Awards 

Player Of The Week: Olwethu Makhanya. 

Game Of The Week: Celtic Vs Rangers. 

Goal Of The Week: Enes Alic Vs Falkirk. 

Team Of The Week: Dundee United.