Massive weekend for Strathspey Thistle as they face Rothes in Highland League basement battle
Strathspey Thistle are facing a huge weekend in the battle to avoid the potential dreaded drop.
The Grantown side will be taking on Rothes - the only team below them in the Highland League tomorrow at Seafield Park.
Jags boss Ryan Esson is summoning his ‘toiling’ injury hit squad to dig deep and get a result at Seafield Park which could open up some daylight between them and their Moray rivals.
They will be buoyed after their 1-1 draw at home to what had been a free-scoring Huntly midweek.
Both sides picked up a valuable point on Wednesday evening with the Speysiders getting their first point under Ronnie Sharp and a cleansheet in a 0-0 home draw with Lossiemouth.
They are stranded on 11 points at the bottom with the next nearest team Lossie six points clear.
So a win for the Jags - who have a much superior goal difference albeit -67 goals - would be huge.
Esson said ahead of tomorrow’s massive basement battle: “It is still in our hands which is the most important thing.
“Rothes have signed a few players Gordon McNab from us and Shaun Morrison who has joined them from Forres and is in a fine vein of form and has scored three in four games.
“They have a threat. But we have to embrace the game - it is inevitable that it is coming.”
The Jags had their best win of the season away to Rothes in mid-October with a thumping 6-0 victory and five different goalscorers.
Esson would have appreciated more rest for his players for such a crucial match but they will have to go again after yet another quick turnaround.
He said earlier in the week that it has been a gruelling run of fixtures for his side: “By the end of March we will have played 12 games in just six weeks.
“The boys are toiling a wee bit through injury and tight muscles and we are having to ask them to go again and again and again.
“It is crazy that they have had to be asked to play so many games in such a short space of time.”
Esson continued: “It is just because they are so fatigued - there is nothing more to it than that. They are working and then they are playing Wednesdays and Saturdays.
“I still do not get why the Highland League games are not on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays.”
He believes Sundays allow most Highland League players to recuperate.
Playing Wednesdays - often with lengthy travel for some of the games - means some players are not getting to bed until the early hours and then have to be up sharpish again for work next morning.
They then have a game on the Saturday.
“The midweek game is the tough one to recover from,” said Esson. “In some cases the boys are not getting to bed until 1am or 2am then have to be up early in the morning for work.”
“On a Saturday then can get into bed for a normal time and get a proper rest.”
