With Banks o’ Dee needing just a single point from their last half dozen games to clinch their fifth McBookie.com Superleague title in succession, the race is well and truly on for ‘the best of the rest’.
Bridge of Don Thistle, Hermes, Culter and Dyce – with the last named still having nine games to play- are all still in the hunt.
Goals in either half from Joe Burr and Michael Dawson gave Hermes a reasonably comfortable, if pretty dull, Lochside Park victory over Hall Russell United to see them sit three points behind second-placed Bridge of Don.
The opener came inside a quarter of an hour when a good move down the right was finished well by Burr after he cut in before finishing well.
Number two arrived not long after the interval when Jack Craig’s cross from the right was stabbed home by Dawson from six yards.
Hermes still have three league away matches to play, one more game than the Jags.
Although the league title is almost confirmed, Lochside Park assistant manager Steve Watson insists there’s still plenty to play for, saying: “We’re fighting to finish as high as we possibly can and, if we can end the season above teams with a bigger budget than we have, we’ll consider it a successful campaign.
“There’s every likelihood that Banks o’ Dee will be in the Highland League next season, so there’s also the psychological advantage for whoever finishes as runners-up.”
This weekend sees Hermes travel to Colony Park before a trip to Spain Park to face Dee – who are likely to have been crowned champions by that time – before completing their league campaign against Ellon United at The Meadows at the end of the month.
Watson knows Saturday’s clash with Colony will be a tough one, adding: “They gave Banks o’ Dee a run for their money, so we know it’ll be tough, but we also know that if we play as we can, we’ve got a squad that can come through unscathed.”
Hermes are also at Links Park on the evening of Friday March 18 in the opening round of the McLeman Cup with the opportunity to extend their season by reaching the quarter-finals, which is a huge incentive, says Watson: “We really want to get through that one, primarily as it will extend the season into next month.
“It’s all about building momentum and, while we have plenty to play for before the end of this season, I’m already quite excited of the prospect of the next campaign – although I’m sure there’ll be a few other sides thinking exactly the same.”