Scottish Football Tips | Willie Duncan's NAP | 8th August 2015

AN easy opening week winner for Willie Duncan (@Willie_Duncan) last week. He's confident of more success this weekend too.

Albion Rovers v Ayr | Saturday 15:00

The League Two championship flag will be unfurled at Cliftonhill on Saturday afternoon as Darren Young’s side deservedly bask in the glory of their title triumph last season.

Unfortunately for Albion Rovers fans, the pre-match celebrations are as good as things are likely to get this weekend, because Ayr United will be determined to spoil the party when they go head-to-head with Albion in the League One curtain-raiser.

I’m not entirely sure what went wrong last season as the Honest Men limped to a dismal eighth-place finish in League One, but they can and must do much, much better this season.

Ayr have, undoubtedly, strengthened their squad over the summer with former Hibee Ross Caldwell and Alan Trouten, recruited from Brechin City, amongst those that I expect to make an impact at Somerset Park this season.

If Ayr are to have any real chance of challenging for honours this term, they quite simply must win matches like this because, quite frankly, the trip to Cliftonhill represents one of the easiest away days that McCall’s men will face in League One.

There should be no shortage of confidence amongst the Ayr United ranks either this weekend, for they cruised to a thoroughly deserved and convincing win against Albion at Somerset Park just two weeks ago in the Petrofac Training Cup.

Before the first ball is kicked this weekend, Albion will be above Ayr United in the League One table – by virtue of alphabetical order, of course – but I expect it to be for the last time this season because I think that these two teams will head in very different directions after Saturday’s showdown.

Ayr United are outstanding value at a juicy 6/5 to beat Darren Young’s men and I’ll be backing the Honest Men to do the business against Albion Rovers as my best bet from Scotland this weekend.