Bo'ness boss hopes derby with Rose gets headlines for right reasons

Last Saturday's Scottish Cup tie between Cumnock and Auchinleck was halted due to fighting between rival fans, with mounted police having to go on to the pitch to restore order.

There will also be a bigger than normal police presence at Prestonfield tomorrow when Linlithgow, the East Region Super League leaders, entertain Bo'ness, last season's champions.

But visiting boss Willie Newbigging is hoping fans will go away talking about a great game of football rather than anything that happens on the fringes of the fixture.

"It is a local derby and, as always with this game, there will be a big crowd," said Newbigging. "There's no reason to think we will see anything like what happened down in Ayrshire last weekend.

"But there's no getting away from the fact that a fixture like this can lead to people getting a bit carried away - fans, managers and players.

"There is a fine line, however, and everyone has to draw that line. Things like invading the pitch, fighting and throwing bottles is a definite no, no.

"I hope our fans go there and enjoy themselves and it certainly has the makings of a great game."

Bo'ness got off to a flying start last season and never looked back, clinching the title despite a strong finish to the campaign by their West Lothian neighbours. "I actually didn't realise how big a game this was until the first meeting between the two teams early last season," admitted Newbigging, who was Allan McGonigal's No.?2 then before stepping into the hot-seat earlier this season.

"I was taken aback with the size of the crowd that day and it's a fixture that everyone looks forward to - the physio, the kit man, the lot.

"It's great when your team wins but your weekend is over if you end up on the losing side."

Linlithgow go into the match with an 11-point lead over their biggest rivals, though Bo'ness have four games in hand as a result of their involvement in a whole host of cup competitions earlier in the season.

"Linlithgow are in the better position at the moment due to having points in the bag and it is going to be difficult for us to catch them - but not impossible," insisted Newbigging.

"There's a great belief in our squad and we'll be looking for a repeat of our win over Linlithgow in our final league game last season, that was special for everyone involved."

Both teams have added new faces since that meeting and Newbigging is hoping he'll have an ace up his sleeve tomorrow in latest Bo'ness signing Grant Plenderleith.

"We got him just this week from Stenhousemuir and he's an absolute flying machine," said the manager. "He's got pace to burn and that type of player can cause lots of problems for the opposition.

"Adding him to the squad gives myself and Derek Murray a nice problem when we sit down to finalise our team for this match."

One player Newbigging would love to have available is former Dunfermline left-back Derek Fleming, who has been sidelined through injury in recent weeks.

"He didn't play in a bounce game we had earlier in the week and we'll need to see how he is in training but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll be okay," admitted Newbigging.

Linlithgow bounced back from their Scottish Cup exit at Auchinleck by crushing Thornton Hibs 5-0 in the Fife & Lothians Cup last Saturday. Boss Dave Baikie made six changes for that game, one of which saw Ronnie McPherson deputise for Stephen Pinkowski after he picked up an injury in the replay defeat in Ayrshire.

"Dario Quinn also missed out due to the fact he has been carrying a foot injury and, while the opposition weren't fantastic, it was still pleasing to keep a clean sheet," admitted Baikie.

"It also enabled me to give Gary Kelly, Adam Nelson, John Adam and Stephen Manson a start and the likes of Kelly, as well as Kevin Donnelly, badly need games after they missed the whole of our pre-season last summer before coming back just before the long lay-off due to the weather."

On the same day that Lithgae lost their grip on the Scottish Cup, the one consolation for them was seeing Bo'ness and Bonnyrigg, who are lying second in the table, draw in a league clash.

"Any points dropped by those two teams is definitely a bonus as I think both of them are going to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season," noted Baikie.

"This weekend is obviously an important game for both us and Bo'ness, who are the champions and haven't made too many changes from the side that won the title last season.

"We want the three points just as much as they do. It's not a game that is going to decide anything but, at the same time, we want to win and we are certainly capable of doing so."

Since arriving at Prestonfield nearly two years ago, Baikie has steered his side to success in every cup competition - with the Super League title the only thing that is now missing.

"That would be great but not just for me - for everyone at the club," he admitted. "We finished runners-up last season after an indifferent start to the season due to mitigating circumstances.

"We're in a better position this season after 11 games and hopefully we can repeat the strong second-half we had to last year."

Buoyed by their win at Musselburgh last weekend, Bathgate will be looking to pick up three more points tomorrow when they entertain Tayport at Creamery Park.