Something's gotta give at Whitehill Welfare

Spartans, odds-on favourites for the championship flag, are currently seven points ahead of the students who have played a game more, and are a massive 14 points in front of Whitehill although the Rosewell club does have two games in hand and the pair have still to meet twice.

These are facts which are not lost on the Whitehill manager, Paul Cavanagh, who said: "Our next two games will most certainly define our Premier Division season. We meet Edinburgh University tomorrow and Spartans next Saturday, both games at Rosewell, and if my players have any ambitions at all then they need to be looking to win both games and from my point of view we'll definitely be giving it a go."

Whitehill and Edinburgh University met in the opening week of the season when the students won 1-0 with a strike from youngster Calum Murray although Whitehill did have a Ross Aitchison penalty saved in stoppage time by goalkeeper Mark Tait.

"We only had 12 players and one trialist available that day but I felt that we deserved something as we probably had more possession but lacked that cutting edge in the final third," said Cavanagh, whose side has played only one competitive game in the past eight weeks, a 2-0 win against Craigroyston a fortnight ago. "Our performance that day was not our best although we were pleased to get a win after such a long lay-off. It was a case of getting back into the swing of things and we came through the game relatively unscathed.

"The Premier Division is a fairly tight league with the exception, at the moment, of Spartans and we have a tough few weeks coming up. Edinburgh University, have had a fantastic season so far and I have to take my hat off to them. They have had some good results and we will certainly be treating them with respect.

"We have been guilty of not taking chances so we have to try to master that."

The Whitehill attack of Daryl Devlin, Scott Gormley and Ross Allum will be the players mainly entrusted with breaking down the University defence while playmaker Andrew Kidd faces a late fitness test.

Edinburgh University head coach Douglas Samuel has had three competitive matches in the last three weeks including a moral-boosting 2-1 win against Leeds University last Saturday which took his team into the quarter-finals of the British Universities Championship.

"The winter break hindered us a bit because we finished 2010 on a winning streak," said Samuel. "However, we have picked up the baton and started 2011 very well and with three good results the confidence levels among the players are high."

Samuel, of course, is a former player and captain of the highly successful Whitehill team of the 1990s and enjoys his visits to Rosewell. "I love going back there, first and foremost to catch up with old friends, but that's for after the game. I am taking a new squad of players to Whitehill and I want them to show that they are on a par with other Edinburgh University teams who have gone to Ferguson Park and won.

"We know that it will be difficult because we are no longer a surprise element. At the start of the season many onlookers thought that we might be relegation candidates but we had a good start which took the pressure off my guys. I reckon that we need one more positive result to take us on to 24 points which I feel will be enough to maintain our Premier Division status.

"Whitehill, I believe, are the only remaining team who can challenge Spartans for the title. Whitehill have some great weapons going forward, as we do, so I think that it will be an open and attractive game. It will be up to which team defend better on the day."

Apart from Mark Gair who is rated at 50/50 the students are at full strength with strikers Peder Beck-Friis and Michael Hazeldine in goalscoring form.

The game kicks-off at Ferguson Park, Rosewell at 2.00pm with admission prices for adults 4 with concessions 2.