It's tough to pick a winner in the Scottish Cup final, because both Aberdeenshire and Dunfermline have been consistently excellent all season.
Dunfermline may have had doubts how they would handle taking on Premier Division clubs, but their convincing wins over Uddingston and Greenock would have given them great confidence leading into this final. Aberdeenshire have been the Premier Division's best team of the summer. They had a minor blip midway when they lost to Clydesdale and Greenock, but they recovered and look as though they're peaking at the right time.
They key battle here is between Aberdeenshire's strike bowler, Chris West and Dunfermline's outstanding pro, Ally Gray. The South African has belted a truckload of runs and will more than likely return next year as the Knights join the Premier league. Chris West gives Aberdeenshire that new ball potency and his extra pace and bounce will test Dunfermline's top order.
Young Tyler Buchan and the cagey old timer, Kevin Thompson, provide quality back up in the seam-bowling department, while Todd Astle has undone many batting line-ups this year with his loopy leggies. Kevin Thompson may have not taken the most wickets in the league, but his economy rate is second to none. If Dunfermline are going to beat Aberdeenshire, they'll need to put in their most disciplined batting performance of the year. In all conditions, the Granite City outfit are relentless with the ball and have plenty of options.
Dunfermline aren't too shabby with the ball either. Vasu Reddy, who's cricket style reminds me of Dave Harper, is accurate. Aussie amateur Marshall Bunting can be deceptively sharp and Yasir Arfat knows how to get under the skin of his opponents. Ally Gray bowls a mixture of top spinners and googlies, but he doesn't have the control of Todd Astle.
Batting wise, Aberdeenshire have been solid all season. Brad Rodden and Todd Astle have formed a Hayden and Langeresque bond that has given their team the base to build winning totals. Neil McRae adds plenty of steel and calmness to the middle order, allowing pocket dynamo Ian Brand to give it laldy at the death.
There have been whispers about that Dunfermline rely too heavily on Gray with the bat. I disagree. Hard-hitting Vasu Reddy should really be in selectors thoughts for Scotland A caps, skipper Gowtham Rai can be effective at teeing off and Bunting is typical antipodean hustler who keeps the scoreboard ticking over regardless of the match situation. The Knights have plenty of ‘bottle' as Nasser Hussain would say.
Man for man though, Aberdeenshire have the edge. The key period of this game is when Dunfermline face the new rock. If they get on top of Chris West (a hard ask considering the bloke is about 7 foot) and bully Aberdeenshire's young back up seamers Buchan and Richie Lamb, then they'll give themselves a chance. That may be tough, because the deck at New Cambusdoon should move about a bit after recent rain.
Aberdeenshire's state of mind could come into play. They'll be absolutely sickened if they lose to Uddingston on Saturday and surrender the league title to Grange. Can they pick themselves up 12 hours later and focus on the Cup final? Under super coach McRae, the Dons will be tuned in regardless. Mark my word, there'll be no benders on Saturday night if they win the league either.