Holsgrove’s Scotland Dream and Hampden Showdowns
Jordan Holsgrove is not letting geography get in the way of a Scotland dream. The 27-year-old midfielder, now with Estoril in Portugal, remains firmly focused on a national-team breakthrough, with recent contact between him and the Scotland set-up underlining that the door has not closed. He is out of sight for many Scottish fans, but clearly not out of mind at Hampden.
Old Friends, New Enemies at Hampden
At the national stadium this weekend, sentiment gives way to silverware.
Hibernian manager Marink Reedijk will come face to face with a familiar figure in the opposite dressing room: Hearts goalkeeper Beau Reus, whom he previously coached at Beveren. Reedijk has spoken warmly of the bond the pair forged in Belgium, but he has drawn a firm line ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup semi-final.
He will be glad to see Reus. He just plans to “love him a bit less” for 90 minutes at Hampden.
It is a neat subplot to a fixture already loaded with edge. A place in a cup final is at stake, and personal loyalties get pushed to the background once the whistle goes.
Campbell Finding His Feet at St Johnstone
Up in Perth, Josh Campbell is only just starting to feel like himself again.
The St Johnstone midfielder has revealed he is still working back to full sharpness after a spell of illness, but his impact is already being felt. Coming off the bench on Wednesday night, he grabbed his first goal for the club in the draw with Motherwell, a timely reminder of the drive and late runs that marked him out at Hibernian.
He is not yet at top speed. The signs, though, suggest he is getting there.
Falkirk Refuse to Settle
Down in the Championship, Falkirk’s standards are rising, not relaxing.
Ben Krauhaus, who scored away to Aberdeen to seal a third straight win for John McGlynn’s side, has made the target crystal clear: another top-six finish “has to be the goal”. That kind of language tells you everything about the mood around the club.
This is not a team content simply to stay competitive. They want to live in the upper half of the table and treat it as home.
Aberdeen’s Fight and Devlin’s Stage
For Aberdeen, the picture is more fragile. Confidence has taken a hit, and now comes Rangers in a Premier Sports Cup semi-final at Hampden.
Club legend Joe Harper has not shied away from the reality. Aberdeen, he says, must “fight with all they’ve got” on Saturday. No caveats, no soft landing.
Harper has also backed Nicky Devlin to meet the occasion head-on if the 33-year-old is asked to start. He describes Devlin as an “experienced campaigner”, a player seasoned enough to cope with the intensity and scrutiny that comes with a national stadium semi-final against Rangers.
Aberdeen may be bruised, but the expectation from their own greats is clear: stand up, not step back.
The One That Got Away for Blackburn
Beyond Scotland, one familiar Premiership face has prompted a quiet admission from England.
Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray has revealed the club looked “pretty hard” at Elijah Just before the New Zealand midfielder left Motherwell for Swansea City in the summer. The interest was real, the move never materialised, and Swansea stepped in.
For Blackburn, he is now filed under “what might have been”. For Just, the Championship stage belongs to Swansea.
From Holsgrove’s distant push for a dark-blue jersey to the personal duels and demands at Hampden, these are the decisions and ambitions shaping a season that still feels wide open.
