Ex-Hearts ace Christian Nade could be major obstacle to Bellshill Athletic title bid

The ex-France under-21 star, whose many previous clubs have also included Sheffield United, Dundee, Raith Rovers and Hamilton Accies, joined Annbank United last month after leaving Troon.

Nade, 36, has helped propel the South Ayrshire side into second place in the West of Scotland League’s Conference A on 14 points from six games, only below leaders Bellshill on goal difference ahead of this weekend’s crunch clash between the two sides at the Sir Matt Busby Sports Complex.

“Christian is a big handful,” Bellshill manager Derek Wilson told the Times and Speaker.I don’t know if that’s why their fortunes have turned around a wee bit because they’re doing all right now.

“He’s big and powerful but my centre-half Neil Schoneville is 6ft 2in and he’s strong and powerful as well, so it will be a good tussle. It will be one to watch anyway, but Neil will do all right.

“It will be a good game. I’m looking forward to it.

“We drew down at their place with ten men recently so the reverse fixture has come quickly. They’re a good side.

“If we can win the game, it would take us into the new year sitting pretty at the top of the league because that is our last fixture before the break.

“It would be good to get the three points and keep the unbeaten run in the league going.”

Bellshill go into the Annbank game on a high, having recovered from going 2-0 down at home to Craigmark Burntonians to win 4-2 on Saturday.

Goals on 13 and 24 minutes put Craigmark 2-0 up before Bellshill pulled a goal back through Jordan Moore, a new loan signing from Gartcairn, on the half-hour.

Paul McAulay, another new arrival at ’Hill, having previously served Pollok, Cambuslang and Colville Park, levelled for the hosts within six minutes and it remained 2-2 at half-time.

Mathew Grant put ’Hill ahead for the first time in the match on 68 minutes and the home team then made it 4-2 on 77 minutes through Dylan McGuigan.

Wilson said: “We always seem to start off slowly for whatever reason – I don’t know why – and it just gives us an uphill struggle, but we always seem to come back and win, so it shows good grit, but at the end of the day, it’s not the way we want to play.

“We’re wanting to enjoy it, not give me a heart attack on the sidelines.

“When we went two down, it was just a case of me saying to the boys that the way of getting back into it was getting the ball down and going round about them, making them run and tire because they were big guys, a typical Ayrshire side.

“When I raised my voice a wee bit a half-time and made a few pointers, they got the message.

“We were good in the second half and we scored some cracking goals.”

Bellshill’s next league game after this Saturday isn’t until Saturday, January 9, when they host Maryhill at Rockburn Park.