In Saturday’s East of Scotland Football League play, four of the five Borders teams registered victories; Vale of Leithen was the only team not to win, losing 2-1 to Peebles Rovers in a second division derby.
Coldstream, the other team from the area playing in the second division of the league, defeated Tweedmouth Rangers, a team from Northumberland, 2-1 on the road.
Both Linton Hotspur and Hawick Royal Albert triumphed 3-1 at Pumpherston in West Lothian and 4-2 at Lochgelly Albert in Fife, respectively, on the road after dropping a division.
Robbie Renwick scored twice for Rovers at their home field of Whitestone Park, in minutes 52 and 56. Five minutes before the end of play, Daniel Taylor scored a goal for the visitors from Innerleithen.
It was the first competitive match between Peebles and Vale in nearly fifteen years. On Saturday, December 28, at 2.30 pm, the rematch will take place at Victoria Park.
In front of about 260 spectators, Ciaran Nisbet had placed their hosts ahead on 36 minutes earlier. Regan Graham scored in first-half injury time for the Streamers at Shielfield Park, followed by Thomas Grey on the 55th minute.
They had previously defeated the Berwick team 2-0 in the second round of the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup last month, making that their second victory away from home in three weeks.
Due to these outcomes, Peebles, in 11th position, is now the strongest team in the division in the area. They are tied for 12th place with Coldstream, having played seven games compared to the Home Park team’s seven, but have a five goal advantage and a game in hand.
Vale are 13th, just outwith the two-team relegation zone, with three points from six fixtures.
Albert’s victory sees them leapfrog their part-namesake hosts into top spot in the third division, with 14 points from seven fixtures.
Hotspur are third, level on 13 points with second-placed Lochgelly but with a goal difference eight inferior, having played five games to the Fifers’ six.
On target for the Royalists were Aiden Gillan on 13 minutes, Harry Fowler on 30, Ben Tracey on 52 and Bob Boyd on 74, with Lewis Weir netting for their hitherto-unbeaten hosts on 48 and Scott Russell adding another on 68.
Willie White, Dan Greig and Jack Furness scored Hotspur’s goals at the weekend on four minutes, 50 and 64 respectively, with the West Linton side’s third-from-bottom hosts netting a consolation effort on 78.
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