​Earlston Rhymers vying for place in last 16 of football’s Scottish Amateur Cup at weekend

​Earlston Rhymers play host to South Ayrshire’s Annbank United in the last 32 of football’s Scottish Amateur Cup this coming Saturday.
By Darin Hutson
Published 30th Jan 2024, 11:33 BST
Updated 2nd Feb 2024, 12:05 BST
David Brown on the ball during Earlston Rhymers' 6-3 Scottish Amateur Cup fourth-round victory at home to Craigneuk Thistle at the beginning of January (Photo: Brian Sutherland)David Brown on the ball during Earlston Rhymers' 6-3 Scottish Amateur Cup fourth-round victory at home to Craigneuk Thistle at the beginning of January (Photo: Brian Sutherland)
David Brown on the ball during Earlston Rhymers' 6-3 Scottish Amateur Cup fourth-round victory at home to Craigneuk Thistle at the beginning of January (Photo: Brian Sutherland)

​Kick-off at Runciman Park for that fifth-round tie is at 2pm.

Rhymers go into that match sitting seventh in the Border Amateur Football Association’s A division, on 19 points from a dozen fixtures, following a 2-1 defeat at home to Tweeddale Rovers on Saturday.

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Phil Addison scored Earlston’s only goal of that game, putting them in front on the 50-minute mark, but Blair Moffat and Connor Thorburn hit back to earn three points for their visitors from Peebles, taking their tally for the season to 12 from 14 fixtures.

That result lifts Rovers, second from bottom of the standings at kick-off, up one place into the relegation play-off spot, with Tweedmouth Amateurs taking their former berth just above basement side Hawick Legion.

Rhymers’ visitors this weekend are currently fifth in the Ayrshire Amateur Football Association’s premier league, on a dozen points from five fixtures.

They’ve won four of their five games to date in the association’s top flight following their promotion as division one champions last summer, having won 15 and lost only one of their 18 league games on their way to that title and also picking up the Ayrshire Cup.

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Rhymers are all too aware of the challenge their visitors will pose but are looking forward to it, with a spokesperson saying: “It’s a massive game for both teams as they battle to reach the last 16 of the cup.

“We welcome one of the top amateur teams from Ayrshire to Runciman Park on Saturday and the boys are buzzing.

“It’s obviously a big task but the bigger the support the better, so we hope fans make the effort to back the boys.”

Rhymers are the region’s last men standing in the competition after beating Stenhousemuir’s under-19s away by 6-0 in its east first round in October, Renfrewshire’s Newshot by 8-3 in November’s second round, Paisley’s Gleniffer Thistle by 3-2 away in a third-round replay in December and North Lanarkshire’s Craigneuk Thistle by 6-3 at home in the fourth round at the start of January.

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They’re one of three Borders amateur sides in knockout action this Saturday, with Gala Hotspur hosting Selkirk Victoria in the Forsyth Cup’s first round too, also at 2pm.

See also …

https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/sport/football/langlee-duns-and-greenlaw-through-to-south-of-scotland-amateur-cups-semi-finals-4497696