​1-0 win lifts Hawick Royal Albert into East of Scotland Football League’s third division promotion places

​Only a 20th-minute Harry Fowler goal separated two sides at the opposite end of the table at Hawick’s Albert Park at the weekend but that was enough to earn the Royalists the three points required to move up from fourth place to third.

Manager Kenny Aitchison’s side are now on 19 points from eight fixtures, with two games in hand on second-placed Harthill Royal, currently on 22 points, and three on table-toppers Bathgate Thistle, on 28.

They’re at home again this coming Saturday, to sixth-placed Fauldhouse United, with kick-off at 2.30pm.

Both sides ended up with ten men on Saturday, Albert having Jack McAlpine sent off on 35 minutes and their visitors losing a man too on 72.

Albert manager Kenny Aitchison is delighted to see his side on the up, telling the club’s Facebook page: “We came out with a well-deserved, hard-fought win, so I’m very, very pleased.

“We went down to ten men in the first half, so to come away with a win after that is obviously very pleasing.”

Saturday’s win was the Royalists’ fifth on the spin, and sixth altogether, in the league, extending their current unbeaten run in division three to six games.

It was also the only victory notched up by any of the Borders’ five EoSFL sides on Saturday, fellow third division outfit Linton Hotspur having lost 4-2 away to Edinburgh Community, Vale of Leithen having been handed a 10-1 hiding at home by first division table-toppers Whitburn Juniors and Coldstream losing 4-3 at Armadale Thistle in division two.

Peebles Rovers’ scheduled second division fixture at Fife’s Kennoway Star Hearts was postponed.

The West Linton team’s goals were scored by Louie Grahame on 38 minutes and former Selkirk striker Josh Davidson on 61.Ross Watson netted twice for their hosts, formerly known as Craigroyston, with Ben Uwandu and Chris Jack also on target.

That loss leaves Hotspur second from bottom, with three points from nine fixtures, prior to a trip to West Lothian’s Harthill Royal this Saturday, with kick-off at 2pm.

Sunny McGrath scored for Vale at Innerleithen’s Victoria Park, with Mick McGarahan and Ross Crawford both with hat-tricks, Andy Thomson, Owen Main, Ally McInnes and Grant Hamilton on the scoresheet for their visitors from West Lothian.

Vale remain bottom of the table without any points from ten fixtures ahead of a visit from tenth-placed Arniston Rangers this Saturday at 2.30pm.

Coldstream’s scorers were Thomas Grey on 11 minutes, Jack Storm on 77 and Miguel Freire on 88, with Craig Baillie, Declan Wood and Tomas Murphy netting the other way, assisted by a Kieran Ingram own goal.

The Streamers are now tenth in the table, on 14 points from 11 fixtures, with Peebles, their hosts this Saturday at 2pm, in 12th place, on ten from ten.