2-0 home victory against Dalbeattie Star ends seven-game winless run for Gala Fairydean Rovers

Seven league games had gone by without the Galashiels side adding to the three wins on the trot they picked up in late July and early August, but they’ve now got their fourth of the current campaign, thanks to goals from player-manager Martin Scott on 38 minutes and winger Danny Galbraith in injury time at the end of the first half.

That win at Netherdale in Galashiels, yielding their first points since a 0-0 draw away to Tranent Juniors at the end of August, moves them up three places in the league, to 12th, on 14 points from 12 games. That’s two places and four points behind their next opponents, Bo’ness United, held to a 2-2 draw at Berwick Rangers in midweek.

Saturday’s game at Bo’ness’s Newtown Park home ground kicks off at 3pm.

Reviewing Tuesday’s win, Scott said: “I was pretty pleased with the performance.

“We kept a clean sheet as well, which was very pleasing, as they’ve been few and far between this season.

“If we’re being critical of anything, it would probably be our finishing, especially towards the end of the game.

“Although we hit the woodwork possibly four times during the match, I think there were more goals in that for us if we’d been ruthless at the other end of the pitch.

“In terms of building on Saturday, I think the guys have done that, and a few are putting in really good performances, so it’s about trying to build momentum now and we look forward to the next match.

“It’s a difficult league and every game has a different challenge within it. I thought the guys came through the challenge tonight, and going into Saturday against Bo’ness, it’s going to be another difficult game. They’ve been going pretty well from the start of the season, so they’ll be bullish and probably fancy their chances, but it’s up to us to stand up and take the game to them.”

The 36-year-old was also pleased to get on the scoresheet, saying: “I’ve had easier chances in the last two games actually – I probably could have had two hat-tricks if I’d had my shooting boots on – and that was possibly the hardest chance of the lot. It was a scissor kick just at the edge of the six-yard box, so I was pleased to see that go in.”

It wasn’t for want of trying that Rovers ended up without any points at home to Celtic B at the weekend as they went ahead twice, thanks to goals by Lewis Hall on 20 and 62 minutes, though they were cancelled out by equalisers from Adam Brooks on 59 and Rocco Vata on 77, and got back on level terms, thanks to a Ciaren Chalmers effort on 85 minutes, after Matthew Anderson had put the visitors ahead for the first time with ten minutes to go. A second Brooks goal a minute ahead of the final whistle inflicted a third league loss in a row on them, however.

Scott was encouraged by his side’s display, though, insisting that a home win would have been a fairer reflection of the game.

“Our performance levels were really, really good,” he said.

“I think anyone at the game would see that we pushed Celtic all the way and probably deserved three points, but ultimately we came away with nothing. It’s disappointing in that aspect, but in terms of the reaction we got from our players and how we want to play, I think that’s the first time since Tranent that they really showed a bit of desire during a game and also played in the right manner as well.

“I don’t think we’ve been too far away in terms of performance probably since the Tranent game, but what I do think is that our play overall’s been safe. I don’t think we’ve asked enough questions of the opposition. We’ve been kind of playing side to side a lot of the time, and that wasn’t an instruction we’ve been giving the players.

“We had a chat and I said to them ‘I don’t know why we’re reluctant to play that penetrating pass’, and today against a full-time side full of young athletes, we showed we can be so dangerous when we mix up our play and have that variety in our play and go in behind and in between centre-backs and full-backs and have willing runners in behind.

“Outwith the goals we conceded, to a man I thought every one of them was outstanding.

“The starting 11 gave me everything and that’s all you can ask for. When you get the opportunity, go and grasp it and show me that you want to stay in the side, and I said that to them – if you perform like that, you’ll stay in the side.

“I’d rather go with guys that are committed and play with that enthusiasm and that desire and belief that they can go and compete with anyone in the league.

“In terms of positives, they’ve set a standard, I think, in terms of how to play, how to be on the front foot, how to press, how to play in behind teams and ask questions and I fully expect them to build on that performance today. The performance was there, the result wasn’t.”