​Basement battle up next for Gala Fairydean Rovers

​Bottom-of-the-table Rovers are away to the team immediately above them, Cumbernauld Colts, this coming Saturday and victory could deliver a move up to 16th place for either, depending how Cowdenbeath, currently in possession of that third-from-bottom berth, get on at home to top-five side Linlithgow Rose this weekend.

Manager Martin Scott’s Borderers go into that trip to North Lanarkshire level on 11 points with their hosts but with a goal difference nine inferior and having played 18 games to their 17. Cowdenbeath are on 13 points from 16 fixtures.

The reverse fixture at Galashiels’ Netherdale Stadium in September yielded a 4-4 draw – with Tommy Sharp on target twice for the hosts, plus Lewis Hall and Logan Sinclair, and Sean Borland at the double, John Binnie and Aiden Malcolm scoring the other way – but the two sides’ prior meeting saw Colts edge out Rovers by 2-1 at their Broadwood Stadium Ground in April, following on from a 4-1 win on the road last October.

Both Fairydean and Cumbernauld lost at home at the weekend, the former by 2-0 to table-toppers Celtic B and the latter by 3-1 to tenth-placed Stirling University.

Jude Bonnar scored for the Glaswegians’ colts on 73 minutes and a 43rd-minute own goal also went their way, taking their tally of points versus Rovers this season to three, following a 2-2 draw at Airdrie’s Excelsior Stadium in August.