Draw halts four-game losing streak for Gala Fairydean Rovers

The former will welcome Saturday’s result at their Netherdale home ground in Galashiels as an end to a four-game losing streak stretching back to the start of February and a welcome first point since the end of January.

That point also takes them to their highest tally for a season since their reformation in 2013 by merging Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers after 106 years apart.

Glass-half-empty types, however, might be inclined to view it as stretching Rovers’ current winless run to five fixtures ahead of a trip this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm, to a Stirling University side looking to do the double against them after winning the reverse fixture in the Borders in mid-November by 3-2.

Either way, it leaves Rovers sitting in 12th place in the Scottish Lowland Football League, with 40 points from 31 matches, as they prepare for their last handful of matches of the season.

Their student hosts are seven places and 22 points better off than them after the same number of matches played.

Saturday’s point against one of player-manager Martin Scott’s former sides was secured by a 32nd-minute penalty put away by on-loan Queen’s Park striker Gregor Nicol.

The Scottish Championship loanee sent the Blue Brazil’s goalkeeper, Danny Farrell, the wrong way after the hosts were awarded a spot-kick for a handball by centre-back Alfie Robinson.

The 19-year-old’s third goal in the last two games, following two during Rovers’ 3-2 home defeat by Bo’ness United at the end of last month, was cancelled out by a Michael Cunningham strike, from a Scott Walker throw-in flicked on by Dan Watt, six minutes later, however.

Both sides had chances to claim all three points after that – Gospel Ocholi having a close-range effort saved by Farrell and Ciaren Chalmers seeing a late header hit a post for the hosts and a Sam Newman shot being cleared off the line for the Fifers – but had to settle for a share of the spoils.