Fifth win on trot earns sixth-placed finish for Peebles Rovers but Vale of Leithen Coldstream, Hawick Royal Albert and Linton Hotspur all lose out

That 3-2 win, their 14th of the campaign, leaves them in sixth place in the table on 46 points from 30 fixtures, three places and five points better off than last year despite playing two matches fewer.

Their scorers at their Whitestone Park home ground at the weekend were Grant Wilson on 20 minutes and Kyle Kivlichan on 45 and 61.

Manager Paul Dickson was delighted to see his side go out for summer on such a high note, telling the club website: “What a way to bow out for the season – a sixth-place finish after five consecutive victories.

“The game itself was an entertaining one and I feel we probably should have been a lot more comfortable than we were in the closing stages. Particularly in the first half, we could have been out of sight with some of the gilt-edged chances we had.

“However, at the end of the day we’ve taken three well-worked goals and brought home the three points, and at this level of football, that’s all that matters.

“The boys can compete with anyone when they turn up and that’s a message I’ve tried to instil into the mindset of them all since I came in.

“The guys deserve a well-earned break after how the last few months of hard work and dedication have paid off.”

Dickson’s now setting his sights on challenging for promotion next time round, adding: “We will try to push on again and mount a real challenge next season.”

Rovers were the only one of the the Borders’ five EoSFL sides to win at the weekend, with Vale of Leithen, Coldstream, Hawick Royal Albert and Linton Hotspur all ending up on the wrong side of their results.

Vale were given a 10-1 thumping at home at Innerleithen’s Victoria Park as they prepare to exit the EoSFL’s first division, their third relegation in a row, and join Peebles and the Streamers in the next league down, and that was followed by another home defeat, by 4-1 to Lochore Welfare, on Tuesday.

The latter, their last game of the season, was manager Ian Flynn’s side’s 28th loss in their 28 league games this campaign and it leaves them bottom of the table on minus-three points, having conceded 138 goals, with 29 scored in reply.

Daniel Taylor got the hosts’ consolation effort on Saturday on 81 minutes, with Kayne Paterson scoring five for their visitors from Edinburgh and Ryan Day, Cammy Stewart, Ifesanya-Olusoji Ayoola, Robbie King and Stephen Scott also on target.

Vale’s scorer in midweek was captain James Flynn, with Joe Kirby twice, Ethan Anderson and Gregg Page on target for the visiting Fifers.

​Coldstream were made to pay the penalty on Saturday for giving away two spot-kicks at home to Thornton Hibs.

​That season-ending victory was the Fifers’ 21st on the bounce in the league but they had to rely on two controversial decisions by referee David Gallagher for their 26th win of the campaign and a second-placed finish on 80 points from 30 fixtures.

Stuart Drummond put both their spot-kicks past home goalkeeper Elliott Turnbull.

The first was given for a 25th-minute foul on John Soutar by Ejay Gay and the second for what was judged to be a handball by Thomas Hume from a Keir Allan shot.

Drummond’s two goals sandwiched a 41st-minute equaliser past visiting No 1 Calum Sutherland from Ben Herdman.

That loss was the Streamers’ 15th of the season and it saw them wrap up for summer in 11th place, with 37 points from 30 fixtures.

The region’s two representatives in the EoSFL’s third division both lost by two-goal margins in their last outings of the season, the Royalists by 2-0 at home to Lochgelly Albert and Hotspur by 3-1 away to Livingston United, Josh Davidson getting on the scoresheet for the visitors.

Those results, after 30 fixtures, leave Hawick eighth in the table, on 38 points and their West Linton rivals second from bottom on 12.