Gala Fairydean Rovers and Linton Hotspur go out of football’s South Region Challenge Cup

Scottish Lowland Football League outfit Fairydean lost 1-0 at home at Netherdale to West of Scotland Football League first division side Irvine Meadow XI, thanks to a 78th-minute goal from striker Euan Baird.

EoSFL third division team Hotspur went out to the EoSFL first division’s Hill of Beath Hawthorn, losing 2-1 at home at West Linton’s New Moor Road.

Jake Mitchell scored both of the Fifers’ goals, with Liam McIntosh on target for their hosts.

Those were both teams’ second trophy knockouts in the space of two weeks, Fairydean having gone out of the Scottish Cup at the end of September with a 1-0 first-round loss hosting Banks o’ Dee and Hotspur having exited the Alex Jack Cup that same day after a 2-0 third-round defeat away to Edinburgh South.

Those third-round exits ended any Borders interest in the competition, Coldstream, Peebles Rovers, Vale of Leithen and Hawick Royal Albert having gone out in round two.

The Streamers were beaten 1-0 by EoSFL first division team Blackburn United and fellow EoSFL second division sides Peebles and Vale, by 4-3 away to the WoSFL second division’s Neilston and 3-0 hosting the EoSFL first division’s Preston Athletic respectively and Albert by 2-1 at EoSFL first division Newtongrange Star in mid-September.

Peebles and Vale took Saturday gone off but Coldstream and Albert were both on league duty, the former drawing 2-2 away to Easthouses Lily Miners’ Welfare in the EoSFL’s second division and the latter losing 5-1 at home to Fauldhouse United a division down.

Those results leave Coldstream seventh in the table, on 14 points from ten fixtures, with Peebles 13th, on seven from nine, and Vale second from bottom, on three from eight.

The Royalists are third in their league, on 16 points from ten fixtures, with Hotspur fifth, on 13 from seven.

Darren Milne got Hawick’s sole goal at Albert Park, with Blair MacDonald twice, Jack Howe, Sam Ghoul and Jamie Farquhar netting the other way.

Peebles and Vale are both at home for league fixtures this coming Saturday but Coldstream are away, to Oakley United, Dalkeith Thistle and Kennoway Star Hearts respectively.

Hotspur are also at home, to Ormiston Primrose, with Albert away, to Edinburgh Community.

All those games kick off at 2.30pm but an away fixture for Fairydean at the Falkirk Stadium against East Stirlingshire will start half an hour later.

The Galashiels side are third from bottom of their fifth-tier league, on eight points from 12 fixtures, with ’Shire one place and two points worse off than them ahead of a Wednesday night fixture card including visits from sixth-placed Tranent for the Borderers and third-placed Linlithgow Rose for their hosts at the weekend, both 7.45 kick-offs.