Gala Fairydean Rovers hit by sixth defeat on spin away to Broxburn Athletic in midweek
Gala Fairydean Rovers were hit by their sixth defeat on the bounce in all competitions away to Broxburn Athletic on Tuesday.
Only a single goal separated the two sides in West Lothian in midweek, scored by Jamie Docherty on 67 minutes past visiting keeper Reece Murray, but that was enough to extend the Borderers’ current losing streak to half a dozen games, their last win having been away to Berwick Rangers at the start of September, by 3-2.
Tuesday’s result saw Broxburn make amends for a 2-1 defeat in September’s reverse fixture in Galashiels and retain third place in the Scottish Lowland Football League table, now on 25 points from 13 fixtures.
Manager Martin Scott’s Fairydean fall one place to 11th, level on 16 points with tenth-placed Berwick but having played 13 matches to the Northumbrians’ 12.
In front of Murray, 19, at Broxburn’s Albyn Park on Tuesday were Jared Lyons, Gregor Lamb, Arnault Kasa and Kieran Moyles in defence; captain Danny Galbraith, Keaghan Jacobs and Ethan Dougal in midfield; and Lewis Hall, Kieran Dolan and Che Reilly up front, with Mo Adam, Lennon Connolly, Mackenzye Campbell, Shea Dowie, Jamie Semple, Joe Wylie and Fletcher Patterson on the bench.
Rovers’ midweek defeat on the road followed one by 3-0 at home on Saturday to new table-toppers Clydebank, winners by 5-2 away to Bo’ness United three days later.
On target for gaffer Gordan Moffat’s West Dunbartonshire side at Netherdale Stadium were Neil McLaughlin on 37 minutes, Nicky Low on 58 and Thomas Collins on 84.
Murray was also in goal that time round, with Galbraith skippering and Moyles, Kasa, Jacobs, Dolan, Dougal, Lamb, Lyons, Semple and Hall joining them in Scott’s starting 11, with Adam, Connolly, Dowie, Patterson, Reilly and Wylie as substitutes.
Next up for Rovers is a trip to Cumbernauld Colts this coming Saturday, with kick-off at Broadwood Stadium at 3pm.
They go into that game one league place and a single point better off than their North Lanarkshire hosts, held to a 1-1 draw away to Cowdenbeath on Tuesday, and they’ll be hoping to carry on where they left off against Cumbernauld last season, having beaten them 6-0 away last December after drawing 4-4 with them at home three months previously.
Their scorers on the road were Reilly at the double, Galbraith, Dolan and Tommy Sharp, with a Cameron Dickson own goal also going their way, and netting for them at home were Sharp at the double, Hall and Logan Sinclair, with Sean Borland twice, John Binnie and Aiden Malcolm on target in the opposite direction.