​Gala Fairydean Rovers stay four points clear of foot of Scottish Lowland Football League table after 12th loss of season

​Two goals from returning striker Liam Buchanan, on nine minutes and 15, won Saturday’s game for the English outfit, with Ethan Dougal getting one back for their hosts just after the half-hour mark.

That result sees the two teams swap places in the Scottish Lowland Football League table, with Fairydean falling one spot to third from bottom, on 18 points from 23 fixtures, still just four points clear of the relegation trapdoor currently occupied by Cumbernauld Colts, and Rangers going up one to 15th, on 21 from 21.

A trip to Edinburgh’s Ainslie Park to take on Heart of Midlothian B this Friday, with kick-off at 7.45pm, is next up for Rovers, weather permitting, and they go into that away-day looking for their first win against the William Hill Premiership colts, having lost three of their five previous games against them, most recently by 5-1 at home in August, and drawn the other two. Hearts’ under-20s are tenth in the table at the moment, on 25 points from 20 fixtures.

Hearts’ under-20s are tenth in the table at the moment, on 25 points from 20 fixtures.

Fairydean manager Martin Scott was disappointed to see his side suffer their 12th defeat of the season at the weekend, saying afterwards: “That result overall was disappointing.

“We had high hopes going into the game. We were full of confidence and expected a much better performance than we gave.

“We had lots of possession in between both boxes, but credit to Berwick – they defended their box really well and they were clinical in terms of taking the chances we gave up. They were very cheap goals and they converted them.

“They were resolute in the second period as well. We tried to chuck everything we could at them to try to get a point out of the game but overall we probably didn’t deserve much out of it.”

Looking ahead to this week’s trip to the capital, Scott, 38, added: “It’s a tough league and on their day, Hearts can be a formidable force there. It’s an exciting game to look forward to, going up against their B team.

“We just have to reset, refocus and maybe go over a few things and try to build up confidence among the players.”

Rovers expect to have former Livingston midfielder Keaghan Jacobs available for selection again versus Hearts B after missing Saturday’s defeat.

“Keaghan was touch and go and we made the decision for him, having not trained on Thursday, to not try and force it,” said his gaffer.

“Keaghan will be back next week. He’s a massive player for us. He’s been exceptional season so we’ll be glad to welcome him back into the group.”

Saturday’s sixth win of the season was Thomas Scobbie’s last as manager of Berwick as he quit a day later after over a year in charge at Shielfield Park.

“Berwick Rangers can confirm that the club and manager Thomas Scobbie have mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect,” said a spokesman for the team.

“All at Berwick Rangers would like to thank Thomas for all his efforts in his 14 months in charge of the team, and we wish him the very best for the future.

“The club will be making no further comment at this stage and will provide an update on our new manager in due course.”