Gala Fairydean Rovers to kick off 13th Scottish Lowland Football League season away to Linlithgow Rose

That away-day in West Lothian is on Saturday, July 26, with kick-off at Prestonfield at 3pm, and the Borderers go into it still looking for their first league win against manager Gordon Herd’s Rose since their arrival in Scottish football’s fifth tier as East of Scotland Football League premier division champions in 2023.

Since then, they’ve only picked up one point against Linlithgow, thanks to a 1-1 away draw last October, secured by a 90th-minute Kieran Dolan equaliser after Aaron Nicolson had put their hosts ahead just short of ten minutes into the second half.

Their other three meetings have all ended in defeat, with 14 goals conceded all together, Rovers having lost at home by 3-2 in November and 6-1 in December 2023 and by 5-0 on the road in August 2023.

They also scored a 90th-minute goal in their last game against Linlithgow, at Netherdale in November, with Liam Watt on target from the penalty spot after Keaghan Jacobs had got one back for the hosts just after half-time. Netting for Rose were Connor McMullan on 39 minutes, Laurie Devine on 41 and Harry McMartin on 59.

Fairydean’s only other meeting with Rose prior to their arrival in the Lowland League was a 2-0 home knockout in the Scottish Cup’s first round back in September 2015.

Their other meetings on cup duty have yielded mixed fortunes – a 3-1 East of Scotland Qualifying Cup final defeat in Penicuik in May 2022, a 4-3 penalty shootout victory in March 2023’s East of Scotland Cup final in Rosewell after ending open play tied at 2-2 and a 3-0 win at home in the Scottish Lowland Football League Cup in February 2024.

Rovers will also be hoping to come up roses for their second game of next season, that being at home to Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic, back in the fifth tier after being relegated from William Hill League Two at the end of last season, on Wednesday, July 30, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Bonnyrigg are another team Fairydean are still awaiting a first league win against, having lost all four of their meetings during the Midlothian outfit’s three seasons in the Lowland League from 2019, only netting once in the process – at home by 5-1 in February 2020, 4-0 in October of that year and 3-0 in January 2022 and away by 2-0 in November 2021.

As with Linlithgow, they have got the better of them in knockout action, however, giving them a 5-1 hiding at Netherdale in the East of Scotland Qualifying Cup’s fourth round in February 2022.

August sees manager Martin Scott’s side at home to Caledonian Braves on the 2nd, Celtic B on the 23rd and East Stirlingshire on the 30th, all Saturdays with kick-offs at 3pm, and away to Albion Rovers on Saturday the 9th and Heart of Midlothian B on Tuesday the 19th, with kick-offs at 3pm and 7.45pm respectively.

Their trip to Edinburgh to play Hearts’ colts will be their first game against opposition not to have ended up in the top half of the Lowland League or higher last time round, the William Hill Premiership’s second string having finished 11th on 40 points from 34 fixtures, six places and nine points better off than their visitors.

Linlithgow finished last season fifth, Braves third and Albion Rovers sixth and Bonnyrigg were bottom of the division above.

Fairydean’s festive season fixtures this time round are at home to Berwick Rangers on Dcember 27 and away to Tranent on January 3, 2026, both Saturday 3pm kick-offs.

As things stand and weather permitting, they’ll end next term against the same opposition as last time round, Gretna 2008, though they’ll be at home come Saturday, April 18, next year rather than in Dumfries and Galloway as they were for a season-ending 2-0 win in April gone, securing their fifth-tier survival, not something they’ll have to worry about this time out, relegation being off the agenda because of the league reorganisation lined up for next summer.

In the interim, Rovers’ pre-season schedule continues with friendlies against EoSFL premier division opponents – at home to Haddington Athletic this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 2pm, and away to Musselburgh Athletic in East Lothian seven days later, with kick-off at 2.30pm.

They’ve then got two Borders derbies at home lined up – against EoSFL division three’s Vale of Leithen on Tuesday, July 15, with kick-off at 7.45pm, and EoSFL division two’s Linton Hotspur on Saturday, July 19, at 2pm.