Hawick Royal Albert go 12 points clear at top of East of Scotland Football League’s third division thanks to 96th-minute equaliser
Hawick Royal Albert have stretched their lead at the top of the East of Scotland Football League’s third division to a dozen points despite being held to a 1-1 draw away to fifth-placed Stoneyburn on Saturday.
That point in West Lothian, secured by a 96th-minute equaliser from Harry Fowler after Aaron Arthur had put their hosts ahead just past the hour mark, was enough to tighten the visitors’ grip on top spot as Newburgh, in second place at kick-off, weren’t playing and Cowdenbeath Central, now up to second from third, and fourth-placed Pumpherston both drew too.
It leaves manager Kenny Aitchison’s Royalists on 37 points from 15 fixtures, Central on 25 from 14, Newburgh on 25 from 13 and Pumpherston on 24 from 16.
Vale of Leithen, the division’s only other Borderers, are seventh, on 20 from 14, after having the weekend off due to a scheduled King Cup second-round tie away to Fauldhouse United being postponed.
Albert hit the road to Fife this coming Saturday to take on Newburgh and Vale are also travelling, to eighth-placed Edinburgh United, both 1.30pm kick-offs.
The former head north looking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to the Fifers at home last time round in October, following on from a 2-1 win against them at Albert Park in July, both in the league.
The latter have also experienced mixed fortunes against this weekend’s opponents so far this season, beating them 3-1 in the league in September after losing 3-0 to them earlier that same month in the South Region Challenge Cup’s second round.
A division up, Coldstream have made it into the top three of their table, up from sixth, after beating Oakley United 2-0 away on Saturday.
James Paxton and Craig Bell were on target for manager David Brown’s Streamers in Fife on 31 minutes and 50 respectively, taking them to 23 points from 14 fixtures.
Their division’s other regional representatives, Linton Hotspur, remain 12th, now on 14 points from as many games, after a 4-0 thumping hosting tenth-placed Kinnoull.
Ben Stewart at the double, Jamie Mackie and Evan Wolecki scored the Perth side’s goals in West Linton against co-managers Paul Currie and Ruairidh Fleming’s hosts.
Coldstream and Hotspur are both on home turf this Saturday, for their first games of this term versus second-from-bottom Stirling University and basement side Edinburgh College respectively, with kick-offs at 2.30pm and 1.30pm.
Hotspur haven’t come up against the capital city side before but Coldstream go into their game looking to end a five-match losing streak against the Stirling students, having lost to them by 2-1 at home in May, 6-1 away in January, 3-1 on the road last November and at home in August 2023 and 4-2 away in February 2024.