New Vale of Leithen manager Ger Rossi gets off to winning start v Edinburgh United

The Innerleithen outfit’s 3-1 victory over the capital city club at their Victoria Park ground was secured by two goals from Kyle Kivlichan, on 15 minutes from the penalty spot and 83, and another from Kyle Mitchell on 65, with John McKnight getting one back for their visitors, top of the table at kick-off but now second to Hawick Royal Albert, on 69.

That was their third win of the current East of Scotland Football League third division season and their second on the bounce, following one by 4-0 hosting East Lothian’s Ormiston Primrose seven days earlier with Callum Mitchell in interim charge, their first back-to-back victories since three in a row in April, and it leaves them ninth in the table, on nine points from seven fixtures.

That was their second game at home to United in the space of two weeks, the previous one having been a 3-0 second-round South Region Challenge Cup defeat two Saturdays prior.

“We gave absolutely everything and then some,” said Rossi, 37, afterwards.

“It was great to see smiles on faces down at the Vale again.

“We’ll be giving it our best shot.”

Manager Kenny Aitchison’s Albert also won on Saturday, by 3-0 away to Ormiston, lifting them up to pole position in the table, three points clear of Edinburgh United, on 18 points from seven games.

That was their third win on the trot, following one by 2-0 away to Tweedmouth Rangers seven days earlier and 2-1 hosting Vale the Saturday before that.

The Royalists’ scorers were Graeme Clark on nine minutes, Ayoola Olusoji on 48 and Connor Elliot on 60.

EoSFL division two’s Linton Hotspur and Coldstream were in action at the weekend too.

The former won 4-3 away to Leith Athletic on Friday in round three of this season’s East of Scotland Qualifying Cup and the latter lost 3-2 at home to Fife’s Tayport in the Scottish Cup’s first round.

Jacob Riley at the double, on 12 minutes and 80; Blair Craig, on 16; and Paul Currie, on 51,scored for the West Linton side – co-managed by Currie, 40, and Ruairidh Fleming – in the capital.

Matt Boyd and Connor Brian scored for gaffer David Brown’s Streamers, with Jamie Gill at the double and Ethan Samson netting the other way.

Hotspur and Coldstream are both at home on league duty to further Fife opposition this coming Saturday, to seventh-placed Burntisland Shipyard and third-placed Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts respectively, with kick-offs at 2.30pm.

The former go into that return to league action sitting ninth in their table, on 12 points from eight fixtures, with Coldstream tenth, on 11 from eight.

A division down, Albert are away to second-from-bottom Edinburgh Community and Vale host fourth-placed Livingston United and they’re both 2.30pm kick-offs as well.