Next East of Scotland Football League season begins at home for four of Borders’ five sides

The East of Scotland Football League’s fixture list for next season is out now and its opening day will see four of the Borders’ five teams in its four divisions start their next campaigns at home.
By Darin Hutson
Published 18th Jul 2023, 11:13 BST
Updated 18th Jul 2023, 16:38 BST
Hawick Royal Albert ended last East of Scotland Football League second division season with a 3-2 defeat at Craigroyston and they play their first home fixture of the upcoming third division campaign against the Edinburgh outfit on Saturday, August 5 (Pic: Tommy Lee)Hawick Royal Albert ended last East of Scotland Football League second division season with a 3-2 defeat at Craigroyston and they play their first home fixture of the upcoming third division campaign against the Edinburgh outfit on Saturday, August 5 (Pic: Tommy Lee)
Hawick Royal Albert ended last East of Scotland Football League second division season with a 3-2 defeat at Craigroyston and they play their first home fixture of the upcoming third division campaign against the Edinburgh outfit on Saturday, August 5 (Pic: Tommy Lee)

Vale of Leithen and Peebles Rovers both host Fife opposition on Saturday, July 29, Kirkcaldy and Dysart in the EoSFL’s first division and Burntisland Shipyard in its second respectively.

Coldstream are also at home, hosting new opposition in the form of Edinburgh College in the second division, the Streamers having been relegated from the first division and the capital students promoted from the third at the end of last season.

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Third division new boys Linton Hotspur are at home too, to West Lothian’s West Calder United.

Hawick Royal Albert are the region’s only EoSFL representatives on the road on July 29, having been handed a trip to Pumpherston in West Lothian for their first-ever third division fixture.

All five of those games kick off at 2.30pm.

Tuesday, August 1, brings away-days for Peebles at Edinburgh South, Coldstream at Midlothian’s Easthouses Lily Miners’ Welfare and Hotspur at Craigroyston in the capital, all 7.30pm kick-offs.

The second Saturday of next season, August 5, will see Vale at Lochore Welfare, Coldstream at Newburgh Juniors and Peebles at Thornton Hibs, all in Fife, and Hotspur at Stoneyburn in West Lothian, with Albert at home to Craigroyston.

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Vale are the sole Borderers in their league but the second and third divisions both offer the prospect of derbies next term at Coldstream’s Home Park, Whitestone Park in Peebles, Albert Park in Hawick and New Moor Road in West Linton.

The Innerleithen side played a pre-season friendly at Pumpherston on Saturday, losing 2-0, and are at home to West Lothian’s Kirknewton Amateurs this Thursday and Edinburgh United next Tuesday for further warm-ups.

Rovers hosted a fundraising challenge match against a legends and guests side on Friday, winning 3-2, after a 2-1 victory away to Langlee Amateurs last Tuesday.

Coldstream lost a friendly at Haddington Athletic 3-2 last Wednesday and have got further warm-up fixtures lined up hosting fellow East Lothian outfit West Barns Star this Wednesday and Northumberland’s Bedlington Terriers this Saturday.

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Saturday gone saw the Royalists at Midlothian’s Arniston Rangers for a friendly, losing 7-1, and they host Dumfries and Galloway’s Lochmaben this Saturday.

Hotspur lost a friendly at Fife’s Cupar Hearts 3-2 on Saturday and are at Easthouses Lily tonight and at home to Leith Athletic this Saturday.

Related topics:BordersBorderersWest Lothian