Re-run of only league win of year so far for Hawick Royal Albert as Peebles Rovers visit

It’s a Borders derby at home to Peebles Rovers this coming Saturday and kick-off at Albert Park is at 2.30pm.

Manager Kenny Aitchison’s hosts go into that game bottom of the East of Scotland Football League’s second division, with four points from 13 games, their visitors, with Ger Rossi as boss, being eight league places and 18 points better off than them, having played four matches more.

The reverse fixture at Rovers’ Whitestone Park home ground in September was a 2-2 draw and the equivalent fixture last season, in September 2021, yielded a 6-0 thumping for Albert.

Rovers’ last visit to Hawick, however, saw Albert claim their only league win to date of this calendar year – by 3-0 in January – and one of only two last campaign, in the old EoSFL first division conference B, the other being 1-0 away to Newburgh Juniors in July 2021.

Their scorers against Rovers back then, ending a winless run stretching back over five months, were Lewis Swaney, Euan Gray and Kieran Crawford.

On the scoresheet for Albert in Peebles in September were Harry Fowler and Hon-To To, with Robbie Renwick and Ross Lamb replying for their hosts in a feisty fixture featuring three red cards.

Though they’ve only won one league match this year, Albert have picked up two cup tie victories as well – by 4-3 after extra time at Edinburgh United in the King Cup’s second round in February and 3-2 hosting the same team in the same competition’s first round last month.