Second chance of silverware on offer for Gala Fairydean Rovers

The Galashiels side are up against Linlithgow Rose in this year’s East of Scotland Cup final on Sunday, at Ferguson Park in Rosewell, with kick-off at 2pm.

That’s a re-run of their 3-1 loss to Linlithgow last May at Penicuik in 2022’s East of Scotland Qualifying Cup final.

It was that defeat that earned them a semi-final spot in this season’s East of Scotland Cup and they qualified for the final with a 1-0 win at League 1’s Kelty Hearts in January, with East of Scotland Football League premier division table-toppers Rose booking their place by beating FC Edinburgh 3-1 in February.

Sunday’s match in Midlothian iis only the Borderers’ second cup final since their creation in 2013 by reuniting Gala Fairydean and Gala Rovers, the former’s last one having been back in 2002 and the latter’s at the double in 2013, winning both.

The club are running a bus, departing Netherdale at 12.30pm, to take supporters to the final and seats, costing £12 for a return, can be booked via Rovers’ Facebook page.

Gala were in Scottish Lowland Football League action on Saturday gone, losing 2-1 at Stirling University.

A 14th-minute Aidan Cassidy free-kick put player-manager Martin Scott’s visitors in front at Stirling’s Forthbank Stadium but their student hosts hit back in the second half, Gala keeper Ruairidh Adams diverting a Jason Jarvis cross into his own net on 68 minutes and Jarvis getting the winner with a free-kick seven minutes later.

That match saw Ciaran Greene, 18 in February, become Rovers’ youngest captain ever and Raith Rovers striker Luke Mahady make his debut for the Borderers after agreeing a loan deal until the end of the season last week.

Former Celtic youth player Mahady, 19, joined the Scottish Championship team in September 2020 and has since been loaned out to Cowdenbeath, in League 2 at the time but now playing in Scottish football’s fifth tier alongside Rovers.