Sixth win on spin as Coldstream keep up East of Scotland Football League division two title challenge
Coldstream are keeping up their challenge for top spot in the East of Scotland Football League’s second division after racking up their sixth win on the spin in that competition at home to Dalkeith Thistle on Saturday.
That winning run stretches back to mid-November, their last league loss having been away to table-toppers West Calder United earlier that month, by 3-1.
Those half-dozen victories on the bounce leave manager David Brown’s Streamers on 35 points from 18 fixtures, five behind their West Lothian title rivals, having played the same number of games.
Fellow Borderers Linton Hotspur were also in division two action against Midlothian opposition at the weekend, winning 3-0 away to Arniston Rangers.
That seventh win of the season for co-managers Ruairidh Fleming and Paul Currie’s West Linton side leaves them seventh in the table, on 26 points from 20 fixtures.
Coldstream’s scorers on Saturday were Craig Bell on 48 minutes, Thomas Grey on 60 and Oliver Stewart on 71, followed by an 80th-minute own goal, with Elliot Grieve getting one back for their sixth-placed visitors on 76.
On target for Hotspur, also assisted by an own goal, on 16 minutes, at tenth-placed Arniston were Stephen Manson on 26 and Nathan Stokes on 78.
Hotspur are off this Saturday but Coldstream will be back on the ball, away to eighth-placed Harthill Royal, with kick-off at 2pm, and they head there looking for a winning double after getting the better of the West Lothian side by 6-4 in November’s reverse fixture at Home Park.
Hawick Royal Albert and their EoSFL division three rivals Vale of Leithen are also in action this Saturday, both at home, to Stoneyburn and Newburgh respectively, with kick-offs at 2pm at Albert Park and half an hour later at Innerleithen’s Victoria Park.
Manager Kenny Aitchison’s Royalists go into that game 11 points clear of Newburgh at the top of the table, on 43 points from 19 fixtures, and opposite number Ger Rossi’s Vale are eighth, on 26 from 18.
Both had Saturday gone off, Albert because they had no fixture scheduled and Vale due to their pitch being waterlogged, leading to their planned game hosting Tweedmouth Rangers being postponed.
Albert have gone up against fourth-placed Stoneyburn twice already this season, both away in West Lothian, drawing 1-1 in November and winning 4-0 the month prior.
Vale have only taken on Newburgh once thus far this term, losing 3-2 away in August, but they’re due to head back up to Fife in April for another game against them.