Vale of Leithen back in East of Scotland Football League division two drop-zone after 3-2 loss in Fife

That leaves manager Ian Flynn’s Innerleithen outfit second from bottom of the table and, due to a goal difference 11 worse than those of both third-from-bottom Harthill Royal and 12th-placed Dalkeith Thistle, effectively two points from safety.

They’re now on 28 points from 27 fixtures, with three points left to play for and another two potentially coming their way depending on the outcome of a Scottish Football Association judicial panel hearing due to take place this coming Friday.

That hearing is to decide on an appeal lodged by basement side Tweedmouth Rangers against a two-point sanction for fielding an ineligible player during a 3-3 draw at home to Vale in March.

EoSFL officials ruled that that result be overturned and a 1-0 win awarded to Vale instead, prompting an appeal by the Northumbrians, still hoping to stay up at that point, though a 2-1 loss away to Fife’s Burntisland Shipyard on Saturday dashed any hopes of avoiding relegation.

If Tweedmouth’s appeal goes ahead and is upheld, Vale need to beat Burntisland at home this Saturday, with kick-off at 2.30pm, and hope that either West Lothian’s Harthill or Midlothian’s Dalkeith fail to win respectively hosting Coldstream and away to fourth-placed West Calder United this weekend at the same time.

Both, like Vale, are playing their last games of the season, with Harthill on 29 points and Dalkeith on 30.

If Tweedmouth’s appeal is discontinued or thrown out, however, Vale’s fate is back in their own hands as the two extra points they were awarded would be restored, lifting them out of the relegation zone up to 12th, on 30 points, with Harthill taking their place.

A win would than guarantee their survival but a draw would be enough if Harthill were to pick up a point and even a defeat would see them stay up so long as Harthill were to lose too.

Vale lost January’s reverse fixture away to Shippy by 6-2.

The Borderers’ scorers at Treaton Park at the weekend were James Flynn on two minutes and Kyle Mitchell from the penalty spot on 76, with Dylan Walker on target at the double for their sixth-placed hosts on 28 and 50 after Sean Johnstone had equalised for them on 19.

Peebles Rovers were also in EoSFL division two action at the weekend, winning 2-1 at home to table-toppers Armadale Thistle at Whitestone Park.

Jamie Mackay scored for manager Tam McFadyen’s 11th-placed Rovers on 71 minutes and Kyle Kivlichan on 83 after Craig Baillie had put their visitors from West Lothian, 13 points clear at the top of the table and already confirmed as champions, ahead on 55.

Peebles conclude their season away to second-placed Bathgate Thistle in West Lothian this Saturday, also a 2.30pm kick-off, and they’ll be hoping for a winning double, having come out on top by 2-1 in April’s reverse fixture at home.

They go into this weekend level on 34 points with manager David Brown’s tenth-placed Streamers and ninth-placed Shippy.

Coldstream’s reverse fixture hosting Harthill in December yielded a 1-1 draw.

A division down, Hawick Royal Albert have dropped out of the top-three promotion places, to fifth, after losing 4-1 away to table-toppers Lochgelly Albert in Fife in front of a crowd of 221, but Linton Hotspur, already confirmed as going up, remain second following a 4-3 win hosting basement side Edinburgh Community.

Ahead of concluding their seasons this Saturday with a Borders derby at Hawick’s Albert Park kicking off at 2.30pm, co-managers Ruairidh Fleming and Paul Currie’s Hotspur are on 44 points and opposite number Kenny Aitchison’s Royalists on 43, needing a victory and for third-placed Fauldhouse United and fourth-placed Stoneyburn to both lose, at home to Pumpherston and Lochgelly respectively.

Their two previous meetings this campaign yielded a 1-1 draw in Hawick in August and a 3-2 win in West Linton for the hosts in December.

Hawick’s goal at the weekend was scored by Harry Fowler on 53 minutes, with Jens Moret netting the other way on 13 and 50, Scott Russell on 19 and Callum Bennell on 88.

Jamie Martin, Ramsay Blair, Sonny Perfect and Kieran Fox were on target for Hotspur at New Moor Road in front of a crowd of 138.