Kelty won a 5-goal-thriller over second place Bonnyrigg and there were 20 goals in the other six matches
kelty hearts 3-2 bonnyrigg rose
By Craig Edwards
Kelty Hearts stretched their lead at the top of the Scottish Lowland League to six points after coming out on top in a five goal thriller at New Central Park.
The top two had only lost once each this season and both had their eyes set on the Lowland League title.
The home side started brightly with a few shots failing to trouble Mark Weir in the Rose goal but just after the quarter hour mark, they would make the breakthrough.
Weir made a good stop from a header but the home side was first to react and Ross Phillip tapped home from close range.
Rose weren’t behind for long as a superb free kick from Currie found the top corner to bring the visitors level a minute after going behind.
Stunning goals were on the menu in Fife as Dylan Easton found the top corner to restore Kelty’s lead with a great strike from distance.
The lead was extended shortly before half time when Nathan Austin powered in a header.
Bonnyrigg pulled one back in the second half when Hunter lobbed the ball over the Kelty goalkeeper and despite the best efforts from Rose, they couldn’t find an equaliser and the three points stayed in Kelty.
bsc glasgow 3-1 cumbernauld colts
By Martin Fleming
BSC Glasgow returned to their winning ways and successfully bounced back from that 4-0 defeat to East Kilbride but putting three past Cumbernauld Colts who beat them at the start of the season.
It wasn’t the dream start for BSC as only five minutes in, Willie Mortimer got onto a lovely cross and volleyed home a superb finish past Ryan Marshall. However within ten minutes, BSC grabbed the equaliser proving last weekend didn’t get to their heads too much – Thomas Orr capitalised on a long ball from Thomas Collins, took advantage of a defensive slip and slotted under Jonathan Grier between goals.
Shortly before half-time, Captain Ross McMillan went down under a hard push in the box and the man in charge awarded BSC a penalty. Declan Hughes stepped up but Grier guessed correctly and saved well.
The game looked to potentially be a stalemate until the 78th minute when Declan Hughes produced a stunning cross/shot from the touch line. It looped over all the Colts defence and Jonathan Grier to hit the inside off the post and cross the line.
The game was put to death after Ross Kavanagh wiped out Lewis Bell in the box for BSC to gain another penalty. This time, Thomas Collins sent Grier the wrong way and grabbed an important three points.
BSC Glasgow remain in 4th place but hold a huge five games in hand over 3rd place East Stirlingshire. Colts fall to 9th after a massive win for Caledonian Braves against Shire allowed them slip into 8th.
the spartans 2-1 vale of leithen
By Gregor Mackintosh
A goal-filled final 15 minutes at Ainslie Park on Friday night saw Spartans run out 2-1 winners over a struggling Vale of Leithen side.
Spartans were in control for most of the match as they created numerous attacks on the Vale of Leithen goal but were for the most part unable to take any chances they created.
Spartans most notable chance of the first half came through Nicky Reid when he managed to steer his effort into the Vale net but was ruled offside.
Vale keeper Andrew McQueen provided some vital saves throughout the first half and was the main reason the teams went in at 0-0 at halftime as well as some important defending from a Vale side desperate to pick up some points.
McQueen continued to be a thorn in the side of Spartans as they struggled to score any of their chances for a majority of the second half, pulling off some fine saves from close range to give Vale a glimmer of hope.
The deadlock was finally broken on the 75th minute when the young Spartans skipper Adam Corbett rose highest at a corner kick, enabling him to power home a header to send his side 1-0 up.
Spartans doubled their lead a minute later thanks to some wizardry from Nicky Reid, which saw him win the ball back straight from kickoff before a mazy, weaving run through the Vale defence allowed him to cut onto his right foot before slotting the ball into the bottom corner to all but confirm Spartans the 3 points.
Vale of Leithen got a consolation goal right at the death when Liam Ireland fired home, but his late effort wasn’t enough to gain any points and leaves Vale in a precarious position at the foot of the table.
It’s as you were for both sides as this result sees Spartans remain in 5th place, while Vale of Leithen are still 3 points adrift of Dalbeattie Star at the bottom as time runs out to save their Lowland League position.
edinburgh university 2-2 east kilbride
By Martin Fleming
Edinburgh University provided a huge shock as they managed a 2-2 draw with defending champions East Kilbride.
Kilby scored the opener in the 22nd minute when Craig Malcolm picked out Paul Woods in the box and he slotted into the bottom right corner. After the break, Edinburgh Uni’s half-time talk must’ve worked wonders because immediately, Patrick Baird found an equaliser for the students.
With just over ten minutes remaining, Ricky Miller headed in from a corner and looked to secure the game. However only seven minutes later, Josh Binnington grabbed another equaliser for the struggling Edinburgh Uni to cause a massive upset.
Both sides remain in their respective positions; East Kilbride in 7th only a point behind Civil Service Strollers while Edinburgh University go one point ahead of Dalbeattie Star which could be extremely important in the relegation battle at the bottom.
east stirlingshire 1-3 caledonian braves
By Gregor Mackintosh
Caledonian Braves left The Falkirk Stadium with all 3 points on Saturday afternoon thanks to goals from in-form Braves strikers Neil McLaughlin and Ross McNeil.
Caledonian Braves began dangerously as they peppered Shire with attacks throughout the opening 10 minutes, as The Shire struggled to get into gear from the offset.
Caley Braves got the opening goal of the game on the 17th minute when experienced attacker David Winters rolled back the years to show off some quick footwork which was enough to take him past Shire defender Eddie Malone, before he drilled a low ball across goal which Neil McLaughlin was able to touch beyond an outstretched Jamie Barclay in the Shire goal.
Shire responded well to going 1-0 down as they began getting on the ball and started to look dangerous for long periods.
Tempers flared during the first half, most notably between Shire fullback Martin Orr and Braves winger Serge Makofo when the pair fell to the ground in a tangle before what appeared to be an elbow thrown by Makofo resulted in the referee awarding him a booking for his actions.
Shire got their equaliser on the stroke of halftime, when midfielder Paul McCafferty picked up the ball and drove forward before playing wide to Nicky Low, whose pinpoint cross found Sean Brown at the front post who managed to steer the ball into the far corner past Braves keeper Alex Marshall.
Controversy struck when the teams came out after the break. The game was stopped when Shire keeper Jamie Barclay received treatment for a hand injury and referee Gavin Ross gave a Caley Braves drop ball on the edge of the Shire box. Shire appeared to stop as Winters dinked a cross to the back-post for Neil McLaughlin to head home, much to the dismay of the Shire players and fans.
Things went from bad to worse for Shire when Nicky Low was given a straight red for what seemed to be comments made by him towards referee Gavin Ross, the context of which can be presumed to be surrounding the events of the goal.
Caley Braves took full advantage of having the extra man and capitalised in the final 20 minutes when a slack back pass by Shire fullback Martin Orr allowed for Ross McNeil to stride through on goal before calming slotting past Jamie Barclay to give his side a 3-1 lead and the 3 points, as well as taking himself to 2nd place on the Lowland League Top Goalscorer table.
This result sees The Braves take up 8th place in the league while The Shire remain in 3rd place.
gala fairydean rovers 4-0 civil service strollers
By Damon Main
If you had said to just about any supporter inside Netherdale at half time that this fixture would see a repeat of the four goals scored in the early season clash in Edinburgh then most would have thought you were mad. Not that Civil Service should have won or indeed deserved a draw but it simply never looked during the first half jostlings that either side had a goal in them let alone four.
However the pivotal moments came during the early second half period.
Civil Service Strollers displayed a complete inability to deal with inswinging corners from the home side which were punted into the visiting box with direction and precision from either side of the field. The opening goal came as a result of a corner from the right on 55 minutes which Gareth Rodger smashed home with a header from five yards out.
A further few chances for the home side came and went and with the visiting goalkeeper looking uncomfortable another corner resulted in what looked like an own goal. The match announcer however decided to award the goal to Scott Taylor MacKenzie.
With Civil Service Strollers last 2 matches falling victim to the recent cold and wet spell the visitors looked a little rusty and were not taking to the slick surface as well as the home side.
Despite a few attacks being mounted the visitors failed to capitialise on a massive misunderstanding at the back between Chingwalu and his goalkeeper. Right back Chingwalu then put paid to any chance of a Strollers making a come back with a third goal on 63 minutes.
By the time Campbell added a fourth goal Strollers were down and out with still a quarter of the game left to play.
This game was the same old story for Strollers who have found goals hard to come by this season. And, while Gala Fairydean Rovers have shown flashes of promise on several occasions during 2020 few in the home camp would have predicted such an emphatic win as this come Saturday night.
university of stirling 1-0 gretna 2008
By Ronan Alexander
A solitary goal from Jamie Penker was enough to give Stirling University a narrow victory over Gretna 2008.
The win was Chris Geddes’ sides first in four league matches, with the goal coming from a swift counter-attack after 10 minutes as Penker curled his shot beyond the visitors keeper.
Rowan Alexander’s men had the better of the remainder of the first half but couldn’t create any clear cut chances to strike level.
On the hour mark, the hosts had a couple of opportunities to double their advantage as Matthew Burrows cross flashed across goal.
Gretna pushed for an equaliser towards the death as they began to dominate possession but couldn’t find an equaliser as they remain in 13th place, with Stirling Uni still tenth.
