Goals galore this weekend in the Lowland League. Read all about the 37 goals
SPARTANS 3-2 CUMBERNAULD COLTS
By Craig Edwards
It was the tale of two halves at Ainslie Park as Spartans held off a second half comeback from Cumbernauld Colts to secure all three points.
The home side raced into a 3-0 half time lead before the Colts fought back in the second half.
Scott Maxwell gave Spartans the lead after twenty minutes when he struck from 25 yards. Two goals in the final five minutes of the first half gave Spartans a healthy half time lead. Aaron Murrell with a cool finish before Maxwell got his second of the game.
The Colts fought back in the second 45 and eight minutes into the second half, pulled a goal back through Martin Wright.
It took till the 73rd minute for Colts to get their second with Stephen Tart heading home to set up a grandstand finish but the home side hung on to secure their fourth win of the season and move up to eighth in the table, one place and one point ahead of Cumbernauld who are now without a win in three games.
KELTY HEARTS 10-0 GRETNA 2008
By Craig Edwards
Kelty Hearts reached double figures at New Central Park as they made it six wins out of seven this season after brushing aside Gretna 2008.
Nathan Austin his hot streak in front of goal with four goals and started the goalscoring on the ninth minute when he finished from Ross Philp’s cutback. Murray Carstairs made it two before Chris Dodd rounded the keeper to make it three.
Scott Linton made it four before half time from a free kick while Austin got his second after the break. He completed his hat-trick just before the hour and on the 68th minute, got his fourth of the game with a header.
Austin wasn’t the only player to score four as Dodd got in on the act with three in the final 21 minutes to add to his first half strike and mean Kelty reached double figures for the afternoon.
The victory means Kelty Hearts stay second, a point adrift of leaders Bonnyrigg Rose and go into their Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup tie against Solihull Moors on a high while Gretna 2008 are still without a win ahead of a big clash against Dalbeattie Star next Saturday.
Bonnyrigg Rose 3-0 Caledonian Braves
By Ben McNicol
League leaders Bonnyrigg Rose welcomed Caledonian Braves to the fortress of New Dundas Park on Saturday.
Robbie Horn’s men continued their fine vein of form as they comfortably brushed aside The Braves 3-0 to keep themselves top of the Lowland League table.
The Rose mean business this season and genuinely believe they can mount a challenge to the favourites Kelty Hearts and East Kilbride.
The home side weren’t hanging around as they broke the deadlock after eight minutes. The strong winds played a part as a corner flew all the way to the back-post where it was met by Danny Baur and he made no mistake as he headed home.
Following the opening goal, neither side were able to take control of the game due to the windy conditions in the capital.
The next chance fell for the visitors as a free-kick found the head of Marc Kelly, but his header flashed wide of the target.
Bonnyrigg Rose were awarded a penalty just before half-time, but Lee Currie was denied as Alex Marshall made a fantastic save.
Within one minute of the re-start, The Rose doubled their lead and Baur doubled his tally for the afternoon as he saw his shot from a tight angle end up in the back of the net. Not a bad afternoons work for the defender.
The New Dundas Park outfit were well on top now and deservedly scored their third to make sure of the three points. Dean Brett, who was playing his 100th game for The Rose, picked the ball up, before firing a peach into the top corner, with Marshall standing absolutely no chance.
A fantastic performance from Bonnyrigg Rose, who thoroughly deserved the three points.
Berwick Rangers 1-3 Civil Service Strollers
By Martin Fleming
One of the newest Lowland League side played only their fourth game of the campaign as they hosted Civil Service Strollers at Shielfield Park.
In a game that could’ve gone either way, it was Berwick that broke the deadlock early on thanks to Lewis Barr slotting the ball home from close range. Only two minutes later, Civil found an equaliser – Matt Cunningham got in between a defender and Sean Brennan between the sticks and managed to put the ball into an empty net.
Neither team could break the others defence until the 67th minute when it was the away side that managed to fire through. After the referee played the advantage for Strollers, Jack Hodge played Cammy Muirhead in to find the Edinburgh men’s second of the afternoon.
That goal however only gave Cammy Muirhead a taste for it as 6 minutes later; he found another thanks to yet another assist from Jack Hodge to cement his brace and the victory.
This three points allows Civil Service Strollers to sit comfortably in 3rd place continuing a fantastic start to their Lowland League season, while Berwick Rangers remain in the bottom 5 of the table although with 4 games in hand.
Dalbeattie Star 0-4 East Stirlingshire
By Gregor Mackintosh
East Stirlingshire ran out 4-0 winners against Dalbeattie Star in Saturday’s encounter at Islecroft Stadium, giving East Stirlingshire a vital 3 points to move up to 4th place as they continue their title push, while Dalbeattie Star remain in 14th place having recorded just one win so far this season.
Both teams appeared to start slowly, with each sides attempting to work their way into the game and gain control early on. A powerful header from Dalbeattie centre half Ross Thomson, who had fired just over the bar minutes earlier, forced a brilliant save from Shire skipper Jamie Barclay. Dalbeattie striker Steven Degnan had his header cleared off the Shire goal-line by Andy Rodgers. Dalbeattie were eventually punished for their failure to convert in front of goal, as Shire striker Matty Flynn collected a rebound which had hit the post and scored from close range after 30 minutes. The Shire moved into the game more after the goal, with a few chances being missed including a volley from Andy Rodgers which crashed against the post to round off the first half.
The second half began as the first half had ended, with Shire creating a few chances, the most notable of which being a header from Matty Flynn which narrowly went wide of the goal. Dalbeattie created some chances early in the first half through Curtiss Wilson but again failed to convert. The Shire got their second goal of the game in the 67th minute after the usually reliable Dalbeattie keeper Vinnie Parker fumbled a Bobby Barr cross, and Jamie Dishington collected the ball and rounded Parker before finishing into an empty net just minutes after coming on as a substitute. The Shire cruised from this point and made it 3-0 after 83 minutes as Nicky Low scored from a Sean Brown assist. A 4th goal for The Shire followed soon after, with a Martin Orr cross finding Sean Brown at the back post who saw his header hit the post, but Mark Millar collected the ball and back-heeled the ball back across the goal for Sean Brown to tap in from a few yards out, getting his first goal since returning from an injury which has sidelined him for a large part of the season so far.
Dalbeattie may feel hard done by with the scoreline being as big as it was and they will look to right their wrongs as they make the short journey to face fellow strugglers Gretna 2008, and will look to move up the table. Shire fans will have to wait 2 weeks for the next first team game, as their game against fellow title contenders Kelty Hearts on September 7th was postponed following Kelty advancing to the 3rd round of the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup. Shire face Lochar Thistle in the South Challenge Cup away from home on the 14th of September.
BSC Glasgow 3-0 Vale of Leithen
By Martin Fleming
The Indodrill hosted a top vs bottom fixture as BSC Glasgow looked for a third consecutive victory and Vale of Leithen were desperate for their first point of the season.
Immediately it was the home side that looked favourites to score and also broke the deadlock in the first fifteen minutes when Jamie Hamilton’s strike smashed off the bar. Only five minutes later and BSC took advantage of a poor defence when Thomas Orr picked out Thomas Collins with a low cross and the forward stuck home a tap in.
The second goal came only seven minutes later thanks to BSC skipper Ross McMillan getting on the end of a corner. His header bounced towards the line beyond the keeper and Vale man Calum Hall attempted to clear it only to help it hit off the bar and in.
The best chance of the game for the Innerleithen men came just before half-time. A mix up in communication with BSC’s Ross Smith and keeper Ryan Marshall allowed Vale’s Liall Smith a one-on-one but his strike went wide.
A third and final BSC goal came as the game drew to a close – taking advantage of a failed offside trap, Thomas Collins grabbed his brace by slotting the ball in from a tight angle.
This victory puts BSC comfortably in 5th position with a game in hand, meanwhile Vale of Leithen remain dead bottom still to find their first point of the campaign.
East Kilbride 5-0 Edinburgh University
By Ronan Alexander
East Kilbride got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion as they defeated Edinburgh University 5-0 at K Park.
Kilby went into the game after a midweek defeat to Civil Service Strollers and a poor record of only one victory in their last four meetings against the students.
But it only took eight minutes for Stuart Malcolm’s men to open their account as skipper Craig Malcolm laid off Paul Woods who curled the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box.
It took until midway through the second half for the hosts to double their advantage, and it was birthday boy Sean Winter who got the scoring touch.
Three goals in the final 10 minutes put the icing on the cake for the champions, courtesy of strike partners Craig Malcolm who netted a brace, and Ruari Paton who bagged his third goal of the campaign.
The victory takes Kilby up to sixth place, seven points behind leaders Bonnyrigg Rose with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Dorian Ogunro’s men remain in 13th place after results elsewhere.
University of Stirling 2-1 Gala Fairydean Rovers
By Ronan Alexander
An 88th minute winner from Craig Brown have University of Stirling a narrow victory over Gala Fairydean Rovers at Forthbank Stadium on Saturday.
The home side made it two victories in 4 days against opposition from the Borders after Chris Geddes’ men defeated Vale of Leithen 4-0 in midweek.
Robbie McGale broke the deadlock after five minutes, not the plan Gala managed Neil Hastings had in mind on his birthday.
However, Ryan Mayer equalised 10 minutes later after his header from a corner looped into the back of the net.
The visitors went on to dominate the remainder of the first half but couldn’t find the breakthrough. In the second half, the hosts began brightly but Hastings side came back into it before late drama sealed the points.
A long throw was launched into the box and eventually fell at the feet of Brown who lashed home to give his team victory and keep them in 10th place in the table as Gala sit 11th.
