Football: Trialists make instant mark as Edinburgh City triumph

EDINBURGH CITY recorded a morale-boosting 5-2 victory against their famous non-league opponents from the north of England, Bishop Auckland, thanks to the contributions of three trialists, who scored four of the goals.

City were without ten members of their first-team squad because of various circumstances and the performances of the trialists must have impressed City's joint managers John Green and Gary Jardine.

Bishop Auckland play in the Northern league Division One, which is the top league in the area and have a proud record of having won the FA Amateur Cup on ten occasions while being runners-up a further eight times. The visitors to Meadowbank Stadium took the lead ten minutes before half-time when a loose ball in the City penalty box was headed into the net by Wayne Gredziak. However, within two minutes, City were back on level terms when a trialist converted a penalty kick. On the stroke of half-time, Ryan Wilson, promoted from City's Under-19 side, lobbed the Auckland goalkeeper to give City the lead.

Three second-half goals from the trialists earned City a comfortable win although Darren Richardson did score a late consolation goal for the visitors.

Elsewhere, Spartans beat First Division Coldstream 7-0 with all their goals coming in the second half from David Etale (4), Alex King, Keith McLeod and Ross Archibald. Craigroyston took on Arthurlie for the JC Allan Challenge Cup but were beaten 5-3, Kris O'Neill, Mark Robertson and David Anderson scoring.