East of Scotland: Beaton seals cup final win for Leith Athletic

LEITH Athletic lifted the Alex Jack Cup by beating Craigroyston 1-0 – thanks to a headed goal from Chris Beaton early in the second half.

Both sides missed a series of chances with Craigroyston’s best opportunity of finding an equaliser falling to Liam Jack, who headed over from close range and Leith Athletic held on to take the trophy for the second occasion in the past four seasons.

Meanwhile, Spartans progressed to the semi-finals of the Image Printers East of Scotland Qualifying Cup with a comfortable 3-1 victory against Selkirk in a game which was switched to the all-weather surface at Ainslie Park. Chris Anderson gave Spartans the lead ten minutes before half-time with a well-placed shot from 16 yards before Keith McLeod ran on unchallenged to beat Selkirk goalkeeper John Dodds from the edge of the penalty box. William Bremner sealed Spartans’ win midway through the second half with a 20-yard shot before David Battle netted Selkirk’s consolation goal.

In the Central Taxis Premier Division, Edinburgh City took the lead against Heriot-Watt after only 40 seconds when Ross Guthrie fired the ball home. The students equalised on the hour mark through Ronald Napier to earn them a share of the points.

Coldstream extended their lead at the top of the First Division to eight points although they were held to a 1-1 draw by near neighbours, Eyemouth United.