Seniors round-up

THREAVE were in top gear from the first minute and had chances through Adams and Cochrane. East Stirling’s first effort came from a McAuley shot that Gall tipped over the bar for a corner. Threave were caught sleeping at the start of the second half when several failed clearances were punished when Grahame McLaren sent a ten-yard shot past the helpless keeper. Threave equalised when Parker was upended in the penalty area and Grant Smith sent the penalty into the back of the net. Threave continued to press and scored a second goal when Smith released a long ball and Mark Adams raced through to outleap keeper Findlay and head into the empty net. The delighted Threave Rovers manager Bobby Semple, who was a member of Threave’s losing side against East Stirlingshire in 1978, said: "This was a tremendous result for Threave and the East of Scotland League. There is no doubt that we thoroughly deserved our win. We could easily have been three or four goals up at half time after we hit both the bar and the post."

Threave: Gall, Smith, Kirkpatrick, P McGinlay, Wilson, Baker, Budry, A McGinlay, Adams, Parker, Cochrane. Subs: Hudson, Armstrong, Struthers, Hitchell, Fitzpatrick.

East Stirling: Findlay, Maughan, McLaren, McGhee, Grant, Mackay, McAuley, Struthers, Fairbairn, Boyle, Leishman. Subs: Ure, Divers, Todd, Livingstone, Reid.

Edinburgh University 2 Lothian Thistle 1

EDINBURGH University justified their growing reputation by emerging victorious in this enthralling East of Scotland Cup semi-final at Peffermill. After a slow start the game burst into life on 22 minutes when a deflected cross from the Edinburgh’s Crawford was touched over the head of the onrushing Thistle goal keeper by Kyle Scott who then demonstrated customary coolness as he latched on to his own flick to slot home from six yards. On 61 minutes, and against the run of play, Thistle’s Remo McCann found himself in space 25 yards out and curled a superb left foot shot into the top corner to level proceedings. With extra time looming large, Crawford atoned for his earlier miss by latching onto a through ball from veteran Kenny Black, to slot coolly into the bottom corner.

Edinburgh: Leslie, Robertson, Fowlie, Gordon, Gerrard, Black, Johnston, Ogunro, Crawford, Scott, Smillie. Subs: Lunan, McWalter, Caines, Clark, Terry.

Lothian Thistle: Hynd, Williamson, Smith, Primrose, Leslie, Cunningham, Thoms, McCann, Greenaway, Ross, Mothersole. Subs: Calder, Anderson, O’Neill, Chapman, Scott.

Edinburgh City 2 Kelso United 1

CITY had most of the play in the first half, but once again were unable to convert the pressure into goals. Kelso were transformed after the interval, and their aggressive forwards soon had City on the ropes. Jackson, Kowbell and Alan Tait came close before the visitors opened the scoring in 57 minutes, a surge down the left ending with Chris Black rounding the keeper and firing home. The game turned City’s way after a double substitution in 76 minutes. Three minutes later Irving knocked the ball into the crowded penalty area and in the confusion Bob Baillie equalised from close range. Five minutes from time, Ford was unable to hold a long range shot and Jonathan Seeley tapped in the loose ball.

Edinburgh: Mackintosh, Ferry, R Baillie, Hume, Foster, C Seeley, J Seeley, Irving, Cunningham, Pearson, McColl. Subs: Godden, Scates, D Edgar, Kivlin, Cairnie.

Kelso: Ford, D McNulty, M Tait, Henderson, S Tait, Kowbell, Black, Law, Wilson, Jackson, A Tait. Subs: P McNulty, Mackay, Walton.

Preston Athletic 6 Coldstream 0

PRESTON returned to goal scoring form in spectacular fashion by hitting Coldstream for six. It was an impressive performance due in no small part to a magnificent double hat-trick from Dale McCall. His first came after 17 minutes when he picked up Wojtowycz’s long ball and drilled it past the keeper. The lead was doubled ten minutes later when McCall headed home after pouncing on Houston’s tempting cross. McCall got his hat-trick just a minute after the restart punishing the Coldstream keeper for failing to hold a Peter Moffat shot. The fourth came seven minutes later, a lovely long ball from Brown found McCall whose shot was deflected into the net. Goal No.5 was a rerun of the third, Moffat’s strike again fumbled by the keeper allowed McCall an easy tap in. Preston then took their feet off the gas so it was not until 80 minutes had passed when McCall grabbed his double hat-trick this time Nisbet providing the assist.

Preston: Lennie, Thomson, Brown, Wojtowycz, Scott, Nisbet, Houston, Moffat, McCall, Murray, S Ballantyne. Subs: Byrne, S Ballantyne, Essen, Myatt, Traynor.

Coldstream: Weir, Sives, Murphy, Evans, Wilson, Keenan, Cockburn, Fairgrieve, Shennan, Owenson, Tait. Subs: Shepherd, Henderson.

Spartans 4 Annan Athletic 1

SPARTANS opened up a nine-point gap at the top of the Premier Division with a 4-1 win over Annan Athletic although the scoreline slightly flattered the home side. The first half was goalless and it was Annan who took the lead five minutes after the interval when Spartans fullback Jim Rae brought down Graham Armstrong and Montgomery netted from the spot. Rae atoned for his penalty indiscretion when he hammered in a 22-yard free-kick after Keith McLeod was fouled. John Bird then put Spartans ahead with a neat goal. A quick free-kick by McLeod, which Annan claimed was not taken from the correct spot, released substitute Phil Hobbins who drilled the ball home from 18 yards. Annan manager Billy Sim was sent to the stand after this incident and late in the game Craig Manson pounced on a goalkeeping fumble to make the final scoreline 4-1.

Spartans: Hunter, tough, Rae, Gowrie, Burns, Irvine, Henretty, Johnson, McLeod, Manson, Bird. Subs: Hughes, Hobbins, Middlemist, Reid, Logie.

Annan: McWilliam, Allan, Smith, Little, Laurie, Fraser, Moffat, Pratt, Armstrong, Montgomery, McMenamin. Subs: Irving, Tuchewicz.

Vale of Leithen 3 Peebles Rovers 1

VALE could have taken the lead as early as the first minute when Peebles Rovers keeper Scott Carruthers parried a Coogan shot around the post. The home side were unable to build on that golden opportunity and struggled to get a grip on the game in the opening period with scoring chances for both sides few and far between. It took until the 44th minute for the deadlock to be broken and it was Vale’s Craig Ford who delivered with a precisely placed free kick 25 yards from goal. Seven minutes into the second half John Coogan doubled Vale’s tally after he was fouled on the edge of the box. Before the Rovers could organise their defensive wall the Vale striker had stroked the ball into the back of the net. Peebles failed to press Vale’s defence in the second half and on the hour mark saw any chances of a comeback crushed when Craig Lothian converted from the penalty spot to give Vale a 3-0 lead and put them in the driving seat. Rovers’ Brian Leavy reduced the deficit with five minutes remaining with a thunderbolt drive but it was not enough for Neil Nisbett’s side.

Leithen: Ritchie, G Lothian, Yuill, McGowan, L Thomson, Ford, Clark, Rathie, K Thomson, C Lothian, Coogan. Subs: Lockhart, Naviero, Joyce.

Peebles: Carruthers, Linton, Leavy, McKinnon, Whitson, Nisbett, Smith, Whiteford, McGarry, Lonie, Todd. Subs: Trialist, Harley.

Civil Service Strollers 1 Easthouses Lily 2

ALTHOUGH the visitor’s victory smacked of a smash-and-grab Strollers will be kicking themselves for the numerous chances scorned. In the early stages Costello and Currie both came close with headers but it was Lily who broke the deadlock in the 27th minute. The ball was fed through to David Beattie who turned inside Costello on the left of the area before drilling in a low shot past Buchanan. Despite having most of the play thereafter Strollers had nothing to show for it at half-time. But whatever was put in their tea worked because within a minute they had equalised. Following a Jenkinson cross Sinclair kept possession well in front of goal to set up Gavin MacDougal who placed a well directed strike wide ot Hay’s left. More Strollers domination ensued during which they seemed to have acquired residency rights in Lily’s half. Chances fell to Currie, Mabbott and Davies but to no avail. With three minutes remaining Herriot floated a long ball to Sinnet who controlled it well before stroking it past Buchanan to clinch the game.

Strollers: Buchanan, Langhorn, Jenkinson, Murphy, Costello, Sinclair, Fettes, Mabbott, T Currie, Davies, MacDougal. Subs: Manson, Bryne, Fogg, Croal, Young.

Easthouses: Hay, Herriot, McCabe, Sneddon, Waddell, Maltman, A Yuill, Neilson, Beattie, Borthwick, R Yuill. Subs: J Currie, Sim, Sinnet, McQueenie.

Selkirk 2 Dalbeattie Star 2

SELKIRK came back to earth with a thump after their Scottish Cup exploits last weekend. A dreary home match against Dalbeattie Star ended all square after player/manager Derek Kerr turned the ball into his own net in the dying minutes. Early pressure by the Yarrow Park men went unrewarded when poor finishing let Dalbeattie off the hook but it was a classic sucker punch from the visitors that broke the deadlock. Paul Cook met a great pass in the box by Craig Wilson after 32 minutes. In the 54th minute the referee adjudged a Derek Whitehead free-kick to have crossed the line after Fraser Wilson fumbled the ball in goal. Whitehead added a second with a fine header in the 83rd minute before Derek Kerr turned a Jim Brown shot into the net in the 88th minute.

Selkirk: Lumsden, Biggs, Weir, D Kerr, Hume, Wilson, Potts, Edwards, Hastie, A Kerr, Whitehead.

Dalbeattie: S Wilson, Sekhill, Campbell, Brown, McMinn, C Wilson, Leslie, Neil, Fingland, Cook, Dick. Subs: Harkness, Pearson.

Tollcross Utd 3 Heriot Watt University 2

TOLLCROSS recorded their first victory of the season when Stuart Henderson bundled the ball into the net late in the game to earn his side all three points in a 3-2 win against Heriot Watt University. The same player had given Tollcross the lead midway through the first half when he never gave up what appeared to be a lost cause. He managed to get the slightest of touches on the ball and spun behind Dan Caldwell in the University goal. Ross Leask equalised on the half hour mark with a 16-yard shot from an angle on the right of the penalty box. After the interval Tollcross edged ahead again when Stuart Scott won a race for the ball with Caldwell and again the ball trickled over the goal line. Ross Campbell equalised for Heriot Watt when he capitalised on a defensive error to slot the ball past John Trainer. Henderson then missed an opportunity before he finally won the game with his late strike.

Tollcross: Trainer, Thomson, Ireland, D Henderson, McDonald, McDonagh, G Henderson, Davidson, Crolla, Downie, Scott. Subs: Brown, Boyle, O’Brien.

Heriot Watt: Caldwell, Green, Brown, Sutherland, Mowatt, Pelly, Leask, Gow, Stoddart, Campbell, Wells. Subs: Napier, Ugam, McGlynn, Mortimer, Lennie.