Derby off but Hawick Royal Albert and Peebles Rovers due back in action at weekend

Weather permitting, both are due to be back in action this coming Saturday in the East of Scotland Football League’s second division, Albert on the road at Stirling University and Rovers at home to table-toppers Syngenta, with kick-offs at 2.30pm and 2pm respectively.

Manager Kenny Aitchison’s Albert side enter 2023 propping up their table, on four points from 13 games, their prospective hosts this weekend being a dozen league places and 28 points better off than them, though they’ve played five matches more.

Rovers boss Ger Rossi’s team are tenth in the 18-team table, with 22 points from 17 matches, nine places and 21 points worse off than their scheduled visitors from Grangemouth.

Albert and Rovers’ postponed derby, yet to be rearranged, was set to be a re-run of the only league fixture the hosts won in 2022.

The reverse fixture at Rovers’ Whitestone Park home ground in September was a 2-2 draw and the same game last season, in September 2021, yielded a 6-0 victory for Peebles on the road.

Rovers’ last trip to Albert Park saw the Royalists notch up their only league win of last calendar year, though – by 3-0 in January under previous boss Jordan Gracie – and one of only two all last campaign, in the old EoSFL first division conference B, the other being 1-0 at Fife’s Newburgh Juniors in July 2021.

Their scorers against Rovers almost a year ago, ending a winless run stretching back over five months, were Lewis Swaney, Euan Gray and Kieran Crawford.

Albert’s scorers in Peebles in September were Harry Fowler and Hon-To To, with Robbie Renwick and Ross Lamb replying.

Though they only won one league match last year, Albert claimed two cup tie victories too – by 4-3 after extra time at Edinburgh United in the King Cup’s second round in February and 3-2 hosting the same opposition in the same contest’s first round in November.