Hawick Royal Albert stretch unbeaten streak in league to three games

Hawick Royal Albert goal-scorer Harry Fowler (Pic: Steve Cox)

Hawick Royal Albert extended their current unbeaten run in the East of Scotland Football League’s second division to three games with a 2-2 draw at Stirling University on Saturday and they’re hoping to build on that momentum with their first win of the campaign before too long.

Saturday’s stalemate was their third in a row and fifth of the season, taking their points tally to five from 14 matches.

Though still propping up the table, they’re now only two points worse off than second-bottom Ormiston Primrose, beaten 4-0 by Whitburn at the weekend, and three wins from safety, with four games in hand on the four teams immediately above them.

Next up is a visit from 11th-placed Edinburgh South this Saturday, with kick-off at 2.30pm, and Albert head coach Kenny Aitchison is hoping his side can keep up an undefeated streak stretching back to mid-November.

“It’ll be a good one and it’s one I think we can certainly win,” he said.

Albert had to come from behind to bring a point back from Stirling at the weekend, with Hon-To To cancelling out the students’ 12th-minute opener two minutes later and Harry Fowler putting the Borderers ahead on the half-hour mark, only for their hosts to get back level on 66 minutes.

Having lost 3-1 in the reverse fixture at Albert Park at the start of the season in July, Aitchison reckons Saturday’s result is an indication of the progress the Royalists have made since.

“It was a good result on Saturday for us,” he said.

“Before the game, I’d have certainly taken a point as Stirling Uni have been in good form of late and they’d been unbeaten in their previous six games.

“We played them the very first game of the season and they beat us. I remember saying afterwards that we’d use that as a benchmark to see how we improve and I think there certainly was an improvement, so that was really good.”