Amateurs: Hermiston forced to hang on after first-half breeze

Hermiston Vale were 3-0 after only 20 minutes played but opponents Redhall Star pushed them all the way

Vale got off to a flyer against their rivals as Jamie Aitchison played a pinpoint ball over the top from halfway and Grant Smith burst on to it to fire low into the bottom left corner.

Incredibly, Vale then added another from the Redhall restart as Connor Aitchison raced through to round Redhall goalie Ross Allan and smash into an open goal for 2-0 with six minutes gone.

Things then got even better for Vale as winger Josh Stewart was fouled in the box and Michael Elder coolly rolled the penalty in for 3-0, with barely 20 minutes gone.

It was a long way back for Redhall but Vale looked to show intensity and desire and make life hard for their opponents as the game wore on.

Redhall had seen their efforts well stopped by keeper Sam Millar but eventually they got on the scoresheet with 65 minutes played. A ball in from the left was headed at the backpost by Alan Sheriff and David Aitkenhead nodded the loose aerial ball into the roof of the net.

With 15 to go, Ross Lewis then pulled another back for Redhall as he was first to react to a loose ball in the Vale box.

Into the dying stages Sheriff thought he should have had a penalty for Redhall as he went down in the box but instead the referee booked the forward for diving. With that, victory was Vale’s as they held on to win 3-2.

• City are six shooters

Edinburgh City AFC picked up their first win of the season with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Sporting Icapb at Seafield.

After dominating the early stages with little reward, City grabbed two in two minutes on the half hour. Callum Milligan played a well-weighted ball through the Icapb defence and Sean Morrison raced on to it behind the Icapb defence to slot home. Then, two minutes later, City added another as Ryan Pollock steered the ball in from close range.

City quickly added two more early in the second half. A Milligan free-kick was deflected in to make it 3-0 before Jack Reid got up to head in another.

Icapb got on the scoresheet thanks to Lewis Wright’s composed finish but added two more through Marc Mckeating. After converting from close range to make it 5-1, Mckeating added a sixth as he cut in from out wide to leather the ball into the top left corner. With that it was game, set and match for the hosts as they picked up their first three points of the season.

• Tollcross get off the mark

Tollcross Thistle picked up all three points in the Premier Division as they edged out East Linton 2-1 at Saughton 3G.

In a tightly fought opening Tollcross eventually took the lead. Nick Coull latched on to Stefan Hay’s flick in behind the East Linton defence to send a composed finish into the bottom left corner.

Last season’s league runners-up grabbed an equaliser not long after. A direct ball from deep was flicked on to Craig Mcintosh and he slotted into the Tollcross goal, one-on-one with keeper John Nisbet.

East Linton and Tollcross had a fair share of chances each to their name before half time but the scoreline remained unchanged.

Into the second half Tollcross began to pass the ball about with confidence and dictate play, whilst the visitors, in their first league game of the campaign, were a little slow off the mark.

Eventually Tollcross’s persistence tolled and in spectacular fashion. Captain Sean Mossman ventured down the right before taking the ball on to his left foot and sending a rasping strike from 25 yards that flew into the East Linton goal.