Civil Service Strollers target top-three finish in EOS

Kyle Boggie scored a hat-trick for Strollers to make it five goals from two games

Strollers are now just two points adrift of third-placed Spartans EOS but have a whopping seven games in hand over their rivals.

Leith Athletic remain overwhelming favourites to land this year’s league title with Derek Riddel’s men sitting 16 points clear of reigning champions Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale who are also playing catch up with four games in hand.

But in-form Strollers are now putting together a late charge having won their last three matches following a disappointing run of results last month.

“We are on a bit of a march up the table having taken full points from our last three matches against Ormiston, Heriot-Watt and Spartans,” Cunningham said. “This was a fantastic result for the team against a Tynecastle side that has been doing very well this season. We had some excellent performances from the players and they stepped up to the mark and executed the plan.”

The hosts had cruised into a 4-0 lead by the interval – Chris Milligan curling in a free-kick for the opener after just seven minutes against his former team-mates. Kyle Boggie, fresh from his brace against Spartans last weekend, added a second and the same player was on target to make it three from Jordan Finnie’s pass.

Boggie made it five in two matches when he completed his hat-trick in the 34th minute. The visitors’ first-half misery was compounded as Dayne Robertson was sent off for a second bookable offence seven minutes before the break.

Although Tynecastle rallied in the second half by scoring two, Finnie’s double completed the rout late on.

Elsewhere, Lothian Thistle easily saw off Spartans EOS 6-1 at Saughton Enclosure thanks to goals from Liam O’Donnell (two), Scott Gormley, Scott Taylor MacKenzie, Dean Cummings and Louis Swanson.

Heriot-Watt University succumbed to a late Kevin Masson strike as they went down 1-0 to Burntisland Shipyard at Recreation Park and Craigroyston ran riot against bottom club Eyemouth United in their 7-1 at St Mark’s Park, striker Keith Buckley scoring four with Oliver Fleming, Stewart Fisher and Zack Williams also on target.