East of Scotland League: How ruthless Linlithgow Rose made it 15 wins in a row; 'It is a big statement', says boss Gordon Herd

The Linlithgow Rose winning train keeps on rolling as they steamrolled Musselburgh Athletic 6-0 to make it 15 victories in a row and jumped up to second in the East of Scotland Premier table in the process.

Alan Sneddon, left, scored a hat-trick for Linlithgow against Musselburgh

Rose were unstoppable against a home side who were on a ten-match unbeaten run of their own. Burgh were expected to put up more of a fight, but they couldn’t cope with a clinical Rose side who netted three goals either side of the interval for their first league win at Olivebank in almost seven years.

“Musselburgh are a good side and we were a wee bit weary coming here, we don’t have a good record here,” said boss Gordon Herd.

“After the first 20 minutes we dominated them, we were clinical in the first half, and then in the second half we just put in a workmanlike performance and came away with a tremendous result.

“We said to the guys before the game ‘Go on and make a statement today, if you can come here and get a result, it’s a statement.”

“I think the manner of the performance and the goals that we scored, it is a big statement, so I’m really pleased.

“I’m a big admirer of how Musselburgh play, they have some right good players and we felt that if we could nullify those players in the right areas, then we would have a chance. The players carried out their instructions to a man really, really well.

“We can only give the players instructions, it’s them that goes onto the pitch and carry them out; credit goes to the players. They’ve been brilliant since we came in, they have really put a shift in.”

Striker Alan Docherty struck a double for the visitors inside the opening 30 minutes, before Alan Sneddon got his first of the afternoon before the break. Sneddon got a second from close range early in the second half when he flicked on Gary Thom’s header from a corner.

Team-mate Mark Stowe, a half-time substitute got in on the act, before Stowe unselfishly squared to Sneddon to complete his hat-trick just minutes from the end.

It’s that sense of camaraderie that has got Rose eyeing up leaders Penicuik, according to boss Herd, who added: “They were probably a bit short of confidence when we came in, so we’ve got them together as a group, they are a band of brothers.

“There is no bad eggs in the team, it’s a group of boys who love spending time together.”

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