Leith Athletic still team to beat, claims Tynecastle boss

Tynecastle coach Steven Vinter still believes this season's East of Scotland League will be a two-horse race despite edging past league champions Leith Athletic 2-1 at Saughton.
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Goals from Louis Swanson and Stewart Adams was enough to give Tynie all three points in their Qualifying League Cup Group B clash on Saturday, with Kyle Fee scoring late on for Derek Riddel’s side.

Although ecstatic to have produced a result of this magnitude so early in the season, Vinter isn’t one for putting any unnecessary pressure on his squad.

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“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I still think Leith are the team to beat and they’ll come back stronger. Lothian Thistle have had a great pre-season and started really well so they two, in my opinion, will still be the teams to beat and I expect them both to be up there come the end of the season. We just have to take each game as it comes as we’ve not set any real targets. But I definitely think Saturday’s result will give my guys some belief.

“We’ve been training really well recently and I felt there was something about the players going into the game. We’re really pleased, but it’s done now so we need to move on and focus on Saturday’s match with Stirling.

“I think six points should be enough to qualify with three teams going through. If we can beat Stirling then we’ll be a step closer to going through. I’m happy with the squad we’ve got. I’ve brought in five new players as I felt we had too many young players last season so we’ve got that bit of experience going forward now.”

Stirling University are top of Group B on the basis of a superior goal difference, but are level on three points with Leith, Heriot-Watt and Tynecastle all hot on their heels.

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In Group A, Lothian Thistle produced another assured display with a 5-0 win over Ormiston at Recreation Park to top Group A on nine points. Sean Wringe netted a double, with Raymond Carr’s side’s other goals coming from James Guy, Scott Taylor MacKenzie and an own goal.

Ormiston, meanwhile, sit bottom having lost their opening two matches.

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