Lowland League round-up: Preston panned by Grant

New Whitehill Welfare manager, David Bingham

East Stirlingshire 6, Preston Athletic 2

Preston Athletic had no answer to red-hot East Stirlingshire striker  David Grant, who netted four times as the Falkirk side hit the Panners for six at Ochilview. Grant started the scoring after just 30 seconds when his shot from the corner of the box deceived Preston goalkeeper Matthew Baines and he doubled his tally on 25 minutes, tapping home from close range. Preston reduced the arrears ten minutes later when Keith Murray got on the end of Neil Shave’s cross to score, but the Shire restored their two-goal lead before the interval thanks to a header from Liam Allison. The visitors pulled a goal back at the start of the second period when Matthew Graham’s deep cross was converted by Stuart Ritchie, but that was to be the end of Preston’s scoring as the hosts turned up the gas. They replied immediately as Grant completed his hat-trick with a neat goal as he evaded two defenders and slotted home before he made it 5-2, tapping home after Andy Rodgers’ cross had come back off the bar. Rodgers himself completed a miserable afternoon for the rock-bottom Panners when his header found the net via the bar.

East Stirlingshire: Barclay, A Grant, Allison, Oliver, Greene, White (Ramsay), Rodgers, Faulds, D Grant (Hogg), Sludden (McGuigan), Glasgow. Subs: Peddie, Shaw.

Preston Athletic: Baines, Cowan, Cochrane, Colquhoun, McLeod, Innes (Law), Shave (Neto), O’Rourke, Murray, Ritchie, Lawson (Graham). Subs: Henderson, Callan, Pennycuick.

Edinburgh University 1, Vale of Leithen 1

Scott McCrory-Irving earned Edinburgh University a point against Vale of Leithen at a sunny yet cold East Peffermill. The students had the first chance of the encounter early on when Jack Guthrie got on the end of a well-worked corner, but his effort was well held by Vale stopper Andy McQueen. That save was to prove vital for the visitors, who on ten minutes opened the scoring. Uni couldn’t deal with a flurry of corners and Blair Atkinson powered a header towards goal that Uni keeper Mark Tait couldn’t quite prevent from crossing the line. However, on 38 minutes the students equalised when McCrory-Irving latched on to a pass and drilled the ball high into the net. Both teams had chances in the second half, but neither could find a winner.

Edinburgh: Tait, Murray, McMillan, Smith, Verkaik, Daniels-Yoemans,  Matthew, Ritchie, Guthrie, McCrory-Irving, Hely. Subs: Irvine, Scott, Jones, Calvacho, Davison.

Vale of Leithen: McQueen, Scott-Mercer, Paterson, O’Donnell, Elliot, Manson, Stewart, Hunter, Atkinson, McLeod, McIntosh. Subs: Lynch, Motion, Boyes, Lamb.

Whitehill Welfare 4, Civil Service 0

David Bingham’s first game as manager of Whitehill Welfare was a roaring success as the Rosewell men defeated Strollers 4-0 at Ferguson Park. It took them only 14 minutes to break the deadlock. Connor McGregor won a penalty when his burrowing run into the box was halted illegally and Dale O’Hara netted his fourth penalty of the season. Michael Osborne doubled Whitehill’s advantage on 25 minutes, heading in McGregor’s cross from close range, and it was 3-0 just before half time when Scott Gormley latched on to through ball by Daryl Healy to finish past Strollers keeper Stuart Burnside. Whitehill controlled the second period, but only added one goal to the scoresheet when John Williams  nodded in a Stevie Manson cross.

Whitehill Welfare: Young, Hall, O’Hara, Williams, McGregor, Manson (Dodds 68), Healy, Osborne (Kerr 68), Swann, Denton, Gormley (Russell 65). Subs: Dodds, Martin, Chalmers, Jardine.

Civil Service Strollers: Burnside, Dingwall, Kidd, Milven, Churchill, Downie, Laird, Froude, Milligan, McLean, Ballantyne. Subs: Turnbull, Newall, Boyle, Clapperton, Campbell, Brown.