Malin helps pip Lothian

Lothian Thistle HV 3Spartans 4Gavin MALIN completed his hat-trick five minutes from time to help Spartans finally see off the challenge of ten-man Lothian in the South Challenge Cup.

Malin gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot in the 25th minute. A Kader strike was then parried by Swain and Wilkes, throwing himself to the deck to block the follow up, picked up a harsh red card for handball. But the home side struck back in the 33rd minute when Omar Ali’s well weighted cross from the left was headed in by Jamie Hawkins. Ali then gave Lothian the lead five minutes before the break after squeezing through two Spartans defenders and placing the ball past Flockhart. Spartans equalised in the 59th minute with Robbie Manson heading in a Hoskins cross, and took the lead in the 76th minute with a textbook free kick from Malin.

Lothian levelled four minutes later through Craig Stewart but Spartans settled the tie when Malin struck again in the 84th minute.

Lothian Thistle HV: Swain, Wallace, Stevenson, McDiarmid, Wilkes, Stewart, Fisher, Hawkins, Murray, Lynes, Ali. Subs: Crawford, Fell, Dignan.

Spartans: Flockhart, O’Donnell, Hoskins, Sivewright, Seeley, Malin, Kader, Dodds, Anderson, McLeod, Henretty. Subs: Manson, McTurk, Finnie, Smith.