Togetherness key for Newtongrange Star boss Chris King as they go second in the East of Scotland First Division table

The First Division clash at Pennypit Park was just one of four matches across the East of Scotland setup to survive the cold snap, and King was particularly pleased the match got the go-ahead as it allowed his side to bounce back immediately from last weekend's 3-1 loss to home to league leaders Dunbar United.

"The boys showed a great attitude from start to finish, they were absolutely phenomenal,” said King. “It's probably the best I have seen us this season, they just seemed to do everything properly and what we had asked. Robbo [Chris Robertson, striker] was back to putting the ball in the net and big Ally [Elliot] "was his usual, being an absolute nightmare to play against; I was delighted for him to get a goal because he is probably one out the group that does everything 100 per-cent every session. He doesn't score as many as others but wow, he creates so much, he's an absolute nuisance for teams to play against and he allows the other boys to do what they are good at.

"It was important we got a reaction in terms of the result, but we wanted pretty much the same performance. We changed the team, we took Adam Nelson and Dean Ballantyne out and went with a more aggressive and probably quicker middle three who were just non stop. Adam came on just to settle everything down and do what he's good at and done year after year, he went on and got his goal.

"I saw a great togetherness with the whole squad after Adam's goal, it's brilliant to watch and it's great to see things coming together. I have said to the boys that if we are in the top three come the end of February that we are in with a shout, and that's what we are aiming for.”

Star jumped up to second in the table as a result, with Dunbar remaining four points clear at the summit after their 4-1 win at home to Leith Athletic.