Tynecastle won't give up on East of Scotland title chase

TYnecastle boss Stevie Vinter insists his players won't give up their dream of being crowned East of Scotland League champions for the first time.

Stevie Vinter

Back-to-back defeats by title rivals Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale and Leith Athletic earlier this month appeared to have dashed their hopes. However, they returned to winning ways at Saughton Enclosure on Saturday with a comprehensive 5-1 defeat of Capital rivals Heriot-Watt University. Their win was made all the more sweeter upon learning Lothian had been held to a 3-3 stalemate at Stirling University. However, Tynie still remain five points adrift of leaders Leith having played a game more.

“We’ve had a bit of a sticky period so we’ve not really got going the way we would have liked to have started the new year,” Vinter said. “But we were tremendous against a very good Heriot-Watt team, who will take points off other sides in the division, so it was nice to get back to winning ways. It was a really difficult surface but our application was excellent.

“All we can do between now and May is look after ourselves and just tick off games as we go along. We’re obviously relying on some help along the way but we won’t give up that’s for sure.

“We need to keep winning, but at the end of the day if it isn’t enough and we don’t win the league because of these two defeats then fair enough we’ll shake the winners’ hands. But hopefully both of these teams can drop some points over the next few weeks and we can make up that ground that we’ve lost on them.”

Elsewhere, Leith completed their League Cup Qualifying Group B fixtures in style courtesy of a 9-1 victory at Tweedmouth Rovers to finish top of the group.

Captain Neil Lowson and John Fergsuon both scored a brace with Daniel McKinlay, Lewis Tracey, Sean Melvin, Scott Wilson and Gavin Kneeshaw completing the rout for Derek Riddel’s men.

Ormiston’s clash at home to Peebles Rovers was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.