Rangers suffer their first defeat of the new season

Berwick Rangers suffered their first league defeat of the season when they went down 2-1 away to Gala Fairydean on Saturday.
Action from the Gala v Berwick Rangers game on Saturday.Action from the Gala v Berwick Rangers game on Saturday.
Action from the Gala v Berwick Rangers game on Saturday.

The Rangers were unbeaten in their opening three Lowland League fixtures, but a goal from Scott Taylor MacKenzie was not enough to save them at Netherdale.

MacKenzie netted from a well struck free kick midway through the second half, equalising a Gala headed goal from Aitchison late in the first. But just a minute later Rovers retook the lead and held on for the victory.

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On Wednesday Berwick we’re due to face Celtic B away in a rearranged fixture and on Saturday they are home to Dalbeattie Star.

*Spittal Rovers have decided on a change of direction for the 2021-22 season.

After five years playing in the Northern Alliance League,the Berwick side have opted to switch to the Border Amateur League.

They will now join fellow Berwick clubs, Berwick Rangers (Lowland League), Tweedmouth Rangers (East of Scotland), Tweedmouth Amateurs, Berwick Colts and Highfields United (Border Amateur) who all play on the Scottish side of the border.

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A statement from the club this week said the decision had been ‘far from easy,’ but they said it was ‘one which was necessary for the club to continue.’

They said: “We would like to thank the Northern Alliance for five wonderful years, but it can be unforgiving at times and despite us having a good, reliable core of players, we decided that it was not enough for that level of football to be sustainable.

“A successful application to the Border Amateur League will now allow us to press the reset button and get our players enjoying the game again. The switch also gives us the opportunity to integrate Stephen Lennon's U15s into the senior squad as they are able to play on the Scottish side a year earlier than in England.

“We are really excited about our new project and looking forward to getting back onto the pitch, with our Border Amateur C Division campaign scheduled to kick off on Saturday, August 14.”

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In the East of Scotland League, Tweedmouth Rangers played their third game of the season away to Anniston Rangers where they went down to a third straight defeat, losing 3-1. Their only goal was scored by Craig Bell just two minutes after Anniston had taken a 12th minute lead.