Lowland League:

Caledonian Braves 0 Kelty Hearts 1

KELTY HEARTS maintained their perfect start to the Lowland League season after Scott Hooper grabbed the only goal at Caledonian Braves.

The defender, who joined Barry Ferguson's men ahead of the current campaign from Peterhead, netted for the first time in maroon to ensure the New Central Park outfit made it five wins from five in their title defence.

This weekend, they welcome East Kilbride, who lead the way from them by a point having played a game more, in a mouthwatering match-up that Kelty will go into having scored 10 goals without reply in their three home league games so far.

This, however, was a much closer encounter even after the visitors opened the scoring after 12 minutes when Hooper headed in Dylan Easton's corner from around six yards.

Jamie Stevenson sent a free kick over the top minutes later as Kelty sought to press home their advantage, while both Easton and Kallum Higginbotham also came close during the first half.

Easton was denied by Braves goalkeeper Alex Marshall after the break as Ferguson's side tried to find a second but one goal was enough to maintain their winning start.

East of Scotland League, Premier Division:

Crossgates Primrose 0 Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale 3

ALAN CAMPBELL is confident that Crossgates Primrose's fortunes will turn as they wait for their first victory of the season.

The Humbug Park side have picked up just two points from their opening five fixtures after they fell to a third successive defeat on Saturday, with Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale taking the spoils back to Edinburgh.

Sean Cumming's opener, after getting in behind the home defence to round goalkeeper Rhory Mooney, gave the visitors a 16th-minute lead that Sean Wringe added to from close range five minutes later.

Wringe completed the scoring with 16 minutes left but Campbell saw enough to believe his team will soon start picking up points.

"I had no complaints about the result," he reflected.

"It wasn't great conditions for a game of football but they probably dealt with them a wee bit better than us. If you look at the game, we probably had as many chances as them but we didn't take them, and they did.

"I can't fault the players' efforts or anything like that in difficult conditions but it's disappointing to lose. There was a few positives to take from it and we'll take that into this week.

"I think moving into November, on paper, we've got a better-looking month so we'll hopefully start to pick up some points."

East of Scotland League, Premier Division:

Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts 1 Tranent Juniors 5

GRANT BROUGH felt that the final scoreline was harsh on his Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts side as they remain without a Premier Division point.

Table-toppers Tranent hit five to make it six wins from six and leave their hosts smarting from a fourth defeat in as many matches but the Ballast Bank boss insists he can see progress from his players.

Kayne Paterson converted Bradley Barrett's centre to give Tranent a 20th-minute lead, which they doubled five minutes from the break through Adam Watson.

Summer signing Josh Morris, making his debut as a substitute after injury, netted in the 65th minute to halve the deficit but two wind-assisted free kick goals inside a minute – the first from Ben Miller, and the second from goalkeeper Ali Adams from inside his own half – took the game away from the Swifts.

Barrett completed the scoring for the visitors, and Brough commented: "It was disappointing to concede the two goals that we did and it just sort of killed us because, at 2-1, I felt we had them rattled.

It's hard to take but what I tried to say to the boys is that Tranent have won six out of six games and we're coming in disappointed we've lost the game.

"It was far from a 5-1 game, put it that way."

East of Scotland League, First Division, Conference A:

Tweedmouth Rangers 2 Rosyth 3

BRIAN MUIRHEAD praised his Rosyth players' battling qualities and response to disappointment after racking up their third successive win on Saturday.

Despite falling two goals behind at Tweedmouth Rangers, a stirring second-half fightback capped by Iain Griffin's winning goal ensured that they sit third in the table, just two points behind leaders Haddington Athletic.

Following a 2-1 defeat at Ormiston two weeks previously, they bounced back with a 6-1 hammering of Coldstream and then a 5-2 home win over St Andrews United last Wednesday, which came courtesy of Sean Johnstone's hat-trick, Griffin and Gregg Page.

In tough conditions across the border, including winds so strong that the referee considered calling the game off, Rosyth found themselves a goal down inside 30 seconds through Craig Bell.

He doubled his goal tally, and Rangers' lead, in 18 minutes when he was on hand to convert a long ball into the box but, after the break, it was a different story.

Ryan McDonald's back-post header early in the second half brought the visitors back into it before Mikey McMillan's fine turn and shot into the top corner levelled the scores.

With 15 minutes to go, Griffin, who returned to the club recently from Whitburn, fired home the winner.

Although Blair Clark was shown a straight red card late on for a foul, in an incident which Muirhead reckoned the felled home player had kicked himself, Rosyth picked up their fourth win from six games in the league.

Muirhead said: "As managers, we're never really overly-happy, but the way that we battled and organised ourselves when we got a guy sent off was really pleasing.

"We should be three points better off. We really let ourselves down a couple of weeks ago away to Ormiston. The guys were told that in no uncertain terms; it was not acceptable to put on a Rosyth shirt and perform like that. Since then, the response has been really good.

"They've been fantastic in their effort."

East of Scotland League, First Division, Conference B:

Eyemouth United 1 Oakley United 5

OAKLEY UNITED boss Stewart Kenny believes his high-flying team's next two matches will give an indication of their promotion credentials after they maintained their 100 per cent start on Saturday.

The Blairwood Park side are second only on goal difference to Heriot-Watt University, who have played a game more, after making it five wins from five at Eyemouth United.

Mark Mooney and Stuart Love both bagged a brace; Mooney opening the scoring with a first- half header before converting from Johnny Harrison's set-up to double Oakley's advantage.

A Love free kick made it 3-0 before the interval and, after Harrison added the fourth with a fine long-range strike, Love added a fine effort into the top corner to make it five.

Not even the concession of a consolation goal to a trialist could take the shine off another impressive victory, with Kenny commenting: "We kept the ball for long periods and we've shown that we're getting better every week. Hopefully it continues. We're gaining a lot of confidence, we're passing the ball a lot more and we're keeping the ball in the final third a lot better. From my point of view, it's pleasing.

"We've got two tough games coming up; I wouldn't say they'll define our season, but they'll certainly give us an idea of where we are. We're playing Luncarty on Saturday, who are also unbeaten, and then we've got Kinnoull, who have only been beaten once, the week after, both at home, so it'll tell us what level we're at as I'd expect both those teams to be up the top of the table.

"We've got to make sure Blairwood becomes a fortress to give us every chance we can to snatch something away from home and hopefully give us a chance come May."

Saturday's fixtures (kick-offs 2.30pm unless stated. Matches behind closed doors):– Lowland League: Kelty Hearts v East Kilbride (3pm). East of Scotland League, Premier Division: Crossgates Primrose v Dundonald Bluebell, Hill of Beath Hawthorn v Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts. First Division, Conference A: Arniston Rangers v Rosyth (2pm). Conference B: Oakley United v Luncarty (2pm).