Earlston Rhymers 1

Newtown 9

Kenny Paterson at Runciman Park

NEWTOWN midfielder Neil Macvicar believes his team will need to win their final three Division B matches if they are to gain promotion this season.

Newtown secured a thumping victory over local rivals Earlston Rhymers which leaves them in fourth spot, three points behind second placed Hawick Legion.

Macvicar admitted a defeat to Earlston in the reverse fixture last month proved a major motivation for their nine-goal showing on Saturday, which he hopes could yet prove crucial.

He said: “We never turned up for the first game against Earlston, and we were much better today.

“We know a lot of the Earlston players and it is a local derby, so the defeat was definitely in our thoughts ahead of this game.

“We are up against it in terms of getting promoted but this win will have helped our goal difference. All we can do now is win our last three games and hope it is enough.”

Newtown raced into a 2-0 lead, when Andrew Crawford finished well and then Mark Edmison scored an unfortunate own goal as Lee Manderson’s save rebounded off the Rhymers’ right back’s chest and into the net.

Earlston looked to have pulled themselves back into the game when Neil Laidlaw’s superb pass was finished well by Scott Hunter.

But Matty Scott’s low shot squirmed under Manderson to make it 3-1, before Crawford made it four.

And there was another own goal right on half time, as Crawford’s shot hit the post and rebounded off Manderson into the net again.

Earlston rallied briefly at the start of the second half, as Glen Murray had to make a good save from Scott Hunter, before the Newtown keeper clawed away a Craig Lothian header.

But the game ended with Newtown in control, as Scott, Louis Blacklock and Scott Leitch’s double completed the rout.

Earlston Rhymers: L. Manderson, M. Edmison, L. Martin, D. Henry, B. Hunter, N. Laidlaw, S. Kinghorn, C. Lothian, S. Hunter, G. Lothian, J. Thomson. Subs: Cammy Bell, Craig Bell, D. Kerr, D. Shewan, J. Ainslie.

Newtown: G. Murray, S. Deacon, D. Richardson, J. Little, S. Tuddenham, M. Scott, A. Crawford, N. Macvicar, L. Blacklock, S. Leitch, R. Hunter. Subs: C. Paterson, S. Rice, A. Smith, G. Halfpenny, C. Cargill.