Gala Fairydean Rovers 3

Hawick Royal Albert 0

Liam Marshall

at Netherdale

GALA Fairydean Rovers sailed into the quarter-finals of the Lowland League Cup with a routine victory against a dejected Hawick side at Netherdale.

And they prolong the tenure of departing manager Steven Noble for at least one more week.

Noble, who is stepping down at the end of this season, had his son Mackenzie as mascot in what could be his last home game in charge.

Goals from Liam Chambers, David Brown and Craig Heugh made sure Noble and his team will travel this week to Broadwood to face Cumbernauld Colts in the second round.

And if they do win on Friday evening, Gala will have a home semi-final to look forward to.

Saturday's first chance arrived after 14 minute, with Grant Rose finding space on the edge of the box, but his effort was straight at Hawick keeper Craig Saunders.

The home side had the ball in the net as Scott Main bundled home from a corner with 22 minutes gone, but the assistant raised his flag, much to the disgust of the home support.

Recent signing Chambers scored his first in a Gala shirt on 43 minutes.

He took the ball well on the edge of the box and placed a shot beyond Saunders.

Gala continued to be on top in the second half.

And they created a fantastic chance six minutes after the break, with Chambers once again heavily involved.

Heugh took the ball well and found the onrushing Rhys Craigie, who drove at the Hawick defence before releasing Chambers one-on-one with Saunders.

The keeper rushed out well, but Chambers showed an excellent turn of pace to round the keeper, but his fierce shot was cleared on the line by Shaun Spence.

David Brown replaced Chambers just before the hour mark, and the teenager had a huge impact.

Rose split the Hawick defence with a perfect through ball for Brown to run onto, and he clinically placed his shot beyond the keeper to all-but-secure Gala’s place in the quarter-finals with 20 minutes remaining.

Nobles’s men further increased their lead eight minutes later through Heugh, who was in the right place at the right time to grab his first goal of the season.

Brown drove into the box well before standing the ball up to the back post, right to the feet of Heugh, who had made a trademark lung-busting run to grab the goal.

The final chance of the game came in the 87th minute, again thanks partly to the highly-impressive Brown, who has recently re-joined the club after leaving in November.

In an almost identical move to Heugh’s goal, Brown found Fraser Neave at the back post, but the midfielder’s arrowed drive swirled inches over the bar.

Gala Fairydean Rovers: Martin, Stephen (Guiney 78), Main, Smith, Miller, Chambers (D Brown 56), Rendle (G Brown 78), Heugh, Rose, Craigie & Neave.