IN the closing stages of Peebles Rovers’ last game against Lothian Thistle at Whitestone, a curious scene unfolded, writes Neil Hobson.

At 5-2 down with only a handful of minutes left on the stopwatch, it would be easy to assume that the towel had been thrown in long ago.

But, wherever Lothian went in those closing stages, The Rovers were as well.

There was a perplexing intensity around Ger Rossi’s side; a never-say-die attitude that acted as a strangely effective metaphor for the ethos of this team as a whole.

The scoreline wasn’t pretty, neither is the fact that the Whitestone club currently find themselves 8th in the league table with just nine goals to their name.

But, there was something undoubtedly eye-catching about Rossi’s Rovers against Lothian, a Rovers team that was entirely gutted over the summer, with just two players retained from the side left by John O’Hara

Rossi found himself with a considerable task on his hands, with a new philosophy at the club centred on the recruitment of local lads to the team, and the general shift of recruitment and training back from Edinburgh to Peeblesshire.

It was, and still is, a project with potential and pitfalls in equal measure. Blooding in new players to East of Scotland football at a young age heralds hardship for any club, be you reigning champions or wooden spoon contenders.

The signing of local players was supplemented with hand-picked and experienced imports from Innerleithen, Stow and Penicuik, however, and the performances from the new Rovers team so far this season indicates that the young guns are slowly but surely getting a feel for a new level of football.

Considering that most of the Rovers’ new players were recruited from amateur sides such as Tweeddale Rovers, Peebles Ams and Stow AFC, the sheer competiveness of the players when they rub shoulders with the big boys indicates that confidence is sky-high down Whitestone way.

And why wouldn’t they?

The performance against Lothian, especially in the first-half, gave off the air of a side that weren’t afraid to have a go. There was a wonderfully eclectic mix of personalities on the park; the quiet effectiveness of James Runciman at right-back, the marauding figures of Saul Schulz-Keith and Scott Inglis in attack, alongside the maverick genius of David Lindsay and Ger Rossi in the middle of the park.

With a list of free-weekends on the calendar, their next game isn’t until December 10; this is a chance for the Rovers to nail down the root of their inconsistency in the league; goals, or, more specifically, the lack thereof

The EOS is a mad, unpredictable league where the football is fast and aggressive; a league perfectly suited for the snarling Rovers attack. But, for all their bark, there’s very little bite in their end product.

There are some great forwards at the club, but the mystifying drought in front of goal must be ended, more so considering Peebles next game is away to champions Leith, who score goals with apocalyptic zest.

Above all, Ger Rossi has a strong starting 11, and for all the heartbreak there was a lot to take away following the Lothian game.

The coming weeks will be fascinating to see, and with arguably the toughest test of the year coming up, this could potentially be a season-defining match.