Selkirk 6
Vale of Leithen 0

Callum Hodgson
at Yarrow Park

SELKIRK ended 2016 in style by dishing out a 6-0 hiding to Vale of Leithen in the first Hogmanay Borders derby of the day.

A hat-trick by Kerr Scott, a goal each courtesy of Gary Nicholson and Phil Addison and an own goal by Craig McBride ensured Ian Fergus secured his first win as boss in emphatic fashion.

And after dishing out the drubbmming, the delighted gaffer said he has been “really fortunate” to get such a good reaction from his youthful side.

He told us: “It was a really good performance, they listened to all the information I gave them at the start.

“It’s a transitional period for them, because I am new and there’s a lot of pressure on them being at the bottom of the league.

“But I have been really fortunate. They have bought into me right away in training. We had four training sessions before this game and they have been magnificent. They have worked really hard and have been so positive.

“We’ve got to remember the ages of these boys. We’ve got 17, 18 and 19 year-olds on the park. It’s a really young team. But they played with freedom today and we got the goals we deserved.

“It all bodes well for the future, but it’s early days. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve still got a battle ahead of us. But we showed today what we can do in the right environment and I’ve got to create that right environment,” he added.

This was the Souters’ first win since October which was against BSC Glasgow. But this was a completely different side to the one that lost 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Victoria Park in the same month.

A perfect defensive performance and clinical finishing ensured they leapfrogged Preston Athletic, but only on goal difference.

It took just five minutes for Scott to pounce. A tidy pass from Andrew Fleming on the right hand side found the forward who converted with aplomb.

And after dominating the play they found themselves 2-0 up on 39 minutes. Skipper Ricky Millar knocked a free-kick into the box from the halfway line and there was Nicholson to double their advantage.

And just minutes later it could have been three, with an identical ball in, but Scott forced Jamie Shiel into making a top save.

For the first 10 minutes of the second half Selkirk seemed to sit back slightly and allowed Keith McCleod to get a clear header from a Sean Stewart cross.

But that was soon cut out by boss Fergus on the touchline who willed his team on allafternoon.

Then on 71 minutes, Addison struck a ball into the penalty area from the right and Scott tapped home for an easy second.

And just a minute later he became a hat-trick hero, when he picked up the ball in the Vale half and drove forward past Steven Lynch before burying his shot.

Just six minutes later it was five. A fantastic one-two between Dale Baxter and Unpha Koroma opened up the Innerleithen side’s defence once more. The cross came in and there was Addison to knock in at the far post.

Selkirk just didn’t stop. Millar stood strong at the back, while Koroma, Addison and Baxter, in particular, battled in midfield, despite the windy conditions.

And four minutes before the end, the strong wind played a major role in the final goal.

Vale defender McBride tried to play a 25-yard ball back to his keeper, only to see it cruelly curl into the net to round off an awful afternoon for Vale and make it a super six for the Souters.

Selkirk: G Amos, M Christie, J Harley, A Fleming, R Millar, R King, G Nicholson (M Donoghue 74), K Scott, U Koroma, D Baxter, P Addison (M Collins 80) Not used: P Beagley

Vale of Leithen: J Shiel, J Scott-Mercer (R Lamb 59), R Brady, C McBride, S Lynch, B Raiker (T Paterson 54), S Stewart, K Motion, A Martin, K McLeod, L McIntosh