East of Scotland League
Division 3
Sunday 16th March 2025
Kick Off 12.30 Actual 12.32
Linton Hotspur 2 Livingston United 0, attendance 372
4’ 1-0
49’ 2-0
@ New Moor Road
The Dean
Deanfoot Road
West Linton
EH46 7EJ
£5 Admission
£2 Programme available, but I won’t buy one on any event organised by Groundhop U.K.
Having stayed overnight to the west of Edinburgh, it was an easy 35-40 minute drive south, into the Scottish Borders, for today’s game in West Linton. This was actually the final game of this years Scottish Groundhop and the only game of the six that were scheduled that I’d be visiting. I’d already done four of the other venues anyway (I also needed West Calder United, having only been to their old ground, but as it was scheduled for the Saturday afternoon slot, it was of no interest to me, hence why I went to Kilwinning instead). Today saw the completion of this division for me and also clocked up ground number 250 visited in Scotland too.
Although Linton Hotspur were founded in the 1920’s, they disbanded in 1971, before returning in 2008, playing in the Border Amateur League, before gaining entry into the East of Scotland League in 2023. Their ‘New Moor Road’ ground (not in New Moor Road, or Moor Road for that matter) is actually in The Dean, off Deanfoot Road, on the right hand side when heading east out of the village. It’s developing into a very tidy ground. The clubhouse and changing rooms are behind the goal at the entrance end of the ground, with a small seated stand on the left hand touchline and a small area of cover opposite, although this is sandwiched between the dugouts, so the view from here is dreadful, whilst there is no access behind the far goal. The car park was already full when I arrived about 11.15, but there was ample parking along the roadside. As you’d expect, plenty of food/drink on offer, due to it being an official hop match and the club coped admirably with the large crowd.
The match was 2nd versus 4th in the league table and with only the top three going up, it was a game both teams would have wanted to win, in order to maintain their promotion push. There was little between them, but an early goal in each half was enough for Linton to take all three points. The opener came when a diagonal free kick into the box wasn’t cleared, resulting in an easy side footed finish from 10 yards, whilst the second came from a quick break down the right was finished with an angled shot that went in off the inside of the far post. The win keeps Linton in second place, eleven points adrift of league leaders Lochgelly Albert, but with two games in hand, whilst Livingston now drop to fifth.
I’d acquired two passengers for the journey home, which resulted in drop offs in Uxbridge and Redhill, but a totally trouble free drive back still saw me arrive home just before 21.40.
