HADDINGTON Athletic welcomed Tranent Juniors to Millfield on Saturday for their 198th derby meeting, keen to collect their first South Division points since their defeat of Dundonald Bluebell at the same venue a month earlier.

Subsequent defeats at Edinburgh United and at Crossgates Primrose look likely to scupper the Hi Hi's promotion hopes but, as long as it’s still mathematically possible to join the former in the Premier League next season, manager Stevie McLeish and his players will keep plugging away.

McLeish made three changes to the XI who had started the previous week’s Fife & Lothians Cup thrashing of Dundonald, with recalls for Kevin Carter, Andrew Sinclair and Blair McEwan.

There was little momentum to the Hi Hi’s game early on and their visitors would be the happier of the teams after the opening 20 minutes, having come close to opening the scoring on several occasions.

Haddington seemed a little sluggish but they went ahead midway through the first half when high-scoring right-back Matty Lynch found the net with a trademark free-kick, expertly dispatched beyond Tranent keeper Beveridge from 22 yards after Jack Wilson was fouled by Berry.

Tranent ought to have equalised through Stoev minutes later but he somehow missed his opportunity, and a Jack Wilson goal on 31 minutes doubled the home lead, after a simple back-to-front move.

Uncertain goalkeeping then aided the Hi Hi’s cause and, when Michael Noble’s cross glanced off Steven MacDonald’s crown on 33 minutes, it found its way into the net after Beveridge misjudged the situation.

Noble was also the provider of the ball into the box which saw Wilson claim the second, and a prolific few minutes for the left-back continued barely a minute after MacDonald’s goal – another ball into the box landed in front of Tranent left-back Ross, facing his own goal, and Lynch at his heels forced his unfortunate opponent to turn the ball into his own net.

MacDonald might have made it five on 38 minutes but Beveridge was quickly off his line to save, and five minutes before the break Berry pulled a goal back for the visitors with a good finish.

The Hi Hi couldn’t be too unhappy with a 4-1 interval lead when they hadn’t really performed especially well.

They came close to adding to their score on a couple of occasions early in the second half, but were fortunate not to concede again when Wojtowycz’s header beat Andy McQueen, only to come off the underside of the bar and into the keeper’s grasp.

Substitutes Sean Conaghan and Arran Ponton entered the fray as the hour mark approached, and Graham Gallagher joined them shortly afterwards when the injured Carter had to withdraw.

With 18 minutes left, Conaghan made it 5-1 after Beveridge’s weak kick landed at his feet and, with the keeper stranded, he lobbed the ball into the net from about 30 yards.

Six minutes later, Wilson claimed his second and Haddington’s sixth with a shot from the edge of the box.

They had one or two opportunities to extend their lead in the later stages, with Daryl Waugh coming close to emulating Conaghan as the final whistle neared, but the beleaguered Beveridge was spared further misery when he managed the save.

While happy with the three points from what in the end was a comfortable win, manager McLeish recognised his team can perform to a higher standard.

They’ll have to do so on Saturday when their visitors are Kelty Hearts, who enjoy Superleague status.

The Fifers have a 100 per cent record from four previous meetings with the Hi Hi, the last of them a 3-1 Millfield win back in October 1999, but McLeish is quietly confident his team can perhaps cause an upset to reach the last four of the Fife & Lothians Cup.