HADDINGTON Athletic reverted to South Division duty on Saturday after their first round exit in the East of Scotland Cup, having given a reasonable account of themselves against Superleague opponents Armadale before suffering their first loss under Johnny Harvey’s management.

Opponents Pumpherston were back in the bottom tier after one extremely difficult Premier League campaign, and results hadn’t improved much despite demotion – they’d endured a 12-0 annihilation at Newtongrange, albeit on cup duty against top tier opponents.

Harvey’s Haddington selection options were limited, with injury and holidays accounting for the absence of half a dozen players, and the manager brought in Derek Slight and Michael Noble for their first starts of the season, with trialist Jerry Draper named as a substitute.

On a rather bumpy Recreation Park pitch, Haddington were on top early on and were unlucky not to take a fifth-minute lead when Bob Berry cut in from the right and sent a shot sailing narrowly over the bar. Ninety seconds later Berry claimed the opener when he headed home from a Michael Fairnie free-kick, and after surviving a scare at the other end the Hi Hi extended their lead in the 14th minute. Berry was again at the heart of things, teeing up Noble, who drilled home his first goal in almost two years.

It wasn’t one-way traffic by any means, and Derek Polowyj’s goal somehow survived a real scare on 19 minutes when Chris Hunter hit a shot wide when it seemed easier to score. The same player, however, did find the net 12 minutes later with an exquisitely taken goal, chipping the ball high over the keeper from 18 yards. Haddington had chances for more goals but overall their first-half showing wasn’t overly impressive – Andrew Sinclair had the ball in the net shortly before the break but the referee ruled him offside.

The visitors came out for the start of the second half with renewed vigour and had already threatened the home goal several times before Sinclair made it 3-1 with a header from point-blank range. Three minutes later Noble set up Sinclair for his second, smashed home first time from 15 yards, and the Hi Hi made it three goals inside 10 minutes on the hour when Berry laid the ball off for Scott Wright, who found the bottom corner.

A lapse at the back allowed Downie to grab another Pumpherston goal with 20 minutes left, but it was all Haddington thereafter and they could have been further ahead before they found their sixth goal, almost half an hour on from their fifth. Berry once more was the provider with a fantastic cross from the right which landed right in front of substitute Draper, who finished in some style from inside the box. Sinclair still had time to complete his first Haddington hat-trick with a simple finish near the end.

While not dissatisfied by his team’s showing by any means, Millfield boss Harvey won’t get carried away with last week’s result, recognising Pumpherston as weak opposition.

Attention now turns to Saturday’s derby visit from Dunbar United, and it’s hoped he’ll have a bigger squad to choose from this week, with Craig Wojtowycz, Joe Murray and John Ferguson likely to return, while Chris Gray and Arran Ponton may be fit to feature.

The Seasiders completed a rare league double over the Hi Hi last season and haven’t won three derbies in a row since the 1990s – there’s much at stake and a good contest may be witnessed, though such affairs can sometimes fail to live up to their billing.