Haddington Athletic top table thanks to record unbeaten run

The promotion-chasing First Division Conference A side have enjoyed their best-ever start to a season, posting 10 wins and a draw in the league this campaign, and they had not lost in their opening 10 encounters last term when the season was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the record-breaking run, manager Scott Bonar stressed that no one was making space in the club’s trophy cabinet just yet.

He said: “We’ve got to be realistic – there is no talk of winning titles just now. There is a lot of football to be played and we have only won a few games of football.

“We have not achieved anything.

“I said to the captain Gabri Auriemma that the scenes at Millfield when we beat Deveronvale in the Scottish Cup will live long in the memory but it will mean a lot more, if possible, if you can have a trophy in your hand.

“That is the end goal but there is a long way to go; it might not even happen. All we can keep doing is working hard. The committee are backing everybody and their effort is phenomenal. There is a lot of camaraderie there and we have got to keep going week to week.

“We will keep working and that is as far as I am looking. If we get to five or six games to go and are still in with a chance then maybe we can achieve something.”

Hi Hi’s Jack Neilson sets up another attack. Image: Garry Menzies

Haddington put five past Tweedmouth Rangers on Saturday and moved clear of Leith Athletic at the top of the table when their rivals slipped up against Edinburgh United.

The top two teams in First Division Conference A play each other this weekend at Millfield in the Challenge Cup.

Bonar praised Leith for their lengthy unbeaten run and said there would be a little bit of extra spice on Saturday, despite three points not being up for grabs.

The manager, who took the helm after Joe Hamill moved on to Musselburgh Athletic earlier this season, was pleased with how the team had performed since the opening day on July 17.

Hat-trick hero Shaun Hill (on left) is congratulated by team captain Gabri Auriemma. Image: Garry Menzies

However, he stressed that the next few weeks would prove equally critical if they are to still be sitting top of the pile in May – when they play Leith Athletic on the final day.

He said: “When you turn up in July, you have got a new squad, everybody is happy, the sun is shining and everybody wants to be training. When it starts coming to November, you can have injuries, nine players at training and a third of a pitch at an AstroTurf.

“The next eight weeks are vital – they will determine how far we go.

“Pitches can get a bit heavy and everyone wants to play the beautiful game but sometimes you have got to grind out results.

“There will be Saturdays where you cannot pass the ball, where you have got to dig deep and show another side of your character.

“You have got to get a whole manner of victories to win the league.

“You cannot think you are going to play flowing football – we are not all Barcelona or Manchester City.

“You have got to be realistic.”