After earning their first points of the season during their trip to Campbeltown, the Rovers entered this home fixture hopeful of building on that momentum.

Newmains United, coming off a solid start to the season with two wins from their opening four matches, arrived brimming with confidence.

However, it was Carluke who struck first, capitalising on a penalty after a Newmains handball in the box. James Miller calmly converted from the spot to give the Rovers an early lead.

Just before halftime, Newmains responded as Robbie Mclay netted from a corner, bringing the teams level. The score remained 1-1 at the break.

Both sides created numerous chances in the second half, and Carluke gained a potential advantage when Newmains’ Mark Cuthbertson was shown a second yellow card, reducing the visitors to ten men.

Unfortunately for the Rovers, just four minutes later, defender Ross Girdwood was penalised for a foul in the box, handing Newmains a penalty. Their striker made no mistake, firing an unstoppable shot past Josh McIntyre in the Carluke goal.

Despite having a numerical edge, Carluke struggled to make it count, and Newmains held firm to secure a 2-1 victory.

It was a disappointing result for the Rovers, who now face the challenge of bouncing back quickly as Giffnock visits the John Cumming Stadium this Saturday.