On a warm day with storm clouds overhead Rovers welcomed Saltcoats to the John Cumming Stadium for the opening fixture of season 2024/2025.

Hopes were high that the hard work of management in the preseason to bring in new talent and to prepare the players for the coming challenges would bring a repeat of the result from this fixture last season.
Both teams started brightly with both defences under pressure. However it was the visitors who broke the deadlock when they managed to take advantage of some poor defending by the Carluke back line. A poor clearance was returned into the home box, where the Saltcoats number 10 was unmarked on the penalty spot and easily slotted the ball past the stranded Rovers stopper.

Carluke continued to press for an equaliser but as the half drew to a close a reckless tackle on the Rovers midfielder Callum Griffin resulted in the young player being carried off with a badly damaged left knee.

HT Rovers 0 – 1 Saltcoats

The second half followed in the same pattern as the first with most of the action around the final third of both teams. Carluke had more success in winning individual battles in the second half. However, the visitors keeper managed, in equal measures, to keep the Rovers attack at bay whilst annoying both the referee and the home bench with his time wasting tactics.

The Rovers best chance of the half came in the closing minutes when a free kick was awarded just outside the Saltcoats box. With the defensive wall set up on the six yard box Carluke’s James Miller options were limited. His shot just inside the Saltcoats left post was net bound until the keeper got a hand to it to push it away.
With over 10 minutes of time added on for time wasting, the Rovers pressed hard to find an equaliser and a much deserved point. But it was not to be and the visitors took the three points back to Saltcoats.

FT Rovers 0 – 1 Saltcoats Victoria

The Rovers don’t have long to wait to put the disappointment of the game behind them. They travel to East Kilbride on Wednesday to face Thistle who also lost their opening game of the season.

Photography by Kevin Ramage