Sauchie Juniors.............6
St Andrew's United........0
McBookie.com East of Scotland Premier League
 

HAT-TRICK hero Steven Higgins was delighted to be back among the goals as Sauchie dismantled St Andrews United at Beechwood Park last Saturday.

The striker netted his first treble for the club as they ran out 6-0 winners, and the former Motherwell man is glad to have ended his mini-drought which had made him the butt of some of his team-mates' jokes.

Higgins told Advertiser Sport: "The boys have been having a wee joke with me because I hadn't scored in a couple of games so it was good to put an end to that.

"It's always nice to see the ball hitting the back of the net when you've had a bit of a dry spell.

"Earlier this season I scored five in one game for Blantyre Vics so it's not my biggest goalscoring achievement of the season but it is always nice to get a hat-trick. I haven't scored too many of them yet but I'm hoping it's the first of many.

"From front to back, everyone was excellent. We had a few changes and a few players out of position but everyone did really well.

"Some of the boys who haven't played as much football as they would maybe have liked were brilliant and really laid down a marker. It's one of the best team performances since I came to the club."

The Juniors' victory cemented their position as Premier League title favourites, taking them one step closer to the Super League, where Higgins reckons the club belongs.

He said: "We want to be back in the Super League and we are sitting in a pretty comfortable position in the league.

"It would be good to go all the way in the cups, and even though I wouldn't get anything for the Scottish Cup it would be amazing just to be a part of it.

"We do have the quality in the squad to go up. Obviously we would love to go up as champions and I think we are in a good position just now to do that, but we are taking nothing for granted and will be taking things game by game.

"We think we have what it takes to win the league."

Higgins will miss Saturday's Scottish Cup quarter-final against Glenafton as he is cup-tied, but he is focused on Sauchie's next league fixture away to Kennoway Star Hearts.

He added: "Our next couple of league games will be very difficult.

"Kennoway are up challenging with us at the top of the league so we know we will have to work hard against them.

"The gaffer has told us that it's a squad effort between now and the end of the season and that it's time to push on."