Gala Fairydean Rovers striker Zander Murray available for East Stirlingshire trip after having red card downgraded

Zander Murray celebrating after scoring for Gala Fairydean Rovers against Rangers B in September (Photo: Bill McBurnie)

Gala Fairydean Rovers striker Zander Murray has had the red card he was show during last weekend’s Scottish Cup tie against St Cuthbert’s Wanderers downgraded to a yellow on appeal.

Murray’s sending-off on 53 minutes for a tackle deemed to be dangerous left the Galashiels side outnumbered for over a third of that second-round tie last Saturday in Kirkcudbright but his team-mates still went on to win 3-1, booking a third-round home tie against another Dumfries and Galloway team, League Two’s Annan Athletic, on Saturday, November 27.

Rovers manager Neil Hastings was unhappy with the 24-year-old’s red-carding, describing it as harsh after the game, and a Scottish Football Association disciplinary panel has now concurred after studying video footage of the incident.

A fast-track appeal hearing was held this week and it was agreed to downgrade Murray’s red card to a yellow and rescind his automatic suspension.

Gala Fairydean Rovers centre-forward Zander Murray being sent off against St Cuthbert Wanderers (Photo: Thomas Brown)

That means he will now be available for Gala’s Scottish Lowland Football League game against East Stirlingshire at the Falkirk Stadium tomorrow, October 30, with kick-off at 3pm.

Murray was one of three scorers for the Borderers last Saturday, putting away a penalty just before half-time, with Marc Berry and Daryl Healy also netting, on 35 minutes and 72 respectively.