Almost a year since having surgery on her ruptured ACL, Tuksar now has four games under her belt and is working her way back to fitness.

Having netted a hat-trick against St Pats a week earlier, she made the crucial breakthrough at Aloysius Park, converting Elisha Wild's right-wing corner.

Tuksar also went close twice in the second half as Hotspurs delivered the sort of performance coach Justin Wild had been calling for.

"It's so good to be back," Tuksar beamed. "I'm loving every minute I play.

"I'm a bit unfit at the moment but I'm getting better and every game will help.

"The kicking comes back easily, just not the running!

"A few weeks ago, my physio gave me the all-clear to play and I was really excited.

"My Dad got operated on two weeks after me, so we've been in the rehab journey together.

"It was a real eye-opening experience.

"I took playing soccer for granted but the fact I couldn't play for so long has changed that.

"The first few minutes back felt really surreal, it felt like I was in a movie, but after the first kick I was fine."

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Tuksar's dipping shot from 20 yards, in the 16^th minute, forced Melrose keeper Ashlea Thurnam to concede the corner from which the opening goal came.

The visitors almost hit back immediately, though, Maya Davis hitting the inside of the post with a low shot.

But it was Hotspurs who struck next, Wild picking out the bottom corner 11 minutes before half-time.

Thurnam pulled off a string of good saves to keep Melrose in the game after the break, although Hotspurs were never safe at 2-0 and Lily Godfrey had to be alert to keep Alex Davis' free-kick out of the top corner.

Justin Wild was shown a yellow card for questioning a couple of the referee's decisions although he was able to breathe more easily once Elisha Wild had taken her season's goal tally to 28 with a strike which proved too hot for Thurnam to handle.

"I was very happy with that," Justin Wild said.

"I haven't been too happy with the girls the last couple of weeks and we had a chat at training about it and what I wanted out of them for the rest of the year and to their credit, the girls did everything I asked.

"We're down on numbers, we had a couple of injuries and illnesses, so to come out with that result is great.

"We dominated 90 percent of the game and we created a lot of chances.

"I thought some of our combination play through the middle and out wide was fantastic."

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