Eighth win in a row keeps Rossvale on title track

Gordon Moffat’s side hit four without reply to seal an eighth successive league victory and maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table..

As early as the first minute Vale should have been one up when Liam McGonigle put a half-volley on the turn over the bar from six yards.

But the game was marred in the fifth minute when Thistle’s David McKean slid in for a tackle and broke his kneecap in a 50-50 challenge. This resulted with the game being held up for 30 minutes whilst an ambulance was called and him being taken to the hospital for an emergency operation.

When the game finally resumed Jamie Hunter headed over an empty net from eight yards.

A minute later Greg Fernie hit the back of the net from close in after a good piece of football from the Vale but his celebrations were cut short when referee adjudged he was offside.

Rossvale were moving the ball about well and got their reward in the 27th minute when Anton McDowell collected the ball yards out and chipped East Kilbride keeper Allan Creer.

East Kilbride tried to hit back and two minutes later Scott Hadden curled a free-kick just past.

Just before half-time Gary Giffin nearly put Rossvale further ahead when he cut in from the left and could only watch as his curling shot from 20 yards go went wide.

Rossvale hit the ground running in the second half. With their first attack when they won a free-kick 25 yards out which Kirk Forbes chipped over the wall for Liam Crichton to bury a half-volley.

It only took another two minutes for Rossvale to go further ahead when keeper Jamie Donnelly played a ball out to Giffin midway inside the Vale half and he ran the full length of the park and along the byline before his cutback found Crichton again who stuck the ball past the diving Creer.

The next attack found McGonigle matching Giffin’s run but, with Giffin unmarked in the middle, he elected to try and sneak it past Creer’s near post, but the big keeper stopped it with his knees.

East Kilbride was left feeling hard done by when a Chris Faulds header hit the upright and, as he followed up the rebound, he went down under Donnelly’s tackle. It looked a penalty but the referee waved play on.

Fernie was unlucky with his shot after another great run down wing and cross from Giffin; but within a minute he put the Vale four up, again from a fine piece of play from Giffin.

This time he found Fernie unmarked in the middle of the box and he didn’t make a mistake this time as he buried the ball into the back of Thistle net.

Rossvale were now in complete charge and after Thistle’s when Joe McIntosh was sent off in the 75th minute they just mounted attack after attack.

Their fine build-ups should have produced more goals but they had done enough to add another three points to their total.