The Spartans secured their biggest win since joining the SPFL with a 0-6 win on the road against East Kilbride in this rescheduled League 2 clash at K-Park.
Ethan Drysdale and Jamie Dishington returned to the starting line-up shuffling personnel from the side that narrowly lost to Clyde in the first of three matches on the road in just seven days for Douglas Samuel’s men.
A fresh evening in South Lanarkshire met the teams as they walked out the tunnel for this fourth meeting between the top two in the table, with Spartans leading the head-to-head courtesy of three victories across League and Scottish Cup.
Having experienced defeat on their travels at the weekend, both gaffers would have been keen to get back to winning ways at the first time of asking in front of a decent crowd inside K-Park.
The hosts looked to set out their stall from the off and made some pressing advances, only to be kept at bay by the Spartans back division.
That resilience paid off when, at the other end of the field, a Bradley Whyte effort from the edge of the box was spilled by Craig Hepburn, with Jamie Dishington swooping on the scraps to collect and send the ball into the empty net.
Spartans extended their lead just after the half hour mark when a misplaced nod back to the home keeper was intercepted by Mark Stowe. His first attempt was blocked by Hepburn however the striker wasn’t to be denied at the second attempt as he drilled home the rebound.
Things almost boiled over following a reckless challenge on Sean Welsh by Lewis Spence in front of the technical areas that so both sets of players and benches become exercises before Referee Lewis Hogarth restored order to proceedings and offered the home player a yellow card for his troubles.
With the half time team-talks shaping up for the respective gaffers to deliver in the sheds, Mark McNulty’s managed to carve out a neat low cross was sent net-ward by Mark Stowe with a cheeky backheel from close range to score his 18th competitive goal of the season so far.
HT: East Kilbride 0-3 The Spartans
Spartans started the second half as they finished the first with pressing play that saw Jamie Dishington enter the box but the challenge that saw him hit the astro was deemed ok.
Then, in the 64th minute, Spartans put further light between the sides. This time it was Mark Stowe who was the architect, picking up a James Craigen pass before notching up an assist with selfless play as he threaded the ball into the path of Marc McNulty who didn’t need a written invitation before slamming into the onion bag.
Douglas Samuel made a couple of swaps with a quarter of an hour to go, with Cammy Russell and Kevin Waugh replacing the industrious Tapping and McNulty.
It didn’t take long before Russell made an impact on the game – and what an impact it was too.
Collecting the ball on the edge of the box, the midfield maestro turned his marker one way, then another before unleashing an unstoppable effort that offered Hepburn no chance.
The visiting bench was emptied with ten to play with Mackie Scott, Kenzi Nair and Murray Aiken entering the fray, replacing Welsh, Craigen and Tapping.
Then, in the closing moments, Cammy Russell was upended inside the box offering the man in the middle perhaps his easiest decision of the night as he pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Jamie – ah, sorry, Cammy Russell who lifted the ball beyond the despairing dive of the Kilby keeper to round off what was Spartans largest competitive away victory since they defeated Selkirk by the same scoreline in December 2016.
HT: East Kilbride 0-6 The Spartans
Malt and Hops Man of the Match: Mark Stowe
