Lanark go 7-up to climb their way to third place
Lanark United were big winners at the weekend, as their 7-0 win at Kello Rovers launched them up three places to third in the West League 1 table.
Bellshill Athletic were also big climbers, going from fourth to second with a 2-0 win at Wishaw.
That leaves both of them on 12 points, one behind leaders Greenock, as are Carluke, who tumbled from top to fourth with a 5-2 defeat at Ardrossan Winton Rovers.
Lanark attacked from the start and took the lead when Josh Gracie and Declan Lafferty worked the ball well down the right, before the latter cut inside and smashed a shot in via a post.
Sixty seconds later James Martin made good progress and swung in a cross which Hugh Kerr headed in for 2-0.
United went 3-0 ahead in 12 minutes when Cammy Lawson picked Sean Lindsay out with a free kick and he controlled it before finishing well.
Five minutes later Lanark took a 4-0 lead when Kerr cut in from the left and saw a shot saved, Jordan Conlon’s effort was cleared off the line, but it rebounded back to Kerr, who stabbed it home.
With the points already in the bag, Lanark would be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas, but added a fifth on the hour-mark when Martin cut the ball back for PJ O’donnell to ram into the net.
O’donnell and Kerr hit the bar in quick succession as Lanark looked to increase their tally.
But Martin sent the ball into Kerr’s path and he rounded the keeper before slotting in the sixth and completed his hat-trick in 69 minutes.
Martin had been involved in nearly everything Lanark had created and deservedly got on the score-sheet in 71 minutes when he went on a run and fired a shot across the keeper for a 7-0 win.
Vinnie Mcguire got Bellshill off the mark against his old side, with Jonnie Cookman adding a second. Wishaw dropped down a place to 14th. Ardrossan were 4-0 up through a Jamie Dickson double, and goals from Kyle Lochhead and Ryan Mackie, before Jamie Dickson and Ross Mcneil pulled goals back for Rovers, but Lochhead scored a fifth in 67 minutes.
Larkhall Thistle fell from third to seventh in the table after their 5-1 defeat at home to Greenock, who shot back to the top of the pile.
Graham Gracie pulled a goal back from the spot at 3-1 after Jack Currie was fouled in the box.
Lesmahagow also took a dip, from fifth to ninth, as they lost 3-1 at Glasgow Perthshire.
Royal Albert remain rooted to the foot of the table after a sixth straight defeat, but there was more than a hint of bad fortune as they lost 5-4 at home to Girvan.
Girvan took a 2-0 lead, the second through a contentious penalty, but Albert were given a spot-kick of their own in 40 minutes, with Allan Campbell netting to pull them back into the game at 2-1.
Albert drew level 10 minutes into the second half when Michael Neil was set up by Declan Sloan and his shot landed in the net via a post.
The hosts kept pressing and took the lead five minutes later when Campbell latched onto a long ball and fired past the advancing keeper.
Albert then went further ahead when Keiran Fleming was sent through and rounded the keeper the empty net.
Girvan were then given a second penalty, which they put past the post, but pulled a goal back and levelled from a third penalty, before grabbing a late winner. before firing into