Seventh heaven for Linlithgow Rose against bottom club Vale of Leithen

That 7-0 win at Victoria Park sees the Gallant sit on 60 points from just 24 league outings, well ahead of second-placed Sauchie Juniors, as they close on the top tier title – and a shot at promotion to the Scottish Lowland Football League via the divisional play-offs.

On the night, Rose had seven different scorers with Dale Baxter, Jack Ogilvie, Connor McMullan, Sean Heaver, Paul Gillespie, Alan Sneddon and Mark Stowe all netting in tough conditions.

Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel post-match, assistant manager John Millar said of the result: “It was very convincing win on a very challenging surface. It was borderline playable in all honesty and parts of the park were probably unsafe.

"I think we moved the ball well and we created so many chances – my one bugbear is probably that we didn’t go on and score into double figures. But I have to be happy enough with that.

"There were some good individual performances, I thought Dale Baxter was very good for us again and he is on a great run of form, plus the likes of (Alan) Sneddon held the ball up for us well like he always does. Sean Heaver was dangerous off the right-side and in general from full-back areas we were dangerous too.

"Having Gary Thom back was brilliant and he is of course our club captain. He needs an operation to tidy up his meniscus but he is in a position where he can play through the pain barrier, tonight was an opportunity to give him some minutes to see how his body held up. He is a real leader for us.

"Ben Davidson got a slight knock on his ankle. Cammy Thomson isn’t good news and it is looking like he has a fractured petalla (kneecap) and he will be out for six to eight weeks.”

Linlithgow Rose face Blackburn United this Saturday at the MV Commercial Prestonfield Stadium on league duty, a week on from defeating the West Lothian club 1-0 in the League Cup second round, thanks to a goal from Conor McKenzie.

Millar said ahead of that match: “It will be tough. Every match at that stage of the season tends to be that way and when you play teams nearer the bottom you know that every point is a prisoner for them. They are in a survival fight and like last weekend, they will be dogged and they will try to deny us space.

“We need to be sharp and move the ball quickly and if we do that we should create enough opportunities.”

Meanwhile, the club also announced the signing of young defender Jacob Shyngle from Whitehill Welfare on the transfer deadline day for the East of Scotland league system.

The 18-year-old prospect has been loaned back to the Rosewell outfit for the remainder of the campaign and he will join up with the Rose for pre-season training.