Hutchison Vale produced a fine win in the spring sunshine, seeing off Cavalry Park 4-1, to maintain the pressure at the top of League 1. Two goals in either half saw them ease clear of today’s rivals on the park and in the table, where they now sit only a point off the summit.

Vale set to their business early with efforts from various distances, the best of which came from Finlay Mackay who, upon out-muscling a centre-back, hit an angled effort that required parrying over by Ryan Kidd. Whilst the match was not exclusively one direction - a dangerous cross from Park’s James Stewart saw Vale centre-back Josh Winnik clear just past his own post - the visitors appeared more likely to strike first.

This they did, in the 10th minute. A loose ball 25 yards from their own goal left Park exposed and undermanned, and the recipient Jamie Whitehead showed great vision to clip a reverse pass to over-lapping support James Gordon ploughing in on his right. Gordon had only Kidd to beat, which he achieved with conviction by driving the ball inside the near post.

Within sixty seconds Cavalry’s Daniel Maposa had a long strike pushed wide by Finn McNichol. However that was a good as it got for the hosts in the next twelve minutes. Two sharp passes took Vale from halfway to the edge of the six yard box, but Whitehead’s turn-and-shot met a very smart save. Brodie McNab then managed to shoot over the fences when running freely on to a lay-off. But resistance finally fell, in the 22nd minute, when James Gordon won the ball 25 yards out, ran direct, and hit hard. Kidd’s parry looped nicely to Mackay, who headed in to a gaping goal from six yards.

Again Cavalry almost immediately responded as Mackenzie’s cross was headed wide by a wide open Robbie Walker. Yet that miss was timid compared to two more to see out the half. After goalscorer Mackay had punished the crossbar from the edge of the area, Whitehead sent the politely bouncing rebound into the heavens from 6 yards. Maposa then broke Vale’s defensive line but thumped his one-on-one straight at the keeper, and the rebound over.

The chances kept coming as the second half opened, as Mackay headed a presentable opportunity wide inside the first fifteen seconds. It did not take long to make amends: in the 49th minute he found himself the most advanced player, staring at the goal 30 yards out. A mighty hit with the right foot flew into the left of the goal for 3-0.

Although chances were aplenty, with Whitehead and Brodie both passing up a fourth, credit must go to Vale for some rousing defending against a break just past the hour mark. Like a scrambling rugby rearguard, players worked and closed and harried, wonderfully not only denying a shot but forcing Cavalry to eventually retreat to halfway. Dividends were reaped at the other end when Gordon fed right to Mackay, who beat his man and stabbed the ball past Kidd. The ball was off target, but left back Christian Temple arrived to tap home number four from less than a metre.  

The amalgamation of running and sunshine may explain the breakdown of structure with the game extinguished. Mackay could have had his hat-trick if, having rounded the keeper, he shot with his left instead of prodding tentatively with the outside of his right, before Gordon smacked his own one-on-one - created after a fine one-two - into the busy Kidd.

As the clock wound down there was time for Vale to have two goals ruled out, one for the ball being out and the second for offside, either side of Cavalry getting their goal when many had stopped expecting a whistle. The ball was instead played into Mackenzie, standing outrageously alone 18 yards out, who simply passed the ball into the net. It gave Cavalry Park something positive on Hutchison Vale’s day.