Bryan Dingwall (51)
Davie Turnbull (62)

Ryan McGregor (18)

Pollok battled back to the summit of the Stagecoach Super Premier League with a gutsy 2-1 victory against Vale of Clyde at Newlandsfield Park.

With manager Jim Sinnet in Blackpool, assistant manager Harry Erwin took charge of team matters, naming an unchanged team from the win against Bellshill. His side opened brightly, with Andy McClay sending an effort wide and Davie Turnbull having a shot blocked, but it was the visitors who took the lead in the ninth minute. Steven Kerr’s free-kick from halfway was met by the head of RYAN McGREGOR, who powered the ball into the corner of the net. Matters got worse for Pollok after 22 minutes when they were reduced to ten men. Shaun Dillon lunged into a rash challenge on Paul Thomson and was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Clancy.

Vale pressed forward with their numerical advantage, and Stevie Miller had to be alert to turn away a dangerous cross by Lee Morrison. Kris Robertson stopped a weak low shot by George McNamee, then held another Morrison cross under the crossbar. Pollok’s chances were limited, with a Miller mishit that trundled wide from 30 yards out proving to be the closest they came to a first half equaliser. The visitors lost the influence of Marc Gannon in defence shortly before the break, with Jamie Wilson his replacement.

Vale almost extended their lead within a minute of the restart when Thomson headed narrowly wide from a McNamee cross. Paul McLaughlin then tested Robertson with a powerful free-kick, but the ‘keeper clutched the ball to his chest at the second attempt. His side pulled level in the 51st minute when Miller flighted over a corner onto the head of Chris Cruickshank. Derek Wingate failed to connect properly with the knock down, but BRYAN DINGWALL was perfectly positioned to fire home from close range. Two minutes later the Pollok defence were cut open again when Thomson played in Brian Johnston, only for Robertson to deny him with his legs. The ball eventually broke back to Thomson who had a shot at goal that McLaughlin redirected inches wide. Turnbull sent a dipping volley just over before McClay made a fabulous block to prevent a certain goal from Morrison after a Vale counter-attack.

Wilson pierced the hosts back line in the 62nd minute with a superb pass to McLaughlin, who cut back to McGregor, but the striker could only rattle the crossbar with Robertson beaten. Sixty seconds later Pollok took the lead with an action replay of Vale’s goal. McClay’s perfectly weighted free-kick was bulleted home at the back post by the head of DAVIE TURNBULL for his fifth goal in four games. Pollok lost Cruickshank to a knee injury after a collision with Stevie Johnston, and nearly lost a second goal with fourteen minutes left to play. McLaughlin’s low corner found Bryan Morrison at the edge of the area, and his shot was creeping inside the post until it was cleared off the line by McClay. Turnbull then headed a Wingate free-kick into the path of Dingwall, but his strike flew wide of the post. Vale could have drawn level in the final minute of play when McLaughlin found space behind the home defence, but Joe Carruth made a terrific saving tackle to preserve all three points for the South Side outfit.

Kirkintilloch Rob Roy’s win against Petershill means that Pollok now top the standings, but the league race will be put on hold next week as they now face a trip to Ayrshire to take on big-spending Irvine Meadow XI in the quarter-finals of the Citylink Scottish Cup.