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AN impressive, thoroughly professional, performance was enough to see off a stuffy Clyde side and ensure we ended the afternoon level on points with Queen’s Park, who play tomorrow, at the top of cinch League One.

Connor Scully’s last league goal for the club came against Clyde, back in April, so it was fitting that he netted again to ensure we were ahead at the end of a pretty evenly contested first half.

We took control after that and sealed the win thanks to Jamie Masson’s first league goal since getting injured at Ibrox last season and a late strike from substitute Robbie Leitch.

The strong wind swirling around Balmoral Stadium made it difficult for both sets of players to pass the ball as well as they would have liked in the first period.

It was Clyde who went closest to scoring in the first part of the half, when David Goodwillie left our crossbar shaking after lashing in a cracker of a shot, from 25 yards, in the 17th minute.

Scott Rumsby was booked for a foul on Masson in the 26th minute.

The midfielder recovered to take the free-kick, but his effort from close to 30-yards went wide of Clyde keeper Neil Parry’s left post.

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The Bully Wee threatened again on the half hour, although Stuart McKenzie had little problem gathering Ross Cunningham’s low shot from the edge of the area.

We stepped things up after that and went close to scoring twice before eventually taking the lead, in the last minute of the half.

Masson played a swift one-two with Fin Robertson then lashed in a powerful shot that was beaten away by Parry.

Masson then set up Fraser Fyvie for a 16-yard shot, from a tight angle on the right, that Parry pushed wide of the post for a corner.

Ian Vigurs took that kick and when the ball eventually broke back to him, almost on the byline on the right, he cut it back perfectly for SCULLY do drill home from 10 yards.

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Our second goal, in the 50th minute, was an absolute cracker.

Fyvie’s cross from the right was cleverly dummied by Rory McAllister so that the ball could get to Mitch Megginson.

The skipper then slipped it back into the path of MASSON and his curling shot, from just inside the area, gave Parry no chance.

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We remained in total command from that point, with Shay Logan, who was named man-of-the-match by sponsors Henderson & Dick, earning a loud ovation for an impressive run forward, past three opponents, before sending in a cross that just evaded McAllister, inside the six-yard box.

McAllister then crossed from the right to Megginson and his cheeky flick, from 14-yards, went wide of the target.

McAllister and Megginson combined again, in the 76th minute, and Rumsby did well to block the latter’s net-bound shot from 16-yards.

It was Megginson’s turn to be the provider when he picked out Leitch, who had come on for the tiring Masson, and Parry made an excellent save from the midfielder’s powerful 12-yard shot.

LEITCH kept at it though and was rewarded for his persistence when made it 3-0 in the final minute.

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Parry did well to stop the midfielder’s first shot, from 16-yards, but Leitch followed up to nod the rebound over the keeper into the net – to set things up perfectly for next week’s top-of-the-table home clash with The Spiders.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie Neill, Scully, Strachan, Megginson, Masson (Leitch 73), McAllister, Vigurs, Robertson (Yule 77), Fyvie, Logan.

Subs: Milne, Anderson, Adeyemo, Gourlay.

CLYDE: Parry, Rumsby, Elsdon, Munro, Nicol (Jones 65), Gomis, Love (Kennedy 46), Livingstone, Splaine (Deveny 65), Cunningham, Goodwillie.

Subs: Hurst, Balatoni, Docherty, Page.

Referee: Barry Cook.

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