East Kilbride moved three points clear of Rangers B at the top of the Lowland League after a hard-fought derby win over Cumbernauld Colts.
In a tight contest at K-Park, skipper Gary Miller delivered the victory for EK with a 64th minute header after Neil McLaughlin had seen his penalty superbly saved by Colts keeper Ryan Adamson just moments earlier.
Former East Kilbride defender and coach David Proctor brought his Colts side to his hometown for the first time since he took the reins at Broadwood, but he was unable to mastermind an upset on his return.
It means Colts stay in 11th place in the table while EK are now three clear of Gers, who were sidelined this weekend due to international call-ups and have played two games fewer. Kevin Rutkiewicz's men are also five points clear of third-place Civil Service Strollers having played a game more.
Kilby went into the clash on a run of two home league games without a win, following a defeat to Edinburgh University on their last outing and a draw with East Stirlingshire, while both sides had varying fortunes in last week's Scottish Cup first round. EK defeated Deveronvale 4-2, but Colts lost 1-0 to Lowland rivals Dalbeattie.
With that, both sides had a point to prove but before kick-off the club's came together to pay their respects to former Kilby youth coach and ex-EK Thistle manager Alan Paterson, with a minute's applause observed to remember the 44-year-old who passed away on Tuesday.
The hosts had an early scare in the fourth minute when Stephen O'Neill whipped in a terrific free-kick towards the back post. All it needed was the faintest of touches, but nobody in a red jersey was able to turn the ball home for Colts.
Ten minutes in, Kilby's first real sight at goal arrived when Reece McGuire outmuscled his marker on the edge of the box and could only drag a weak effort wide of the Ryan Adamson's right-hand post.
Adamson was forced into a good stop in 21 minutes when a long diagonal from BJ Coll found Cami Elliott. The striker got a head on it to loop the ball across goal for McGuire whose header was plucked out of the air by Adamson as he dove across to his left.
Former Hamilton Accies striker Kyle Munro then saw a curling effort land on the roof of the net as Rutkiewicz's side began to look more threatening.
Ronan Hughes fired a thumping strike towards goal seven minutes later and Colts had the woodwork to thank for keeping the scores level, with his effort cannoning back into the danger area where McGuire could only head the rebound wide.
EK kept knocking at the door and 10 minutes before half-time Neil McLaughlin drilled a low strike inches wide of the post from 20-yards.
Kilby boss Rutkiewicz may have been on the touchline but he got a touch of the ball in the 37th minute - and almost sent Colts' Reg McLaren into next week. In his haste to try and get a new ball on the pitch as one flew out of bounds, Rutkiewicz punted a new ball onto the pitch and inadvertantly cracked the Colts players' head, knocking him to the ground.
The officials had a quiet word but accepted it was purely accidental.
McLaren may have a few complaints, though, as two minutes later he glanced a header past the post from inside the six-yard box when he really should have opened the scoring for the visitors, and half-time arrived goal-less.
EK spurned a huge chance to take the lead from the penalty spot in 53 minutes after an action-packed 60 seconds.
First Colts keeper produced an outstanding stop to deny Hughes with a strong hand one-on-one. The ball rebounded to Cami Elliot and he went down under a mis-timed challenge by Craig Holmes. Holmes looked to have undone all of Adamson's hard work but the Colts keeper produced the goods to get down low to Neil McLaughlin's penalty and keep the score at 0-0.
Up the other end Kilby keeper Curtis Lyle produced some heroics of his own five minutes later when he is acrobatic fingertip save turned McLaren's looping header over the bar.
There was another escape for EK in 61 minutes when the ball broke to O'Neill in the box and he blazed over the bar from all of 10 yards.
Moments later Elliott raced into the box and looked to have laid it on a plate for Hughes to slot the ball home inside the box, but the ex-Hamilton Accies man took a poor first touch and saw a deflected effort find the side netting.
From the resulting corner, however, Kilby took the lead. McLaughlin's corner from the right was met by the head of Miller and he powered home a header to finally break Colts' resolve.
In the 70th minute Kilby were screaming for a penalty when Dylan MacDonald looked to have been brought down just inside the box, but the referee deemed Callum Home's foul to be just outside and McLaughlin's free-kick attempt was comfortably saved.
In stoppage time Miller was a hero down the other end when he headed Holmes' goal-bound strike away for a corner to prevent a certain equaliser.
That was enough to see EK over the line and pick up their eighth win in 11 league games this term under Rutkiewicz.
EK now travel to Dalbeattie Star on Wednesday night, while Colts are away to Broomhill on Tuesday evening.
EAST KILBRIDE: Lyle, MacDonald, Coll, Mortimer (Page 60), Dunachie, Miller, R Hughes (B Hughes 90), McLaughlin (Foley 90), Elliott, McGuire (Victoria 60), Munro (Black 60).
Scorers: Miller 64
Bookings: McLaughlin
Subs not used: McLean, McCluckie.
CUMBERNAULD COLTS: Adamson, McIntyre, Dickson, Home, G Holmes, O'Neil, C Holmes, Michael McFarlane (Matthew McFarlane 81), Tennent (McGiff 65) Trialist, McLaren (MacPherson 81).
Scorers:
Bookings: Matthew McFarlane
Subs not used: Johnston, McLellan, Tade, Ramsay.
HT: 0-0
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
