Juniors: Rossvale hitman Alan Sime the hero as Springburn side continue winning run

Jan 30 2012 By Fraser Wilson

Sime knocks home his second of the day against Newmains

ROSSVALE manager Ian Gray paid tribute to Alan Sime after the former East Stirling striker hit a perfect hat trick to secure the league newboys' third win on the spin.

Sime hit a second half treble to KO Newmains United in the only league fixture to beat the big freeze on Saturday.

He nodded home the opener after 50 minutes and followed that up with a deft flick of his left foot to make it 2-1 on the hour mark.

Sime then netted his third with 10 minutes left at Petershill Park when he showed predatory instincts to sneak in behind the United defence and lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper with his right boot.

Beaming Rossvale boss Gray said afterwards: "It was the perfect hat trick and you don't see too many of them - never mind at junior level.

"Alan played senior a while back and was with Lesmahagow juniors before moving down south for work where he had to pack the game in.

"But he came back up here and joined us in pre-season and has done very well.

"He has played up front for us and out wide on either side and he is a good, experienced junior player.

"That's what we were missing a little bit - he and Alan Colvin and our captain Kevin Stanley - these are the kind of guys we are needing just now to bring the young guys on.

"These guys are there week in, week out and the younger ones can learn from that."

The win lifts Vale to eighth in the table and is further proof of the miraculous leap forward the side has made under ex-Glenafton star Gray since they joined the league last summer.

As the newly-formed side tried to get to grips with the harsh reality of junior football they were on the receiving end of some real batterings - losing six, seven and nine goals in three matches early in the campaign.

But Gray has worked tirelessly to form a side capable of competing in the second division and is beginning to reap some reward for his work.

He said: "That's three in a row in the league now and we have won a few friendly games aswell so it's actually five wins in a row.

"I know friendlies don't really count but compared to where we were at the start of the season when we were losing left, right and centre, that's a step forward.

"We battled hard against Newmains and, like every game in this division, there's not much between the teams especially at the bottom of the table.

"The second half could have gone either way but we defended well and the three goals we scored were well-worked. I'm very happy with the day's work."

Gray added: "The objective this season is to get the team together and be competitive and then next season add a bit more quality and try to challenge at the top."