BLANTYRE VICS served up a quite sensational performance in recording an 8-2 away trouncing of East Kilbride Thistle to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Euroscot Eng Cup.

The architect-in-chief was 23-year-old David Galt, who picked up the mantle after Vics were hit with a pre-match blow when top marksman Craig Smith pulled up with a hamstring injury.

The one-time Petershill winger tore the Jags defence apart with a truly outstanding first-half display of pace and trickery that saw him set up four of Vics' five goals before the half-time whistle.

Galt was also instrumental in the dismissal of the home defender Adam Boyle for two yellow-card offences.

Afterwards winning gaffer David Greig said: "Galty was simply unplayable tonight. On that form there are few better wingers in the Junior game.

"But this was no one-man show because each and every player did the job asked of them. I felt immensely proud to be manager of a team playing with so much style, energy and commitment.

"The guys set a cracking tempo from the first whistle but understandably found it difficult to keep things going after the break. I can forgive them for that, though, as the game was won by then."

A familiar face in the watching throng at kick-off time was former Derby County, Nottingham Forest and Motherwell manager Billy Davies.

He was casting his eye over his son, also Billy, who was playing in the Vics attack alongside Alan Christie, who had come in as a late replacement for the stricken Smith.

The old man was nodding with satisfaction less than 30 seconds into the Show Park affair as Galt set off on a searing straight from the kick-off that left three Jags defenders in his wake before his driven low cross was cleverly clipped home by the younger Davies.

Galt was proving hard for East Kilbride to pin down as he flitted from wing to wing. In seven minutes he punished them again with another right-flank run and cross that paved the way for a Christie header that came off the crossbar and led to a goalmouth scramble ended by Fraser Malcolm netting from close range.

In 26 minutes Galt popped up on the left wing, from where he rounded Boyle with ease, provoking a despairing challenge inside the box.

That saw the full-back's name going into the ref's notebook before Kyle Lochhead smashed home an unsaveable spot-kick to make it 3-0.

Blantyre's fourth goal shortly afterwards came from a howler by Jags keeper Chris Treacy. He let a long-range Maxime Neossi effort slip through his fingers to spark lavish celebrations from the Cameroonian full-back.

Galt then intervened again approaching half-time with another surging run, the ball falling nicely for Davies to net with a low shot.

Ashen-faced Thistle boss Alan Wardlaw somehow rallied his troops behind closed dressing-room doors because a fired-up Jags made a better fist of things on the restart.

They deservedly pulled a goal back through Colin Irvine and came close with another couple of near things.

Unfortunately for Thistle, Lochhead then won an aerial joust to set up Christie to rifle home a shot to make it 6-1.

The home side suffered a further hammer blow when experienced striker Craig Miles was sent packing for something said to whistler Ian McIntyre, leaving them down to nine players. Then Treacy failed to cut out a corner kick and the ball deflected off the totally unaware Terry Hewitt for goal number seven.

The battling Irvine netted again to make it 7-2 but the coup de grace was provided by Vics sub Graeme Goodall just two minutes from time.

After his team's drubbing dejected Jags boss Wardlaw admitted: "We were absolutely awful on a night when everything that could go wrong went wrong.

"We can point to refereeing decisions that went against us but he was not responsible for us losing eight goals. There are no positives to be taken from such an annihilation.

"All credit to Vics, who have come on in leaps and bounds. They looked a class apart with their passing and movement a lesson for us all."

Blantyre's reward for finishing top of Section Four is a trip to meet Arthurlie next week after Gavin Duncan's men maintained their 100 per cent record in Section Five. Richie Barr's double and a Ryan McGregor strike earned them a 3-1 victory over Neilston.