St Andrews United 3-0 Lochgelly Albert: Robbie Raeside's team make it six league wins in a row

Yet, on a pitch in near perfect condition for a game of football in Scotland in February, United got off to a slow start as they hosted Albert at Recreation Park for the first time since 2008.

The home players did not perform at their best throughout the opening stages against a stubborn Lochgelly side full of youngsters who belied their lowly league position.

As such, the first half was a rather tame affair with Saints failing to find their usual fluency in the tricky wind, making goalmouth incidents few and far between.

However, the first chance of the game fell to United’s Derryn Kesson when the little midfielder fired a grounder from the edge of the box straight at the opposition keeper, before team-mate Lewis Sawers hit the side netting from a narrow angle.

The visitors eventually created their first opportunity just before the interval when Calum Brodie saved well from Lucas Reilly but 0-0 was probably a fair score at the break.

United manager Robbie Raeside therefore urged his boys to up the tempo at the start of the second half and they responded by taking the lead through Ryan Dignan in the 54th minute.

Sawers wriggled his way along the byline and his cut-back found Dignan, who flicked the ball past Albert goalkeeper Darin Kaye from close range at the near post.

That strike certainly seemed to calm the nerves amongst the home contingent and Saints quickly moved further ahead when 'man of the match' Graham Hay powered a header into the roof of the net from a Sawers corner in the 64th minute.

That goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of a Lochgelly team missing several players through injury, including former St Andrews United striker Stephen Stark, and the result was not in doubt thereafter.

Indeed, United continued to dominate proceedings as the game drew to a close and substitute Fraser Anderson made sure of the points with a well-taken free kick after Dignan had been fouled on the edge of the Lochgelly box.

Anderson cleverly whipped the ball towards the far post and it eluded various bodies prior to finding the net in the 80th minute with Kaye stranded.

Saints thus earned a hard-fought victory without finding top gear to climbing up to second place in the league table for the first time this season.

St Andrews United’s impressive tally of 46 points accumulated from their 20 league games means that only leaders Whitburn (50 points from 20 fixtures) are above them in the current standings.

In third place are crisis-hit Syngenta, but Gordon Wylde’s team didn’t fulfil their most recent second division fixture and are not expected to be able to field a team again this season.

Raeside’s players now face a league trip to ninth-placed Thornton Hibs this Saturday.

But St Andrews will likely have to be at their very best in order to keep the current unbeaten run intact.