Thornton Hibs make it 12 straight league wins with 8-1 home hammering of Edinburgh United

The comfortable 8-1 success was Thornton’s 12th successive league triumph and moved the second-placed side onto 53 points from 21 matches and firmly on course for promotion.

Prior to kick-off, the teams observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect to a Thornton Hibs life member Jim Barlow, who recently passed away.

And surely Jim would have looked down on this game with great approval as his team mastered the very windy conditions to blow the capital side away.

With just three minutes on the clock Garry Thomson put the Hibs ahead, before Jamie McNeish doubled this advantage 20 minutes later.

Thomson netted again in the 37th minute and by now it was looking like it was only going to be a case of how many Thornton would win by.

Four minutes into the second half there were some who thought that Thomson had completed his hat-trick but just before the ball crossed the line, substitute Robbie Hall got the final touch.

In the 61st minute McNeish claimed his second and his 'reward' for this was to be replaced by Raymond Crichton before the game could restart.

And it was Crichton who was brought down in the box four minutes later that allowed Stuart Drummond to make it 6-0 from the penalty spot.

Kieran Richmond took full advantage of uncharacteristic slack defending to reduce the deficit but 'normal service' was resumed in the 75th minute when Hall netted his second.

Hall completed his hat-trick and the scoring in the 89th minute for Gilbert's men, who were due to play at Kennoway Star Hearts in the league after we went to press on Tuesday.

Another two league fixtures see Thornton at Stirling University this Friday evening (kick-off 7.45pm) and at Newburgh next Tuesday night (kick-off 6.45pm).