Saturday saw Vale produce their best performance of the season so far with an emphatic victory over title hopefuls Keith killing off the visitors with three quick goals during a nine-minute spell, early in the second half.
Sponsor's 'man of the match' Darren McAllister got his name on the score sheet for the second week running with the all-important opener, which was followed by a super header from Ian Murray and an own goal by the unfortunate Derek Nicol who had earlier levelled McAllister's strike at the other end.
Gregg Carrol was forced into changing his line-up following last Saturday's victory over Buckie Thistle. With Robbie Brown starting a three-match suspension Carrol gave long-serving Nigel Montgomery the nod to play alongside Levi Stephen in Vale's engine room. The Vale boss was also missing flu victim Mark Chisholm and the injured Ryan Pressley for the billed 'match of the day'.

The visitors kicked off without their usual defensive partnership of Kenny McKenzie and Kerr Gibson but had the aptly experienced duo of Bruce Morrison and Steve King taking their place at the heart of the Keith defence.
Nicol forced an early corner for the visitors but Matty Kinghorn was on hand to head clear following Still's flag kick.
Dlugonski had Vale's first real strike at goal but his long-ranger was straight down the throat of Shearer, in the Keith goal. Urquhart seemed to be obstructed as he moved past Brown and into the box but referee Cheyne saw nothing untoward and play continued. On the home side's first corner of the match Urquhart had a close range strike cleared off the line when Shearer failed to get any distance on his attempted punch clear. Stephen then fired well wide before McKenzie's drive was deflected on route for another fruitless Vale corner. A neat move involving Montgomery and McKenzie ended with Murray heading weakly at Shearer when well placed. A mistake by Morrison at the back allowed McKenzie an opportunity inside the penalty area but Shearer denied the Vale striker and saved his team-mate's blushes in the process. The game was on a knife-edge with neither side having the upper hand and with defences mainly on top.
Still's long-range effort had Thompson scrambling to his right but the ball fizzed past the upright and at the other end McKenzie's powerful strike also flew the wrong side of the post as the teams went in all square at the break.

The home side came out 'all guns blazing' in the second period and forced a couple of early corner kicks but the visitors defence stood firm. Kinghorn then saw his well-hit drive expertly saved by Shearer as Vale turned up the heat on their opponents. Vale's perseverance eventually paid off when they took a deserved lead. Levi Stephen chased a loose ball to the bye-line before sending a deep cross to the back post where Darren McALLISTER was lurking and the Vale number seven made no mistake as he lashed the ball home from close range.
The home side's lead only lasted three minutes when Derek Nicol eluded his marker to head home following a Reid corner kick.
The Banffers were not to be denied however and showed real character to get their noses back in front with a well-worked goal.
McKenzie fed McAllister down the right channel and his pinpoint cross was expertly headed past Shearer by top-scorer Ian MURRAY from 12 yards out, to send the large crowd inside Princess Royal Park into ecstasy.
Minutes later Vale went further ahead with a bizarre own goal by Derek Nicol. The midfielder on attempting to clear a McAllister corner kick headed backwards past a stunned Shearer and Keith defence inside the six-yard box with no Vale player in the vicinity.
This third goal took the wind out of the Keith sails and Vale started to carve out chance after chance without really killing off their opponents. McKenzie and Murray both had chances to put the result out of reach but couldn't find a way past Shearer. The Keith number one then tipped over an Urquhart header after some excellent build up play by McKenzie who was tormenting the Keith rearguard 'something rotten'.
Dolan went on a mazy run into the Keith box but his final shot hit the side netting before Shearer saved again from McKenzie. Keith made a couple of changes to their personnel and this seemed to steady the ship a little but it was still the homesters who looked the more likely of the two sides to score as McKenzie and co toyed with the visitor's rear guard up until the final whistle.

Vale: Thompson, Dolan, Kinghorn, Urquhart, Dlugonski, Anderson, McAllister, L. Stephen, McKenzie, Murray, Montgomery
Subs not used: B. Stephen, Taylor, Rae, Allan, Speirs
Keith:
Shearer, Low, Brown, Robertson, Morrison , King, Still, Smith, Cadger, Nicol, Reid Subs: Donaldson, Calder, Morrison, Park, Pirie
Referee: G. Cheyne

A delighted Vale boss Gregg Carrol said after seeing his side maintain their ten-point advantage at the top of the table "This is the best we have played all season. All credit must go to the lads for replying right away after Keith equalised, but the visitors were unlucky to score an own goal".