Beezer has last laugh but Buddies progress in Scottish Cup

Posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2016

Spartans Scottish Cup hopes were put to bed in Paisley as a rejuvenated St Mirren booked a 5th Round tie at Dundee with a 5-1 victory at the 2021 Stadium.

The Championship outfit put their domestic results to one side in what was a tough old night at the office for the Lowland League side who can hold their heads up high against far loftier opposition.

St Mirren set the agenda from the off and were the most dangerous in the early exchanges and it took just 15 minutes for the hosts to break the deadlock.

Magennis picked out Shankland who beat Carswell with an elegant curled shot that nestled in the top corner of the net.  Four minutes the Saints doubled their lead when McAllister sent Naismith free on the wing, his cutback found Mallan who ran onto the ball from 25-yards out to whizz a fair whack past the Spartans goalie.

McAllister was becoming a nuisance for the visitors and his mazy run, jinking in and out of white stripped Spartans men akin to a skier through gates on the slopes of Courcheval, saw him score a potential for goal of the round.

HT: St Mirren 3-0 Spartans

Scott Maxwell replaced Andrew Mair at the interval as Spartans looked to get on the scoresheet and make a fist of it in the second half.

Whilst Spartans enjoyed more possession than they’d had before the break, it was almost a fourth for the Paisley side when Sutton was put into the box, but Carswell got down well to save.

The merry band of Spartan Army faithful were inches away from having something to cheer about ten minutes into the second half when Paul Thomson’s ‘Garry Owen’ saw goalkeeper Gallagher guddle under pressure from Jack Hay, but Alan Brown’s follow up was agonisingly cleared off the line.

Carswell was in action once again, this time to deny Mallan on the hour mark but he was left stranded shortly after when Sutton knocked home a rebound from close range.

Shankland got his second and Saints final goal of the night when his deft flick over the diving Carswell sailed into the empty net.

The Spartans faithful were rewarded for their Tuesday night travels when Jamie Dishington’s shot was only parried by Gallagher and Jack Beesley was on hand to thump home the rebound.

FT: St Mirren 5-1 Spartans

Malt and Hops Man of the Match: Jamie Dishington