Aberdeen 4-0 Stranraer

Adam Rooney scored two goals in Aberdeen's hammering of Stranraer - his second coming from the penalty spot

Adam Rooney and Niall McGinn scored two goals apiece as Aberdeen eased past League One side Stranraer to reach the Scottish Cup fifth round.

Rooney opened the scoring after Jonny Hayes' header put him through on goal, with McGinn arrowing in a brilliant second before half-time.

Rooney doubled his tally from the penalty spot following a Morgyn Neill hand-ball soon after the break.

McGinn completed the rout with a neat finish from outside the box.

It was no surprise the in-form Hayes had a hand in the Dons' breakthrough goal, as the Cardiff City transfer target headed on McGinn's cross for Rooney to hook home.

That came half an hour into proceedings, the hosts finally breaking the stubborn resistance of the League One bottom club, who had defended as though their lives depended on it up until that point.

They threw their bodies in the way of wave after wave of Aberdeen attacks and when the Premiership side did threaten, goalkeeper Cameron Belford bailed them out with a series of breathtaking saves.

There was nothing he could do to prevent McGinn increasing the lead as the Northern Ireland international raced on to a Kenny McLean pass to angle a stunning finish into the far corner.

It was only ever going to be a case of how many after that, but Aberdeen were given a helping hand when Neill needlessly handled and Rooney swept home his 13th goal of the season from the resulting penalty.

Four minutes later McGinn swept in Aberdeen's fourth - and his 10th of the season - with only the brilliance of Belford preventing a real hammering.

Newly-appointed Stranraer boss Stevie Farrell - watching from the stands - replaces the dismissed Brian Reid on Monday and can be confident if his players show the same fighting spirit they did at Pittodrie they can clamber off the foot of the league table.

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes: "Their goalkeeper was excellent and maybe we should have been more clinical early on but we kept working away and it was hard for Stranraer to cope with our movement.

"It was a thoroughly professional performance today as there is always a bit of worry that you might not pick up quickly after a three-week break that we have just had.

"Now we hope to make one or two signings before the transfer window closes as we want to add some quality to help the squad as we are bit stretched for what we need."

Stranraer caretaker manager Chris Aitken: "I'm pleased with the effort my players put into the game and there are a lot of tired boys in the dressing room.

"Aberdeen were four-up after less than an hour but they stuck at it - a lot of teams could have folded in that situation.

"There is a lot from today for the new manager (Stevie Farrell) to build on to try and get us off the foot of the table."