Scottish Cup: Clyde and Raith Rovers ease through to fourth round

  • Published
Raith Rovers' Sam Stanton celebrates his goalImage source, SNS
Image caption,

Sam Stanton has scored three goals against Dunfermline this season

Clyde and Raith Rovers became the first sides to progress from the Scottish Cup third round after victories over Jeanfield Swifts and Dunfermline Athletic respectively.

Rovers eased aside their Championship rivals 3-0 in their Fife derby at East End Park.

Meanwhile, two second-half goals against their East of Scotland League visitors were enough to give Clyde, sitting bottom of League 2, their first win since Ian McCall was appointed manager.

Rovers had already beaten Dunfermline 1-0 home and away in the second tier since the Pars took the bonus point after a 1-1 League Cup group-stage draw in Kirkcaldy.

Another tight game was expected, but Rovers ran away with it after playmaker Dylan Easton jinked into the Pars penalty box and laid it on plate for striker Jack Hamilton to prod in from close range after 15 minutes.

Rovers deservedly led at the break and, although the hosts improved in the second half, Josh Mullen had already struck woodwork before Sam Stanton, the midfielder who scored Rovers' previous two derby winners, fired them into a two-goal lead.

Lewis Vaughan's only senior hat-trick had come against Dunfermline and the striker completed the scoring this time when his free-kick from an acute angle left goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet bemused and embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Clyde fans will have viewed Swifts' visit with some trepidation considering their 4-0 thumping at home by East Fife in McCall's first game in charge combined with the sixth-tier side's 6-0 hammering of League 2 rivals Elgin City in the previous round.

The Bully Wee had themselves needed extra time to beat another East of Scotland side, Musselburgh Athletic, in the second round and Swifts threatened to go one better as they had a goal disallowed in the first half.

However, having been denied by the woodwork before the break, Scullion headed Clyde ahead after 68 minutes and, although Euan Cameron was shown a straight red card 10 minutes later, centre-back Logan Dunachie nodded the winner with six minutes remaining.

There are 18 more ties to be played on Saturday, with the fourth-round draw, when Premiership sides enter the competition, taking place on Sunday's edition of Sportscene at 19:15 GMT on the BBC Scotland TV channel.