McBookie Championship

WHITLETTS VICTORIA 0

CUMBERNAULD UNITED 3

CLINICAL Cumbernauld underlined why they are one of the favourites to win promotion to the Premiership with an impressive second half display at Dam Park as they showed Vics exactly the level that they need to compete at in the Championship.

United were first to threaten and in three minutes, a deflected shot from Scott McManus landed on top of the crossbar. But there was no sign of what to come early on as Vics more than held their own and created a number of chances across the face of the goal which went abegging. Donovan failed to connect with a Blair Anderson cross in front of goal and then Donovan turned provider but this time it was Adam Forsyth who couldn’t quite get the connection.

A Martin Shiels shot was blocked by Paul Millar but most of the action was at the other end and Forsyth almost opened the scoring but failed to connect properly with his volley which slipped wide across the face of the goal.

And how Vics were made to rue those missed opportunities as just before the interval Cumbernauld started to pose a threat themselves and David Reid should have done better when presented with a free header inside the box.

In 40 minutes, the visitors made the breakthrough. Isaac Kerr allowed a ball to run past him and when Cumbernauld won back possession, a neat passing move set up Stefan Law in the clear to roll the ball past the advancing Martin Fraser.

Three minutes later it was 2-0. A huge looping cross from the left evaded Fraser and Anderson was beaten to the ball on the line by Reid who made up for his earlier miss.

Two-nil down at half-time was harsh on Vics but in the second half it was United who dominated.

Shiels produced a fine save from Fraser but in 57 minutes, he was to be beaten for a third time with a goal that the Vics defence will want to forget. The ball pinged across the face of the goal inside the six-yard box not once, twice, three or four but FIVE times before Paul Callander prodded the ball home from only a couple of yards.

Vics had no response and playing so many games in a short space of time without any time for training was clearly taking its toll as United went in search of more goals. Callander saw his angled shot slip agonisingly wide while twice Paddy McCabe was through on goal only to be denied on both occasions by Fraser.

McManus almost made it four when he somehow got past Millar right on the byeline but his drive across goal for the far post went wide.

A tough lesson for Vics who will now know what they will need to do to compete in the Championship this season. And it must to be a lesson they learn quickly with the visit of promotion favourites Rutherglen Glencairn to Dam Park tomorrow (Wednesday).

WHITLETTS VICTORIA: Fraser; Anderson (Buchanan 79) Ewart, Mullen, I Kerr, Millar, Boyd, Ogston, Forsyth, L Kerr (Milligan 86) Donovan. Subs (not used): Dempser, McIntyre.