The Rose crush Kirkcaldy in cup clash

Dec 22 2011 by Kieran Westbrook, West Lothian Courier

SUPER

LINLITHGOW Rose blasted out an ominous warning to the rest of the teams left in the Fife and Lothians Cup by inflicting a crushing defeat on visitors Kirkcaldy last Saturday.

Calum Smith helped himself to a first-half hat-trick before five other players got themselves on to the scoresheet as rampant Rose ran riot.

The hosts began the rout in the 14th minute when Tommy Coyne slipped the ball through to Smith, who calmly rounded Kirkcaldy goalkeeper Jason Curran before shooting home.

Coyne almost made it 2-0 minutes later but his well-struck effort rebounded off the frame of the goal.

Kirkcaldy struggled to contain their hosts and it was no surprise when Rose extended their lead in the 23rd minute.

Adam Nelson curled in a corner which Stuart McArthur managed to get his head to and flick beyond Curran and into the back of the net.

Six minutes later, Smith fired home his second of the match to effectively kill the tie dead before completing his hat-trick in the 33rd minute with another fine finish to allow Rose to enjoy the half-time interval courtesy of a 4-0 lead.

If Kirkcaldy thought Rose were ready to take their foot off the gas after the break, they were sadly mistaken.

After two minutes of the restart, Ruari MacLennan found the back of the net after being given too much space from 12 yards out and it already looked as if the visitors were desperate to hear the final whistle and be put out of their misery.

And things got worse for Kirkcaldy when Roddy McLennan followed his brother’s lead just a minute later by going on a jinking run through the defence and finishing in style to make it 6-0.

The Fife side’s frustrations spilled over when Chris Burt kicked McArthur as he lay on the turf, forcing the referee to show the Kirkcaldy player a red card and compound his side’s misery.

Rose turned the screw on their dejected opponents with 20 minutes left on the clock when substitute Steven Manson drove the ball beyond Curran with a fine 20-yard drive.

Fellow sub Colin Strickland (pictured left) rubbed salt into Kirkcaldy wounds four minutes later when he finished off a good passing move to end the scoring and put Rose into the hat for the third round draw.

LINLITHGOW ROSE: Allison, Benton, Nelson, McKenzie, Walker, Ruari MacLennan, McArthur (Manson 65), Shirra, Smith (Strickland 59), Coyne, Roddy MacLennan (Herd 75).

KIRKCALDY YM: Curran, Smith (Gray 55), Burt, McDonald, Ness, Carr, Smith (McNeil 59), Westwater (Smart 75), Wilson, Masson, Giove.