Buckie Thistle were beaten 4-0 by Dundee B in the first round of the SPFL Trust Trophy at Forfar’s Station Park.
The difference between the full-time side and the Breedon Highland League club wasn’t as wide as the scoreline suggest.
But lax defending and a lack of ruthlessness in the final third hampered the Jags’ hopes of reaching the second round with Rayan Mohammed, Jack Wilkie, Euan Mutale and Max Anderson on target for Dee.
Buckie made four changes to the team which defeated Clachnacuddin on Saturday.
Joe McCabe, Ryan Fyffe, Cohen Ramsay and Scott Adams dropped out with Sam Morrison, Jack Murray, Marcus Goodall and Kyle MacLeod coming in to start.
Early opener
But it was Dundee who made the dream start by taking the lead after 35 seconds. Mutale slipped Mohammed into space and he skipped beyond Darryl McHardy and lashed a finish beyond goalkeeper Stuart Knight.
The visitors responded well with McHardy flashing a dangerous ball across the face of goal which evaded everyone.
Just shy of the quarter hour mark McHardy was in the action again as he connected with Wood’s cross from the right, but Dee goalkeeper Harry Sharp made a good save to parry the header to safety.
However, Dundee doubled their lead on 17 minutes with a switch of play releasing former Peterhead loanee Wilkie down the left flank and he coolly finished low past Knight.
In an effort to respond Thistle captain Sam Pugh headed over at the front post from MacIver’s corner.
But Dundee still carried a threat and Lewis Lorimer exchanged passes with Mutale on the right before firing narrowly wide from 10 yards.
It wasn’t long though – the 23rd minute – before the full-time side notched their third.
A long punt forward from goalkeeper Sharp was missed by the Buckie defence and Mutale scampered in behind and finished with aplomb.
Despite having a mountain to climb the Jags didn’t give up and almost pulled a goal back. MacIver’s corner was headed back across goal by McHardy for Murray who nodded against the crossbar.
The rebound dropped for MacLeod, but his shot was scrambled off the line.
As half-time approached MacLeod had an even better chance. Andrew MacAskill was the creator on the right flank and his low ball across should have been finished, but MacLeod side-footed wide from six yards.
Dee add further to score
The first decent chance of the second period was also for Buckie. Max Barry jinked in from the left and shot low against the left post from close range with Sam Pugh’s drive on the rebound blocked.
But just after the hour Dundee made it 4-0 and it was symptomatic of how the Jags’ night had gone.
Having conceded a free-kick 20 yards out Anderson’s strike deflected off the wall and wrong-footed Knight as it trundled into the bottom right corner.
Although the tie was now gone Buckie were still creating with Wood heading narrowly wide from sub Ramsay’s left-wing cross.
