RHU Amateurs were made to pay for a lack of match sharpness on Saturday as an impressive Dunblane SC team eased to a 7-2 win at Ardenconnel Park.
Due to call offs Rhu, who hadn’t played since the end of January due to two successive weather-related postponements, started with a reshuffled line-up and a 4-3-3 formation, and immediately took the game to their opponents on a very heavy pitch.
And after a bright start the hosts took the lead when a cut back from Ali Maule fell to Adam Sharkey, and despite the keeper pulling off a good save, James Burns was there to force the rebound into the net.
But Dunblane soon came into the game, and the visitors pulled level when a cross from the left was headed wide by the unmarked number 10.
Rhu huffed and puffed and created half chances, with Gary Stillwell twice shooting wide, but Dunblane took the lead on the half hour mark when their centre-forward sprung the offside trap and rounded keeper William Brown before slotting into the empty net.
Rhu started the second half well, but were hit by a hammer blow when a deflected shot beat Brown from 18 yards out.
And though the hosts pulled one back on the hour after a good run and finish by Adam Sharkey, Dunblane were looking the stronger side, and the visitors made it 4-2 from the penalty spot.
That fourth goal knocked the stuffing out of the home side, and Dunblane stretched away in the closing stages – adding a fifth with a fine 25-yard free kick, and a sixth courtesy of a fine solo run past four defenders, before rounding off the scoring from long range late on.
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