The first ten minutes were fairly even, but the visitors soon showed that they were the more determined side, winning most of the 50/50 tackles; and it was not long before they opened the scoring. Poor defending allowed the Rattrays striker an easy c
hance from six yards, and he made no mistake.
Worse was to follow in the space of the next fifteen minutes, when Rattrays rattled in three more goals without reply.
Athletic pulled one back when Stewart netted after beating two defenders, but Rattrays restored their four-goal advantage almost immediately, when Athletic's lack of pace at the back was exposed again, allowing the visiting striker to run through and score.
Half-Time: 1 – 5
Athletic hoped an early goal might get them back in the game, but just as poor defending had caused problems in the first half, shocking misses by Ross, Reid and Horner meant that any hope of recovery was gone.
Final Score: 1 – 5
Athletic take on Dyce on Saturday, and management will demand a much improved performance, particularly from experienced players, to get them back on track.
Team: Anderson, Bowron, MacLeod, Campbell, Wright, Jolly, Stewart, MacLean, Horner, Smith, Cohen.
Subs: Stephen, Ross, Reid, Toner and Henderson.
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