16/03/2018  |  League

Spartans   5  v  0  Cumbernauld Colts

COLTS were caught cold in the capital on Friday night by an impressive Spartans side at a freezing Ainslie Park.

Title hopefuls Spartans moved to within six points of Lowland League leaders East Kilbride after hitting Colts for five on a difficult night for the Cumbernauld men.

Spartans now have three games in hand over title rivals East Kilbride and judging on this performance the men from Edinburgh won�t be far away when the silverware is handed out at the end of the season.

The young Colts team started the game well containing their hosts who had the share of possession, but the Cumbernauld men showed their own threat on occasion on the counter attack.

Spartans went ahead in 25 minutes when Alan Brown and Jamie Dishington linked up on the edge of the Colts box before Brown�s powerful shot deflected off the unfortunate Scott Ferguson and ball sailed over Ronan Fallens into the net.

Colts began to come back into the game and went close in 34 minutes when Craig Murray broke down the right and fired the ball into the front post for Sean Brown, but a timely headed intervention by Adam Corbett prevented an almost certain equaliser.

Dishington then went very close to doubling the Spartans lead at the other end when he got onto the end of a cross from the right but Dishington headed wide from close range with goal at his mercy.

Colts started the second half brightly looking to get back into the game, but they were hit with a sucker punch in 50 minutes when a sweeping Spartans move resulted in Blair Atkinson receiving the ball just inside the left side of the box and the young striker angled a neat finish past Fallens.

And Spartans all but secured the victory in 58 minutes when a tremendous free kick from Craig Stevenson crashed back off the cross bar, and Dishington was sharpest in the box following up to head the ball into an empty net with Fallens stranded.

Colts should have grabbed a consolation goal in 75 minutes when Steven Kerr was found inside the six yard box unmarked, but the defender blasted over when it was easier to find the net.

Then a minute later it went from bad to worse for Colts when Atkinson grabbed his second of the night when he got onto the end of another sweeping Spartans move before confidently sliding the ball under Fallens from close range.

Colts misery was compounded further with only two minutes left on the clock when Spartans Spanish striker Guillermo Lamarca capitalised on a poor defensive clearance before drilling the ball low under the diving Fallens.

The Cumbernauld men will now look to get back to winning ways next week when they travel to Selkirk.