Mcmanus and new boy Mullin hit the target as County cruise home
ROSS CO 2 ELGIN 0
County completely controlled the flow early on, building patiently, but couldn’t crack City defences.
But the last season’s relegated Premiership side really should have been ahead five minutes before the break as League 2 Elgin’s luck held.
Michael Gardyne’s cross from the left was met by a Declan Mcmanus header, but parried on the line by City keeper Kyle Gourlay.
Jamie Lindsay raced on to the rebound, but cracked the inside of the left-hand post with a fierce low strike.
Elgin continued to frustrate the Staggies until the hour mark. A patient passing move ended with a slipped pass from Marcus Fraser finding Mcmanus, who finished neatly from inside the six-yard box.
With seven minutes left, substitute Mullin, a summer capture from Livingston, struck from 18 yards for 2-0.
AYR UTD 3 MORTON 1
Ayr’s Lawrence Shankland was in the mood right from the off and his curling free-kick from 20 yards after nine minutes was destined for the bottom corner before the keeper Ryan Scully dived to his left to save. Morton punished Ayr by taking the lead after 14 minutes. Michael Tidser lined up a freekick 25 yards out and his low shot skidded past on-loan Celtic youth keeper Ross Doohan and in off the post.
Five minutes into the second half, Daniel Harvie flighted over a cross from the left and Shankland rose at the back post to head the equaliser.
In 73 minutes, Shankland gave Ayr the lead when he beat Scully with a cross-cum-shot from the left as the inrushing Craig Mcguffie raced in.
Shankland completed his hattrick three minutes later when he raced on to a long ball to lob over Scully.
FALKIRK 0 MONTROSE 1
The Angus feelgood factor is still in full flow as newly-promoted Montrose outplayed Championship Falkirk.
Paul Hartley’s men are in desperate need of some transformative magic or else it will be a long, hard slog for the Grangemouth side this season.
It started well enough for the Bairns ands new signing Dylan Macklin was keen to impress after making the switch from rivals Livingston, stinging the hands of Allan Fleming with a well-struck effort from just outside the box after 15 minutes.
The visitors took a shock lead three minutes later, however, as Terry Masson split the home fence, allowing Martin Rennie a clear passage on goal. The striker did not disappoint, lashing his effort past Leo Fasan.
Deimantas Petravicius should have equalised on the half-hour mark after bullying his way into the box, but the Lithuanian winger was foiled by Fleming.
Fasan produced a spectacular save with 20 minutes remaining
as Ryan Ferguson seemed certain to extend Montrose’s lead from inside the box. Fleming was keen to extend the heroics at his end of the park, pulling off a cat-like save from substitute Kevin O’hara.
ANNAN 1 HAMILTON 0
Super sub Aiden Smith knocked SPL side Hamilton out of the Betfred Cup in the shock of the day.
He was only on the field for 60 seconds when he fired home a corner from Ryan Sinnamon in the 60th minute to dump their more fancied opponents. Annan’s new striker Tommy Muir had a great chance in the 11th minute when the keeper parried a ball out and Muir skied his shot.