Robinson delight as Steelmen sink Sons

MOTHERWELL remain top of Betfred Cup Group E after making it three wins out of three with a goal in each half and a display that pleased their manager, Stephen Robinson. Christian Ilic broke the deadlock after 42 minutes and Peter Hartley sealed the points with 14 minutes left. The Steelmen have still to lose a goal and now look certain to clinch a place in the last 16 when they host League Two Annan Athletic on Saturday. ‘It was another good night for us but credit Dumbarton manager Jim Duffy because he made it difficult for us,’ said Robinson. ‘They sat in and the pitch also made it more difficult. ‘At times it was like trying to play out of the rough at Royal Portrush but I don’t blame Jim for that — I’d have done the same in his shoes. ‘I think the longest spell we had without the ball was about seven seconds, which was fantastic. Our quality shone through in the end. ‘That’s three clean sheets now. Winning breeds confidence and the new boys have come in and hit the ground running. I believe there’s a lot more to come from them.’ The game flared up when Sons striker Stefan McCluskey seemed lucky to stay on the park following a high, late challenge on Ilic in the 27th minute. However, referee Colin Steven decided a few words of admonishment would suffice. The Steelmen took the lead three minutes from the interval, Ilic finishing well after Sons keeper Jordan Pettigrew had parried Barry Maguire’s effort. Jermaine Hylton almost made it 2-0 right on half-time, striking the base of the post from 18 yards. The second goal arrived with just 14 minutes left, Hartley rising unchallenged to head home Liam Polworth’s corner. Substitute Sherwin Seedorf almost made it 3-0 with a curler from 15 yards right at the death. Sons boss Duffy said: ‘We had three players: Jordan Pettigrew, Lewis Crawford and Rico Quitongo who’d never played senior football before tonight, so I’m happy with our performance.’