Montrose hang on as Morton cruise

Four goals in the first half hour seemed to have put Montrose on their way to the fourth round and a visit from Dundee United but Annan hit back before going down 4-3 at Galabank .

The Gable Endies hit the front on 19 minutes when Martin Rennie slotted home a penalty and it was 2-0 when Martyn Fotheringham lobbed Alex Mitchell from 25 yards. Montrose were thinking about their date with the Tannadice side when Paul Watson forced a rebound home and Andrew Steeves increased their lead even further, with Mitchell again caught out of goal.

Aidan Smith’s spotkick on 61 minutes brightened Annan’s night and the striker headed in a second to lift the home side’s hopes further. Ayrton Sonkur curled in a third goal with six minutes to go but the Gable Endies held on.

Morton will travel to East Fife in the next round after seeing off Peterhead 3-0 in their third-round replay at wind-lashed Balmoor.

The Greenock side were late arriving but they caught their hosts cold in ten minutes when Kerr Waddell, pictured, rose to head home a Michael Tidser corner. Peterhead’s Rory Mcallister tried to use the elements to grab an equaliser straight from the second-half kick-off but Derek Gaston saved. Robert Thomson drilled home morton’ s second just after the hour, with Jason Brown coming closest to getting Peterhead back in it when his shot struck the woodwork. Chris Millar darted around home keeper Greg Fleming before slip ping in the third after 83 minutes.