Inverness CT 6 Edinburgh City 1 /Highlanders give Citizens six of the best

Inverness Caley Thistle blew away brave Edinburgh City at the second time of asking with an early second-half goal spree.

A Jordan White hat-trick, two from winger Tom Walsh and another from Aaron Doran made it a mauling by the Highlanders after a sticky start against the League Two leaders.

The Citizens came north seeking the biggest scalp in their 32-year history, against the perpetrators of one of the greatest Scottish Cup shocks of all time, the February 2000 beating of Celtic.

But, despite Blair Henderson’s early leveller, there never really looked like being an upset last night. The win booked John Robertson’s men, victors in 2015, a highly winnable fourth round tie at home to East Kilbride.

City, with 14 wins from their last 17 matches, were not short of confidence, having already beaten Championship opposition in Alloa this season in the Irn Bru Cup.

Even when Inverness took a fifth-minute lead, they weren’t rattled. A weighted ball over the top from Aaron Doran found Tom Walsh shrugging off the challenge of City defender Liam Henderson before stabbing in a close-range finish.

Thoughts of an evening

0 Aaron Doran completed the scoring for ICT to make it 6-1 in the Scottish Cup third round replay at the Caledonian Stadium.

stroll for the hosts quickly dissipated. Within two minutes, City’s Graham Taylor had hoisted a lovely cross into the box for Blair Henderson to steer a first time side-footed volley past the exposed Mark Ridgers.

Forafewminutes,thehome side were flapping and it took a very good full-stretch block from Caley defender Jamie

Mccart to stymie another Henderson strike.

But the home lead was restored after 15 minutes, White guiding a header past keeper Calum Antell from Liam Polworth’s long freekick from the left.

The hosts began to make their overall dominance count with a crucial third goal after 53 minutes, Walsh’s

second of the night executed with a superb, controlled finish from a tight angle.

White then struck twice within two minutes to kill the tie and claim a hat-trick, first with a clinical volley from Rooney’s cross and then with a deft head-flick close in.

By now, the Highlanders were cruising, threading passes around the pitch

and blooding teenage talents Roddy Macgregor and Cameron Harper.

City battled hard to resist further damage, with 17-yearold Macgregor proving a lively handful. But a sixth goal arrived after great skill from Macgregor who slipped a through pass into the path of Doran for a low left-foot finish.