Alba down Thistle and go through in Trophy

Pentland Thistle were comfortably dispatched by fellow Capital side Ryrie's Alba in the first round of the Scottish Sunday Amateur Trophy on the all-weather 3G pitch at Saughton.

Ryrie's were rewarded with a third-round place by default after the draw for the next round paired them with the Fife side Weavers Rovers, who have since folded.

The two teams from varying levels of the Edinburgh and District Sunday Amateur FA played out a spectacle bereft of many incident or goal-scoring opportunities, with Premier Division Ryrie's running out 3-0 victors over First Division Pentland.

Ryrie's, sitting mid-table in the top flight with just four games played, rarely appeared threatened by their hosts but in a lacklustre second half they were restricted to a handful of half-chances as Pentland stemmed the flow of goals.

The visitors opened the scoring after just four minutes as roving defender Fergus Wilson picked up the ball on the byeline to the right of goal after a corner kick, cut inside to create an angle to shoot, and lashed his shot into the roof of the net from six yards out.

Pentland were unable to obtain possession for long enough to assert any influence on the game in its early stages, and Ryrie's added a second goal five minutes later with relative ease.

Midfielder Nick Lewis hunted down a cross to the left-hand side of the six-yard box and deftly dinked a shot over Pentland goalkeeper Gary McGilvary, who had appeared non-commital when the loose ball was there for the taking.

McGilvary did atone for that error of judgment minutes later, however, as he produced a strong hand to push Murdo Steven's fierce strike over the bar following Craig Brooks' cross.

Brooks, with his nonchalant style, was easily the most talented player on the pitch and fed his attacking team-mates with consistently pinpoint crosses.

It was the No.?7's ability as a sharpshooter in front of goal, though, that trebled Ryrie's' lead just prior to the half-hour mark.

Pentland left-back Douglas Aitken was caught out of position as a Ryrie's ball was lofted forward and played the onrushing Brooks onside, and despite Aitken's frantic effort to track back and block, he couldn't match the pace of Brooks, who calmly side-footed into the right-hand corner of the net from inside the box.

By half time, the game was all but dead, and a combination of resolute defending and a lack of imagination in either side's attack contributed towards a goalless second period. Pentland defender Mitchell Grasie intercepted a dangerous cross from the left in the nick of time on 58 minutes, just as it had looked as though the ball would run to Ryrie's striker Scott McDonald, who had the goal at his mercy.

At the other end, Pentland's Ben Sanderson fired wide on 65 minutes as the home side's best chance came and went.

Elsewhere, last season's top Edinburgh performers, Newton Heath, crashed out in the first round to Falkirk side Roman Bar.

Albion AFC and Hibs of Midlothian both overcame out-of-town opposition, but Capital sides Oscars and AC Midlothian lost narrowly.

In the all-Edinburgh ties, Roseburn Thistle, Sparta, Salters and Spartans AFC emerged victorious

Pentland Th: Gary McGilvary, Mark Chapman, Douglas Aitken, Mitchell Grasie, Sean McLemon, Ewen Brown, Craig Martin, Darren Lester, Patrick McDermid, Ben Sanderson, Alex Fowler, Grant McDermid, Mark Hermiston, John Stephens, Walter Berwick.

Ryrie's Alba: Kyle Tod, Kenny MacKenzie, Gregg Maxwell, Fergus Wilson, Thomas Syme, Craig Brooks, Nick Lewis, Stewart Barton, Adam Whytock, Scott McDonald, Murdo Steven, Aden Donaldson.