Hibernian 5 - 1 Montrose: Clinical Hibs capitalise on luck of draw

The Scottish Cup gods have, for once, been smiling kindly on Hibs. It's not something they have been used to as their run without silverware in Scotland's premier domestic cup competition has stretched and stretched to an extent that something surely has to snap.

One hundred and eight years is a long time for one of the nation's top teams to go without success on this stage. But whether there is a chance this season, not even the defeated keeper and Hibs old boy Andy McNeil wanted to risk saying anything that could jinx it. Hibs now go into the quarter-finals, though, and are one step closer to ending the drought.

It's likely, though, that any upcoming test will overshadow this one. Montrose are not blessed with cash and, as a consequence, player-manager Steven Tweed has assembled a squad of youngsters mainly from the club's surrounding area. It is a work in progress, though. There was a huge gulf in class.

As in the previous round, Hibs manager John Hughes refused to take anything for granted and fielded a strong side. They still had the obligatory scare that is synonymous with these kind of lopsided contests. But while Hugh Davidson had a third-minute shot, he didn't get enough bite in it and when it was shunted back across the goal, none of his team-mates could connect.

A minute later Hibs gave them a lesson in clinical finishing. McNeil had managed to save Liam Miller's initial effort but when Colin Nish was afforded the chance to bury the follow up from close range, the keeper couldn't halt him.

McNeil was one of the busiest men on the pitch and while he denied Hibs a number of times and ensured the 9-0 scoreline when these teams met during the 2003-4 season was not repeated.

Hibs had 16 shots on target but the keeper had a large say in the fact that only five of them resulted in goals. Nish got his own and his team's second when he beat Sean Fleming to a header at the back post to convert John Rankin's cross. That was in the 25th minute and although there were more openings, Montrose threw everything they had at damming their goal, while also trying to get forward and ease the pressure on their defence. When they were tested, McNeil pulled off a series of fine saves. However, the dam burst in the 69th minute.

It was a Derek Riordan special, drilled in from about 35 yards and there was no way McNeil was getting to the shot as it soared into the corner. It was a goal that decided matters, the couple that came after that simply adding sheen to the scoreline and slap Montrose down after they showed the audacity to pull one back. That came from Chris Hegarty, who skelped a low strike from distance past Graeme Smith in the 74th minute and celebrated like it was a winner.

After the match, Hughes, while expressing delight at his side's professionalism, also praised the visitors. Alluding to their part-time status and the fact they had kept battling right to the end, he described them as "the real heroes".

The disparity in the teams' standings was perfectly illustrated when it came to the substitutions. While Montrose handed 16-year-old Martin Boyle his debut, Hughes threw on Merouane Zemmama, Abdessalam Benjelloun and new signing Alan Gow and between them they completed the scoring. The Moroccans combined in the 77th minute, Zemmama crossing for Benji to head past McNeil and then, in the 88th minute, Gow signalled his arrival at the club and his determination for fight his way up the striking pecking order with an angled shot across McNeil, which nestled just inside the goal.

"I think full-time fitness told but Hamilton came here and lost 5-0 in the league recently and we came here with a young squad and did well," said Tweed. Maybe this Hibs team does have what it takes because they are young and they don't have that fear of what's gone before. But every team still in it has a chance."