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Tain cruise to victory against Embo

• 22 Mar 2015

Tain Thistle bounced back from their Friday night defeat with a strong squad and a strong performance against an Embo team who had previously had the better of their Tain counterparts during pre-season for the past two years. On this occasion, there was no doubting the more superior side, as Tain cantered towards a 3-0 win, with Daniel Cormack in goal for the Jags, largely untested.<br /><br />The opening goal came after just 90 seconds, when Ben Brown, picking the ball up on the edge of the box, moved goalwards and slotted the ball past Steven Ure for the easiest of openers. Brown could have made it 2-0 just moments later when he looped a shot over Ure but his effort rattled the crossbar and flew to safety. The Jags didn't let up and neither did Brown as his powerful 20 yard strike stung the palms of the Embo 'keeper before Dave MacGruer added the finishing touch to push the ball home and make it 2-0 after just seven minutes' play. The early signs were that a rout could be on the cards.<br /><br />Embo offered very little when they did win possession and struggled to do anything against the more than competent back line of Duff, Christie and MacGruer and were it not for the competent goalkeeping of Ure, Embo may have found themselves nursing a sorer scoreline at half time. Calum Greenlees impressed and proved to be a frequent thorn in the side of the Embo back line, linking up well with Daniel Christie on a number of occasions. Gus Mcdonald, playing his first game of the pre-season, narrowly missed out on a goal when he attempted to glance a shot past Ure, only to watch his shot trundle wide of the post. Marc Munro offered Tain's last shot of the first half, forcing a good save from Ure. Liam Rostock and Paul Cowie were introduced during the interval and the changes offered Embo no respite as Thistle continued to dictate play during the second half. The latter of the substitutes was most unlucky with an hour gone when he shot just inches wide of the post from distance. <br /><br />In the end, Tain's persistence paid off when Ben Brown scored his second of the afternoon. Following on from a series of incisive passes and through balls, which Daniel Christie, nor Gus Mcdonald could finish, Brown launched a low effort from the edge of the eighteen yard box which sailed through a packed area past Ure and into the net. At 3-0, Tain Thistle were completely comfortable. Liam Rostock tested Ure with a shot of his own moments after the third goal, and just minutes after that, a first time attempt at goal from the striker, on the turn, scraped narrowly past the upright. <br /><br />All in all, Robert Ross will be pleased to have watched his Tain Thistle side canter to victory, without every looking likely to concede.<br /><br /><b>Squad:</b> Cormack, I Ross, MacGruer, A Christie, Duff, Sutherland, Cameron, Munro, MacDonald, Greenlees, Brown, D Christie, Mcdonald, Rostock, Cowie