THERE appeared to be an extended Christmas hangover for Sauchie Juniors as Dunipace scored two and took the points at a wet Westfield Park.
Two changes were made from last weekend’s emphatic victory over Hutchison Vale, with manager Fraser Duncan recalling Rhys Caves and Jack Thomson to his starting eleven.
In a game where the rain lashed down, the hosts started the brightest, a series of free-kicks from Kyle Turnbull challenged, but Sauchie captain Scott Davidson would head these clear.
The Pace’s dominance in the final third would continue and this time Kyle Ewing would be tasked with the set piece, only to be gathered comfortably by Keir Burt.
Sauchie’s Josh Gemmell provided Paul Simpson with a cross-park pass, Finn Malcolm firing wide of the mark in the middle following Simpson’s delivery.
An opener was nearly found for Dunipace when Martin France’s shot had hit the post following a second ball opportunity at a corner, which he had taken.
Just seconds later, however, a strike from just outside the box from France himself found its way into the back of the net.
Pressure from the home team continued to come at the set pieces, but these would not come to anything, a clearance from Connor Willaghan heading clear at the near post following a corner.
Minutes before the interval, Scott Davidson fouled Ryan Fleming in the box, giving the referee no hesitations in awarding a spot-kick.
Turnbull stepped up and dispatched his attempt to the right, and despite Burt getting a hand to it, the hosts’ lead was doubled from 12 yards.
The second 45 presented no changes to the order of play, France continuing his threat in the wide area and with crosses into the box.
Sam Colley had a chance to get his side’s third, but the winger would see his effort put just past the post.
The visitors’ only great chance of the game fell for Sam Davidson, an attempt that had hit the frame of the goal following a Gemmell free-kick.
The referee would eventually sound his whistle, putting Sauchie out of their misery.
It was unquestionably a below-par performance from Fraser Duncan’s men and the ever-honest gaffer was not shy in his assessment.
He told Advertiser Sport: “Absolutely terrible, right from start to finish.
"We turned up and looked sharp in the warm-up and good to go, set up very attacking to have a right go at them but they’ve done none of that, we were shocking and the worst I’ve seen us.
"Taking no credit away from Dunipace, they were very well organised, done their jobs and simply looked like they wanted the game more than us.
"We couldn’t string three or four passes together, complete night and day from last week, not acceptable.”
He added: “The players know themselves that is nowhere near a performance as we can put in.
"To sum up, we’ve been absolutely terrible and so disgusted with the boys, their efforts, really poor.
"I stick up for them a lot, there is a lot of games where I’ll take the blame over things but I’m not taking the blame for that.”
SAUCHIE: Burt, Willaghan, Sc. Davidson, Thomson, Simpson, Caves (Collumbine 57’), Smith (Morgan 57’), Sa. Davidson (Harrison 80’), Griffiths (Williamson 57’), Gemmell, Malcolm, (McDowell 70’). UNUSED SUBS: Robertson, Cummings
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