Hill of Beath Hawthorn 4 Sauchie Juniors 0
Sauchie Juniors' preparations for Saturday's Scottish Gas Scottish Cup tie took a knock after they were defeated at Hill of Beath Hawthorn.
Jon Tully's men made the trip to Fife still searching for their first win of the Premier Division season, at the 12th attempt.
Since reaching the second round of the cup, thanks to an impressive win at Highland League side, Inverurie Loco Works, in late September, the Reds have lost three on the bounce.
Narrow, one-goal league defeats at Musselburgh Athletic, and at home to Dundonald Bluebell, was followed by an exit to Arbroath Victoria in the Scottish Communities Cup (Junior Cup) on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Tully felt that was a game Sauchie "really should have won", having had 18 shots at goal, 14 of which were on target, but they were well beaten at Keirs Park.
The hosts opened the scoring after 20 minutes when, after set up work from Jonny Galloway and Lewis Elder, John Smith fired a low shot into the back of the net.
That was the difference between the teams at the interval, after an opening period in which Sauchie also threatened, but the contest went away from them in the second period.
On the hour mark, Hill of Beath doubled their money when Smith, after an effort from Tosh was blocked, was on hand to score his second of the afternoon.
Five minutes later, Tosh got his name on the scoresheet, finishing well after good build-up play, before Sauchie's misery was completed late on when substitute Ross Allum's diving header made it 4-0.
The defeat, Sauchie's ninth from 12 games, leaves them third bottom, one place outside the drop zone, one and two points ahead of Glenrothes and Hutchison Vale respectively, who both have games in hand.
Attention for the Beechwood Park men, however, turns to the Scottish Cup on Saturday as they head north to face another Highland League club, Clachnacuddin, in the second round.
Clach go into the tie on the back of a 3-2 defeat in the North of Scotland Cup final to Forres Mechanics, and sit sixth in the Highland League.
The match, at Grant Street Park in Inverness, kicks off at 3pm.
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