In the corresponding fixture at Hannah Park earlier in the season Dunipace had shown enough skill and determination to make the Shotts fans think this would be one very taxing occasion for their favourites but the Bon Accord grabbed this game by the throat right from the kick off.

It was a wonder that it took the visitors as long as eight minutes to get the opener, Billy Russell prodding the ball over the line after keeper Hutton had made an excellent effort in getting down to parry Mark Duffy's low shot, but once that was in there was no stopping the men in maroon.

Darren Ferguson, Tony Fleming and Gary McSeveney were rock solid at the back whilst Gary McStay, John Boyack, Russell and Paul Finnigan wove pretty patterns with their passes but the best was Steven Barker whose drive and commitment created good openings for the ever-willing front runners Mark Duffy and Paul McLaughlin.

Dunipace tried to stem the tide and build a few pleasing moves of their own but everything foundered on the vigilance of the Bon Accord defence. As a result Craig Brown in goal had little to do to occupy his time. His counterpart in the 'Pace goal Hutton was their star man as he threw himself at everything that came his way and some of his stops in both halves of the game were breathtaking.

After the break, Shotts tightened the screw in the 55th minute when Duffy volleyed home Barker's corner after Hutton had brilliantly tipped over McLaughlin's header. Barker was on fire in the second half and he then set up Duffy for the next two to give him his first hat-trick for Shotts before finding sub Brian Jack at the far post for a nice tap-in to make it 5-0.

The home side worked hard but they knew their standards were well below those required to halt the tide sweeping forward at every opportunity and the game got a bit untidy as their defenders tried all manner of means to stop Barker & Co. Three yellow cards and one red, all for Dunipace, show what the referee thought of some of their efforts.

Deep into added time, the referee awarded Shotts a penalty kick for a foul on McLaughlin on the goal line but sub Kevin Barr was still ring rusty and he skewed his effort wide of the post. Still, the striker had shown enough speed and aggression since his introduction to demonstrate that his ability to link up play when properly fit will bring him more and more opportunities to increase his goal tally this season.

This was a very impressive display by Tony McInally's team. For 90 minutes they showed aggression and skill and played with real heart and at a tempo that bodes well for the club's immediate future whilst at the same time possibly putting an end to a rival's push for promotion. This was a demoralising defeat for a club whose fans thought they were the best in the division. They may come back, but they will have to take points from teams above them to do so and that can only be good for the Bon Accord.