Comrades overcame Willowbank at Dixon Park to progress to the next round of the Steel and Sons Cup.

The hosts were quick out of the blocks and took the lead inside four minutes. Ryan McMenemy intercepted the ball inside the Willowbank half and played it forward to Lewis Mearns. He the fed it through to Daniel Gordon in space inside the box and he made no mistake with a calm finish past the advancing keeper.

Three minutes later Comrades came close to doubling their when Nathan Best got in a strike on goal after a good link up inside the box with Dylan O’Kane. However, keeper Kelly made a good block.

The visitors then began to settle into the game and had a good spell during which they looked sharp and dangerous going forward. However, they were thwarted by resolute defending by the home side.

It was Comrades who were to get the next goal, to take the wind from Willowbank’s sails. It came on 38 minutes when Lewis Mearns and Ryan McMenemy teamed up to close down a defender who had dawdled on the ball just outside the area. Mearns stole the ball and advanced to slot it home wide of the keeper.

Willowbank came out brightly at the start of the second half, but they were undone in the 56th minute with a third Comrades goal. A lovely move ended with Nathan Best crossing to the far post where Daniel Gordon was unmarked to finish with a cushioned volley.

The visitors didn’t let their heads drop and on 75 minutes Lewis Deane had to tip a fine effort from Heaney onto the bar and over. From the resulting corner Ciaran Manson powered a header home to reduce the deficit.

A minute later the hosts were back three ahead. Daniel Gordon ran forward after and as he advanced into the box he was brought down. A penalty was awarded and Gordon stepped up to score it to complete a hat-trick in his first competitive game at Dixon Park.

Daniel Gordon came close to another goal in the 84thminute when he was played through by Ryan McMenemy and tried a lofted effort over the keeper from just outside the box, but it went just over the bar.

Comrades continued to look to add to their tally. On 89 minutes Zach Anderson had a chance with a shot from inside the box which went wide of the far post.

The scoring was completed a minute into stoppage time when Ryan McMenemy produced a stunning volley from the left side of the box which saw the ball fly into the far top corner of the net.