SLAYING giants is only possible with the right equipment even David had a sling. In football, you have to go with what you were born with, and Clydebank's players were obviously well behind Celtic's when the talent was on offer.
Yesterday's third round tie had seemed a mismatch from the moment of the draw, a suspicion confirmed after only one minute, when Jorge Cadete scored the opening goal. Pierre Van Hooydonk met a cross from the left and his powerful volley was pushed out by Iain McFarlane to Cadete, who drove it back over the line from six yards.
The Portuguese completed his double and assured himself of the sponsors' Man of the Match award nine minutes later. Brian McLaughlin carried the ball from his own half and, as Cadete ran towards the left side of the area, the ball was released with impeccable timing. Cadete, with his left, foot, shot low past McFarlane from the angle.
Malky MacKay was next up after 29 minutes. The big defender - exactly as he had done in a league match here at Firhill last season, when Partick Thistle were in the Premier Division - reached Paulo di Canio's floated free kick from the right and bulleted his header high into the net from 10 yards.
Perhaps the only surprise by that stage was that Van Hooydonk had not made the scoring credits. He obliged in the 57th minute when Jackie McNamara's free kick from the right was headed on by Cadete and the big Dutchman, all alone, volleyed fiercely past McFarlane from eight yards.
A certain complacency had settled on players and spectators alike by the time Scott Murdoch fouled Cadete nine minutes from, the end and di Canio completed the scoring with the penalty kick. Perhaps the thousands wearing the green and white were already thihking of a demanding fourth round tie, away to the winners of tomorrow's third round replay between Aberdeen and Hibernian.
Celtic's trip to Pittodrie or Easter Road in the fourth round is matched for intrigue by the tie between Hearts and Dundee United at Tynecastle. The Edinburgh side got there on the back of a comfortable 5-0 victory over Cowdenheath, while United secured their eighth straight win by beating Stirling Albion 2-0 at Forthbank.
Nobody could be happier, however, than East Fife, who are to meet Rangers at Ibrox. Having lost 15 league games in a row in the First Division, the Methill side beat Queen's Park to secure a tie which is likely to bring them around £200,000 more than they take at the gate in an entire league campaign.
