Life after Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven has started rather well for Dundee United.
It was a beautiful Sunday for the Tangerines as they cruised into the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup by beating League One leaders Stranraer 3-0 at Stair Park, with all the real work done in the first half.
Two of the men charged with the task of banishing Armstrong and GMS both now at Celtic – to memory did what was asked of them and more.
Chris Erskine opened the scoring on 22 minutes and Ryan Dow, who made such an impact in the League Cup semi success over Aberdeen the previous weekend, was on song once again with the second and third goals.
The Tangerines couldn’t add to their tally but three was more than sufficient to see their name go into the last-eight draw.
The previous meeting between the sides was at Stair Park on December 1, 2012 when Johnny Russell scored a hat-trick and Jon Daly grabbed a double in a 5-0 win for United in the fourth round of this competition. They didn’t quite equal that but it was still a satisfying day down on the west coast.
The teams came out to the skirl of the bagpipes a fitting sound for the nation’s senior knockout competition.
Some of the away fans threw smoke bombs on to the park and the debris had to be cleared and then it was game on.
Erskine, who was celebrating his 28th birthday, had the first effort on goal with just over a minute gone, when he cut in from the right and let fly with a left-foot shot that sailed wide.
On eight minutes, the Blues had a chance when Chris Aitken’s freekick was headed over the bar by Frank McKeown.
Another flare on the pitch disrupted play on 13 minutes, with a policeman placing a bucket over it to allow the match to restart.
United were smokin’ on 22 minutes when they took the lead.
It was a gift from the hosts, with Sean Winter sclaffing a pass that looked meant for keeper David Mitchell.
Erskine was on to the error like a shot and took his time before prodding the ball past the Stranraer goalie to make it 1-0 to United.
Jarek Fojut head to be alert to clear his lines before Scott Rumsby’s header was well saved by Tangerines number one Rado Cierzniak.
But the visitors weathered that wee storm and made it 2-0 on 28 minutes.
A Fojut long ball was chased by Rumsby but the home defender slipped and once again a United man was on to it. Dow nipped around him, cut inside from the left and then clipped the ball past Mitchell a great finish.
Just three minutes later, it was all but game over as Dow latched on to a beautiful pass from Cifcti, sidestepped Mitchell and then rolled the ball into the empty net.
That made it a treble in nine minutes for clinical United and the bruised and battered hosts were happy to hear the half-time whistle.
The Tannadice men had a professional job to do in the second half, though.
Henri Anier, playing as the central striker, combined well with Ciftci but couldn’t find space to get a shot in when in a good position inside the box then United defender Ryan McGowan was booked for a foul of Aitken in the middle of the park on 54 minutes.
Stranraer had a good spell of pressure as the game reached the hour mark and Cierniak did well to save a Craig Malcolm strike with his feet then the Pole held a freekick that was fired in by Aitken form the edge of the box.
Dow was harshly booked for a foul on Winter on 67 minutes as the match started to get a bit niggly.
Grant Gallagher sent a shot flying over the United bar as the home team kept plugging away before Longridge was booked for clattering into Dow.
His job done for the day, Erskine made way for Blair Spittal on 74 minutes.
Ciftci had a chance to make it four when the ball came to him at pace at the edge of the box but he curled his shot over.
Anier made way for Charlie Telfer as the game moved into the closing stages.
There was plenty of huffing and puffing from the Blues but it was United who almost grabbed an injury-time goal.
After Ciftci was fouled, Telfer stepped up to take the freekick and his 25-yard strike was going in until Mitchell leapt to his left to tip the ball behind for a corner.
That was as good as it got, however, and the whistle went to make it one final and one quarter-final reached in just over a week for United.