Hat-trick from on-loan Hearts forward Euan Henderson knocks Bonnyrigg Rose out of the cup
On-loan Hearts youngster Euan Henderson scored his first career hat-trick as third tier Alloa Athletic ended Bonnyrigg Rose’s Scottish Cup adventure for another season.
The 21-year-old, who came through the ranks at Tynecastle, has been in top form for Alloa.
He is the club’s top scorer and has now scored eight goals in the past six games.
The 5-0 defeat will be a sore one for manager Bonnyrigg Rose manager Robbie Horn and his team, who went into the game hoping they could cause an upset and were backed by a large travelling support.
Their attention now returns to winning the Lowland league, with Cumbernauld Colts the visitors to New Dundas Park on Saturday.
As befits a side with many seasoned pros in their ranks, Barry Ferguson’s Allona had just too much nous with, early first half goals from Mouhamed Niang and Henderson putting them in a comfort zone from which they were never in danger.
It will be all part of the learning curve for Bonnyrigg, whose aspirations of climbing the league pyramid into League 2 have been impressively asserted this season.
They never really got going in this one and as the minds and legs began to tire they leaked goals late on as Henderson went on to claim a hat-trick and Niang a double.
“We did a professional job”, said Ferguson. “I thought in stages we were excellent – and we showed a real patience.
“Bonnyrigg are a tough team and we’re just delighted to get into the next round.”