DUNDEE eased through to the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup after a convincing win over Falkirk at Dens.
The Championship Dark Blues had dominated large spells of the first half without scoring but three goals after the break from Lyall Cameron, Lee Ashcroft and Zach Robinson secured the win with the League 1 Bairns finishing the match with just 10 men.
The home side carved out the first opening of the match with just three minutes on the clock, Cameron threading a defence-splitting pass into Zach Robinson but the striker’s shot from the edge of the box was comfortably gathered by Bairns keeper Nicky Hogarth.
Falkirk had a half chance of their own shortly after when the ball broke to Aidan Nesbitt in the Dundee box but his shot was blocked.
It was a bright opening to the game with Robinson then having another close-range effort snuffed out by Craig McGuffie with the ball falling to Dundee’s Joe Grayson but his 20-yard shot flew well over the bar.
Cameron then pounced on a defensive error and advanced on goal but he hit his low shot just inches wide of Hogarth’s right-hand post.
However, Dundee survived a huge scare in the 43rd minute when Lee Ashcroft cut out a cross from the right but diverted it onto his own post and behind for a corner.
Both sides struggled to find any fluency at the start of the second half however Dundee finally made the breakthrough in the 56th minute.
Robinson found Cameron inside the Falkirk box and the teenage midfielder made no mistake, calmly sliding the ball low past Hogarth and into the bottom corner of the net.
Falkirk battled to get back into the game and had a great opportunity in the 78th minute when Callumn Morrison flashed a superb ball across the face of the Dundee goal with sub Oluwasegun Lawal just inches away from connecting.
However, Dundee extended their lead just two minutes later when Ashcroft sent a bullet header past Hogarth from a Paul McMullan corner.
The game was well and truly put to bed in the 89th minute when the Dark Blues were awarded a penalty for a Gary Oliver hand ball with referee Colin Steven showing the Falkirk man a red card.
Robinson made no mistake from the spot, sending his penalty past the diving Hogarth.
