Hermes record an emphatic 5-0 victory over basement dwellers Sunnybank to go 2nd in the North of Scotland Premier League. Goals from Nikolas Wozniak, Dominic Rae and Craig Mackie ended the contest in the first half, with late goals courtesy of Brunon Paszkiewicz and Mackie again rounded off a statement win under the lights at Lochside Park.

The result was to the delight of Hermes boss Steven Watson, who said: “Two weeks ago after the same fixture [in the Grill Cup] I felt disappointed, but tonight it’s the polar opposite; I thought we were brilliant.

“Five doesn’t flatter us; we were excellent in the first half. The early goal settled us and after a period where we kept missing, getting two goals close to half time was ideal.

“It’s easy to be complacent in the second half with a comfortable lead, but credit to the boys; they kept at it and they deserved to grab another two goals near the end.

“Playing the same team twice in quick succession is never easy, but there was no issue at all for us, we knew how we wanted to deal with them and did so effectively.

“It’s still early days to be talking about league position but we know we’re back in the mix now and we can be pleased by that.”

Hermes were ahead inside eight minutes when Sunnybank’s Andrew Buck headed the ball into the path of Wozniak who fired home from close range.

After a period of missed opportunities from the home side, with Wozniak and Paul Esslemont shooting wide from close range, they doubled their lead in the 39th minute. A looping header caught the Sunnybank defence out, leaving Rae to calmly nod the ball in from two yards.

The third would arrive on the stroke of halftime through another close-ranged header. Wozniak crossed from the left and Mackie rose highest to extend Hermes’ lead.

Sunnybank managed a positive spell early in the second half, forcing a clever save from Jacob Otto when Kieran Munro attempted a chip from distance.

It would go from bad to worse for the away side in the 83rd minute however. Paszkiewicz was clean through having beaten the goalkeeper, but Liam Harper cynically flattened the striker as he tried to roll the ball into the empty net. Harper was given his marching orders as the Hermes substitute dusted himself down before converting the penalty with an effort down the middle.

Hermes had time for one more with Mackie bundling home from close range after a corner in the 90th minute.