Ruthless Caley Thistle put seven past sorry Arbroath in Betfred Cup clash
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SCOTT Boden scored a hat-trick as Caley Thistle ran riot in a 7-0 demolition of Arbroath.
Aside from Boden's treble, a brace from Carl Tremarco and strikes from Iain Vigurs and Billy King capped off a marvellous display.
The drubbing all but ensures the Caley Jags progressing to the last 16 of the Betfred Cup as group winners, with Dundee United needing to better this result against Dunfermline tomorrow.
King gave Caley Thistle the perfect start 10 minutes in. Moments after seeing a stone-wall penalty shout denied when he was tripped by Gary Phillips, King made up for it by steering Jake Mulraney's pass through the legs of goalkeeper Robbie Mutch.
Things would not get much better for the League Two side as after they were let off by Tremarco's open-goal miss, Boden put his left-foot strike beyond Mutch's grasp.
It was one-way traffic in the first half as Vigurs, fresh from his midweek hat-trick against Dunfermline, nodded King's near-post cross on to the bar. Boden doubled his tally on 24 minutes when King headed Tremarco's cross into his path.
Tremarco - another on the scoresheet at East End Park - got the fourth 10 minutes before the break as he planted Raven's cross past Mutch with a diving header. The former Macclesfield defender could have had a hat-rick in the opening 45, as he also headed straight at Mutch from six yards.
Four became five at the start of the second half when Liam Polworth found Mulraney with a wonderful raking ball and he laid it on a plate for Vigurs to finish from close-range.
Arbroath's had a couple of chances - Steven Doris' clipped effort was cleared off the line by Tremarco and Owain Fon Williams did well to parry Bobby Linn's skidding effort.
Ex-Newport striker Boden rounded off his hat-trick on 71 minutes by slotting Vigurs' pass round Mutch and they notched a seventh in the closing stages, Gary Warren's mazy run and cross finished by Tremarco.
CALEY THISTLE: Fon Williams; Raven, Warren, McNaughton (Brown, 62), Tremarco, Tansey, Polworth, Mulraney (Fisher, 74), Vigurs, King (Draper, 56), Boden. Subs unused: Mackay, Doran, Horner, Sutherland. Booked: none.
ARBROATH: Mutch; Thomson (Dunlop, 46), Hamilton, Kader, Philips, Linn, Whatley, Gold, Prunty (Hester, 80), Callaghan, Doris. Subs unused: Gomes. Booked: none.
Attendance: 1316.
Referee: G. Aitken.
