Kilmarnock booked their place in Sunday’s Scottish Cup quarter final draw after a 2-0 victory over Cove Rangers.
Marley Watkins scored his second in four days just before the break to finally break a stuffy Cove Rangers side.
It was far from a comfortable afternoon for Derek McInnes’ side but they sealed their spot in the last eight when Danny Armstrong doubled their lead nine minutes from time.
It wasn’t the start that would have hoped for against the league one outfit who frustrated Killie at times.
The visitors were unlucky not to take the lead through Rumarn Burrell. Stuart Findlay attempted to head the ball clear and it landed in the path of the Cove striker whose effort was cleared off the line by Fraser Murray.
Watkins got the opener eventually in the dying stages of the first half to take his tally to nine for the season.
Into the second half neither side managed to create an awful lot that troubled either Will Dennis or Suman.
It was the substitutions who made the difference. Danny Armstrong had been on the pitch for just 120 seconds before he sent a low strike into the back of the net to seal the win.
It might have been more comfortable; Matty Kennedy took a tumble in the box early on which was waved off by officials and secondly, in the final seconds of added time the ball looked at though it rolled over the before the Cove keeper was able to get his arms around it. With no VAR there was no way of checking. McInnes was just relieved to get through the tie unscathed.
