A respectable crowd appeared out on a sunny afternoon in Garioch to watch Inverurie Locos, a side that have finished second in the Highland League in consecutive seasons, take on a St Johnstone team that put seven past Fraserburgh on Friday night.

Jason Scotland had grabbed a first half hat-trick in that game and he was immediately causing problems for the home defence, winning a penalty in the 6th minute. Craig Ross was adjudged, somewhat harshly, to have brought down the Trinidad and Tobago international.

Former Inverness Caley Thistle and Aberdeen midfielder Paul Sheerin stepped up and fired it high into the keepers top left hand corner of the net to put the Saints ahead.

In the fifteenth minute good play down the right lead to a Jason Scotland flick in for Peter Macdonald who acrobatically scissorkicked and effort that had Michael Smith beaten but came back off the crossbar to the frustration of the striker.

The Locos fans were again groaning on the half hour mark as another penalty was awarded with no benefit of doubt going to the home defender. A ball into the inside right channel saw Roddy Mess go out to close down Jason Scotland and as the striker tried to flick it inside it struck the left backs hand.

The linesmans flag went up and duly the ref pointed to the spot. Paul Sheerin stepped up and fired in what was a carbon copy penalty kick, the top left hand corner of the net being the balls target.

Within a minute St Johnstone added a third. Kevin Rutkiewicz played the ball down the right wing for Steven Anderson and from his cut back Jason Scotland allowed the ball to roll across his body before picking out the top corner with a curling left footed 16 yarder.

Inverurie Locos failed to record a shot on target during the first forty five, unless you count a long kick from Michael Smith that ran through with just once bounce, but Steven Parks overlapping run down the right saw him drill a low ball across the goal which Kevin James and Kevin Rutkiewicz contrived to clear.

Sixty seconds into the second half a Barry Somers foul was punished in clinical fashion by Darren Sheridan. The midfielder lifted the 20 yard set piece over the top of the wall, picking out the top left hand corner of the net with Michael Smith left grasping at thin air.

Steven Anderson made it five nil in the 51st minute when a long ball from Allan McManus set Paul Sheerin free on the right and with the Locos defenders still appealing for an offside Sheerin played it low across to Anderson who turned it home.

Andrew Jackson added his name to the scoresheet with Jason Scotland putting it on a plate for the sub. His turn of pace to get into the corner left the Locos defence for dead and he fired the ball to the back post where Jackson sidefooted it into the unguarded corner of the net.

There was some cheer for the Locos fans when Andy Roddie intelligently sidestepped one challenge then dinked the ball in for Neil Gauld whose first time volley brought out a reaction save from Keith Cuthbert, but Jamie Watt was on hand to apply a close range finish.

Steven Parks ball down the line and Barry Somers challenge helped the ball fall into the path of Jamie Watt who hit an opportunistic 25 yard volley with the outside of his foot that was flighted perfectly over the head of Kevin Cuthbert making it 6-2.

The goals were flowing with another long ball over the top seeing St Johnstone raid down the right wing with Steven Anderson getting in behind the defence and playing the ball into the middle for Andrew Jackson to double his tally.

Great play by Neil McLean down the right wing saw him jink through a cluster of Saints before drilling the ball back from the byeline into the path of Neil Gauld but the young strikers powerful sidefooted strike flew over the bar.

The Locos werent done though and they added a third in the 79th minute. Neil McLean played the ball in 10 yards from the right to Neil Gauld and his clipped ball to the front post was headed into the net by another sub, David Ross.

The goal of the game arrived in the 84th minute when Andrew Jackson claimed his hat trick with a stunning twenty five yard strike that flew into the top left hand corner of the keepers net.

The fans had seen a just under a dozen goals but the players were certainly looking to add to that tally and Andy Roddie then struck a zinger just over Keith Cuthberts crossbar within a minute of Jacksons strike.

A well constructed passing move in the final minute saw the Saints fired the ball from one side to the other before Paul Sheerin swung a deep cross in from the left that was met by Steven Anderson at the back post. The wing back headed it across and into the top corner to round off an excellent afternoons entertainment.

Full time: Inverurie Locos 3 St Johnstone 9

Inverurie Loco Works: Smith, Park, Mess (Roddie 41), Wilson (Cutler 83), Simpson (Anderson 80), McKenzie, C Ross (McKibben 59), Somers (Forsyth 69), Milne (Gauld 46), Watt (D Ross 73), McLean (Padua 83) Subs:

St Johnstone: Cuthbert, Mensing, Stanic (Anderson 14), McMauns, Rutkiewicz (Weir 75), James, Hardie (Stevenson 69), Sheridan, Macdonald,( Jackson 43) Scotland (Coyle 75), Sheerin, Subs:

Ref: Matt Northcroft