After a season when the Maroons were pipped for the league on the last day of the season and were knocked out of the cup with the final kick in the semi-final, Gala have been on a downward-spiral since the middle of October.

Coach George Graham is baffled by a series of bad results, and described the defeat on Saturday as the worse in his time at the club.

“I am bitterly disappointed,” he said. “We started the second half with a man advantage, and to all intents and purposes you would think we were a man down, but Stirling showed so much more hunger, passion and desire. We were the opposite.

“We are still waiting for players coming back from injury, but that is no excuse for our performance against County, I think that is the biggest loss I have had since I came to Gala.” He added: “It is very tough to swallow. We have to go through the video and try and identify the problems, speak to the players and see what is going through their heads.” There will be no easy answer to the dilemma for Gala, even with three pro-based players (two in the front row) they were unable to sustain a challenge.

County led only 10-5 at the interval and started the second 40 minutes with Fraser Lyle in the sin-bin, but the visitors totally dominated with aggression, power, and fast-running rugby as Gala disintegrated under the pressure.

“We have been working hard over the Christmas period. We played well and I am very pleased with our performance,” said its coach Graeme Young.

“The competition is important, as well as the league, where we want to get into the top four. We have not had a cup run for a number of years, and every time we play we want to win.” Gala were very much in the contest after Keith Young pulled back a score with a try in the right-hand corner following a score from Rory Hughes and Johnny Hope conversion and penalty.

But the Maroons were soon bruised into submission despite Lyle sitting out 10 minutes in the sin-bin for a high tackle on Rex Jeffrey while Opeta Palepoi had earlier limped off to be replaced by Sean Johnstone.

The second-half became one-way traffic as County stepped up a gear. Even with 14 men, Jamie Bhatti and Matthew Lamb went over for tries in the space of four minutes.

Further tries from Craig Robertson, Lyle and Bhatti again added to the score while Hope kicked two conversions and a penalty. The scoreline would have been even more embarrassing if Hope had been able to add to his total.

The clubs meet again on league business next Saturday at Bridgehaugh and Gala will be the more anxious on the back of one of its worst performances for a long time.

Gala: R. Howarth; K. Young, E. Scott, A. Emond, G. Speirs; R. Jeffrey, G. Hart; G. Shie, R. Anderson, J. Hilterbrand, C. Weir, O. Palepoi, K. Mein, S. Wilkinson, E. Dods. Replacements: G. Robertson, S. Johnstone, G. Somerville, C. Dods, F. Hunter.