Deveronvale won their first Scottish Cup tie in five years with a thrilling 4-3 first round victory after extra time against Culter at Crombie Park.
The Banffers, who finished with 10 men after Innes McKay was sent off in the second period of extra time, trailed three times before battling back to win a cup cracker.
It’s Vale’s first victory since July 29 and their first success in this competition since September 2018, when they defeated Bonnyrigg Rose at Princess Royal Park.
Meanwhile, North Junior champions Culter, who had won 12 out of 12 this term, were left wondering what might have been.
Early opener
The home side started strongly shooting down the Crombie Park slope.
Cammy Fraser had an early sight of goal but goalkeeper Sean McIntosh made a good save.
In the fifth minute Ben McGregor crossed from the left and Ross Clark’s back post header bounced back off the crossbar.
On 11 minutes Culter made the breakthrough when Fraser played a ball in behind and Clark outmuscled Harry Noble on the right side of the area before firing past McIntosh.
Shortly after Fraser broke in behind but stumbled and Vale scrambled clear.
The Banffers struggled to create chances bar a couple of corners in the opening half hour, but they equalised out of nothing.
McKay stepped forward and let fly from 40 yards out and the shot burst through the hands of goalkeeper Peter Tait and into the net.
However, parity was only restored for a minute as Clark collected the ball and drove towards the edge of the box and shot into the bottom left corner.
In first half stoppage time Vale twice came close to levelling. Horace Ormsby wriggled free on the left and slipped in Cameron Angus with his powerful drive tipped behind by Tait at full stretch.
Then Ormsby jinked in from the right flank and his shot from 15 yards was deflected through to Tait.
Banffers hit back again
Within 20 seconds of the restart Vale could have equalised when Jamie MacLellan found Matthew Petermann on the left side of the area, but Tait made another good save.
At the other end Ritchie Petrie’s strike from 20 yards was held by McIntosh.
The next goal was likely to be crucial and Culter threatened to get it when Fraser linked with Clark, but McIntosh rushed out to deny the midfielder his hat-trick.
Vale equalised midway through the second half when Ormsby won a free-kick at the edge of the box.
Noble’s well-struck attempt was spilled by Tait and MacLellan stabbed home the rebound.
A couple of minutes later Culter could have retaked the lead when Ryan Smart’s pass released Fraser, but the usually clinical striker hit his effort straight at McIntosh.
The tie was in the balance but Culter forged ahead again with seven minutes left.
Fraser worked some space and his shot from 16 yards was parried by McIntosh and Noble’s sliding challenge stopped Clark from tapping in.
However, from McGregor’s resultant inswinging corner sub Willie Matters controlled at the back post before sending a superb overhead kick into the roof of the net.
Deveronvale to their credit came back again in the first minute of injury time when MacLellan found Petermann on the left side of the area and his brilliant curling shot found the top right corner.
Drama in additional period
At the end of the first half of extra time the Banffers took the lead when MacLellan played a brilliant one-two with Ryan Park and finished into the bottom right corner from the left side of the area.
There was more drama to come with Vale’s McKay sent off, receiving a second yellow card from referee Kyle Hall for tripping Clark in the 107th minute.
Shortly after the woodwork denied Culter when Mark Adam’s flick header from Mathers free-kick hit the face of the crossbar.
In the closing stages the Junior side cranked up the pressure and almost levelled in the last minute.
Fraser’s neat footwork set up sub Elliot Duff on the right side of the area, his blast went through McIntosh’s hands only for Jayden Goldie to get back and hack the ball off the line.
Culter appealed to the officials that it was over and could also have claimed for a penalty with Fraser appearing to have been tripped after passing the ball.
But Hall dismissed the shouts and Deveronvale were able to celebrate progression.
