Abbey Vale dumped Lowland League side Dalbeattie Star out of the SFA South Region Challenge Cup on penalties on Saturday.
Craig Kerr’s goal had Vale in front at the interval after Lewis McKenna had missed a penalty for the hosts.
Star equalised through Andrew Caffrey, forcing extra-time, and it looked as if the Lowland League side would progress when Scott Ballantyne scored.
But David Adams scored to take the game to penalties with Vale winning 5-3.
Vale co-manager Allan Clark said: “I just thought ‘oh no’ when they got that goal in extra-time but the boys showed character and kept on defending the way they had been. We got our chance and scored and obviously we did well on penalties.
“We changed the shape a wee bit on Saturday. We went a wee bit more direct thinking we wouldn’t have a great deal of the ball but we controlled at least the first 45 minutes.
“I believe we could have been out of sight in the first 45 minutes and so did quite a few neutrals down watching. We only took one chance which I thought would come back to haunt us and it did at one stage.
“They started playing a bit better in the second half, got their goal and took it to extra-time.
“They stepped it up again but I honestly don’t think anyone can take the result away from us.
“Everyone who started, everyone on the bench, got it bang on. For all they had a bit of the ball, they didn’t open us up too much and I don’t think Taylor Hall our goalkeeper had much to do.
“The boys defended well as a team.”
Vale’s reward for their win is another home game against a Lowland League side, although this time it’s league leaders East Kilbride rather than a team at the bottom who’ll be visiting New Abbey.
Clark said: “I think if you had to hand pick the hardest game there that would probably have been it.
“It’s a cup. We know we’re not going to go and win it, especially with the big teams in it, but it’s nice to get a wee run.
“We’ve beaten a team from the West and a team in the Lowland. It’s nice to test yourself against teams from different leagues.
“It’ll be a really tough test against East Kilbride. They’re sitting top of the Lowland so it’ll be a hard, hard game.”
This weekend Vale head to Creetown in the Potts Cup.
The Castle Cary Park side are themselves coming off the back of a good weekend, having won the League Cup on Friday night.
“It’ll be a hard game, it’s a cup game and both teams will have to go for it.”
